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Jakob Schiller: Black & White Liquor proprietor Sucha Singh Banger outside his newly reopened South Berkeley store..
Jakob Schiller: Black & White Liquor proprietor Sucha Singh Banger outside his newly reopened South Berkeley store..
 

News

Liquor Store Fights to Stay Open Despite Neighbors’ Opposition By Pauline Bartolone Special to the Planet

Tuesday December 06, 2005

Sucha Singh Banger had a hard summer, and life isn’t getting any easier for him. 

Back in June, one of the employees at his liquor store at 3027 Adeline St., Black & White Liquor, bought alcohol from an undercover cop who had informed the store clerk that the liquor was stolen. The violation resulted in a 20-day suspension of Banger’s liquor license.  

Only a month later, an arson-related fire ripped through the back wall of the retail space and upstairs apartments. When firefighters arrived at the number of semi-automatic weapons, M-80 firecrackers, and dozens of marijuana plants in the second-floor apartment, rented out by one of Banger’s tenants.  

Now, residents of the surrounding Ashby district of South Berkeley have been stepping up the complaints against the liquor store, saying the place attracts drunken malfeasance and drug dealing. Consequently, the Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) is beginning nuisance proceedings, which could result in the permanent suspension of Banger’s liquor license.  

“While the owner [Sucha Banger] has always been friendly enough, he seems unable and/or unwilling to control the behavior of his patrons,” wrote neighbor Dawn Rubin in a written complaint filed recently with the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC).  

Rubin and the 24 other nearby residents who have filed complaints to the department report loitering by intoxicated persons near the property, loud noise late at night, and urination, defecation and littering by the store’s patrons.  

Some residents say they even avoid walking to the Ashby BART station a block away from Black & White out of fear for their safety.  

But Banger said he tries to control the behavior around the store by telling his patrons they can’t loiter.  

“I’m calling the police because they are not leaving,” said Banger, arguing that there are indigents all over Berkeley, not just in front of his store. “What do they want me to do?” 

According to the ZAB report, 44 police calls were made for service at Black & White Liquor between Jan. 1 and July 31 of this year. Most were for public disturbances. A few were for medical aid and reports of a gun.  

Banger said the reason why there were so many calls to police during the seven-month period is because he made them. But Gregory Daniel, the code enforcement supervisor with the Zoning Adjustments Board, says most of the calls were made very late at night, when Banger had already returned to his Antioch home.  

“It doesn’t matter who made the calls,” Daniel adds. “What matters is how many resources are being used ... We should not allow the community to be at risk.” 

But Banger, who’s been working at Black & White since 1986, and has owned the store since 1989, says crime has gone down around the store in the last two decades.  

“I’ve cleaned up this neighborhood,” he said. “Back in 1986, there would be 10 or 15 guys hanging out on the corner.” 

Residents stepped up the complaints against Banger’s business this fall because they said problems disappeared when Black & White was closed for renovation after the summer’s fire. 

For the 85 days while the store was boarded up and blackened on the corner of Emerson and Adeline streets, neighbors said they hoped another type of business would replace it. But that hope turned into disappointment when residents learned that Banger was reapplying for a liquor license after the ABC enforced a mandatory suspension during the store’s renovation.  

“I thought Black & White was leaving and we were going to get a different kind of store,” says Mina Caulfield, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1981. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s always been a problem.”  

Caulfield says a café, a bookstore or another antique store would serve the neighborhood better than another liquor store. She says she and her husband Tom hardly patronize the minimarket.  

Meanwhile, Banger says the suspension of his liquor license until Dec. 5 resulted in a decrease of 98 percent of overall sales at Black & White. 

“Who’s going to come to buy candy and cigarettes?” he asked, adding that he will fight to keep his liquor license. Banger shows some signs of trying to clean up the store’s image. “Welcome Back—Grand Reopening” posters are plastered all over the front windows, along with the ABC’s notices of suspension and Banger’s own “No Trespassing” sign. The corner store sports a new black and white paint job, and is now closing at or before 8 p.m.  

Some community members have come out in support of Banger, including the local mail carrier Martin Vargas. He has passed out handwritten petitions and flyers calling on the city and the neighborhood to support minority-owned businesses.  

But for many residents, the summer’s incidents have, at best, permanently raised the bar of scrutiny about Banger’s businesses.  

“The community hasn’t gotten any answers,” said Les Shipnuk about the activities at 3027 Adeline St. “In the absence of answers, the mind can run riot.” 

A public hearing to determine whether the property at 3027 Adeline St. should be declared a public nuisance will be part of this week’s ZAB meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8 at Old City Hall. Banger and supporters are holding their own meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 6:45 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church at 2024 Ashby Ave.  

 

 

 


Touring DowntownWith DAPAC By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday December 06, 2005

“Let’s all visit Berkeley for the first time,” Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee (DAPAC) Chair Will Travis declared Saturday before a group set off on a downtown walking tour.  

Committee members, joined by city and UC Berkeley staff and members of t he public, took a two-and-a-half-hour tour of the district that will be the subject of a new central city plan. 

The plan is mandated by the settlement agreement of the city’s suit against UC Berkeley over the university’s Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) for 2020. 

Before setting out, tour participants gathered in the Aurora Theater for introductory remarks from Travis and Matt Taecker, the planner hired specifically for the plan. 

Taecker asked committee members to think about “what makes a great and exceptional downtown,” including public spaces, the impact of buildings on their surroundings, the streets themselves, sidewalks, passages and plaza spaces. 

UC Capital Projects senior planner Kevin Hufferd said that Shattuck Avenue is “ripe for change” because of the number of single-story buildings that will become desirable to developers in an economic upswing. 

According to the LRDP, the university plans include adding approximately one million square feet of floor space downtown, both in acquisition of existing buildings and in new development. Just how to accommodate that massive expansion is part of all DAPAC discussions. 

 

Oxford and Center streets  

Members spent part of Saturday focused on two key points where town and gown meet—Oxford/Fulton Str eet and Center Street. 

The university and downtown meet along Oxford/Fulton, which Taecker described as “a kind of seam.” 

Dorothy Walker, former assistant vice chancellor for property development at the university and one of City Councilmember Betty Old’s appointees to DAPAC, argued for undergrounding the street along the university frontage, “although I’m not sure we can afford it,” she said. 

The one-block stretch of Center Street between Oxford Street and Shattuck Avenue was the focus of considerable attention because the university owns most of the block on the north side of the street, where it plans to build a museum complex and is working with a private developer to create a hotel and conference center. 

Several speakers asked the committee to co nsider proposals to close the street to through traffic and “daylight” Strawberry Creek—which now flows in a concrete culvert beneath the pavement—to create a public plaza. 

“It’s the best opportunity the city has to develop pedestrian space,” said Rob Wr enn, a committee member and transportation commissioner. Wrenn also reminded committee members that development of the transportation hub on Shattuck Avenue south of Center Street is a major priority—particularly in light of pending AC Transit plans to ad d Bus Rapid Transit service.  

 

Downtown’s center? 

After the walks, Taecker asked participants to define the downtown’s center. Several participants identified the “BART drum,” the circular elevator structure at the southwest corner of the Shattuck/Center intersection. 

Travis offered alternatives, pointing out that “it depends on who you are, what you’re doing and what time of day it is.” 

Realtor and developer John Gordon proposed Shattuck Avenue from University Avenue to the Berkeley Public Library. Fo r people who want to lease business space, “everyone wants to be along Shattuck,” he said. 

For Sally Sachs, the center was the Berkeley Public Library itself. 

“Today it was the Farmers’ Market,” said one member, whose sentiment was acknowledged by other s who were hungry from just having completed a long walk. 

“There is no central focus now,” said John McBride, who posited that, with proper handling, the two-block triangle created by the split of the north- and south-bound lanes of Shattuck could fit th e bill. 

 

Residential areas 

Taecker also asked about the future of residential areas within the downtown plan boundaries. 

Steve Wollmer of Planberkeley.org pointed to Berkeley Way west and north of downtown, where the creation of larger developments in a single-family residential area had led to the creation of Berkeley’s Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance. 

“And how can anyone say Allston Way is not a residential area?” he asked. The Gaia Building, downtown’s largest new building in years, is an apartm ent building with leased commercial space in the ground and mezzanine floors. 

Wollmer also characterized housing development in the planning areas as consisting of three types: high-rises, ticky-tacky and Craftsman-1900s scale. 

Jesse Arreguin, a city ho using commission and Rent Board member who also sits on DAPAC, said one challenge will be the creation of new housing development along Milvia Street while still preserving the residential character of the neighborhood. 

Dorothy Walker asked if preserving small-scale residences would continue to be appropriate in a downtown that is developing greater density. 

“I disagree,” said McBride. “We must be very careful about tearing down existing buildings.” 

Wrenn cautioned that the older downtown buildings off ered lower rents than the newer high-density projects. “The newer ones are much more expensive,” he said, nothing that over time, Berkeley rents have risen by three-and-a-half times the Consumer Price Index. 

Former City Council member Mim Hawley said tha t perhaps the time had come for reconsidering limiting new construction height to three- and four-story buildings and look at taller buildings. 

 

Landmarks, parking, etc. 

After the walking tour, several participants expressed a new appreciation for Berkeley’s landmarked buildings—which were featured in a map distributed to all participants. Members of the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association were present in force to argue for preservation of the numerous city landmarks in the downtown area. 

While several participants said they felt downtown lacked sufficient parking, Wrenn noted that parking spaces are abundant, particularly in structures, and that the only real parking crush comes between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. on weekdays, when the available parking often drops to about 200 slots. 

“The Transportation Commission is trying to reduce demand by encouraging commuters to get out of their cars,” he said. 

Several members said they thought many of Berkeley’s sidewalks were often too crowded and too narrow. 

“Our streets are filthy,” said Planning Commissioner and DAPAC member Susan Wengraf. “I am appalled at the amount of litter. It make walking not all that pleasant.” 

“It’s disgraceful the way people are trashing the streets,” added Amy Cottle. 

Because t ime was limited, members didn’t get to see all of the planning area, and several suggested additional walking tours, one during a typical weekday and another a night, and Taecker agreed. Another tour will also be conducted for people with mobility difficulties, he said. 

 

Photograph by Richard Brenneman 

Members of the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee stopped for a discussion during their two-and-a-half hour walking tour to survey the area for which they’ll help devise a new plan in light of UC Berkeley’s expansion plans.›


Drayage Building Struggle Ends With Sale By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday December 06, 2005

The long-running saga of the Drayage is nearing an end with the sale of the West Berkeley building to the development firm Hudson McDonald expected to clear some time next month. 

The furor over the sheet-metal-clad building at Addison and Third streets began after owner Lawrence White agreed to sell to developer Ali Kashani early this year. 

Kashani pulled out, reportedly after discovering that the building was illegally occupied by live/work tenants, and soon after that, a spot city inspection of the property recorded more than 200 building and fire code violations. 

The property was considered a fire hazard because of the countless internal modifications—including wiring and installation of gas appliances—carried out without inspections or permits, which the tenants resisted. 

White was forced to pay for a standing watch by Berkeley firefighters until they were withdrawn after someone from the building fired a pellet gun in their direction. 

He then hired a private security company to stand watch. 

All the while, city fines were accumulating at the pace of $2,500 a day until the last of the tenants had relocated by November, clearing the way for White to sell the property. 

While the total dollar amount of fines leveled by the city and the Fire Department had topped the $450,000 mark, after ongoing negotiations with White, City Manager Phil Kamlarz reach a settlement figure of $45,000. 

“The goal was to get them to move on the safety issues,” the city manager said. 

Deputy Fire Chief David P. Orth, who had been serving as city fire marshal at the time of the inspections, said there were legal issues that clouded the picture. 

“A dispute could have cost both sides, and the intent was not about getting a bunch of money for the city but in getting a resolution,” Orth said. “The owner’s attorney was going to argue for anything he could.” 

Among the issues was the question of whether or not city paperwork had been legally served. 

“There were all kinds of questions,” Kamlarz said, “including the potential costs of long-term litigation.” 

“Everybody had some fault here, including myself,” Orth said. “The owner missed several appeal deadlines, too, and we were threatening to put a lien on the property.”  

“It’s to everyone’s advantage to have it resolved. The city got their problem taken care of, the tenants weren’t thrown out, and my interest was to correct a huge fire hazard.” 

Kamlarz agreed. “We settled on a fine of $250 a day because that recovered our actual costs.” 

Orth said he and the city had encouraged White earlier on to offer larger incentives to motivate tenants to relocate. 

In the end, Orth said, “He put up over $100,000 in cash payments to get people to leave.” 

After Kashani had pulled out of his original deal and while tenants were still in the building, the Northern California Land Trust also negotiated to buy the building, hoping to keep it as live/work space. 

That, too, fell through. 

Evan McDonald, one of the two principals of Hudson McDonald, declined to comment on the project. 

“We also tend not to comment on our projects until the use permit has been issued,” he said. 

While developer Ali Kashani had earlier made an offer on the building and then pulled out, White said he had declined to consider him. 

Hudson McDonald LLC, formerly associated with developer Patrick Kennedy and his Panoramic Interests developments, has been working on developing projects of its own. 

Their largest proposal is The Grove, a five-story apartments over commercial project at the site of the Kragen Auto Parts store and mini-mall at the corner of University Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 

The project is currently pending before the Zoning Adjustments Board.


You Write the Daily Planet

Tuesday December 06, 2005

We invite our readers to submit personal essays, short fiction, poetry and pictures for our annual Reader Contribution Holiday Issue. Selected submissions will be published in the Tuesday, Dec. 27 issue. Deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18. Send us your material at holiday@berkeleydailyplanet.com or to 3023A Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705.


First Woman G.I. Resists Deployment to Middle East PAUL ROCKWELL Special to the Planet

Tuesday December 06, 2005

Army National Guard Specialist Katherine Jashinski announced her opposition to war and refused deployment to Iraq last month at Fort Benning, Ga. 

She became the first women conscientious objector of the Iraq war to make a public statement against militarism. At her press conference, organized by Iraqi Veterans Against the War and Veterans for Peace, Jashinski described her “slow transformation into adulthood.” 

“At age 19, I enlisted in the guard. Like many teenagers who leave their home for the first time, I went through a period of growth and soul searching,” she said. “I started to reevaluate everything that I had been taught about war as a child. Because I believe so strongly in non-violence, I cannot perform any role in the military... Now I have come to the point where I am forced to choose between my obligation to the Army and my deepest moral values. I will not compromise my beliefs for any reason.” 

Jashinski applied for conscientious objector status in 2004. After 18 months of stalling, the Army denied her claim and ordered her to weapons training in preparation for deployment to the Mideast. 

Father Roy Bourgeois, founder of the School for the Americas Watch; Aidan Delgado, from Iraqi Veterans Against the War; J.E. McNeil with the Center for Conscience and War; Oakland’s Aimee Allison, Gulf War resister, all spoke at the press conference on Jashinski’s behalf. 

I talked with Allison, a military counselor with PeaceOut.com, after the event, and she explained the special significance of Jashinski’s public act of courage. 

“I am the only woman counselor out of 20, and I routinely get calls and e-mails from women who are stationed in Afghanistan and Germany,” she said. “I know many women who are afraid to speak publicly because they do not want to be harassed. They don’t want their families to suffer ... Some women take drugs. Some get pregnant to buy time. Some just go AWOL. Only a few are able to get through the arduous legal process.” 

Jashinski’s courageous action could make a difference, Allison said. 

“I talk to so many women who think there is nothing they can do because they have not seen other women act,” Allison said. “All of us who support war resisters know that the woman’s voice in the military is really decisive. The administration cannot fight the Iraqi war without women. Women are 20 percent of the military. They may be in support roles predominately. But in an urban war, there is no rear. Women are in the same combat positions as men. Women are attached to fighting units. The women are not just victims; they are perpetrators.” 

Allison raised questions about the issues of feminism within an institution of organized violence, an institution that subjugates other nations and commits atrocities. What is the meaning of feminism in such a context? 

“We are part of the first generation that was born and raised on feminist ideology. How can we deal with the question of equality within the armed forces without first asking: what is our goal? What is the goal of the military? If equality is nothing more than becoming the same as men, then what we are doing is stripping away our own identity as women. It all leads to Abu Ghraib,” Allison suggested. 

“We need a conversation about women and war, about where women want to be,” she said, noting that conversation won’t happen until there are war resisters. 

Now Jashinski has taken her stand. “She is showing remarkable courage,” Allison said. 

 

 


Correction

Tuesday December 06, 2005

The Berkeley public scoping meeting on plans for new construction in and around Memorial Stadium will be held Thursday, and not Tuesday as reported in the Dec. 2 issue. 

Meeting hours will be from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Booth Auditorium of Boalt Hall, near the northwest corner of Bancroft Way and Piedmont Avenue.


City Council to Consider Naming Old City Hall for Maudelle Shirek By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday December 06, 2005

Controversial Derby Street Field Also on Agenda 

 

The proposed baseball diamond that would force the closure of a block of Derby Street and a bid to rename Old City Hall are two of the items facing Berkeley’s City Council tonight. 

Denied a post office named in her honor, former Berkeley City Councilmember Maudelle Shirek may gain Old City Hall in its stead, if Max Anderson and Darryl Moore have their way. 

The two councilmembers have placed a resolution on tonight’s council agenda calling for the structure to be renamed in her honor. 

East Bay Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee had been trying for two years to get Congress to rename the city’s main post office after Shirek, a 94-year-old veteran of the Civil Rights Movement who served on the Berkeley City Council for two decades. 

When the measure came up for a vote in the House of Representatives on Sept. 27, the measure was shot down in a party line vote spearheaded by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. 

One Derby Street resolution comes from the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission, which urges the city endorse the Berkeley Unified School District’s plan to close Derby between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street so a multi-purpose athletic field—including a regulation baseball diamond—can be built. 

The alternative resolution from City Manager Phil Kamlarz that, among other things, supports the project in concept, advises BUSD that the council can’t act on the street closure until the district concludes a project environmental review, and encourages the district to explore options other than street closure. 

Other items on the agenda include: 

• A vote on an appeal from a Zoning Adjustments Board decision to grant a permit to demolish a single-family home at 1532 Martin Luther King Jr. Way and replace it with a three-unit project. 

• Discussion of the proposed new transportation services fee that would assess developers for costs of mitigating the impacts of new traffic generated by new construction. Kamlarz also recommends a Feb. 21 hearing on the measure. 

• A resolution from the Community Environmental Advisory Commission asking Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to provide more information on planned nanotechnology projects at the lab’s Molecular Foundry. 

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in Old City Hall, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way.?


A Minority Journalist Covers ‘War in the Suburbs’ By BRAHMANI HOUSTON Pacific News Service

Tuesday December 06, 2005

PARIS—Karim Baïla unlocks the door of his silver VW Beetle and we cram in. We pull out of chic central Paris, headed for the low-income suburbs and public housing districts where thousands of cars had burned since the youth uprising began two weeks earlier. Karim is something of an anomaly. Born to illiterate Algerian parents, he is now one of few French Algerian reporters who make regular appearances on national TV.  

“They use us to cover these crises,” he says, referring to minority reporters in France. “But when the story is over, they forget about us.”  

When we first meet him, Karim, 35, has been reporting on the fires in the Parisian suburbs, or banlieues, for 14 days straight. He’s been covering it for French TV and has spent every night cruising the streets in his car with a video camera leant to him by the network. They didn’t send him with a cameraman because, he says, none would go.  

“They only had black and Arab reporters in the guerre de banlieues,” says Karim, a slight but handsome figure with brown skin and a regal nose.  

Karim has agreed to take us on a tour of the Parisian suburbs to meet some of the youth he has been reporting on.  

As he tears around highway exits, a reporter calls from Baghdad and Karim yells into his cell phone. Karim has reported from Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran for France’s top television networks, but always as a freelancer despite his efforts to be hired on full time.  

It’s not just the name and the skin color that give him entrée into the Parisian banlieues, where few white French journalists would venture. Karim himself grew up in the suburbs of Marseilles, the rough port town. His parents were in the first wave of immigration from France’s African colonies after World War II. They came in 1948, after Karim’s uncles died in the first line of infantry sent out to fight for France. His dad became a barber and his mom worked in a restaurant to support their six kids.  

He learned from his sisters, excelled in school, worked his way out of the ghetto and went on to university where he studied journalism. Fifteen years later, he’s a veteran reporter who has covered Baghdad and the Taliban.  

Dusk deadens the towering buildings of the public housing block we roll up to. He shakes his head as we pass some burned out trashcans with rotting garbage. Before we can ask any questions, Karim is standing in front of the building, punching random doorbells.  

Finally a woman’s voice, “Yes?”  

“It’s me, Yosef,” he winks at us.  

“Yosef who?” comes the reply.  

“Me, Yosef!” Karim yells back.  

Finally someone else entering lets us in. Karim points to the scorched bottom floor of the building. We ask if there are burned cars littering the neighborhoods, but he says the state cleans everything up within a day or two. It’s not the specter of a riot we had expected.  

We pile back into the car and are surrounded by Elton John belting a Disney soundtrack while Karim croons along.  

In spite of his personal music choice, Karim understands the importance of rap in the life of young banlieue dwellers. He wants us to meet Dopey, a 23-year-old French-born, Senegalese preschool night guard that he befriended while reporting on the fires. He calls Dopey on his cell to warn him we’re on our way, and asks if he’s written any new raps.  

We pull up to the school and Dopey lets us in. A wide smile spreads as he shakes Karim’s hand. He leads us into the neon-lit office with educational posters framing his seat at the principal’s desk. He jumps at the chance to perform one of his raps for the camera.  

 

For those who never been to their home land, I wrote a song 

We all gotta be proud of where we come from 

Never deny your roots your culture, your customs 

You don’t even eat the foods from where your mother come  

You should never lose the ability to speak your mother tongue 

 

Karim has been outside standing guard and misses the rap, but he already knows the story. He has himself fielded suggestions that he change his name to further his career.  

A few minutes later Karim sticks his head back in the room. “Pack up, quick,” he hisses. “The supervisor is coming.”  

The supervisor appears looking much like a petite and pissed-off Ben Kingsley. There are threats of calling the police and a lot of screaming at Karim, who it seems lied about getting permission to film at the school. We’re ushered off the property with a firm handshake.  

We were afraid we had compromised Dopey’s job. But the riots were over and he had been working graveyard shift for two weeks straight, guarding the school from local youth who might have been tempted to toss a Molotov cocktail. It was a temporary job for him during the crisis.  

The mood is quieter as we get onto the periphérique, the highway encircling Paris. Karim’s croonings have died down to political musings.  

He feels proud of the way he reported on the fires; he got some of the footage the networks wanted, but afterward he spent his time talking to people in the neighborhoods, young and old alike. Now he worries that the abundance of sensational coverage may cause more problems than before.  

“After the burning of 8,000 cars, I think the discrimination is going to be even worse,” he says. “But I’m a journalist, not a militant. And I don’t want to become militant in order to fight discrimination.”  

When I spoke to Karim a week later, he sounded low.  

“After the fires, I really reflected,” Karim says. “There is a real problem in France, but we don’t talk about it, we hide it.”  

Like Dopey, Karim’s usefulness has disappeared with the protests. He hasn’t gotten any calls for freelance work since the fires died.  

 

Brahmani Houston works for New California Media, an association of over 700 print, broadcast and online ethnic media organizations founded in 1996 by Pacific News Service and members of ethnic media.  


Editorial Cartoon By Justin Defreitas

Tuesday December 06, 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 December 06, 2005

OAKLANDS LAND AND SOULS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

“Oak to Ninth,” the biggest Oakland housing development proposal in over five decades, is expected to bring new, well-heeled professionals into Oakland. But Oakland cannot afford to ignore the potential negative effects of such a large redevelopment effort on the ability of current residents to stay in their homes. Skyrocketing property values could drive a larger wedge between the rich and the poor.  

Oakland must assist its neighborhoods and small businesses to thrive and grow, but in a way that empowers the people that are already there and doesn’t push them out of Oakland’s new prosperity. Gentrification is an old, tired story that we need not repeat.  

Heather Leitzke 

 

• 

LANDMARKS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

There was one inaccuracy in last Friday’s story on the mayor’s proposal on landmarks ordinance revisions: He has departed from the Planning Commission’s recommendation on the structure of merit designation. Instead of eliminating it, the mayor has proposed retaining the category and its current protections, but restricting its future application only to buildings in established historic districts. In other locales, Mr. Bates has proposed studying the idea of “residential conservation districts” (so far undefined) which might help preserve neighborhood character outside of the more formal landmark process. 

You also failed to report on perhaps the most interesting new idea in the proposal: The establishment of a “historic preservation officer,” to act as staff support to the Landmarks Preservation Commission and to be an advocate for preservation throughout the city bureaucracy. 

These and other helpful new ideas may finally help the city resolve a process of needed revisions that is now in its sixth year. Mayor Bates is to be commended for trying to provide new ways to look at some of our long-running deadlocks in these areas. 

Alan Tobey 

 

• 

NANOWASTE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I have read a couple articles in Berkeley Daily Planet about people raising nanotechnology safety issues concerning UC Berkeley’s proposed nano lab. C-60 Buckeyballs have to be pretty inert; more inert than the graphite in every pencil. Are people being alarmist over nanotechnology? Machine Design Magazine has a relatively readable feature article this month titled “Nanowaste: the Next Big Threat?” at machinedesign.com. The article seems to be relatively balanced, and yes, there are real health concerns over even Buckeyballs. 

Osman Vincent 

 

• 

DOWNTOWN PLAN 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Rob Wrenn’s article, “Planning for Downtown Berkeley’s Future,” suggests that the current plan for downtown Berkeley, implemented in 1990, is out of date. Wrenn doesn’t mention anything wrong with the current plan, and he proposes that a new plan should contain many similar components of the older plan. Instead of trying to come up with a new plan based on the premise that the current downtown plan is out of date, the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee should examine why the objectives of the current plan haven’t been met for 15 years. The goals of the new plan are the same as the unmet goals of the plan already in place. How does changing the name of the plan lead to accomplishment? Why a new plan? Instead, the task force should implement the current plan’s objectives.  

Wrenn writes that the current downtown plan calls for an increase in low-income housing, yet he states that little if any of the housing built downtown in the last 15 years is considered low-income. Instead of stating the obvious, that low-income housing should be included in the new plan, how about examining why the housing that was created didn’t follow the current guidelines? Why is it that none of the new housing in the downtown area is affordable? 

The current plan includes an increase in public transportation systems, as well as discounts for people who work in the downtown area and commute via public transit. Yet, AC Transit is in a constant state of downsizing, and as Wrenn points out, a discount on transit for downtown employees has only been offered to city employees. Why? It is unfair that only city workers receive financial incentives for dealing with the hassles of commuting and working in downtown Berkeley. It’s ridiculous that in 15 years the city hasn’t been able to offer the discounted travel pass, the Eco Pass, to more than just its own employees.  

As a resident of Berkeley for 27 years, I can understand how Wrenn would believe that “the economy is in better shape.” I’ve watched downtown slowly creep up and down Shattuck Avenue, now spreading between Dwight Way and Hearst and further, but I disagree that vacancy rates are lower. The city must make a good chunk of change selling developers permits for contracts x, y, and z, plus taxes, because they’ve sold out downtown to big developers with no retailers to move in. Large empty buildings lie all over downtown (the northeast corner of Dwight and Shattuck, for example) with nothing to offer in their windows, other than “for lease” signs. I suggest that the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee look into the motives behind planning for a super-sized downtown Berkeley. Why? How does it benefit the citizens of Berkeley? A simple solution to the over crowding of the downtown area would be to stop increasing development. 

Selina Satterlee 

 

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OAKS THEATER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The Oaks Theater on Solano Avenue is a living part of Berkeley’s history, and a group of neighbors has decided to do what we can to help it prosper. We’re afraid that if we don’t pay attention, the theater’s struggle to survive will fail, and we’ll lose the focus of our neighborhood and our local shopping area. Typically, it’s only after a theater or major business fails that neighbors realize what a treasure it has been. We’re acting now to keep the theater alive and well.  

The Oaks was built in 1925 by the Reid Brothers, famous architects who also built the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland, the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, and the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego. The theater was built in the Spanish Colonial style, and still retains several of the original features, like the arched windows on the second floor and the colorful sconces and other decorative elements inside the theater. The original façade was Spanish Colonial, and much more elaborate than the current façade and marquee, which were remodeled later into the current art deco style. The theater originally cost $200,000, with another $25,000 for a grand organ.  

The theater was built for Max Blumenfeld, who in the 1920s and ‘30s had a little Northern California empire of 60 theaters. Besides the big screen, the Oaks had a stage for live performances and showed vaudeville acts along with movies. The Blumenfeld theater group also ran the Cerrito Theater, which is undergoing major renovation now by the City of El Cerrito to resurrect it as a functioning theater. 

Our neighborhood group has two goals: First, we’re researching the history of the Oaks in an effort to document its 80-year history in our community. We’d really like to talk to anyone with memories of the Oaks back to the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s or even earlier. Do you remember going to the theater then as a child? Were you an usher, patrolling the theater with a flashlight? Did you sell tickets, originally 30 cents for adults, 40 cents for the loge chairs? If you can contribute any memories, please call me at 526-0831. We hope to get landmark status for the theater at both the local and national level. 

Second, we’re putting together an informal group with the working title “Friends of the Oaks Theater,” and are collaborating with the theater manager to increase interest in the theater and boost attendance. He’s looking for input from the community into what we’d like to see at the Oaks and what is needed to make the theater thrive once again. We’re planning to have the first meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 14. If you’d like to attend, call me at 526-0831 or e-mail me at crmsutton46@yahoo.com. 

Connie Sutton 

 

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2700 SAN PABLO 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a neighbor of 2700 San Pablo Ave., I would like to summarize the flawed approval process for this project. With tremendous neighborhood opposition, in 2001 Patrick Kennedy received a use permit for a rental project with 20 percent affordable units. In 2004 he sold the property and the use permit to a developer who wanted to build a condominium project. 

The buyer, Curtis & Partners, had its original architect draw up plans for a 35-unit project, 48-50 feet tall, with a flowing window design on the ground floor along San Pablo Avenue. Even though it was a different project with a different building use, it was approved by the city’s planning staff and the Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) in late 2004 and the City Council in early 2005. Since when have planners considered condominiums affordable housing? 

In September 2005, Curtis & Partners submitted a new set of plans, by a new architect, to the Design Review Commission (DRC) for final approval. Their plans changed not only the height of the building, but the architectural intent. The attractive window design was completely changed, with concrete shear walls added. Is this a soft-story building, right in the middle of a seismic liquefaction hazard zone? The design changes also raised the height of the project to 52 feet, 3 inches—above the zoned commercial height limit of 50 feet, without ZAB oversight or approval. 

Planning staff did not note these changes. Alert neighbors revealed the changes to the DRC in October 2005. 

There is a pattern of planning staff generously facilitating big development plans with no regard for our area plans, the zoning code, or the general plan. We have learned that a project in final approval at DRC can be remanded back to ZAB only by the zoning officer—Mark Rhoades. 

I recently met with Rhoades to discuss 2700 San Pablo Ave. In a bold “let them eat cake” moment, he said “I hear ya. There’s a three-story building going in near me.” But three stories is the limit that every neighborhood in town wants! Does anyone think there’s a chance that a five-story building—the size promoted by the Planning Department everywhere else—would be built next to Rhoades’ house? 

Mark Rhoades has far too much power over people who don’t have the good fortune to live near his backyard. Berkeley’s planning process is not only  

unfair, but illegal and reprehensible. 

Julie Dickinson 

 

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MARIN AVENUE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Michelle Gavinda shows her utter ignorance of how the decision to narrow Marin Avenue was made when she writes “the bicycle fanatics got their way and punished the rest of us poor slobs.” 

Albany decided to narrow Marin before Berkeley did. Albany is known as a city of prosperous suburbanites—not as a city of bicycle fanatics—and its motive was to slow traffic to make Marin Avenue safer for its residents.  

It should be clear that Marin was narrowed because of where the city lines are drawn. Albany is downstream, and its residents suffered from the fast traffic on Marin, so they wanted to narrow the street. Berkeley is upstream, and its residents are annoyed by a few minutes of extra driving time—but Berkeley residents don’t vote in Albany.  

Once Albany made this decision, Berkeley had very little choice but to follow. Only a few blocks of Marin are in Berkeley. If these blocks remained four lanes, there would have been a very dangerous merge from four lanes down to two at the Albany border. There also would have been little or no effect on traffic congestion: The intersections where Gavinda complains about backups are in Albany, not in Berkeley.  

This sort of re-striping was publicized by Dan Burden, head of the group Walkable Communities, who calls it a “road diet.” Burden makes it very clear that the bicycle lanes are primarily a mechanism for narrowing the roadway and slowing traffic, and the benefit to bicyclists is incidental. Gavinda herself says that she has just seen two bicyclists on the street in the last four weeks, so this plan obviously did not have a significant benefit to bicyclists; as a bicyclist myself, I never have any reason to ride on Marin.  

Unfortunately, a few Berkeley neighborhood group leaders decided to stir up opposition to this re-striping by running a hate campaign against bicyclists. One of them wrote an opinion piece in the Daily Planet calling it a “plan to bicyclize Marin Avenue.” I suppose it is hard for neighborhood groups to stir up hatred against Albany suburbanites who want to live on a safer street. It is much easier to mobilize residents by stirring up hatred against bicyclists—who had little or nothing to do with this plan, but who are such a small group of people that it is easy to use us as scapegoats.  

When Gavinda adds to the hate speech by writing “the bicycle fanatics got their way and punished the rest of us poor slobs,” she should consider that bicyclists are very vulnerable when they ride in traffic. In a moment of road rage, someone could remember her letter and decide that he is going to get back at one of those bicyclists who are “punishing” him. Hate campaigns sometimes do lead to violence and death.  

Charles Siegel  

U


Police Blotter By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Tuesday December 06, 2005

Nasty swing 

An argument between two men took a very nasty turn Monday, Nov. 28, when one of them picked up a golf club and swung it at his 43-year-old co-disputant. The victim’s injuries were not life-threatening. 

The incident happened about 7:40 a.m. in the 1500 block of Cedar Street, said Berkeley police spokesperson Officer Joe Okies. 

 

Art heist 

After Berkeley police officers discovered a stolen pickup in the 3400 block of Adeline Street about 5:20 p.m. that afternoon, they traced the crime to a nearby yard, where they found parts of the same vehicle. 

After further investigation, officers searched the home of the 32-year-old suspect, where they turned up 71 black and white as well as color photographic prints which had been stolen along with another truck in San Rafael on Nov. 4. 

The photographs belonged to San Francisco photographer Chris Honeysett, and were part of the more than 300 prints stolen when his truck was taken. 

The suspect was booked on charges of receiving stolen property, possession of narcotics paraphernalia and probation violation. 

 

Stanford rage 

A 50-year-old man armed with a knife stormed into Stanford Liquors at 3400 Adeline St. shortly before 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 28 and threatened to break bottles and harm the store clerk, said Officer Okies. 

Officers spotted the suspect in his car, and when he resisted arrest, he compounded his previous violations of statutes against brandishing a deadly weapon and making terrorist threats. 

Dangerous spat 

A Berkeley man violated a court order Tuesday morning, Nov. 29, and approached his former companion, a 25-old-woman who lives at the corner of Dohr and Oregon Streets. He then attempted to hit her with his car and fled before officers arrived. 

When apprehended he faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon, brandishing a deadly weapon and violation of a restraining order. 

 

Stabbing 

Later that evening, just before 8:30, a 61-year-old man called Berkeley police to report that he had just been cut with a knife. 

Officer Okies said the man was taken to the Alta Bates Summit Emergency Room, where he was treated for injuries that were not life-threatening. 

Police are seeking the assailant, whom his victim identified. 

 

Drive-by rat pack 

A witness called police at 1:17 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, to report that four men in a four-door two-tone vehicle had just leaped from the car, assaulted a young man and robbed him of his backpack in the 2200 block of Shattuck Avenue. 

 

Carjacking 

Two folks who were stopped at a turnout along Grizzly Peak Road in the pre-dawn hours Frida, Dec. 2 suddenly found themselves the target of three robbers who demanded their valuables. 

They fled in two cars, one of them belonging to the hapless couple, which was recovered soon thereafter and not all that far away. 

The victim got something, too—the license plate of the other car, which they passed on to police. ›


Column: The Public Eye: The University of California and the Wal-Mart Effect By Zelda Bronstein

Tuesday December 06, 2005

Lately we’ve been hearing from City Hall that when the council settled the city’s lawsuit against the university last May, it got UC to agree to buy more goods and services from Berkeley businesses. 

If only it were so. What the university administration actually promised was to “develop and implement within a reasonable time a local-purchasing program for prioritizing the purchase of goods and services in Berkeley”—and here’s the catch—“to the extent permissible under existing law and UC practices” (settlement agreement, Sections V.B. and D). In fact, recent changes in the university’s procurement practices and policies mean that Berkeley vendors will be selling fewer goods and services to the campus.  

The new reality began to dawn on one long-time independent Berkeley businessman and UC supplier this fall. In September, Gary Shows, the owner of the Alko office supply store in downtown Berkeley, sent UCB Associate Vice Chancellor Ron Coley a letter wondering why the campus’s Strategic Sourcing Program had “been actively encouraging and in some cases insisting that UCB Departments (our customers) buy supplies from OfficeMax instead of us” [emphasis in original]. Alko had been provisioning UCB for almost a century. But in the new program, the store’s “services apparently were not even considered. In my 35 years with ALKO,” Shows wrote, “I have never seen a single vendor so singularly supported the way [OfficeMax] is. I cannot believe that this policy reflects the will of the Regents of the University of California.”  

But it does. Writing back in October, Coley told Shows that the contract with OfficeMax was established in January 2005, that it applies to all 10 campuses, and that it’s managed through the UC Office of the President (OOP) in downtown Oakland. The associate vice chancellor laid out the contract’s basic rationale: “As the amount of state funding continues to shrink from year to year, and in light of our obligation to state taxpayers to provide necessary resources to the campus at the lowest reasonable cost, the Regents of the University of California have initiated a strategic sourcing program that leverages the purchasing power of the entire system.” The contract with OfficeMax is “only one of many such … agreements.”  

At the same time, Coley added, UC Berkeley still “recognizes its responsibilities to small, local vendors. ... Once our campus has achieved the level of business with OfficeMax described in the current agreement,” UC will try to figure out “how best to engage” the services of local vendors, including Alko.  

The April 2004 request for proposal (RFP) that yielded the five-year OfficeMax contract is available from the OOP. The RFP says that a “cross-functional UC system-wide commodity team has been formed to develop and implement a world-class procurement program for office products at UC in accordance with the University Strategic Sourcing Initiative objectives.” The document stipulates that to qualify as a bidder, a supplier must have annual sales of at least $5 million and be able to deliver rush orders system-wide within four hours at no additional cost. According to one Berkeley office supplier, these two requirements can be met by only four companies: OfficeMax (which recently merged with Boise Cascade), Office Depot, Contract Express and Home Depot. All four are headquartered outside of California.  

As for small business, the RFP states only that “the university will continue purchasing office products through its current Small Business Program.” It doesn’t say how such procurement will be facilitated or what “level of business” will go to small vendors.  

Associate Vice Chancellor Coley told me that 40-50 percent of the Berkeley campus’ office supply business “goes to OfficeMax, and the rest to other vendors.” Purchasing agents for individual departments order directly from OfficeMax, which has built a special website just for UC with special, fixed pricing. UCB staff monitor those prices to “make sure that OfficeMax is honest.” In some cases, Coley said, the university is saving 25 percent by buying office supplies from this preferred provider. He also spoke of the increased efficiency achieved by dispensing with UCB’s warehouse and shifting responsibility for storage and delivery onto OfficeMax.  

(The associate vice chancellor suggested that the savings from strategic sourcing could be used to lower student fees. The sentiment was noble but ill-timed: A few days earlier, the Regents had raised student fees 8 to 15 percent.)  

Coley listed other goods that are or soon will be strategically sourced by the university: travel services, furniture, lab equipment, recreational equipment and appliances. Of these, he said, only office supplies and travel services are purchased by UCB in large amounts.  

Seven years ago, Berkeley Travel Company owner May Ling took a group of independent Berkeley travel agents to a meeting with Cal administrators to protest the funneling of campus travel business to a big out-of-town provider. Their appeal was futile. Today, Ling says, half of her clients are affiliated with UC but don’t book through the university because campus rules have made it so difficult to get reimbursed for reservations made by independent agents.  

The university claims that bypassing independents saves money. But Ling’s husband, Bob Barde, deputy director of UC Berkeley’s Institute of Business and Economic Research and a former part-owner of a travel agency, says that the university has no way of measuring the success of the travel company it’s currently using. For one thing, UC compares the ticket price it gets with the full price, which, in Barde’s words, “even your dead grandmother could beat.” For another, the university “[doesn’t] realize that getting the lowest price is different from getting the best price,” especially with travel, which, he observes, “isn’t so much a commodity as a service … What they don’t measure is what a good agent could have gotten them.”  

But how about products like office supplies, where the merchandise if not the service is pretty much the same, no matter who’s selling it? Shouldn’t the university seek the best deal for the citizens of California and go for the lowest bid?  

The problem is that, to paraphrase the title of the new film about Wal-Mart, at some point low prices have high costs. The Wal-Mart analogy was broached to me by Associate Vice Chancellor Coley. “The biggest proponents of [strategic sourcing],” he noted, “are large retail organizations—the ones that come to mind are Wal-Mart and Target.” (Later in our conversation, when I directly compared the university to Wal-Mart, Coley strenuously objected to the comparison.)  

Critics most often attack Wal-Mart as a cutthroat retailer that hurts its employees and local competitors. But Wal-Mart is also a buyer whose vast purchasing power and take-no-prisoners tactics have damaged many entities—manufacturers, farmers, processors and wholesalers—who provide (or once provided) it with goods. Wal-Mart-style strategic sourcing drives small and medium-sized independent vendors to the wall, if not out of business altogether.  

Next to Wal-Mart, the University of California looks like a midget. Wal-Mart’s annual revenues top $280 billion; the office supply RFP pegs the UC system’s operating revenues at $11.5 billion. But in the context of the local and regional economies with UC campuses, the university is an economic giant.  

The RFP says that in fiscal year 2002, the university spent an estimated $25 million on the RFP-listed office supplies alone. When the Regents chose OfficeMax as UC’s preferred provider of office supplies, they not only put the squeeze on independent vendors; they also sent millions of taxpayer dollars outside out-of-state. That means lost profits, lost employment and lost opportunities for California businesses.  

Unlike Wal-Mart, UC is a public institution with obligations to this state’s citizens. Besides cost-effectiveness, those obligations ought to include a commitment to economic democracy and a broadly prosperous California. Lip service aside, do they?  


Column: The Case of Color Blindness at Our House by Susan Parker

Tuesday December 06, 2005

“Brown?” asked our friend Darren. “Why brown?” 

“It’s not brown,” I answered. “It’s green.” 

He was silent for a moment, but I could tell he didn’t believe me. 

“Green,” he said. “Mmmmmmmm.” 

I looked at the wall in my dining room that I had just painted Behr 350F-7 Wild Mushroom Green. I squinted my eyes. Unfortunately, it did look a little brown. Actually, it looked very brown. Mud brown. 

“Wait until it dries,” I said with as much optimism as I could muster. “I’m sure it will look green tomorrow in the morning light.” 

“Early morning light,” said Darren. “You better get up really, really early.” 

We stood together and stared at the wall. 

“What about the ceiling?” he asked, tilting his head and nodding upward. 

“I’m going to paint it a creamy white,” I said. 

“But you should have done it first and painted your way down. It’s the golden rule of painting. Always start from the top and work toward the floor.” 

“Too late now.” 

“Yes,” he agreed. “I believe you’re correct on that particular point.” 

Our former roommate Hans came in the back door. 

“Uh oh,” he said as soon as he stepped into the dining room and saw the wall. He shook his head. “Way too dark. Why’d you do that?” 

“It will lighten up,” I said. “I’m sure of it.” 

He let out a low whistle and exchanged glances with Darren. 

“What color do you think it is?” I asked. 

“Brown,” he said. “Dark brown.” Then he looked up at the ceiling. “What?” he shouted. “You didn’t paint the ceiling first? Oh boy.” 

The three of us were peering skyward when our housemate Andrea stomped downstairs. 

“What’s going on?” she asked. 

“We’re discussing the new paint.” I pointed at the wall. “What color do you think it is?” 

“You know I can’t see nothin’ without my glasses,” she answered. 

“Take a guess,” I said. 

She stepped forward until her nose almost touched the wet paint, then walked backward until she was inside the kitchen doorway. 

“Green,” she said. “It’s dark green.” 

“Do you think it’s too dark?” I asked. 

She was silent for a moment. We looked at her, anticipating a response. “I’m thinkin’,” she said. 

We waited while she thought. 

“It’s gonna be all right,” was her final answer. “You just gotta let it dry and then give it another coat or two. And when you hang all the pictures back up you’ll cover most of it, so yeah, it’ll be just fine.” She paused. 

“But...” 

“But what?” I asked 

She pointed at the ceiling. 

“Don’t tell me,” I said. 

“You shoulda painted that first,” she advised, ignoring me. 

“Let’s not change the subject,” I said. “We were discussing the color. I’m glad you can see it’s green. Darren and Hans thought it was brown.” 

“You know all men are color-blind. Don’t pay attention to anything any man says.” 

I stepped away from Hans and Darren and moved closer to Andrea, my ally. 

Willie came in the front door. “What’s happening?” he asked. But before we could answer him he got a view of the newly painted wall. “Oh lord,” he said through his teeth. 

“Do you like it?” I asked. 

We waited as he scrutinized my handiwork. “We’ll get used to it,” he said. 

Then he looked at me. He could see the concern on my face. “Don’t worry, Suzy,” he said. “It’ll be OK.” He glanced up at the ceiling but was smart enough not to mention the obvious. I stepped away from Andrea and moved closer to Willie. 

“He’s color-blind,” hissed Andrea. 

I ignored her.?


Commentary: Closed-Derby Street Plan is Anti-Youth, Anti-Community By RIO BAUCE

Tuesday December 06, 2005

There are two options on how to construct the playing fields at East Campus. One option is to build an open-street field, which has been crafted by community meetings with the WLC architects. This plan includes a multi-purpose field, basketball courts, and most importantly, an open street. This field benefits sports teams at Berkeley High School like the lacrosse team, the field hockey team, the rugby team, the soccer team, and could be used by the baseball teams for infield and batting practice. 

The other plan is a closed-street plan, which has been developed and promoted by baseball field advocates. The fundamental difference between this plan and the open-street plan is that this plan includes a regulation-sized baseball field and compromises the full multi-purpose field and the basketball courts. This plan also closes the 1900 block of Derby, which the Farmers’ Market has occupied every Tuesday for nearly 20 years. 

Let’s forget about the neighborhood concerns for a moment. Let’s forget for a moment that the field is too expensive (somewhere in the ballpark of $4 million). Let’s forget that the Fire Department at Derby and Shattuck will be inconvenienced if it has to respond to a 911 call. Let’s even forget about the needs of Berkeley Alternative High (that they want basketball courts and gardening programs for their students). Let’s talk about the things people really care about. 

Firstly, this backing of the closed-street field is primarily by adult supporters of the Berkeley High School (BHS) varsity baseball team. There has been no concern for any of the other teams, like the lacrosse team, the field hockey team, and the soccer team. Some of the planners have only had a concern for a baseball diamond for the BHS varsity baseball team. Not only have they not taken account of the other sports’ teams at BHS, they also have zero concern for the low-income residents that live in public housing on Ward Street or the students that attend Berkeley Alternative High. 

The young kids at public housing have been in need of playing space for a while. The City of Berkeley has ignored that request up until now. We now have a real solution on the table—the open-Derby Street Plan. Currently, kids at public housing play kickball, football, Frisbee, and even soccer in the middle of the street. This is a “cry” for open playing space. My biggest goal has been and will continue to be to help to allow them to use the space in their own “backyard” for playing these sports that they treasure, rather than re-routing traffic onto the very street they plan on. 

Another reason that the closed-street plan is flawed is that it doesn’t genuinely respect the Farmers’ Market. On numerous occasions, I have been told by the closed-street supporters that, “The closed-street plan provides more space per square foot than the one on Derby. So, actually, this plan is much better for the Farmers’ Market.” Well, I’m sad to say that if this were true, then the Farmers’ Market would undoubtedly support this. However, the people who say this seem to have little to no respect for the Farmers’ Market. 

The Farmers’ Market has been in our neighborhood even before I moved here in June 1993. I was just 3 years old. I would come over to the Farmers’ Market and shop with my father. And even now, as a 15-year-old, I still go shopping at the Farmers’ Market. Though now I can do it by myself. My point is that the Farmers’ Market is a haven for kids in our neighborhood. Low-income kids in our neighborhood volunteer at the Farmers’ Market to learn more about healthy food and nutrition. It really is an entity in our neighborhood that helps many of us survive. 

I have been to Farmers’ Markets all over the Bay Area—in San Francisco, in Oakland, in Point Reyes, in San Rafael, and many others. I have to say that Berkeley must be the biggest, most exciting, most diverse market that I have ever seen—by far. We can’t lose it. A closed-Derby Street plan would have many negative impacts on the Berkeley Farmers’ Market and the lives of our neighborhood children. 

If the Farmers’ Market were moved to the parking lot on busy Martin Luther King Jr. Way, it would pose threats to the market. How would people be able to find parking for the market? What about the disabled? The current market provides space for parking. While I and others (including the Ecology Center) encourage the use of bus, BART, biking, and walking, in reality, not everyone will do that. It is important to have parking available for a business to thrive. Secondly, the “MLK Jr. Way Farmers’ Market in a parking lot” look is very unattractive. The market would be in a locked-fence area on a busy, crowded street. Also, it may cause problems for the disabled, bikers, and people with babies in strollers (in terms of accessibility), if it is not in the open area on Derby Street. The Farmers’ Market has existed for nearly 20 years in our neighborhood. Farmers have told me from experience that when a market moves many times it takes years to recover, if it ever does. That really saddens me. It saddens me that some people do not care about this community entity that is so important to so many Berkeley residents. 

Please show your support for low-income kids in the community and for the Farmers’ Market. Please write Mayor Bates and all your councilmembers and ask them to keep Derby Street open. 


Commentary: Parent Wants Regulation Ball Field at Derby Street Site By Jahlee Arakaki

Tuesday December 06, 2005

I’m a parent of two children who Berkeley public school students. My youngest is a freshman at Berkeley High. I’ve supported a “field of dreams” at Derby Street from the beginning, 15 years ago, and have been involved with hundreds of like-minded families raising their children in Berkeley. A recent comment by Councilmember Linda Maio struck me as she responded to e-mails on this issue. She stated:  

“We’re committed to kids; we’re committed to livable neighborhoods. It’s our job to balance these two in this case.” 

I am in total agreement with Councilmember Maio. “Balance” is the key word here, and in all things that matter. The primary reason for field users supporting this project is that by moving Berkeley High baseball out of San Pablo Park, it will allow the city to run a neighborhood after-school program for low-income kids who live around the park. The Recreation Department supports this because they know how badly this is needed. It is a priority for the city to figure out how to serve these kid s near San Pablo Park who have no one to drive them anywhere for recreation. Everyone benefits from this care and attention. By closing Derby and moving Berkeley High baseball out of San Pablo Park, the city can annually provide 4,000 hours of after-schoo l, supervised recreation for these kids. Statistically, crime is higher in low-income neighborhoods where there is no supervised recreation.  

Let’s talk about balance.  

Twenty thousand-plus—that’s the number of hours of outdoor recreation that would hav e been provided to “at risk” children had the council supported them the last time this issue was raised. 

Twenty—that’s the number of houses that would have a direct view of Derby. Now I know for a fact from attending previous years’ council meetings that not all Derby Street homeowners oppose closing the street.  

No way, however, do these numbers reflect balance! 

San Pablo Park is a community that really needs a neighborhood park. Many low-income families simply can’t afford sports programs that cost $200 to $300 per child per season to play. Yet their kids are no different in their aspirations than those raised in other neighborhoods—their needs should be met. too.  

We now have an opportunity to allow them to have a park that works for them. Why sho uldn’t the needs of significantly more residents who live around San Pablo Park not be taken into consideration when talking about livable neighborhoods? Will the City Council and the school district bow to the lobby of fewer than 20 homes on Derby Street who are supported by the political clout of the Ecology Center and ignore these kids and this need?  

Again, out of balance.  

Marzuola and Waller cry foul about the huge fence and “36,000 square feet of concrete and asphalt” running the length of MLK—th is hyperbole is simply a scare tactic. With the exception of the backstop area, which is a block away from any residence, there will be no difference in fence heights between an open-and closed-Derby plan. An athletic field, which is what BUSD is buildin g whether Derby is open or closed, is not a neighborhood park.  

And the now oft-heard phrase, “Send BHS to Gilman.” The fact is that the baseball diamond at Gilman is a replacement for a diamond that was going to be built by the City of Albany on the Alb any Plateau, for the Albany Little League. And the Albany Little League, which serves almost as many Berkeley kids as Albany kids, has already made it clear that they want to use Gilman at the same time that BHS would need to use the field. Their baseball program conflicts with Berkeley High’s season, and their community of players has grown over the years because Berkeley cannot field its own Little League team for obvious reasons. Let’s set the record straight: Albany will only allow Gilman Field to be used on the weekends. Those dedicated to playing baseball at the high school level need a field nearby, certainly not three miles away at Gilman, so they won’t miss classes during fifth and sixth periods as has happened in years past. They’ve seen their g rades drop because of the long trek just to make home games at San Pablo Park—they miss two class periods, hauling their heavy backpacks filled with schoolbooks and their heavy baseball equipment—especially heavy I’m told, if you’re the catcher—and walk 3 0 minutes for a home game. Another example: girls’ field hockey. When there’s not enough field space for practice at Berkeley High, some of these intrepid players who can drive squeeze 11 teammates into a car with their equipment and backpacks and drive t o San Pablo Park to practice. By the way, BUSD cut $25,000 from BHS athletics this school year, much of it involving transportation ($400, and more, for one round-trip away game; a full season is 16-games, half of them away).  

And those who fear that the Farmer’s Market will disappear even though that’s the one thing everyone agrees on—keeping it in the neighborhood because it is such an integral part of Tuesday evening shopping. Using hyperbole and outright lies to scare people into opposing the Derby S treet field is not right. No one in Berkeley who wants a baseball field at Derby is against the Tuesday Farmer’s Market, and it has existed in the plans for a Derby Street field from the beginning, 15 years ago. 

It’s important for this city’s future that we find ways to bridge the difference between the haves and have-nots. These children have only one chance at being kids, Berkeley has only one high school, farmers’ markets will always be an integral part of our city, and San Pablo Park needs a viable r ecreation program. Providing options are what we as adults should be good at. After 15 years, it’s now time to step up to the plate and give it our best shot.  

 

Jahlee Arakaki is a former boardmember of the Albany-Berkeley Girls’ Softball League (1991-94), the Albany Little League (2002-03), and the Berkeley High School Athletic Fund (1999-2002).›


Commentary: Farmers’ Market Will Suffer if Derby is Closed By LINDA GRAHAM

Tuesday December 06, 2005

I would like to clear up some misinformation I have read recently in the Daily Planet regarding the possibility of Derby Street closing and its effect on the Tuesday Berkeley Farmers’ Market. While it is true that the current proposed site for the Farmers’ Market in a closed-Derby Street scenario contains more square footage than currently occupied, the market’s needs are more complex than the physical space of asphalt given to us.  

The Ecology Center, which has operated the Tuesday Berkeley Farmers’ Market for over 20 years on Derby Street, prefers that the street stays open. This is because the small farmers who sell in our markets consistently state that any market they have been a part of that has moved from an on-street location to an off-street location took several years to recover, if it ever did at all. Any market requiring a road closure will be more visible to passing traffic than an off-street market will, regardless of the number of square feet given to the market.  

In order for the Farmers’ Market to continue to serve the community and thrive, we have several needs that must be met. There must be ample parking for customers, including four spots for handicapped parking. In a closed-Derby Street plan, we lose that street parking, and no additional parking has been proposed for the Farmers’ Market. Loss of customer parking is the number one concern of our farmers and vendors. While we encourage alternate transportation, the fact is that people who are grocery shopping usually drive, and people who can’t find a parking space usually go somewhere else.  

Accessibility and visibility are also vital needs. The current open street provides us with the open-space feel of a true community gathering place, with many places to enter the market. Our site in a closed-Derby Street plan, however, doubles as a basketball court, which would require fencing and would enclose the market. Access into the market, as well as visibility, would be greatly reduced.  

We require lighting for operation during the winter months. We currently use street lighting on Derby Street. We must have access to high and low lighting in order to continue as a year-round, rain-or-shine market. Also, law requires that our vendors have access to restrooms with running water. As of now, there is no restroom planned for the site.  

The Berkeley Farmers’ Market must receive a reasonable long-term guarantee of operation. We are concerned that operating on school district property, as opposed to the city property we currently operate on, will result in the market being evicted sometime in the future. We are primarily a civic community resource, and prefer that our landlord remain the City of Berkeley in order to ensure the market’s long-term security.  

We are concerned that any transition period between an open-Derby Street and a closed-Derby Street may harm the market’s business. If we miss even a single week, customers are likely to shop someplace else. Most members of the public do not realize what a delicate business the Farmers’ Market really is. Most of the small, local farmers and food vendors that you support by shopping there truly rely on the market for their livelihood. If they do not meet their financial needs at the Derby Street Farmers’ Market for even a few weeks, they will be forced to sell at another of the Bay Area’s many farmers’ markets. Many farmers’ markets have ended in this manner.  

The Tuesday Berkeley Farmers’ Markets supports many local food security organizations, local restaurants, and the Berkeley Unified School District’s salad bar program. It is a positive community resource that sets an example to other communities. If you wish to support the Tuesday Berkeley Farmers’ Market, please write to both City Council and the Berkeley School Board and let them know. Please tell local officials why the Tuesday Berkeley Farmers’ Market is so important to you, and urge them to meet our needs, whether Derby Street stays open or closes, so that the market continues to thrive long into the future.  

 

Linda Graham is the program manager for the Berkeley Farmers’ Markets.


Commentary: Ecology Center Response

Tuesday December 06, 2005

To Daily Planet letter-writer Michaela Bowens: I’m sorry that someone has filled your head with lies about the Ecology Center position on playing fields for kids. We have always supported the development of a multi-use field at Derby Street. We find it appalling this site sat empty for so many years while it could have been used by both girls’ and boys’ soccer, rugby, field hockey, and lacrosse teams. We have participated at deep levels of planning and engagement to those ends. We believe that physical education and team sports in particular are critical components, along with nutritional education and access to fresh fruits and vegetables, in addressing Berkeley’s unacceptable health disparities and the national obesity crisis. We have done much in this arena to work with BUSD both in and out of the classroom. We are concerned that any changes at Derby Street fully accommodate the needs of the thousands of shoppers, dozens of vendors, food justice organizations, and restaurants that depend on the South Berkeley Farmers’ Market as a thriving community resource. As for your comments about us sending kids to war or jail, please keep the dialogue respectful, not irrational. In the future, before you go passing judgment and publishing misinformed opinion about the Ecology Center, please check your facts. 

 

Martin Bourque 

Ecology Center Executive Director


Arts: Clowning Around at The Marsh Berkeley By KEN BULLOCK Special to the Planet

Tuesday December 06, 2005

Whether saddled with a case of the holiday blues or just tired of the usual Nutcracker-Christmas Carol-Child’s Christmas in Wales go-round and seeking something more offbeat for seasonal family entertainment, there’s a remedy: Send in the clowns. 

Or at least go see the two splendid ones performing matinees now at The Marsh in the Gaia Building in downtown Berkeley. 

Local wonder Unique Derique has joined forces with Moshe Cohen (Mr. Yoo Who) to stage Cirque Do Somethin’, a two-ring circus that really does have something for everybody. 

But what particularly makes it seasonal is the special way both clowns work with the younger members of the audience. “Christmas Is For Kids” has become one of the biggest cliches of a cliche-ridden holiday season. Derique and Cohen really make it that way, and give the flip side of that old, common coin new meaning: The best way to spend the holidays is to see it through a child’s eyes. 

Whether extracting a kid from the audience as a laughing subject for a film shoot of a campy fashion catwalk strut, or reacting to the sound of laughter of his friends watching their buddy cavort onstage, or wading into that same crowd to high-five a sheaf of young hands with triple-jointed slaps and rubber fingers, these two ticklers of funny bones fan up giggles into a pandemic of laughter, and soon the whole theater’s the same age, carefree and enjoying the barely controlled silliness together. 

There are quieter moments among the hysterical ones. In particular, Mr. Yoo Who does an eloquent flamenco show, beginning with arabesques strummed out on a ukulele slipped from a violin case, proceeding through shooing off flamboyant Derique in a tutu trying to steal a turn. Then, with rose firmly in teeth, the maestro’s sensitive hands trace the air in distraction as his feet lift him up into eloquent statuesque poses too exquisitely funny to break out laughing at. It’s the particular type of stage poetry that only the best of pantomimes can fall back on, the kind of timeless thing the silent film comedians performed on celluloid. 

There’s little dialogue—in fact, practically none. A few funny sounds, some nonsense talk we somehow catch onto, and asides to the audience in low-key, clipped cartoon voices, otherwise, just the obtuse taped coaching instructions to Unique Derique’s wake-up “Climb to the Top” yoga exercises that has him dressing out of a briefcase and twisting himself into a very successful pretzel. 

The two clowns have very different styles, and one of the pleasures of the afternoon is to watch how they patch it all together, beginning with a soft-shoe as they pile out of the sagging pink canvas of a tired, stylized pink circus tent panel, in moves that never clash, just bounce off each other.  

There’s plenty of acrobatics and a lot of juggling, from Cohen’s floating colored plastic bags, like fantastic capas, in his flamenco number, to the culminating chase: Unique Derique on a towering unicycle pursued by a helmeted Mr. Yoo Who riding low on a truncated two-wheeler, as they frantically toss spinning clubs to each other, back and forth. 

Their musical inventions, together and apart, are marvelous. Derique is famous for teaching and performing the Hambone body-slapping rhythms originally developed by slaves forbidden instruments to play, and Cohen can syncopate his spare frame right alongside the lightning-palmed master. 

Side by side, these two characters are an unlikely pair. Derique is both sleek and flashy with outsized glasses while Mr. Yoo Who resembles the late Prof. Irwin Corey with twin wispy sidelocks swinging in counterpoint with the tails of his tuxedo. Both command the stage and bring everybody on to it with them by coming down and joining the audience. 

Whether acting out as klutzes, leaping up like super heroes, playing the beloved entertainer blowing kisses to the crowd or striking a classic pose with mock dignity, these two entertainers go on with the show, a show that becomes pure play—and so satisfies and refreshes everybody who sees it, invited to play along too. 

 

Moshe Cohen and Unique Derique perform Cirque Do Somethin’ at The Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way. Tickets: $10-$15. For more information, call (800) 838-3006, or see www.themarsh.org.›


Arts Calendar

Tuesday December 06, 2005

TUESDAY, DEC. 6 

FILM 

Alternative Visions Three short films by Jonas Mekas at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Yiyun Li on her debut collection of short stories about modern life in China and the United States “A Thousand Years of Good Prayers” at 7 p.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave. 526-7512. 

Paul Krasser reads from his new book “One Hand Jerking: Reports from an Investigative Satirist” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

Teada with Cathie Ryan at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761.  

Gary Rowe, solo jazz piano, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Ellen Hoffman Trio and singer’s open mic at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra at 8 and 10 p.m. through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $18-$28. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Philips Marine Duo at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7 

FILM 

The Battles of Sam Peckinpah “The Getaway” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

“No Man’s Land” A film program celebrating the United Nations 60th Anniversary, at 7 p.m. at 60 Evans Hall, UC Campus. 540-8017.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“Justice Matters: Artists Consider Palestine” A exhibition of works by fourteen Palestinian and American artists. Artists panel discussion at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. in Live Oak Park. 644-6893.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

The Face of Poetry with photographer Margaretta K. Mitchell and poet Zach Rogow at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

M. Steven Shackley on “Obsidian: Geology and Archeology in the North American Southwest” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

Central Asian Tales: Sabjilar, Choduraa Tumat & Sarymai. Lecture demonstration at 7 p.m., performance at 8:15 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15. 525-5054. 

Ned Boynton Trio at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Calvin Keys Trio Invitational Jam at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. 841-JAZZ.  

Orquestra Universal, salsa, at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Whiskey Brothers bluegrass, at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473.  

THURSDAY, DEC. 8 

EXHIBITIONS 

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

“Oncology: Photographs from Children’s Hospital” Black and white photographs by Diane Malek. Reception at 6 p.m. at Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St. 644-1400.  

Greenlining Institute’s Fall Art Review Reception at 6 p.m. at 1918 University Ave., 655-3538.  

FILM 

Marcel Pagnol’s Provence “The Well-Digger’s Daughter” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

“The Soul of Justice: Thelton Henderson’s American Journey” A screening of the documentary and discussion with filmaker Abby Ginsberg at noon at the Laney College Forum, 9th and Fallon St. 464-3161. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poets for Peace with C.B. Follet, Ilya Kaminsky, Jeffrey Levine and others at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Yiyun Lee reads from her new book of short stories “A Thousand Years of Good Prayers” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

Ceramic Artist Mary Law will show slides and discuss her work at 7:30 p.m. at the Hillside CLub, 2286 Cedar St. Cost is $8. 843-8724. 

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

Anna Pavord reads from her new work, “The Naming of Names” at 7 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloway’s, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Word Beat Reading Series with Avotcja and Pablo Rosales at 7 p.m. at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 526-5985. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Jazz Night with the MLK Middle School Jazz Band and “The Potentials” at 7:30 p.m. in the MLK, Jr. Middle School Auditorium. Donations accepted. Fundraiser for the Jazz Band. 

Berkeley Saxophone Quartet at noon at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6233. 

Cris Williamson, Teresa Trull & Barbara Higbie at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761.  

Mad & Eddie Duran featuring Raul Ramirez at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is. $5. 841-JAZZ. 

Home at Last, The Flux at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. 

Pete Madsen, acoustic guitar, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Gini Wilson, solo jazz piano, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

FRIDAY, DEC. 9 

THEATER 

Aurora Theatre “Marius” Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St., through Dec. 18. Tickets are $28-$45. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

Berkeley Rep “Brundibár” A musical fable staged by Tony Kushner and Maurice Sendak at the Roda Theater through Dec. 28. Tickets are $15-$64. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theater “Noises Off” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito, through Dec. 10. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Impact Theatre “Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake)” Thurs. through Sun. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean Theater, 1834 Euclid Ave., through Dec. 10. Tickets are $10-$15. 464-4468. www.impacttheatre.com 

Masquers Playhouse “Dear World” Jerry Herman’s musical, Fri. and Sat at 8 p.m. through Dec. 17 at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond. Tickets are $15. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

Shotgun Players “Cabaret” Thurs. - Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. Through Jan. 15. 841-6500.  

EXHIBITIONS 

ACCI Gallery Holiday Exhibition Reception at 7 p.m. at 1652 Shattuck Ave. 843-2527. www.accigallery.com 

Juana Alicia & Phoebe Ackley Prints, sculpture, tiles and jewelry. Reception for the artists at 5:30 p.m. at 2016 Ninth St. juanaalicia.com 

FILM 

The Battles of Sam Peckinpah “Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia” at 7 p.m. and “The Killer Elite” at 9 p.m. at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz discusses “Blood on the Border: A Memoir of the Contra War” at 7 p.m. at the AK Press Warehouse, 674A 23rd St., Oakland. 208-1700. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“The Nutcracker” by Berkeley Ballet Theater at 7 p.m. at The Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $20. 843-4689. www.berkeleyballet.org 

John Schott’s “Dream Kitchen” at 8 p.m. in the Reading Room of the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge. 981-6233. 

Voci Women’s Vocal Ensemble “Voices in Peace V” at 8 p.m. at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church. Tickets are $15-$20. 531-8714. 

Handel’s “Messiah” and sing-along with the Young Musician’s Program at 7:30 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Benefit for YMP. Tickets are $15. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

The Christmas Revels at 7:30 p.m., Sat. and Sun. at 1 and 5 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Theater, 1547 Lakeside Drive, Oakland. Tickets are $15-$42. 415-773-1181. www.calrevels.org 

Leah diTullio, clarinet, Rachel Turner-Houk, ‘cello, and Abraham Fabella, piano, at 8 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Cost is $12. 848-1228. www.giorgigallery.com 

HELLA, hip hop, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $5. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

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

Aphrodesia, Wisdom at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low. Cost is $5-$8. 548-1159.  

Marcus Shelby Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Nameless & Facelss Bay Area Arts Collective with Inspector Double Negative & The Equal Positives, James Eksel, Lowkee and others at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Ray Bonneville, roots and country blues, at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Peppino D’Agostino & Stef Burns at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Kasey Knudson & Eric Volger, contemporary jazz, at 8 p.m. at Ristorante Raphael, 2132 Center St. 644-9500. 

The Dunes, North African fusion, at 9 p.m. at Lucre Lounge, 2086 Allston Way. 

Mariospeedwagon at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Split Lip, Joe Rut Cover Hour at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Plan 9, Monster Squad, Ashtray at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra at 8 and 10 p.m. through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $18-$28. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, DEC. 10 

CHILDREN 

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Diana Shmiana “Winter Wonderama” at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Especially for ages 3-6. Cost is $4 adults, $3 children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

FILM 

Taisho Chic on Screen “Mr. Thank You” at 5:20 p.m., “The Dancing Girl of Izu” at 7 p.m. and “Osaka Elogy” at 9:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

EXHIBITIONS 

Alvarado Artists Group with works by local painters, photographers, and ceramists at 2649 Russell St., Sat and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 290-9221. 

THEATER 

“Feu la Mère de Madame,” by Georges Feydeau, Sat. and Sun. at 8:30 p.m. at the Alliance Française of Berkeley, 2004 Woolsey St. Tickets are $5, for reservations call 548-7481. 

“Dick ‘N Dubya Show: A Republican Cabaret” Sat. and Sun. at 7 p.m. at The Marsh Berkeley, 2118 Allston Way, through Dec. 18. Tickets are $10-$22. 800-838-3006. www.themarsh.org 

Moshe Cohen and Unique Derique “Cirque Do Somethin’” Sat. and Sun. at 1 p.m. at the Marsh, 2120 Allston Way. Tickets are $10-$15. 800-838-3006. www.themarsh.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poets for Peace with C.B. Follet, Ilya Kaminsky, Jeffrey Levine, Elline Lipkin, and others at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Poetry of Witness and the Witness of Poetry featuring Tim Nuveen, Kirk Lumpkin, Robert Roden, David Madgalene, Christopher J. Luna, Marianne Robinson, Julia Vinograd, and others at 8 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2350 San Pablo Ave. Free. 

Romance Writers of America with Penelope Williamson at 8:30 a.m. at the Marriot Courtyard Emeryville. Cost is $25-$30. 332-5384. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“The Nutcracker” by Berkeley Ballet Theater at 2 and 7 p.m. at The Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $20. 843-4689. www.berkeleyballet.org 

Kairos Youth Choir “Candlelight and Starglow,” a winter solstice concert for the entire family at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. Cost is $8-$10. 704-4479. 

Handel’s “Messiah” Latin style with Juantia Ulloa and the Picante Ensemble with the Oakland East Bay Symphony at 8 p.m. at the Paramount Theater, Oakland. 444-0801. 

Sacred & Profane “Motetus: Choral Gems of the Holiday Season” at 8 p.m. at St. Ambrose Church, 1145 Gilman St. Tickets are $12-$18. 524-3611. www.sacredprofane.org 

“To Drive the Cold Winter Away” Renaissance works by Bella Musica Chorus at 8 p.m. at St. Mary Magdalen Church, 2005 Berryman St. Tickets are $10-$15. www.bellamusica.org 

Kensington Symphony Holday Concert at 8 p.m. at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 545 Ashbury Ave., El Cerrito. Suggested donation $10-$15, children free. 524-9912. 

Voci Women’s Vocal Ensemble “Voices in Peace V” at 3 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Tickets are $15-$20. 531-8714. 

Pacific Boychoir “Ceremony of Carols” by Britten, 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, Oakland. Ticket information at 452-4722. 

“Musical Night in Africa: Sharing Our Humanity” with The West African Highlife Band and Baba Ken Okulolo & The Nigerian Brothers at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Terrain “Winter Dances: Breaking New Ground” at 8 p.m. at Western Sky Studio, 2525 Eighth St. at Swight. Tickets are $12-$15. 848-4878. 

Nick Gravenites & Barry Melton at 8 p.m. at Round- 

trees, 2618 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $10. Benefit for Berkeley Liberation Radio. berkeleyliberationradio@yahoo.com 

Eric Swinderman Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Sheldon Brown at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Fiesta Boricua, Puerto Rican music and dance at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org  

Northwest Shines Darkly at 6 p.m. at Mama Buzz Cafe, 2318 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Cost is $3. 289-2272. 

Michael Gill & Kim Hart, contemporary jazz, at 8 p.m. at Ristorante Raphael, 2132 Center St. 644-9500. 

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

Dave Stein and John Howland at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

The Unravellers, The Bittersweets at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Killing the Dream, Pressure Point, Allegiance at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, DEC. 11 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Rebirth: New Photographs from Armenia, Georgia and the former Yugoslavia” by Vaughn Hovanessian. Reception with the artist at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 2nd floor, 2090 Kittredge St.  

“Taisho Chic: Japanese Modernity, Nostalgia and Deco” guided tour at 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. 642-0808. 

FILM 

Taisho Chic on Screen “Sisters of the Gion” at 5 p.m. and “What Did the Lady Forget” at 6:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“One” A film on interconnectedness, with filmmaker Ward Powers, late afternoon, early evening at Landmark’s 1&2, 2128 Center St. Tickets are $9.25. 464-5980. www.LandmarkTheatres.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“The Nutcracker” by Berkeley Ballet Theater at 2 p.m. at The Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $20. 843-4689. www.berkeleyballet.org 

Chamber Music Concert with Peter Wyrick and Amy Hiraga, at 4 p.m. at Crowden Music Center, 1475 Rose St. Tickets are $12, free for children. 559-6910. www.crowden.org 

Margaret Kvamme, organist, in a program of works by all female composers, at 6 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way at Ellsworth. Donations accepted. 845-0888.  

Pacific Boychoir “Ceremony of Carols” by Britten, 4 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church, Oakland. Ticket information at 452-4722. 

Terrain “Winter Dances: Breaking New Ground” at 8 p.m. at Western Sky Studio, 2525 Eighth St. at Swight. Tickets are $12-$15. 848-4878. 

Za’atar, music of the Jews of Arab and Muslim lands, at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Phil Berkowitz & Louis’ Blues at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

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

The Snow Cat at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Gift Horse at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Holiday Beat Bash at 4 p.m. at the Eddie Brown Center for the Arts, 2560 Ninth St. All ages welcome. Cost is $10. 548-5348. 

MONDAY, DEC. 12 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Express with Doug Howerton at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Clarinet Thing with Beth Custer, Ralph Carney, Ben Goldberg, Sheldon Brown and Harvey Wainapel at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $$19.50-$20.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Hallifax & Jeffrey at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Natsasha Miller, with guest Steve Erquiaga, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$14. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

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Everything You Know About Lizards Could Be Wrong By JOE EATON Special to the Planet

Tuesday December 06, 2005

Anyone else remember the Firesign Theater’s record “Everything You Know is Wrong”? You get that feeling if you follow science at all closely. One day the earth is solid and stable; the next, the continents are whizzing around the mantle like bumper cars. You learn that the dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago, and then it turns out you just had one for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s what the historian of science Thomas Kuhn called the paradigm shift, and it just keeps happening. 

Case in point: A couple of years back I wrote a magazine article about the Bay Area in the Miocene Epoch, 10 million years ago, based on fossil discoveries at the Blackhawk Ranch site in Contra Costa County. One of the major themes of the piece was the rise of the grasslands as the global climate became cooler and drier, and how this drove the evolution of herbivorous mammals. Unspecialized leaf-browsers died out, and lineages that evolved teeth capable of processing the tiny bits of silica in the grass blades—horses, for one—throve. That was the conventional wisdom at the time, laid down by botanists like the late G. Ledyard Stebbins. Everybody believed grasses were a Miocene innovation. 

But no. As recently reported, a botanist named Caroline Stromberg at the Swedish Natural History Museum has found the telltale silica crystals—phytoliths—in coprolites dated around 70 million years old. Coprolites are fossilized dung: dinosaur dung in this instance, from enormous sauropods that inhabited India about the time it was docking with Asia. The fact that Stromberg identified five types of phytoliths suggests that grasses had had plenty of time to diversify before this slice of time.  

So the whole scenario about the Miocene triumph of the grasses has to be rethought. And then there’s the business of the lizard venom. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve explained that although a lot of snakes are venomous, most lizards are not, the only exceptions being the oddball Gila monster and beaded lizard. This happened with some regularity when I lived in Georgia, where there was an ingrained folk belief that skinks—small lizards with, at some point in their life cycle, bright blue tails—were deadly poisonous.  

It appears now that although I was right about the skinks, I was wrong about many of the rest of the lizards. We owe this knowledge to University of Melbourne biologist Bryan Fry, who studies the evolution of snake venom. Snakes, of course, are just highly specialized lizards, having shared a relatively recent common ancestor with the Komodo dragon and other members of the monitor family. And venom glands are a widely shared, although not universal, trait among snakes. The sophistication of the apparatus varies, from the hypodermics of the cobras and vipers to the rear-fanged snakes in which venom flows from modified salivary glands down channels in the back teeth. A whole bunch of species, like the little ring-necked snakes that show up in our flower beds, are mildly venomous. Not to the point of being dangerous to us, fortunately—a ringneck would have to chew on your finger for a long time before the stuff had any effect—but potent enough to immobilize the snakes’ prey so they can get it down. 

The exceptions to the venom trend are mostly constrictors like the boas and pythons, who squeeze the life out of their victims. Because of anatomical features like vestigial hindlegs, they’re considered to be primitive among snakes. So it made sense to see venom and its delivery system as characteristics that more progressive snakes evolved. 

Except that Fry took the trouble to look at lizards, sampling their mouth secretions and analyzing them for the venom genes previously identified in snakes—not just Gila monsters, but all kinds of lizards: skinks, geckos, iguanas. “We isolated some rattlesnake toxins from the bearded dragons and started getting really excited,” he told the New York Times’ Carl Zimmer. I’ll bet they did. As it happens, I know a bearded dragon reasonably well; I’ve let her sit on my shoulder, even given her a bath. Her species is one of the East Bay Vivarium’s recommended starter lizards. And all the time she was venomous, like the common ancestor of all snakes and a good many lizards. 

The geckos and skinks are clean, Fry says. But the “venom clade” includes the iguanians (of which chameleons are a subset), the anguids (legless and alligator lizards), and the monitors. The venom produced by the Australian lace monitor causes a sudden relaxation of the aorta. The damage done by the bite of the Komodo dragon now seems attributable to venom, not, as once believed, the septic conditions in its mouth. I haven’t seen a complete list of Fry’s subjects, but it’s reasonable to assume that our own ubiquitous western fence lizard would now have to be considered venomous, as would the northern and southern alligator lizards.  

No need to panic, though; as with ring-necked snakes, we’re talking about small doses of what to us would be very mild poison. But it may be enough to slow down a fence lizard’s insect prey. Fry’s research raises all kinds of questions: have vegetarian species like the green iguana and its Galapagos relatives lost the ability to manufacture venom? Then there are the potential medical applications. Fry says the molecules in lizard venom are smaller than those in snake venom, thus less likely to trigger an immune system reaction. “I’ll reckon we’ll be able to get something useful our of them,” he says. 

So there goes another paradigm. And that’s fine; that’s the way science is supposed to work, what distinguishes science from theology. Any scientific theory is potentially falsifiable. Someone once asked JBS Haldane what he would consider as clenching disproof of evolution. “Fossil rabbits in the Precambrian”, he replied. Fair enough; if those 600 million-year-old rabbits ever turn up, science will have some explaining to do. But no rabbit, fossil or otherwise, is ever going to convince the acolytes of faith-based pseudoscience that their belief in intelligent design is misplaced.  

 

 

 


Berkeley This Week

Tuesday December 06, 2005

TUESDAY, DEC. 6 

“Snowcamping 101” Learn the basics of safe and enjoyable ski or snowshoe travel at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

“Nourishing Holidays” How to survive the stress at 7 p.m. at Teleosis Institute, 1521B Fifth St. Cost is $5-$10. RSVP to 558-7285. www.teleosis.org 

“How to be Your Own Sleep Consultant” for parents of babies at 7 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave., Oakland. To register call 658-7353. 

Berkeley Salon Discussion Group meets to discuss “Films in Our Culture” from 7 to 9 p.m. at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. 527-1022. 

Holiday Blood Drive from noon to 6 p.m. at the MLK Student Union, UC Campus. To schedule an appointment see www.BeADonor.com 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. In case of questionable weather, call around 8 a.m. 215-7672. 

Free Handbuilding Ceramics Class 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. John’s Senior Center, 2727 College Ave. Also, Mon. noon to 4 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Materials and firing charges not included. 525-5497. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991.  

Introduction to Buddhist Meditation at 7 p.m. at the Dzalandhara Buddhist Center in Berkeley. Cost is $7-$10. Call for directions. 559-8183.  

“Ask the Social Worker” free consultations for older adults and their families from 10 a.m. to noon at BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. To schedule an appointment call 558-7800, ext. 716. 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7 

“No Man’s Land” A film program celebrating the United Nations 60th Anniversary, at 7 p.m. at 60 Evans Hall, UC Campus. 540-8017.  

New Heroes Social Entrepreneurship Forum Learn how social entrepreneurs are using business techniques to challenge poverty and injustice at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Free. 622-0202. 849-2568.  

Help “Save The Bay” Plant Natives We will transplant native marsh seedlings and do maintenance at our nursery to prepare for winter planting projects. Gloves, tools and snacks provided. From 1 to 3 p.m. at Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland. 452-9261, ext. 109.  

Holiday Wreath Making from 7 to 9 p.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $25-$30. Greenery provided but bring your own pruners. Registration required. 643-2755. 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters welcomes curious guests and new members at 7:15 a.m. at Au Coquelet Cafe, 2000 University Ave. at Milvia. 435-5863.  

Entrepreneurs Networking at 8 a.m. at A’Cuppa Tea, 3202 College Ave. at Alcatraz. Cost is $5. 562-9431.  

“Living with Ones and Twos” Information for parents at 7 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave., Oakland. To register call 658-7353. 

American Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation from 10 a.m. to noon at its Claremont Ave. office in Oakland. 594-5165.  

Survival Guide for Working with Bad Bosses with Gini Graham Scott at 5:30 p.m. at the Linen Life Park Avenue Gallery, 1375 Park Ave., Emeryville. RSVP to 339-1625. 

Bookmark Nonfiction Reading Group meets to discuss James Baldwin’s “The Price of the Ticket” at 6:30 p.m. at 721 Washington St., Oakland. 336-0902. 

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.  

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes. 548-9840. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Action St. 841-2174.  

Sing your Way Home A free sing-a-long at 4:30 p.m. every Wed. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

Prose Writer’s Workshop An ongoing group made up of friendly writers who are serious about our craft. All levels welcome. At 7 p.m. at BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237.  

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley BART station. www. 

geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, DEC. 8 

“The Soul of Justice: Thelton Henderson’s American Journey” A screening of the documentary and discussion with filmaker Abby Ginsberg at noon at the Laney College Forum, 9th and Fallon St. 464-3161. 

Scoping Session on the University’s Development Plans for the Southeast Campus at 7 p.m. at Booth Auditorium, Boalt Hall, UC Campus. Neighbors and community members encouraged to attend. 642-7720. www.cp.berkeley.edu 

“Make Your Own Journal” A workshop for teens at 4 p.m. at South Branch Library, 1901 Russell St. Supplies are free. To reserve a place call 981-6147. 

Holiday Wreath Making from 7 to 9 p.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $25-$30. Greenery provided but bring your own pruners. Registration required. 643-2755. 

Berkeley Palma Soriano Sister City Benefit “Art, Dance and Vision of Cuba” at 7 p.m. at La Peña. Donation $10-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

East Bay Mac User Group meets to discuss the iPod and iTunes at 6 p.m. at Free Expression College for Digital Arts, 6601 Shelmound, Emeryville. http://ebmug.org 

Healthy Eating During the Holidays with Ed Bauman at 5:30 p.m. at Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy, 1744 Solano Ave. 527-8929. 

Easy Does It Disability Assistance Board of Directors Meeting, open to the public, at 6:30 p.m. at Seventh Day Adventist Church, 2236 Parker St. 845-5513. www.easyland.org 

World of Plants Tours Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $5. 643-2755. 

FRIDAY, DEC. 9 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Deunis Auers on “The Baltics, The EU and Russia” 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 or 665-9020. 

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz discusses “Blood on the Border: A Memoir of the Contra War” at 7 p.m. at the AK Press Warehouse, 674A 23rd St., Oakland. 208-1700. 

Scott Ritter “How We Got Into Iraq and How to Get Out” interviewed by Larry Bensky with Daniel Ellsberg, at 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian UIniversalist Church of Berkeley, One Lawson Rd., Kensington. Suggested donation $10. www.ustourofduty.org 

Activism Series on Homelessness with Kurt Kuhwald of the Faithful Fools Ministry and Sharon Hawkins-Leyden of YEAH at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Hall, 1924 Cedar St. Donations accepted. 528-5403. 

The Living Room Gallery Holiday Trunk Sale, showcasing local artists and craftsmen from the Bay Area at 8p.m. at 3230 Adeline St. 601-5774. 

Berkeley Critical Mass Bike Ride meets at the Berkeley BART the second Friday of every month at 5:30 p.m.  

“Fertile Darkness, Winter Lights” A musical gathering for women with Betsy Rose and Jennifer Berezan at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, small assembly room, 2345 Channing Way. Suggested donation $15-$20. 525-7082. 

Three Beats for Nothing sings early music for fun and practice at 10 a.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 655-8863. 

Berkeley Chess Club meets Fridays at 8 p.m. at the East Bay Chess Club, 1940 Virginia St. Players at all levels are welcome. 845-1041. 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 548-6310, 845-1143. 

Meditation, Peace Vigil and Dialogue, gather at noon on the grass close to the West Entrance to UC Berkeley, on Oxford St. near University Ave. People of all traditions are welcome to join us. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, DEC. 10 

Telegraph Avenue Holiday Street Fair between Dwight and Bancroft, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sat. and Sun. 

Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios Sat. and Sun. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For a map of locations see www.berkeleyartisans.com 

“Playing With Fire” Berkeley Potters Guild Holiday Sale from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sat. and Sun. at 731 Jones St. at Fourth St. www.berkeleypotters.com 

“Think Outside the Box” Alternative Gift Fair with ways to donate to local and national organizations from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave.  

Berkeley Farmers’ Market Holiday Crafts Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Center St. at MLK Jr. Way. 548-3333. 

Winter Festival Celebrate the diverse winter traditions of Bay Area families from noon to 4 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Celebration in Honor of Maudelle Shirek at 4 p.m. at St. Paul AME Church, 2024 Ashby Ave. Sponsored by the City of Berkeley. 981-7130. 

1000 Women for Peace Celebration of 14 Bay Area Women Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and booksigning of commemorative volume “1000 Women for Peace” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St., at 27th.  

Special Gifts for Friends and Animals for ages 6-8, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Oakland Zoo. Cost is $40-$50. For reservations call 632-9525, ext. 205. 

KPFA Crafts and Music Fair from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Concorse Exhibition Center, 8th and Brannan St., S.F. Cost is $5-$8. 848-6767, ext. 611. 

Debate the new Harry Potter Film, for teens at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, Claremont Branch, 2940 Benvenue Ave. at Ashby. 981-6133. 

Vegetarian Cooking Class for the Holidays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St. at Castro. Wheelchair accessible. Cost is $45. 531-COOK. www.compassionatecooks.com 

Creating Festive Succulant Wreaths at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. www.magicgardens.com 

Growing Edible Mushrooms Learn how to growm mushcrooms in wood logs. Please bring a cordless drill, drill bits and beeswax if you have them. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Berkeley Eco-House, 1305 Hopkins St. Cost is $15, no one turned away. 547-8715. 

Holiday Wreath Making from 10 a.m. to noon at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $25-$30. Greenery provided but bring your own pruners. Registration required. 643-2755. 

“Ethical and Halachic (Jewish Law) Challenges of Stem Cell Research” with Dr. John Loike at 12:15 p.m. at Beth Jacob Congregation, 3778 Park Blvd., Oakland. 482-1147. 

Small Press Open House with author readings and live music from noon to 4 p.m. on at Small Press Distribution, 1342 Seventh St. 524-1668.  

California Writers Club meets to discuss “The Poetry Industry” at 10 a.m at Barnes and Noble, Jack London Square. 420-8775.  

“Building with Alternative Materials: Cob and Strawbale” A workshop from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 812 Page St. Cost is $75. 525-7610. 

Protest Rally at Berkeley Honda Shattuck and Parker every Thurs. at 4:30 to 6 p.m. and Sat. from 1 to 2 p.m. until the labor dispute is settled.  

“Know Your Rights” A free, hands-on workshop from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at CopWatch, 2022 Blake St. 548-0425. 

Flu and Pneumonia Shots from noon to 4 p.m. at Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy, 1744 Solano Ave. Cost is $25 and $35. 527-8929. 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. and Sun. at 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732.  

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. 

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, DEC. 11 

Holiday Crafts from Reused and Recycled Materials from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. Benefits the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives. www.no-burn.org 

KPFA Crafts and Music Fair from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Concorse Exhibition Center, 8th and Brannan St., S.F. Cost is $5-$8. 848-6767, ext. 611. 

Chanukah Party with latkes, music, and make-your-own crafts from noon to 4 p.m. at Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

Art Book Sale from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

“Thinking of Becoming a Doula?” with Treesa Mclean, doula educator, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Change Makers, 6536 Telegraph Ave. 728-8513. 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

Tibetan Buddhism with Sylvia Gretchen on Tibetan meditation and yoga from 3 to 4 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, DEC. 12 

Sing-A-Long from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. 524-9122.  

Beginning Bridge Lessons at 11:10 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. Cost is $1. 524-9122. 

“Lynn Harney and his Work with New Tribes in South America” at noon at the Berkeley Men’s Business Fellowship, at Café Giovanni, 2420 Shattuck Ave. 223-3837. 

Critical Viewing An ongoing group to examine the art/craft(iness) of short films and television productions and its effects on our daily lives, at 1 p.m. at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. Free. 848-0237.  

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. 548-0425. 

TUESDAY, DEC. 13 

Shellmound and Sacred Sites a report back on the recent peace walk at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 25430 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220. 

“Fish Ears and Whale Songs: How Marine Mammals Sense Their Surroundings” with Michael Stocker of SeaFlow at 6:30 p.m. at the Oakland Zoo. Cost is $12-$20. 632-9525.  

Snowshoeing Basics, a slide presentation by snowshoe guide Cathy Anderson-Meyers at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

“China and the Media” with Orville Schell and Xiao Qiang at 7:30 p.m. at College Prep School, Buttner Auditorium, 6100 Broadway, Oakland. Cost is $5-$10. 339-7726. www.college-prep.org/livetalk 

“The Frankenfood Myth” Politics and Protests of the Biotech Revolution with Henry Miller at 7 p.m. at The Independent Institute, 100 Swan Way, Oakland. Cost is $10-$15. 632-1366. 

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. 

Free Handbuilding Ceramics Class 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. John’s Senior Center, 2727 College Ave. Also, Mon. noon to 4 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Materials and firing charges not included. 525-5497. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your digital images, slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

Introduction to Buddhist Meditation at 7 p.m. at the Dzalandhara Buddhist Center in Berkeley. Cost is $7-$10. Call for directions. 559-8183. www.kadampas.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

“Ask the Social Worker” free consultations for older adults and their families from 10 a.m. to noon at BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. To schedule an appointment call 558-7800, ext. 716. 

ONGOING 

Warm Coat Drive Donate a coat for distribution in the community, at Bay St., Emeryville. Sponsored by the Girl Scouts. www.onewarmcoat.org 

Magnes Museum Docent Training begins Jan. 8. Open to all who are interested in Jewish art and history. For information contact Faith Powell at 549-6950, ext. 333. 

Albany Berkeley Girls Softball League is looking for girls in grades 1-9 to play softball. Season runs March 4-June 3. To register, email registrar@abgsl.org or call 869-4277. Early Bird registration ends Dec. 31. Registration closes Feb. 1. Scholarships available. www.abgsl.org 

CITY MEETINGS 

City Council meets Tues., Dec. 6, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Commission on the Status of Women meets Wed., Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Tasha Tervelon, 981-5190. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/women 

Energy Commission meets Wed., Dec. 7, at 6:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Neal De Snoo, 981-5434. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/energy 

Fire Safety Commission meets Wed., Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m. at 997 Cedar St. David Orth, 981-5502. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/firesafety 

Community Health Commission meets Thurs., Dec. 8, at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Kristin Tehrani, 981-5356. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/health 

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., Dec. 8, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. Mark Rhoades, 981-7410. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/zoning  

 

 


Mayor Bates Weighs In on Landmarks Law By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday December 02, 2005

The dividing lines in the political struggle over the future of Berkeley’s Landmarks Preservation Ordinance (LPO) grew clearer at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting when Mayor Tom Bates offered a 10-page “Draft for Discussion” of his own. It is not a draft of ordinance language, but simply a conceptual proposal. 

“[W]e are trying to find a new path that recognizes the importance of protecting neighborhood character but acknowledges that it is sometimes a different issue than historic preservation,” wrote the mayor. 

The mayor portrayed his proposal as an attempt to bridge two competing drafts of a revised ordinance—one endorsed by the Planning Commission, the other by the LPC. Lesley Emmington, an LPC member and an employee of the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association, was skeptical. 

Emmington attended the Tuesday night council meeting, watching as Bates outlined his ideas, aided by a Power Point presentation. 

“This is a memorandum,” she said Thursday of the 10-page document Bates presented to fellow councilmembers Thursday night. “The mayor makes some proposals and some of them appear to be contradictory to our current ordinance, which the State Office of Historic Preservation has praised as a strong ordinance.” 

Bates sided with the Planning Commission on the contentious issue of “structures of merit,” a category of landmarking designation that recognizes significant original architectural features in buildings which may have altered over the years. 

Under the Bates proposal, the “structure of merit” designation would be eliminated, although existing buildings with the designation would be afford the same protections as landmarks, the one remaining building category. 

Bates proposed another category—perhaps modeled on Santa Monica’s “Points of Interest” designation—that would confer no special protection. 

The mayor also sided with the Planning Commission’s proposal that the LPC should not determine the level of environmental review required for designated buildings or districts, though requiring ZAB to take the LPC’s concerns into account. 

Emmington, however, felt that environmental decisions involving historic buildings are properly the concern of the LPC, the only city agency required to have expertise in historic issues. 

She reserved judgment on another of the mayor’s ideas—creation of a city historic preservation officer who would serve as staff to the LPC and, possibly, have say over “minor” alteration permits for designated landmarks. 

Another mayoral suggestion would have the city formally adopting the California Register of Historical Resources standard of architectural integrity—a key element in determining landmarking eligibility—leaving it open for the LPC to adopt other standards “unique to the City of Berkeley.” 

Bates also proposed that the city survey the city for historic buildings, starting with the expanded downtown area now being planned according to the terms of the settlement of the city’s suit against UC Berkeley over the university’s Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) through 2020. 

The basis of the survey would be a similar document prepared for the city’s 1990 Downtown Plan, which covered a smaller area than the new planning effort. 

Bates’s suggested areas for short term surveys included the city’s major current and potential development hotspots, including West Berkeley and the cities major corridors, including University, San Pablo, Shattuck, Telegraph and Solano avenues, as well as Gilman and Adeline streets and the Elmwood district. 

The mayor is pushing for increased commercial development in West Berkeley along the Ashby and University Avenue corridors and along Gilman streets, in part to keep car dealers—and the lucrative sales tax dollars they bring—from leaving city. 

Bates endorsed one of the most disputed proposals to emerge during discussions of the alternative ordinances—the so-called “Request for Determination” to see if a property is a potential landmark. 

Single family home and duplex owners could file a simple request, listing only the date of construction, the architect’s name and a photo of the building’s front facade. 

Once a request was filed, the LPC would have two consecutive meetings to initiate a designation. If the commission took no action or declined to initiate at the second meeting, members of the public would have ten more days to file their own petition. If no one did, no landmark petitions could be filed for the following year unless the owner filed for a demolition permit 

Owners of larger properties would have to file a more detailed historical assessment, following the same timetable. They could employ professional experts to carry out their study. 

If an initiation petition were filed, the LPC would have 70 days after the second meeting to schedule a public hearing on the designation and 250 days in which to act. If the property was not designated, under the Bates proposal no other application for designation could be filed for two years unless a demolition permit were sought. 

Critics fear the process could pave the way for developers to threaten structures commissioners or the public did not have time to investigate thoroughly. 

Other issues involve timelines, and whether or not a landmarking determination and subsequent review is or is not exempt from the state Permit Streamlining Act—the very law that prompted the proposed revisions. 

The council approved a Jan. 17 workshop meeting to discuss the conflicting proposals.Ã


Dissident Professors Criticize UC President By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN -TAYLOR

Friday December 02, 2005

UC Berkeley and UCLA professors who have called for an investigation into newspaper allegations of hidden university employee compensation practices say they are not satisfied with the university’s response. 

“A lot of faculty members are disturbed about the clumsy way in which the UC president’s office has handled this matter,” said Bruce Fuller, UC Berkeley Education and Public Policy Professor, who is the spokesman for his colleagues. “Thus far, the president’s office either doesn’t realize the severity of the problem, or else it’s consciously not being very open and honest in the way they are responding to the concerns.” 

Fuller added that he was encouraged by communications with members of a two-person investigative task force appointed by UC President Robert Dynes, including a possible expansion of the task force to include members recommended by professors. 

In an e-mailed statement sent out from Dynes’ office, university officials said, “We take very seriously our obligation to be publicly accountable and as transparent as possible. ... We expect that [the president’s] actions and reviews, along with the other steps UC has taken recently, will address the faculty’s concerns for objective and thorough assessments of our policies and practices. If subsequent reviews or audits appear warranted, though, then we will certainly consider them.” 

Amatullah Alajie-Sabrie, a spokesperson for the Coalition of University Employees (CUE) union that represents many of the university’s non-faculty employees, said that her organization was “encouraged that faculty members have stepped forward on this issue. The university needs to be questioned on the policies of overpaid administrators. We’ve been calling for such accountability and transparency in university actions for quite a while.” 

In addition, state Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria), vice chair of the Senate Education Committee, has called for committee hearings into the university compensation issue. 

The war of words between the university and the ad hoc professors’ group began after a series of articles appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle in mid-November, charging that many highly-paid university employees were getting additional compensation packages not publicly reported by the university. 

“In addition to salaries and overtime, payroll records obtained by the Chronicle show that employees received a total of $871 million in bonuses, administrative stipends, relocation packages and other forms of cash compensation last fiscal year,” the newspaper reported. It added that $599 million in last year’s “extra compensation” went to more than 8,500 employees “who each got at least $20,000 over their regular salaries.” 

The Chronicle articles came at a particularly sensitive time for the university, with regents simultaneously looking into seeking private funding to boost upper-level salaries and voting stiff fee increases for undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students. 

In response, Dynes’ office put up a web site to counter the Chronicle allegations. In addition, Dynes initiated an internal review of academic hiring practices by the university auditor, and set up a task “to consider ways to improve our public disclosure policies and internal practices regarding compensation and other personnel-related matters.” 

Initially, that task force consisted of UC Regent Joanne Kozberg of Los Angeles and former Regent and California Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg. No specific timetable was released to the public for a report for the task force. 

In part, the university’s website argues that senior management salaries throughout the university are below market, that many of the top earners at the university are getting funds from sources other than the state, and that “spending on administration is actually declining.” 

That hasn’t satisfied the petitioning professors. 

According to Fuller, “the hallway conversation and e-mail traffic” among UC Berkeley faculty members about the compensation controversy began with the publication of the Chronicle stories. Fuller said those conversations spread to colleagues at UCLA, who were upset over the controversy involving the investigation into allegations of conflict of interest by Provost and Senior Vice President M.R.C. Greenwood. 

Earlier this week, in a petition signed by 26 UC Berkeley and UCLA professors that was faxed to UC Board of Regents Chair Gerald Parsky, the ad hoc group of professors pointed at “a number of questionable decisions by the University’s highest administrators. Although it remains unclear which of these allegations—pertaining to secret compensation deals, bonuses, huge relocation allowances, and other perquisites—are factually true and reasonable, the evidence that is now in the public domain raises a number of disturbing issues to those of us who care deeply about the university’s credibility and long-term vitality.” 

The faculty members urged Parsky to “appoint a truly independent investigator to uncover which of these allegations are true, justifiable, or simply indefensible. With all due respect, what informed California citizen is going to believe that current or former regents are truly independent of this administration?” 

“We’re not prejudging the university’s actions on compensation,” Fuller said. “We want to have a panel of truly objective analysts with no ties to the Regents.” 

Fuller said that faculty members were concerned that both Kozberg and Hertzberg were too close to the university to be objective. He also decried the internal audit, saying that “this is a lot like asking Karl Rove to investigate CIA intelligence.” Fuller called the internal audit “somewhat of a joke.” 

But he said he is pleased that both Kozberg and Hertzberg “to their credit have each called us to indicate that they understand the issue and are not going to be biased.” 

Fuller said that Hertzberg, a recent unsuccessful candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, “has asked us to suggest appointees to the task force. He didn’t make a commitment to appointing anyone we suggest, but he did say he would look at the names.” 

The professors in the ad hoc group are currently looking at possible appointees to suggest to the two task force members. Fuller said that the petition is continuing to circulate, moving to campuses beyond Berkeley and Los Angeles, and now contains close to 70 signatures.


Race Issue Dominates City Council By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday December 02, 2005

Heated words and testy tempers at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting suggested that race remains very much an issue in Berkeley politics. 

The spark that raised temperatures was Councilmember Kriss Worthington’s resolution calling on councilembers to cast a wider net when making appointments to city commissions, committees and boards in order to reflect the community’s diversity. 

As part of the process, Worthington proposed semi-annual diversity surveys.  

Councilmember Gordon Wozniak declared that each councilmember’s benchmark shouldn’t be the city as a whole—except for the mayor, who is the only member elected on a citywide vote. 

Instead, he said, appointments should reflect each member’s district. 

“Councilmembers can appoint from the city as a whole,” said Darryl Moore, nothing that many members appointed commissioners from outside their district. 

“It sort of smacks of the quota system,” said Councilmember Laurie Capitelli, and, as for the survey he said, “I don’t like seeing more busywork for my staff.” 

But if there were to be a survey, he said, “you might want to include attendance,” meaning whether appointees actually attend their respective bodies. “Also longevity, and I also would like to see [which are] multiple appointments.” 

The decision on the appropriateness of appointments should be left up to voters, he said. 

“There is no quota system proposed,” said Worthington, who said the intent of his resolution was to send a clear indication that appointees should be included from all parts of the community. 

A survey by UC Berkeley students from Worthington’s district revealed that “Asians and Latinos were hardly represented at all, and African Americans were represented at levels below their percentage of the population. 

“The students who have done this have done us all an enormous favor by showing us that there were gaping holes in representation,” Worthington said. 

Councilmember Linda Maio said that while she thought there were flaws in the survey—particularly the issue of gender—she would support the proposal. 

Councilmember Betty Olds agreed with Capitelli, calling the proposal “silly,” noting that “there are certain people on the council who support this who haven’t filled all” their appointments. 

Her comments rankled Councilmember Max Anderson, who declared, “This speaks to the core of the city. At the end of the day it is what you do as councilmembers to contribute to the diversity of the city. It is a simple, fundamental proposition—while some of us may see this as something that doesn’t matter. But at the end of the day it’s important.  

“This is 2005. In 1950 people said they couldn’t find ‘quality’ black people, Latinos and Asians, but that’s a poor excuse today.” 

“If it’s to be meaningful,” Capitelli said, “we should include gender, sexual orientation, whether they’re white collar or blue collar, age—so let’s bring it all in.” 

Wozniak said “this is a rather flawed survey, It has a number of flaws.” 

When it came to students, he said, “There are some boards where I don’t think any student could qualify,” singling out the city’s loan and personnel boards, “where members were required to have real-world high-level public or private sector experience.” 

Besides, he said, “I have appointed four students and only one is currently serving.” 

Bates noted that that his appointments included many people of color. He also faulted the student survey. “It seems like a lot of symbols, of smoke and not much substance.” 

“If we were living in a world where race didn’t matter and age didn’t matter, it would be an issue,” Worthington said. “But every year Asians and Latinos have been frozen out of participation” as well as students, “and every year African Americans are under-represented.” 

Worthington offered to pull the item from the agenda so councilmembers could example the statistics for flaws. 

“I don’t see why we have to hold it over,” said Councilmember Darryl Moore. 

“It needs some work,” said Bates. 

Worthington then faulted Wozniak’s contention that students weren’t qualified for some boards, nothing that graduate students came to the Haas School of Business with significant real-world experience. “Students are heavily concentrated in [council] districts 7 and 8 yet district 8 [Wozniak’s] has had almost no students for years.” 

Bates tried to placate Worthington, to which the resolution’s sponsor shot back, “No one ever got elected to the Berkeley City Council saying they wouldn’t appoint any Latinos or Asians to the commissions.”  

“This whole thing is silly,” said Olds. “It’s degrading. 

“Emotions are high,” said Bates. “We need to work this over,” proposing to hold it over till the council’s Dec. 13 meeting. 

“I would like it to include sexual orientation, income” and other factors, Capitelli said. 

“Time out. Time Out,” said Bates. “We’re going to move on to the next item.” 

“I don’t want this to be held off because someone’s uncomfortable,” said Anderson, “If anyone needs any proof that [the issue of] race is alive and well,” noting that “clouding the issue with income” and other issues would hype the fact that “racist housing practices for years have concentrated African Americans in certain parts of this city. 

“So you’re putting off Darryl and me?” the council’s two African American members, “Lets talk about reality, about the policies that have brought us to where we are.” 

“There are also problems with gender and ageism,” said Bates. 

The item will be back on the agenda on the 13th. 

 

The survey 

The UC student survey revealed that while Asians and Pacific Islanders comprise 17.6 percent of Berkeley’s population, they make up 5.2 percent of commission appointments. 

Chicanos make up 9.5 percent of the city’s population, and only 4.2 percent of commission slots. 

African Americans make up 12.3 percent of Berkeley’s population and 10.3 percent of commission appointments. 

Students, a major pillar in Worthington’s constituency, comprise 20 to 25 percent of Berkeley’s population and 8.1 percent of appointments. 

 

Other action 

The council also: 

• Adopted on second reading the Ellis Act relocation fees to be paid by property owners to tenants who are evicted when rental properties are taken off the market. 

• Directed City Manager Phil Kamlarz to begin talks with the Clif Bar food company to find ways to help the firm remain in Berkeley. 

• Adopted a resolution opposing the execution of Stan “Tookie” Williams. 

• Voted to send to the planning commission for fine tuning a proposal to end the so-called “4+4=4 loophole” that allows developers to avoid providing low-income housing or fees by dividing projects up into apartment and live/work units. 

• Adopted a near relative policy barring supervisory nepotistic relationships in community agencies that receive city funding.f


Public Meeting Set for Stadium Plans By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday December 02, 2005

Those with concerns about UC Berkeley’s major expansion plans for the Memorial Stadium area will be able to offer comments at Thursday’s scoping session on the project. 

The university is holding the session as part of preparing an environmental impact re port (EIR) on the stadium seismic upgrade and other development plans for the Southeast Quadrant of the main campus. 

The session will begin at 7 p.m. in Booth Auditorium of Boalt Hall, near the northwest corner of Bancroft Way and Piedmont Avenue. 

Chanc ellor Robert Birgeneau and other university officials formally unveiled the plans in a Nov. 10 press conference. A recently released initial study—the first step on the road to the final EIR—provides new details and timelines for the massive project, whic h will unfold over the course of six years. 

When completed, the project will compromise 14.2 percent of the 2.2 million square feet of new building planned in the university’s Long Range Development Plan for 2020, and account for 24 percent of the plan’s new parking space. 

One question they couldn’t answer then has been resolved: The new Memorial Stadium retrofit will be designed to handle a magnitude 8 earthquake on the San Andreas Fault and a magnitude 7.4 temblor on the Hayward Fault, said UC Media Relations Executive Director Marie Felde. 

 

Tiered plans 

Development would progress in stages—tiers—starting next winter with construction of the 135,000-square-foot Student Athlete High Performance Center along the western side of Memorial Stadium, with completion slated for fall 2008. 

Seismic strengthening and renovation of the western half of the stadium would end in summer 2010. Similar improvements on the eastern half of the stadium would begin in the winter of 2009/10, with completion due in the fa ll 2012. 

While stadium seismic reinforcement are ongoing, construction will begin at the site of Maxwell Family Field north of the stadium, where a parking structure will be built to provide spaces lost to construction—545 on both sides of Piedmont Avenu e/Gayley Road—plus an additional 300 new spaces. 

When construction is complete, the playing field will be restored atop the parking structure, with the new facility opening in summer 2010. 

Construction on the west side of Piedmont/Gayley will begin in n ext winter and continue through spring 2012, with additions to the existing Boalt Hall and Haas School of Business buildings continuing throughout the period which would include creation of an additional 5,000 square feet of new construction. 

The major c onstruction planned on the west side of Gayley is the 180,000-square-foot Law and Business Connection building, which will be located south of Boalt Hall, to incorporate large meeting spaces indoors and out and new offices to accommodate programs that wil l bring together the law and business graduate programs. 

Construction of the new building is scheduled to begin in winter 2007/8 and conclude two years later. To build the structure, the university must first demolish the 36,000-square-foot circular Calv in Laboratory building, which will entail hazardous materials surveys throughout the demolition process. 

Also scheduled for demolition are two smaller campus buildings, the Cheney House and the Cheney Cottage at 2241 and 2243 College Ave. The project als o calls for renovations of the five Piedmont Avenue Houses at 2222-2240 Piedmont Ave. All seven structures and Memorial Stadium are considered secondary historic resources. 

The project area includes one primary historic resource, Piedmont Avenue—Gayley R oad, the latter designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the founder of American landscape architecture. 

 

Study concerns 

According to the initial study document, many issues which would typically be addressed in an EIR were sufficiently addressed in the EIR fo r the university’s 2020 Long Range Development Plan. 

Among the areas of specific concern slated for study are: 

• Impacts on scenic vistas. 

• Potential impacts of the proposed permanent night lighting at Memorial Stadium and Maxwell Family Field on surrounding neighborhoods, especially Panoramic Hill, whose residents had their homes included in a newly created National Historic District in large part because of the fear of adverse impacts from the stadium. 

• Potential degradation of the current visual character and quality site and its surroundings. 

• Impacts on cultural resources, including Panoramic Hill and other landmarks on or near the project site. 

• Possible adverse impacts on archaeological resources which may lie underneath the project area. 

• The implications of the projects location on and near a major earthquake fault—the Hayward Fault—including the potentials for strong ground shaking, soil liquefaction destructive soil expansion during a major temblor. 

• Impacts on drainage, runoff, w ater quality and the water table. 

• Possible conflicts with city plans and policies. 

• Noise impacts from crowds at the stadium and Maxwell Field, as well as ground vibrations resulting from noise. 

• Impacts on emergency response, access and evacuation plans. 

• Traffic impacts, including effects on bicyclists and pedestrians. 

• Effects on wastewater and storm water systems, including the possibility that the project could require an expansion of existing treatment facilities. 

• The possible need for construction of new steam heating facilities. 

• Potential impacts that could degrade the environment, significantly reduce fish or wildlife habitats—especially of an endangered species—or cause a catastrophic decline in a fish or wildlife species, or el iminate important examples of modern or archaeological history. 

• Environmental effects which cause substantial indirect or direct effects on humans.  

 

Comments and reports 

Written comments will also be accepted, both at the meeting and by mail to Jennifer Lawrence, Principal Planner, PEP/Capital Projects, Room 1, A&E Building, University of California, Berkeley 94720-1380 and via e-mail to Lawrence at jlawrence@cp.berkeley.edu. 

The deadline for submitting written comments for inclusion in the scoping process is 5 p.m. Dec. 14. 

The completed EIR will be the last of three environmental documents prepared for the combined projects. The first, an initial study, is available at the Berkeley Public Library’s main branch at 2090 Kittredge St. and at UC Berk eley’s Capital Projects Physical and Environmental Planning offices in Room 1 of the A&E Building north of Sproul Hall. A Draft EIR will come first, which will allow for another public comment period before the final document is completed. 

The 57-page In itial Study has also been posted online at www.cp.berkeley.edu/SCIP_NOP.pdf. 


You Write The Daily Planet

Friday December 02, 2005

We invite our readers to submit personal essays, short fiction, poetry and pictures for our Annual Reader Contribution Holiday Issue. Selected SUbmissions will be published in the Tuesday, Dec. 27 issue. Deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. Sunday Dec. 18. Send us your material at holiday@berkeleydailyplanet.com, or to 3023A Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 

 


Downtown Plan Committee to Walk District Saturday By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday December 02, 2005

For their second meeting, members of the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee (DAPAC)—joined by interested citizens—will take a stroll this Saturday. 

Members of the committee and the public will break up into small groups and walk the streets of the expanded downtown planning area defined in the settlement of the city’s suit against UC Berkeley over the 2020 Long Range Development Plan. 

The planning area extends from Hearst Avenue on the north to Dwight Way on the south, and from Oxford Street on the East to Martin Luther King Jr. Way on the west. 

The day’s events are scheduled to begin with coffee starting at 8:30 a.m. in the Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St., with the formal proceedings starting at 9 a.m. with a half-hour welcome and presentation. 

The groups will reunite at the theater at noon for an hour-long public comment and discussion period. 

For more information on the committee, see their website: www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/dapac. 


Commissioner Changes Could Tip Balance By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday December 02, 2005

New appointments at the Landmarks Preservation Commission could create a more developer-friendly majority on the panel that builders love to hate. 

City Councilmember Max Anderson this week sought the resignation of Landmarks Preservation Commissioner Patricia Dacey, thanking the Maudelle Shirek appointee and telling her it was time to name his own appointees. 

“I’m fine with that,” said Dacey, who with Lesley Emmington Jones, was regarded as one of the panel’s strongest preservation opponents. Dacey was appointed to the LPC in August 2004. 

In voting on appeals of landmarks designation, Anderson has often sided with developers, and he has expressed concern that landmarking is being used more as a tool to block development than to preserve truly notable structures. 

“I really appreciated the conscientious work she’s done,” Anderson said of Dacey, “but it was time for a change.” 

Councilmember Laurie Capitelli, another critic of many Landmarks Preservation Commission actions, has appointed architect Gary Earl Parsons to fill his slot on the commission, which has been vacant for more than a month until the Nov. 21 appointment. 

Parsons is a Berkeley native who received his master’s in architecture from UC Berkeley in 1982 and started his own firm in 1987 with offices at 814 Camellia St. Parsons fills the slot vacated when Capitelli appointed architect James Samuels to the Planning Commission in September.  

The combined effect of the changes could lead to significant changes in LPC votes, in which many recent pro-landmarking decisions had carried by five-four margins. 

Wednesday night’s meeting of the Berkeley Planning Commission was also the last for Rob Wrenn, an Anderson appointee. 

“We had an agreement that I would serve one year,” said Wrenn. 

His replacement is Lawrence T. Gurley, professor of mathematics and computer information systems at Merritt College in Oakland. He lives on Russell Street in Southwest Berkeley. 

Wrenn still serves on another planning group to which Anderson appointed him, the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee.


Berkeley High Beat: Berkeley High Bathroom Update By Rio Bauce

Friday December 02, 2005

Have you ever wondered what is happening with bathroom construction at Berkeley High School (BHS)? Has the bathroom retrofit been completed so that Berkeley High students can use them? 

When BHS students came back to school in September, most construction was completed. However, bathrooms on the first floor and the third floor of the main academic building (the C-building) were still “in the works.” 

Now, as we head to Christmas time, the bathrooms are still incomplete and until now there hadn’t been any indication to the general public as to when they would be done. 

Back in March, a schedule was drawn up for the construction projects of the C-building at BHS. There weren’t any requirements set for the completion of the bathrooms on the first or third floor of the C-building. 

“We didn’t think that it was possible for the contractors to keep to a certain time frame,” said Lew Jones, Berkeley Unified School District director of facilities. “At the time, we knew that there could be a number of things that weren’t seen initially in the bathrooms. These things could considerably lengthen the construction time.” 

The plan for the bathroom design includes many things. First they have to perform a lead abatement, followed by a demolition of the bathrooms (which occurred in the summer.) Then they need to do some re-piping, some tiling, some flooring, and hang some fixtures. However, this blueprint can’t account for any “hidden problems” in the bathrooms, which can delay construction. Unfortunately, this was the case. 

“There were some hidden conditions in the bathrooms,” Jones said. “We had to replace some metal studs, which hold the walls up, because there had been water damage. Because of this situation, we had to get approval from the state before continuation of the project.” 

The contract calls for the bathroom work to be wrapped up by the end of the Christmas break, when the students return to school in January. The contractors are two or three weeks behind the original schedule. 

Some teachers aren’t ecstatic about the bathroom predicament. 

“I don’t like that the bathrooms aren’t accessible,” said one teacher. “However, I think that it is worth it to reconstruct the bathrooms. I remember many years back, when I moved to the C-building, the bathrooms were really a mess—there wasn’t any toilet paper or seat covers.” 

Some students aren’t too optimistic about the school district’s ability to follow through on their promises. 

“I would be disappointed if the project wasn’t done by the end of the Christmas break,” remarked Calvin Young, 15, a sophomore, “because it would make me feel that our school isn’t together enough to provide adequate bathrooms. Yet, I still wouldn’t be surprised.” 

Jones said he understands the students’ and faculty’s frustrations. 

“We knew that there was going to be an impact,” asserted Jones. “We know that this does affect the students and the staff. It is more than we had thought.” 

The C-building was originally built in the 1920s. There was a small reconstruction project in the 1960s. However, the last major retrofit was in 1983. The bathrooms at BHS haven’t been remodeled for over 20 years. 

Vivian Haesloop, 16, a sophomore, said, “It’s a little frustrating, because bathroom lines are pretty long at lunch ... Well at least for the girl’s bathroom. It would nice if the extra bathrooms were there.” 

 

Rio Bauce is a Berkeley High sophomore. Send comments to baucer@gmail.com. 

 

 

 

m


Correction

Friday December 02, 2005

Correction 

 

Jeffrey Heyman, executive director of the Department of Marketing, Public Relations and Communications at the Peralta Community College District, was misquoted regarding Trustee Marcy Hodge’s criticisms of the Office of International Affairs in a Nov. 29 article. His quote should have read, “Chancellor Elihu Harris thought the charges were important enough to hire an investigator.” He did not state that the chancellor hired Mr. Drinkhall upon Heyman’s recommendation as the story claimed. ô


Editorial Cartoon By JUSTIN DEFREITAS

Friday December 02, 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 December 02, 2005

WEST CAMPUS POOL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I’m mad and so are my aerobics swimmates. The West Campus pool is closed until April. It had expensive solar paneling just put in and access to a diverse population, including my senior residence. 

The tenants’ association here gave 100 percent agreement to protest the closing of this nearby pool. 

Our aerobics class, a community of 20-25 winter swimmers for more than three years, must now use the King pool over on Hopkins. This has a hard access for the disabled and poor parking for the rest of us. 

We of course are nothing like Katrina victims, but it does seem somewhat similar: The poor end of town got the shaft. 

Nance Wogan 

Strawberry Creek Lodge 

 

• 

ECOLOGY CENTER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

A week or two ago I received a postcard from the Ecology Center. The postcard promoted the Tuesday Farmers’ Market and offered a discount coupon. 

Unfortunately, it has been almost two years since I’ve last shopped at the Farmers’ Market. The opposition of the Ecology Center to a ballfield on Derby Street has been a big turnoff. The Ecology Center is so anti-youth that I’ve stopped shopping at any of its very high-proceed Farmers’ Markets. Berkeley Bowl is just fine for me. 

I guess the Ecology Center doesn’t want boys in teams on ballfields, so the only places left for young men in teams is dressed in army fatigues in Iraq or in orange jumpsuits in jail. No thank you! 

Young people are the future. We should be investing in youth. The Ecology Center calls itself a “community group” but it only has programs for kale, not for kids. 

Michaela Bowens 

 

• 

UC GREED 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Although an undistinguished alumna of modest means, when 18 years ago my class was preparing for its 50th anniversary of graduation from UC Berkeley, I wildly pledged $500 for the class gift, to be paid in yearly $100 installments. I also worked a phone list to ask class alumni in San Francisco for gift pledges. On the phone I heard sad tales of grown children enduring hard times and needing help—especially with housing. I garnered no pledges. 

After my third gift payment I happened to read in the San Francisco Chronicle of UC’s million-dollar golden parachute to an official of the university taking early retirement (if memory serves accurately) because of his wife’s illness. I was furious. His retirement pay was handsome. He needed a million dollars!? 

I whipped off a letter to our class president: “...Despite my pledge it’ll be a cold day in hell before I give another dime to the University of California!” 

In response I was asked if my letter might be passed on. 

I hoped it would be. And now, after reading the Chronicle’s recent revelations of present-day perquisites, I hope all UC graduates will also reject pleas—until these wrongs are righted. 

Do, or will, the greedy officials (and our economy’s CEO’s) contribute hugely to suffers from tsunami, massive earthquake in Pakistan, hurricanes in the Caribbean, famine in Africa? Will we as a nation ever return to ultra high taxes on the rich so student grants, living-waged public work on the environment and infrastructure etc. may more fairly (and even evenly?) distribute our wealth? 

Education takes place not only in the classroom. UC’s rich officials, and the Regents too, are by example propounding the ruinous 1980s shibboleth that “Greed pays off, and so this is good!” 

Judith Segard Hunt 

 

• 

SPECIAL ELECTION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Demand has been made upon county and school auditors and treasurers, and upon the California treasurer and controller to cease and desist the payment of any expense whatsoever with respect to the Nov. 8 special election, and for them and their bondsman to forthwith reimburse the county, state and school district for any funds which have been expended with respect thereto together with interest. As each have been advised, that special election is without authority in law and therefore neither state, county nor school district may be charged therefore. Without authority in law no measure can be valid. 

Raymond Hawkins 

Kensington 

 

• 

MARIN AVENUE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Richard Splenda, what planet are you living on? In the weeks since the change on Marin Avenue, what I’ve noticed is that in a period of four weeks, I have seen two bicyclists on Marin the entire time! 

I have also seen traffic backed up three or four blocks at the stop lights at Peralta, Santa Fe, and Masonic. Folks trying to merge from various side streets have to wait a long time to get onto Marin. Forget about the sycamore tress; the exhaust from standing automobiles will blight the environment and reduce air quality significantly for our neighbors on Marin Avenue. 

The bicycle fanatics got their way and punished the rest of us, poor slobs, who need to use their cars or drive to the freeway to get to and from work.  

So much for good planning. 

Michele Givinda 

 

• 

PUBLIC BLOCKED 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a member of the public and the Cal Alumni Society, I would like to bring to the attention of the interested parties that UC libraries have started to block the public and alumni to access the Internet via the library computers. On one hand it appears that this a right decision since some folks used to camp out at the computers and misused the resources. On the other hand, denial of access to the internet will hurt many who used the computers for good causes. How can UC libraries send letters to the public and alumni to ask for contributions? I used to pay the libraries at least $200 a year; however, I will not do so any more. It is simple: no services, no contributions. Perhaps, the UC executives can contribute to the libraries out of that $871 million they paid themselves as bounces. UC libraries should let the alumni and holders of library cards have access to the Internet via the library computers. 

Mina Davenport 

 

• 

PROGRESSIVE BERKELEY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I would like to thank Ted Vincent for his recent letter regarding liquor stores in South Berkeley. 

I would like to thank him for revealing what appears to be the true character and legacy of progressive politics in Berkeley. For in Progressive Berkeley broken bottles, used condoms, and used drug needles in the street or tossed into back yards, are to be considered innocuous debris. 

In Progressive Berkeley screeching tires, smashed glass, screamed racial epithets, death threats, and gunfire are to be considered innocuous chatter. 

In Progressive Berkeley fists smashed into faces, knuckled-fists punched down onto the tops of the heads of children, and boot-clad feet slammed into the faces of defenseless, prostrate victims, are to be considered harmless pranks. 

Thanks again for clarifying things for me. 

John Herbert 

 

• 

HR 1461 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The House recently passed HR 1461, a bill to establish a housing trust fund from the profits of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Intended to set aside new funding for the creation of sorely needed affordable housing, the bill has taken on dangerous new provisions that threaten democracy and the rights of nonprofits to participate in our democracy.  

HR 1461 would disquality from receiving funds nonprofits who have done any non-partisan voter work in the past 12 months, such as displaying voter registration forms or driving residents to the polls on election day. Simply offering voter registration cards—as do the DMV, post office, schools, libraries, and a thousand partisan and non-partisan organizations alike in the shared national interest of increasing our woefully low voter turnout—would be off-limits to organizations that receive HR 1461 funds. 

Listen, nonprofits come in all sizes, but even those that have small budgets, small staffs, and small local influence do not have small IQs. We understand what non-partisan means, why it’s an important restriction for government-funded entities, and the legal consequences that already exist for ignoring the restriction. Yet under this bill, nonprofits who simply try to get more people to participate in community decision-making by voting—no matter who or what they vote for—will be penalized and prevented from doing their work, and low-income families and individuals who need housing will suffer. This is a backdoor attempt to squash get-out-the-vote activities and no one is fooled. 

Sonja Fitz 

Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency  

 

• 

DERBY STREET FIELD 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Regarding Association of Sports Field Users Chairperson Doug Fielding’s letter of Nov. 29, I am compelled to respond. Mr. Fielding not only criticizes my position on a significant land-use and resource-intensive BUSD project (which is legitimate), he also impugns my judgement and integrity. That I cannot let slide. 

Mr. Fielding states that the city paid his “group” $750,000 for two playing fields at Harrison Street. In fact city documents indicate that the cost was substantially higher, well over $1 million. The fact that the Harrison Street fields do not abut residential houses (about 50 feet away on Derby/Carleton Street), an alternative high school, a preschool, a business, and a UC delivery/receiving facility are also not mentioned. Nor the fact that underground and above-ground utilities, storm drains, street and sidewalk curbing, a streetlight and traffic mitigation, and a whole host of other expenses were not necessary at the Harrison Street project, and will certainly be necessary at Derby Street. 

The real costs of a closed-Derby project are yet unknown. That is one of the points I have been raising and making over and over again. To underestimate the costs as a political strategy is, in my view, deceptively self-serving. What Mr. Fielding fails to address, and cleverly avoids, is the fact that a closed-Derby Street project is far more expensive than what is budgeted for Derby Street by BUSD.  

Mr. Fielding’s “facts” defy, and thus demand, close scrutiny. There has been much oversimplification in this discussion, and many of the closed-Derby proponents have glossed over or dismissed the details and concerns of others. My hope is that by participating in this serial letter-writing to the Planet, I can help illuminate some of these details for the readers’ closer scrutiny and better understanding of BUSD’s options for developing the East Campus site. My fear is that under political pressure, the dstrict and the city might embark on a long and very costly course to close Derby Street, and miss the real opportunity we have right now to provide a quality multi-purpose playing field by 2007 and within the BUSD construction budget. 

John Selawsky 

Director, Berkeley School Board 

 

• 

UNHEALTHY SKIES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

So far this year, we’ve been able to keep the Bush administration’s “Unhealthy Skies” bill (AKA the “Clear Skies Act of 2005”) bottled up in the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. We have been working tirelessly this past summer and fall, knocking on doors and organizing from Boston to Berkeley to keep the committee vote tied at 9 to 9. It is now very difficult for the power plant industry to push this bill through the Senate, which would allow coal-burning utilities to release more mercury into the environment. 

Running with our success in this campaign for public health, we now shift our focus to alleviating the growing problem of global warming. Already, our automobiles are emitting billions of tons of CO2 into our atmosphere every year in a man-made intensification of the greenhouse effect, and they are less fuel-efficient today than they were 20 years ago. One of the single greatest steps the U.S. can take is to legislate an increase the fuel-efficiency standards for all cars, trucks, and SUVs to 40 miles per gallon within the next decade. We are mobilizing hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens on this issue, and targeting over 150 Congresspeople to sponsor such a bill. We are entering a period of consequences, and it is time to act. 

Samuel Lockhart 

Citizen Outreach Director 

Environmental Action 

 

• 

AIR QUALITY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I find it offensive that our automobiles have worse gas mileage now than they did 20 years ago. While our beloved administration has been refusing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, we have seen an increase in gas prices and the greenhouse gases that lead to global warming. By signing onto this agreement, a message would be sent to the American public that our government actually cares about the global issue of climate change. The groundwork would be set from the top down that global warming is important enough to endorse laws requiring the automobile industry to improve fuel-efficiency standards to 40 mpg for all new cars. According to the National Academy of Sciences, were we to do this we would cut 250 million tons of pollution that leads to global warming. The United States represents 25 percent of emissions that lead to global warming and therefore we have a major responsibility to do everything that we can to prevent unnecessary changes in world climate. The time is now to raise fuel-efficiency standards. Call or write your representatives today to make this a reality. 

Joshua Sbicca 

Oakland 

 

• 

AIR QUALITY II 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

At a recent meeting of its core members, the West Berkeley Alliance for Clean Air and Safe Jobs addressed one of its current concerns, i.e. the BAAQMD’s (Bay Area Air Quality Management District) cancellation of an upcoming community meeting. Granted, meetings get cancelled all the time. However, a meeting of this type, which would allow Pacific Steel Casting, our councilmember, Linda Maio, and the organization that is charged with monitoring our air, BAAQMD, to explain to the public what steps are to be taken next in reducing the amount of metal and other particulate in our air, seems like the type of meeting that should be held at all costs. As emission reports continue to be released and published by BAAQMD, the state of California, and other organizations, our “green community” of Berkeley is left to wonder (and research on its own) “Who will take responsibility for our city’s health and well-being by informing the public about the health implications of these emissions?” For example, unless you are willing to do an extensive amount of research, you might not know about The West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (an effort by the Pacific Institute to empower the West Oakland community to deal with pollution and other problems) who lists Pacific Steel as second of all Bay Area facilities ranked for carcinogen risks. With a little more background, you will discover that this ranking was established using the 1997 Toxics Release Inventory data when PSC’s production levels were much lower than today’s.  

Because both the city of Berkeley and PSC turn to BAAQMD to interpret the amounts and toxicity of materials coming from PSC’s stacks, what then should citizens do when BAAQMD stonewalls the very citizens it represents and denies them the chance to meet together and brainstorm solutions to unacceptable air quality? What do citizens do when they are told that BAAQMD only meets with the public on Tuesdays and that happens to be the same day their council members meet? It should contact its council members and representatives in BAAQMD, and insist that this meeting should happen—not in two months, but in two weeks, as originally promised. If this matter was as a high a priority for BAAQMD as it is for West Berkeley and surrounding communities, I doubt we would have as much reason to question the integrity of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. 

Sarah Simonet-Reid 

Co-Founder West Berkeley Alliance for Clean Air and Safe Jobs 

 

• 

POTTER CREEK 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Jonathan Stephens in his Nov. 29 letter is way off base in his reading of the Potter Creek neighborhood. He calls it “urban blight” and “suffering from neglect.” Nothing could be farther from the truth.  

This neighborhood is home to Tippitt Animation studios which employs several hundred bright young people, Fantasy Records (recording studio), Myer Sound, Scharfenberger Chocolate factory, the French American School (K-8), The Center for the Education of the Infant Deaf, two commercial, artisan bakeries Acme and Vital Vitals, fine furniture maker Berkeley Mills and at least two other sizable furniture/cabinet makers, Nolo press, numerous other small publishers, a book bindery, two large printing companies, the largest yoga studio in the east bay, four glass studios and many other artists and artisans. 

Recent construction includes five loft developments, the large artist/hobby building, the harpisicord makers building and the park created by Bayer. At least eight residences have been rehabilitated. 

This is a light industry/residential area and the industrial uses are indeed changing from heavier, dirtier uses to the diverse, desirable and prosperous businesses I mention above. While the Berkeley Bowl could be a welcome neighbor here the effect on present uses and on traffic must be carefully considered. 

Bob Kubik 

 

• 

BERKELEY LAB 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am the commissioner who voted against the questions proposed by CEAC ( “Transparency Needed in Berkeley Lab Nanotechnology,” Nov. 29). I did not feel that they would lead to any new or useful information, and I wanted questions that would.  

The lab responded to the questions of environmental and health risks over a year ago. I believe that the CEAC members who are concerned that the lab is not being responsive and “transparent” did not fully understand the response. The lab’s position was that nanotechnology work would be performed in a manner that would prevent any release of nanoparticles. This would be accomplished by restricting work to studies on bound substrates, in solutions, or in closed systems. If there are no releases, there are no risks. If there are no risks, then the responses to CEAC’s questions are:  

1. There is nothing to identify. 

2. There is no need for external experts. 

3. There are no risks to manage. 

4. There is nothing to inform the public about.  

With regard to point 4, the lab has indicated that it has health experts who will be keeping track of the current literature.  

I proposed a set of questions about issues that I felt the lab had not covered. In particular, I was concerned that the lab had not explicitly addressed the issue of disposal of the experimental materials. It would also be useful for the lab to be more explicit about how they will make sure that researchers will comply with their policy, and what procedures they will have to inform the city of any violations or changes in their policy.  

Robert Clear  

 

• 

DOWNTOWN PLAN 

It is truly a service to the community to have the Daily Planet publish views on the Downtown Plan by members of the Committee. However, the writers could do a better job of differentiating fact and opinion so that readers can make better judgments.  

In the Nov 29-31 edition committee member Rob Wrenn writes “One of the major changes that has taken place in the last 20 years is that rents and home prices have soared. Even when you adjust for inflation and rising incomes, the median and average market rent is much higher than it was in the mid 1980’s. Rents for two bedroom apartments are around $2000 a month.”  

The data does not support that assertion. Rent Board data shows that the average for recently rented two bedroom apartments is below $1500 per month. For all registered two bedroom apartments city wide it is below $1300 per month. It is true that if Mr. Wrenn is talking about newly constructed two bedroom units downtown that rents range from about $1850-$2500 per month, These are not rent controlled units and they didn’t exist in the mid 1980’s. These units are defacto dorms and substantially cheaper (per person) than University housing when four students share a two bedroom unit. Rent Controlled units in Berkeley have hardly kept up with inflation. A$300 one bedroom unit in 1980 is approximately $700 in 2005. Since 1996 the Rent Board Annual adjustments have been barely 10 percent cumulatively for the subsequent 8 year period. This years annual adjustment was 0.7 percent. Rent Board fees were increased 13 percent. It is city taxes and fees that have soared in the past twenty years and not rents. Housing prices have soared but the market will undoubtedly provide a correction eventually.  

Since 1996 city employee salaries have increased almost 50 percent without considering merit or promotional increases. Inflation in the same period has been approximately 20-25 percent depending upon the index used.  

In talking about transportation, Mr. Wrenn states “Some good things have happened, including creation of a bike station at downtown BART and addition of new bus shelters.” While this is undoubtedly true I would point out that bus shelters in North Berkeley were torn down years ago allegedly due to graffiti and have never been replaced. To make use of the downtown shelters it is necessary to board a bus somewhere else where there is no shelter. Benches have recently appeared at bus stations at either end of the Solano tunnel but they aren’t user friendly in rainy weather. The Committee should broaden its perspective to make not only the downtown more citizen friendly but to make the city more friendly before you get downtown. Note that bus shelters have been replaced on San Pablo in West and South Berkeley but not in North Berkeley or South Campus areas. 

Ted Edlin?


Column: The Public Eye: Bush is Leading Us Down the Road to Nowhere By Bob Burnett

Friday December 02, 2005

Wednesday, George W. Bush confirmed what many of us have long suspected—our plan for Iraq is based upon a Talking Heads hit. The president’s “National Strategy for Victory in Iraq” was lifted from the lyrics to Road to Nowhere. 

Well we know where we’re g oin’ 

But we don’t know where we’ve been. 

And we know what we’re knowin’ 

But we can’t say what we’ve seen. 

And we’re not little children 

And we know what we want. 

And the future is certain 

Give us time to work it out. 

We’re on a road to nowhere 

Come on ins ide. 

Takin’ that ride to nowhere 

We’ll take that ride. 

 

The administration doesn’t know where it’s going because it doesn’t know where it’s been. It’s incapable of learning from mistakes because it refuses to recognize them. Despite being consistent only in its ineptitude, Bush asks us to believe, “the future is certain. Give us time to work it out.” 

Bush repeated, “No war has ever been won on a timetable and neither will this one.”  

Nonetheless, his administration is sending mixed signals. Last week, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice suggested that U.S. forces might start withdrawing “fairly soon.” Next Lieutenant General John Vines, who is in charge of day-to-day operations in Iraq, said it was possible 50,000 U.S. forces could leave by the end of 2 006. Then both Rice and Vines backpedaled saying a “premature withdrawal” would be “destabilizing.” 

Meanwhile, the various Iraqi factions met at the Arab-League’s “Reconciliation Conference.” Surprisingly, they agreed on something: “We demand the withdra wal of foreign forces in accordance with a timetable.” However, a couple of days later, Iraqi Foreign Minister, Hoshiyar Zebari, warned “any premature withdrawal will send the wrong message to the terrorists.” 

The administration’s ambivalence is a direct result of the public’s antipathy towards the Iraq war. A strong majority wants our troops to come home. While George W., personally, could care less what the voters think, Republicans running for reelection in 2006 are worried. Just before the Thanksgivi ng recess the Senate passed a resolution that next year should mark the beginning of the end of the occupation of Iraq. Thirteen of the fourteen Republican senators running for re-election voted for it. 

Bush continues to maintain that “Iraq is making steady progress in fighting terrorists, meeting political milestones, building democratic institutions, and standing up security forces.” 

Congressman Jack Murtha is the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee and its Subcommittee on Defense. On Nov. 17, Murtha came out for withdrawal. This was a big deal, as Murtha, a decorated Marine veteran, is known to have the ear of key military leaders. Murtha recognized that the U.S. is on the road to nowhere. “[Iraq] is a flawed policy wrapped in illu sion … The United States and coalition troops have done all they can in Iraq, but it is time for a change in direction. Our military is suffering. The future of our country is at risk. We cannot continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interest of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf Region.” 

The Bush administration maintains that we cannot summarily leave the country. We must wait until the Iraqi army is reconst ituted. However, many experts feel that this either cannot be done or it will take a painfully long time. Writing in the December 2005 Atlantic Monthly James Fallow concludes, “There is no indication that [a viable Iraqi security force] is about to emerge.” 

The crux of George W.’s dilemma is that he has never had a plan for Iraq. Republican insider Henry Kissinger once observed, “If you don’t know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere.” 

America has a choice to make between trusting the president’s judgment and getting out of Iraq. From here, this doesn’t look like too difficult a decision. 

It would be one thing if leaving Iraq simply meant that we would look stupid to the rest of the world for having launched the invasion to begin with. But what’s at stake is more than humiliation. On Nov. 20, New York Times columnist Frank Rich nailed our dilemma in “One War Lost, Another to Go.” Rich pointed out that the real problem with deteriorating public support for the occupation of Iraq “is that the public, having rejected one [war], automatically rejects the other … The percentage of Americans who now regard fighting terrorism as a top national priority is either in the single or low double digits in every poll.”  

We are being diverted from th e real war on terror. 

The gravity of this situation forces Americans to confront harsh realities: Our lives are in peril. We must have a real plan for the war on terror. Meanwhile, we have a president who is leading us down the road to nowhere.  

 

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

›i


Column: Undercurrents: The Problem Behind Oakland’s Liquor Store Problem J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR

Friday December 02, 2005

In one of the recent articles on the recent West Oakland liquor store attacks, the San Francisco Chronicle quotes Mayor Jerry Brown as condemning the incidents—including the trashing of the two stores—and adding, “If there are issues, and there are issues in Oakland with liquor stores, people can come together to discuss them.” 

Discuss them with whom, one wonders, and to what end? Let’s walk down that sidewalk a ways, and see where it takes us. 

A number of Oakland activists have been trying to reduce the number of liquor stores in the city for years. And recently, there appears to be a consensus among most residents and city and police officials that there are too many liquor-only or liquor-mostly outlets in the city, particularly in the West Oakland and East Oakland areas, and that these liquor-only and liquor-mostly outlets are often magnets for community problems. 

In May 2004, Oakland City Attorney John Russo in fact flatly declared that “Oakland just has too many liquor stores.” Mr. Russo also released, at the same time, a report that listed 11 problem liquor stores that the city attorney deemed “ugly,” that is, with multiple serious violations reported by the Oakland Police Department’s Alcohol Beverage Action Team or the state ABC office. The majority of those “ugly” liquor stores (to use Mr. Russo’s phrase) were in West Oakland and in East Oakland beyond the Fruitvale District. 

The problem, as I see it, is not with the selling of liquor itself. But liquor—being a substance that is often abused—tends to attract people who are prone to substance abuse. This, in turn, attracts people who make money off of providing other abusing substances, such as drugs, prostitutes, etc. etc., ad infinitum. Without close attention, particularly in low income areas, liquor stores can become a magnet for litter and crime of all sorts and a drag on the entire community. A conscientious liquor store owner—or the owner of a neighborhood store that sells food items as well as beer and/or liquor—can keep the area around their stores clean and clear, and many of them do. But the more liquor and the less milk a business sells, the more the owner has to pay attention to the potential problems. And too many of these owners in low-income black or brown areas neither pay attention, or care. 

So if there is a consensus among residents and city and police officials that there exists some sort of problem surrounding some of these liquor outlets in the low-income areas of Oakland—including the fact that there are far too many of them concentrated into too few areas—why hasn’t much been done about it? 

Several years ago, but long past the days of legal segregation, I lived in a small, Southern town where the sidewalks ended right where the white neighborhood stopped and the black neighborhood began. I went to the mayor’s office one morning to talk about the inequity of this situation—we being as much taxpayers on the black side as they were on the white—and the mayor told me with a sad smile that he realized how bad this might look, but the situation was the result of decisions made in the old segregation days and as much as he would like to correct it, the city had no money at present for sidewalk building and so—unfortunately, in the mayor’s mind—the situation of inequity must remain, at least for the present. 

Oakland, which has a lot of small, Southern town in it, still, exists in much the same situation. 

At one point, many years ago, West Oakland was the center of the black middle class in the East Bay, and East Oakland beyond the Fruitvale was a community made up mostly of white families living in neighborhoods of single-family homes with wide front lawns and big backyards. Black families who moved out to East Oakland in the ‘40s—including my newlywed parents—did not do so because they were looking for a place to set up a “ghetto.” They wanted a nice, safe neighborhood in which to raise their children. But as black families moved into the far ends of East Oakland, most white families fled, first to the hills and then—when the hills opened up to black residents—over the hills into Castro Valley, Pleasanton, and much of what today is the heart of Contra Costa County. 

As East Oakland rapidly rolled over white to black through the ‘50s, official city neglect of the area rose in direct proportion. At the same time, Oakland City Hall “urban renewal” decisions devastated the heart of West Oakland, driving out many of the black middle class and working class families that had been its anchor. One of the results of these twin paths of official “benign neglect” and active community destabilization the west and the east was the allowance of liquor stores to flood the two neighborhoods, fueled by business owners who saw a way to make a quick buck among the poor blacks, and encouraged by city officials who either didn’t care what happened in black neighborhoods, or were getting kickbacks. (One always has to remember that in living memory, at least as far as I know, there has never been a case of neighborhood people getting together in Oakland, coming down to a City Council meeting, and demanding another liquor store in their community.) And too many of the liquor stores that settled in west and east Oakland were of the we-don’t-give-a-damn-about-what-goes-on-just-outside-our-doors variety. 

Thanks to the actions of a coalition of community activists and receptive public officials, there is a moratorium on new liquor licenses in Alameda County. But that still leaves a proliferation of such businesses throughout East and West Oakland, too many of them continuing magnets for community problems. 

In April 2004, the Neighborhood Law Corps of the Oakland city attorney’s office issued a “Report And Recommendations Regarding A Report Card On Oakland’s Liquor Stores: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly” to the Oakland City Council. This was the report in which the 11 “ugly” liquor stores were listed. 

That report said, in part, “During the past two years, Neighborhood Law Corps Attorneys have attended over 200 community meetings. The single most consistent priority from neighborhood to neighborhood was problem liquor stores. Community complaints about these stores range from excess litter and loitering to accusations of alcohol sales to minors, drug dealing, prostitution, and shootings. We found that while many neighborhoods were focused on trying to abate local problem liquor stores, there has not been a comprehensive analysis of the impact liquor stores have city-wide.” 

Perhaps Mayor Brown missed the report—it’s still available on the city attorney’s website, if he’s interested—or missed the 200 community meetings that preceded it. But it seems that in reference to Mr. Brown’s comment “If there are issues, and there are issues in Oakland with liquor stores, people can come together to discuss them,” Oakland residents have already come together and discussed the problems related to the liquor stores, many times over. 

For seven years, the Jerry Brown administration has been fascinated with creating new downtown neighborhoods for people who don’t like Oakland and have to be enticed to move here, while often that same administration ignores many of the needs of the existing neighborhoods and the Oakland residents who already live there. In the past few days, there has been widespread condemnation of the vandalism at the two West Oakland liquor stores. I am not suggesting that Mr. Brown’s benign neglect of the city’s liquor store problem made that vandalism necessary. I am only wondering what might have happened if Mr. Brown had used the enormous influence and resources of the mayor’s office towards solving the liquor store problem as he did towards, say, his two charter schools. 

Instead, that’s going to have to be left to the next mayor, whoever that turns out to be. 

 


Commentary: Planning for Downtown Berkeley’s Future By JIM SHARP

Friday December 02, 2005

Down by the station 

Early in the morning 

See the little pufferbellies 

All in a row  

 

See the station master 

Turn the little handle 

Puff, puff, toot, toot 

Off we go!  

 

—Lee Ricks and Slim Gaillard © 1948 

Let’s face it: Berkeley is a railroad town.   

Though the inaugural meeting of the 21-member Downtown Area Plan (DAP) Advisory Committee took place at the North Berkeley Senior Center (not at the “station”) and in the evening (not “early in the morning”) it was apparent to some of us in the audience that we were witnessing the gestation of Berkeley’s newest railroad. 

DAPAC Secretary Matt Taecker and City Planning Director Dan Marks both announced that they were “very excited” about the process. City Manager Phil Kamlarz seconded the notion, affirming that this was going to be an “exciting, ambitious process” but it was going to be “a real push.” 

A real push for what? To keep the pufferbellies running on time, we can assume. 

Under its 2020 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) Settlement Agreement with UC Berkeley, the City must finish the DAP within four years, or pay a penalty of $15,000 per month to the university.   

Absurd, you say? Indeed. And the DAP clock is already ticking. The Settlement Agreement was inked, in secret, over six months ago. You need to read it to believe it: www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/mayor/PR/UCAgreement.pdf.  

 

Station master’s fog machine 

The station master is hard at work turning that little handle. Here is some of the public-relations fog which spewed forth from the mayor’s office on May 26, hours after the settlement agreement was signed: “Without question, the settlement creates the single best agreement between any city and public university within this state. Most importantly, it guarantees that the city and this community will have a real voice in the university’s future development.” 

“[T]his pact takes a giant step forward towards a lasting and equal partnership between one of the world’s great universities and one of its most livable and progressive cities.” 

The agreement calls for the city and university to work together to develop a Downtown Area Plan that will guide all new development projects. “[T]his new plan will guide the revitalization of the city’s core, protect historic resources, and encourage transit-friendly development.” 

With the DAP at its core, the mayor promises you “a framework for a collaborative relationship that will benefit this community for years.” 

 

Railroads beget railroads 

Released in early January, UCB’s 2020 LRDP Final EIR focused on many things, but re-engineering Berkeley’s downtown plan wasn’t one of them. Cynics labeled it the Fiat Lux Express. UC’s Regents swiftly rubber-stamped the document despite howls of protest from Berkeley citizens and, for a while, from their municipal stewards.   

Even Mayor Bates sounded tough. “The city is being asked to sign a blank check. But we are not signing anything until we know what we are buying,” he growled in a San Francisco Chronicle op-ed. 

Soon after, the city launched the first of three lawsuits against UC. Then the litigation train disappeared from public view into a tunnel of confidentiality. 

What emerged in late May was the UniverCity Express and three dismissed lawsuits. Heading the locomotive were Chancellor Birgeneau and Mayor Bates. The settlement agreement fog machine was blasting full steam.     

The scene was déjà vu all over again for many Berkeley citizens who had endured the LRDP process 15 years before and survived countless city-to-university capitulations since. Once more, they had been abandoned at the station and totally cut out of the negotiation process.  

 

Will the real DAP please stand up? 

If you take the trouble to plow through the 1,300-page 2020 LRDP Final EIR, you’ll find that the DAP process emerges from it as a total non sequitur.  

By transforming a gown-swallows-town “blank check” into a potential downtown bonanza for UC and developers, the mayor, city manager, and city attorney illustrate how much they have absorbed from the Bush administration’s crisis-opportunism management style: eg, 9-11 attacks morph into Iraqistan wars and Katrina’s devastation boosts refinery subsidies, nuclear power, and slum clearance. 

Will enough Berkeley citizens see this ersatz public process for what it is? Whether derailed or not, we can hope that the DAP RR draws attention to the Janet Jackson-style municipal costume failure represented by its deeply flawed parent document, the settlement agreement.  

But think of the DAP as just the little toe of a much larger footprint--one which encompasses the whole of Berkeley (minus UC’s tax-exempt lands).   

Think of “Big DAP” as a nine-square-mile Doormat Area Plan.   

Unlike its exciting little sibling, this monster has no facilitator, no 21-member advisory committee, and no timetable for completion.  

Increasingly, Doormat Berkeley absorbs the physical and financial abuse associated with the relentlessly expanding state institution in its midst.  Increasingly, all Berkeley citizens are forced to pay for the failure of Berkeley’s leadership to address this reality.   

The buck, as Councilmember Gordon Wozniak recently observed, stops with the City Council. But it starts with Berkeley’s taxpayers. 

 

Puff, puff, toot, toot 

Off we go!  

 

Jim Sharp is a member of Berkeleyans for a Livable University Environment (BLUE) and a plaintiff in a citizens‚ lawsuit to reverse the city’s secret settlement with UC. 


Commentary: Planning for Downtown Berkeley’s Future By ALAN TOBEY

Friday December 02, 2005

Rob Wrenn’s Nov. 29 article on the context for downtown planning created by previous documents and city commitments was very helpful in reminding us where we have come from. But we will continually face two related challenges: making sure that we remember the past as completely as possible, and making sure we don’t give in to the temptation to selective retrieve only those parts of the past that support favored positions. 

Mr. Wrenn, for example, quotes two “actions” committed to by the city via the recent UN Urban Environmental Accords. As an attendee of the conference that produced the Accords, I was pleased by the completeness and wisdom of all 21 of the adopted actions taken as a whole—including some Mr. Wrenn may not be as comfortable in reporting. As examples, let me quote two more now-committed city policies that are relevant for the downtown plan: 

Action 8: Adopt urban planning principles and practices that advance higher density, mixed use, walkable, bikeable, and disabled-accessible neighborhoods which coordinate land use and transportation with open space systems for recreation and ecological restoration.  

Action 11: Conduct an inventory of existing [tree] canopy coverage in the city and then establish a goal based on ecological and community considerations to plant or maintain canopy coverage in not less than 50 per cent of all available sidewalk planting sites. 

I don’t recall seeing either “advancing urban density” or increasing canopy cover among the desirable virtues Mr. Wrenn calls for. Certainly there’s time for those issues to be part of the debate; but at this early stage it’s important to put on the table all of the relevant commitments the city has made, not just those favoring any single narrow agenda. 

Let’s keep expanding the picture and putting more issues on the table until we see as much of the whole downtown picture as possible.  

For example, to pick up on Mr. Wrenn’s concern for “affordability” in the downtown, let’s not by seeing only that virtue throw away the equally desirable virtue of economic diversity downtown—specifically including the interests of our wealthier citizens. One of the factors that makes both Charlottesville and Boulder so vibrant, to say it plainly, is that their downtowns include many ways for wealthy residents and visitors to drop their money. Berkeley, in contrast, is blessed with a hill-dwelling citizenry of above-average economic means that is generally happier driving down Marin in search of a suburban mall than seeking shopping opportunities downtown. And should they choose to bless Shattuck with their shopping presence (other than via dinners at Chez Panisse and season tickets at the Berkeley Rep), how are they to get there except by car when biking is physically impossible and public transit nearly nonexistent? 

I don’t mean to pick on the rich or to patronize those citizens (I’m one) who enjoy modest flatlands abodes and lifestyles. But take this as a challenge: We will need to make decisions that resolve conflicting opportunities to optimize outcomes. To continue my example in the form of a question, is it only appropriate to optimize non-auto access to downtown (for the convenience of those flatlanders who have practical alternatives but require affordability), or is it equally appropriate to favor downtown prosperity in part by encouraging hills dwellers to drive downtown and park? 

It’s too soon to resolve such apparently conflicting priorities. But it’s also premature to decide that only some alternatives are worth discussing, or that only some more-politically-correct current virtues should automatically dominate the debate. 

So—as Mr. Wrenn has helpfully tried to do—let’s keep opening up the discussion until we can see it all in the biggest picture possible. Only then can we begin to work toward the difficult decisions that lie ahead. 

 

Alan Tobey is a Berkeley resident. 


Arts: Justice Matters: Exhibit Examines Justice in Palestine By PETER SELZSpecial to the Planet

Friday December 02, 2005

An exhibition of limited edition fine prints addressing the transgressions of justice in Palestine is currently on view at the Berkeley Art Center. Fourteen multinational and multiethnic artists communicate their concerns in their approach. 

There is a globe, dripping with blood, and held by two bloody hands, called “Do We Have the Right to Remain Silent?” by Mildred Howard, an African-American artist, best known for her poignant installations. The San Francisco painter Holly Wong depicts a grieving old man who holds a child with blank eyes in his arms. The artist does not let us know whether the small child is dying or dead. Lisa Kokin, also from San Francisco, shows a Hebrew copy book, the kind she had probably used, with a bookmark that denotes an emp ty land. This premise is signified by the rubbed-out faces of Arabs in the pages.  

Ayed Arafa, a Palestinian living in a refugee camp, pictures a woman and child, who seem to be made of stone, much like the wall of which they appear to be a part, evoking their semi-permanent confinement. Next to it in the show we see a black and white print by the San Francisco artist Eric Drooker, known for his New Yorker covers, of a muscular young man swinging a big hammer at the Israeli Wall of Shame. 

The New York a rtist Jacqueline Salloum is represented by four short films and by a diptych addressing Caterpillar. In one panel we see the company’s PR image: pictures of beneficial work, captioned “Social Responsibility.” This is contrasted to the photographs of Cater pillar bulldozers destroying houses. Here the caption points to 1,300 Palestinian homes and a multitude of olive trees that have been destroyed by the bulldozers of the occupying power. This sardonic work stands in contrast to a powerful print by John Hal aka, a Palestinian-American who teaches at San Diego University. Halaka’s “Passage to Exile #1” is a boat sailing the open sea. The passenger of this death ship is a red body which turns into a giant red flame which takes over the picture space. 

It is no t surprising that, as I have been told, many individuals and groups have taken offense at this exhibition, which shows committed political art. The works on view take a stand against the often brutal acts committed by the occupying power against the Pales tinian people. Misinterpreting the works, the Anti-Defamation League and the Simon Wiesenthal Center have, according to the Jewish Bulletin, claimed that the work could provoke terrorist acts and is anti-Semitic. But many Jews, including myself, as well a s progressive Israelis, do believe that work that is censorious of abuses of power, no matter who carries them out, is subject to critical comment, especially by artists who believe that “Justice Matters.” 

 

The exhibition “Justice Matters: Artists Consid er Palestine” will be at the Berkeley Art Center, at 1275 Walnut St., until Dec. 17. The center is open Wed.-Sun. noon-5 p.m. Admission is free. Several concurrent lectures and panel discussion have been scheduled. For more information, call 644-6893 or s ee www.berkeleyartcenter.org.› 

 

Photograph by Jakob Schiller  

“Apartheid Wall” by Eric Drooker, one of the pieces in the “Justice Matters”  

exhibition at the Berkeley Art Center.l


Arts Calendar

Friday December 02, 2005

FRIDAY, DEC. 2 

THEATER 

Aurora Theatre “Marius” Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St., through Dec. 18. Tickets are $28-$45. 843-4822.  

Berkeley Rep “Brundibár” at the Roda Theater through Dec. 28. Ticekts are $15-$64. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Black Repertory Group “Dance with my Father Again” a musical biography of Luther Vandross. Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. through Dec. 4. Tickets are $7-$15. 652-2120. 

Contra Costa Civic Theater “Noises Off” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito, through Dec. 10. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Impact Theatre “Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake)” Thurs. through Sun. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean Theater, 1834 Euclid Ave., through Dec. 10. Tickets are $10-$15. 464-4468.  

Masquers Playhouse “Dear World” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. through Dec. 17 at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond. Tickets are $15. 232-4031. 

Shaija Patel and Rodney Mason “Power Launch” spoken word theater at 8 p.m. at La Peña. Tickets are $10-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Shotgun Players “Cabaret” Thurs. - Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. 841-6500. 

EXHIBITIONS 

Michael Horse: Ledger Paintings & Jewelry Artist reception at 6:30 p.m. at Gathering Tribes Gallery, 1573 Solano Ave. 528-9038. www.gatheringtribes.com 

“Hanging New Paintings” with Eileen Van Soelen at 7 p.m. at Cafe Roma, 2960 College Ave. 

FILM 

The Battles of Sam Peckinpah “Junior Bonner” at 7 p.m. and “Straw Dogs” at 9:05 p.m. at Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Ward Churchill on “Since Predator Came: Notes From the Struggle for American Indian Liberation” at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. Cost is $5-$10 at the door. 208-1700.  

Delphine Hirasuna shows slides from “The Art of Gaman: Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps 1942-1946” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble Benefit Concert for Hurricane Katrina victims at 7:30 p.m. at the Florence Schwimley Little Theater, 1929 Allston Way, on the Berkeley High School campus. Tickets are $10 at the door, free for BHS students, faculty and staff.  

Berkeley Symphony “Bitter Harvest” at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $10-$54. 841-2800.  

Califonia Bach Society “A Ceremony of Carols” by Britten at 8 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. Pre-concert talk at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $10-$25. 415-262-0272. www.calbach.org 

University Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $3-$10. 642-4864.  

Marcelle Dronkers, soprano, at 8 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Cost is $12. 848-1228.  

Electric Vardo and Sila & The Afrofunk Experience “Kashmir” Benefit for earthquake victims at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. 

Culture Shock Oakland Hip-Hop Workshop Showscase at 7:30 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $12-$18. 1-800-521-8311.  

E.W. Wainwright’s African Roots of Jazz at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ.  

Tin Hat at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Kasey Knudsen & Eric Volger, contemporary jazz, at 8 p.m. at Ristorante Raphael, 2132 Center St. 644-9500. 

Ron Thompson, blues guitarist, at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198. 

Stonecutter, Mojo Apostles, Everest at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

Gary Rowe, solo jazz piano, at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Ira Marlowe and Abel Mouton at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe. 595-5344.  

Slammin’ body music at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373. 

Vinyl, The Get Down at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low. Cost is $5-$8. 548-1159.  

Love Songs, The North Lincoln at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

Taj Mahal at 8 and 10 p.m. through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $16-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, DEC. 3 

CHILDREN 

Gary Lapow at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568.  

Walter the Giant Storyteller tells holiday tales at 11 a.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Splash Circus “The Snow Queen” at 2 p.m., also on Sun. at Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$15. 925-798-1300.  

Juan Sánchez at 11 a.m. at Berkeley Public Library, West Branch. Part of the “Fiesta de Diciembre” family program featuring music, a piñata, and refreshments. 981-6224. 

Willy Claflin, storyteller, at 10:30 a.m. in the 3rd flr. Community Room, Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6224. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Art from the Heart” opening reception for artists from National Institute of Art and Disabilities from 2 to 5 p.m. at 551 23rd St., Richmond. 620-0290. www.niadart.org  

Albany Community Art Show from noon to 6 p.m. at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave.  

“Journeys of the Spirit” Photographs by Betty McAfee from 4 to 7 p.m. at Pacific School of Religion Chapel, 1798 Scenic Ave. Donation $10. For reservations call 704-7729.  

New Work by Angie Brown and Dan Lewis Reception at 7:30 p.m. at Bootling Gallery, 4224 Telegraph Ave. www.boontlinggallery.com 

Luciano Valadez, Huichol Indian artist, at Gathering Tribes Gallery, 1573 Solano Ave. 528-9038.  

THEATER 

Living Arts Playback Theater Improvisational theater at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $12-$18. 595-5500, ext. 25. 

Woman’s Will “Happy End” by Bertolt Brecht, Thurs. and Sat. at 7 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Luka’s Lounge, 2221 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $12-$25. 420-0813.  

“Dick ‘N Dubya Show: A Republican Cabaret” Sat. and Sun. at 7 p.m. at The Marsh Berkeley, 2118 Allston Way, through Dec. 18. Tickets are $10-$22. 800-838-3006.  

Moshe Cohen and Unique Derique “Cirque Do Somethin’” Sat. and Sun. at 1 p.m. at the Marsh, 2120 Allston Way. Tickets are $10-$15. 800-838-3006. 

FILM 

“Earth” at 2:30 p.m. and Taisho Chic on Screen “A Page of Madness” at 7 p.m. and “The Downfall of Osen” at 8:35 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Reading and Contest, with the Bay Area Poets Coalition from 3 to 5 p.m. at Strawberry Creek Lodge dining hall, 1320 Addison St. 527-9905. 

MUSIC AND DANCE  

Christmas Concert with carols and seasonal organ music at 3 p.m. at First Church of Christ, Scientist, 2619 Dwight Way. Free. 

Community Chorus and Orchestra, “Gloria” by Poulenc at 8 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. Admission in free, donations welcome. www.bcco.org 

“Harps for the Holidays” at 8 p.m. at St. Mary Magdalene Church, 2005 Berryman. Tickets are $10-$15. 548-3326. 

University Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $3-$10. 642-4864.  

Rova Saxophone Quartet at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $8-$12. 549-3864. 

Tallis Scholars, “Rennaissance Sacred Music” at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Pre-performance talk at 7 p.m. Tickets are $46. 642-9988. 

Holy Names University Chorus and Chamber Singers at 4 p.m. at HNU Chapel, 3500 Mountain Blvd. Cost is $5-$15. 436-1330. 

Culture Shock Oakland Hip-Hop Workshop Showscase at 7:30 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $12-$18. 1-800-521-8311. www.shockfamily.org 

“Spin Cycle” An aerial dance performance at 8 p.m. at Studio 12, 2525 Eighth St. Tickets are $5-$15. 587-0770.  

Lichi Fuentes at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12-$14. 849-2568.  

Slick Rick, rap, at 9 p.m. at @17, 510 17th St., Oakland. Tickets are $25. www.at17th.com 

Wilson Savoy & The Pine Leaf Boys at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $13$15. 525-5054. 

Peron-Spangler Interplay Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ.  

Carlos Oliveira & Mauro Corea, Brazillian guitar, at 8 p.m. at Ristorante Raphael, 2132 Center St. 644-9500. 

Vince Lateano Trio with Dick Whittington on piano and John Wiitala on bass, at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

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

DJ & Brook, jazz, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Geoff Muldaur & the Fountain of Youth at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Grapefruit Ed at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082.  

The Briefs, Clit 45, Smalltown, The Abuse at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, DEC. 4 

EXHIBITIONS 

Works by Photographer Terry Lo Reception at 2 p.m. at Nomad Cafe. 595-5344.  

“Taisho Chic: Japanese Modernity, Nostalgia and Deco” guided tour at 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. 642-0808. 

FILM 

African/African Diaspora Film Society “Sango Malo” at 2 p.m. at Parkway Theater, 1834 Park Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $5. OurFilms@aol.com  

Taisho Chic on Screen “Japanese Girls at the Harbor” at 2 p.m., “Actress” at 4 p.m. and “Crossroads” at 6:15 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Elizabeth Partridge will talk about her new book “John Lennon: All I Want is the Truth” at 2 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room, Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6100. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra, “Gloria” by Poulenc at 4:30 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. Admission in free, donations welcome. www.bcco.org 

Handel’s “Messiah” and Community Sing-along, with the New Millennium Strings at 6 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, One Lawson Rd., Kensington. Suggested donation $10. 525-0302. 

“Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” Secular and sacred holiday music by Cantare Chorale at 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 2619 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $10-$30. 925-798-1300. 

“Rising Stars of St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Academy” at 3 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Pre-concert talk with William Quillen at 2 p.m. Tickets are $42. 642-9988. 

WomenSing Holiday Concert “Seven Joys of Christmas” at 4 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley. Tickets are $10-$20. 925-974-9169. 

Terrain “Winter Dances: Breaking New Ground” at 3 p.m. at Western Sky Studio, 2525 Eighth St. at Dwight. Tickets are $12-$15. 848-4878. 

“Spin Cycle” An aerial dance performance at 1 p.m. at Studio 12, 2525 Eighth St. Tickets are $5-$15. 587-0770.  

Junius Courtney Big Band with Denise Perrier at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12-$14. 849-2568.  

Anton Schwartz Quintet with Taylor Eigsti at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

San Francisco Saxophone Quartet at 4:30 at the Jazz- 

school. Cost is $20. 845-5373.  

Alex Pfeiffer-Rosenblum at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054.  

Adrian West at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

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

Champion, The First Step at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

MONDAY, DEC. 5 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

The Last Word poetry reading with Lucille Lang Day and Edwin Drummond at 7 p.m. at Pegasus Books, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Poetry Express with Roopa Ramamoorthi at 7 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

Actors Reading Writers “The Spirit of Giving” stories by John Cheever and Clarence Major at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 845-8542, ext. 376. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Sovoso Holiday “Seasonings” Concert at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$14. 238-9200.  

TUESDAY, DEC. 6 

FILM 

Alternative Visions Three short films by Jonas Mekas at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Yiyun Li on her debut collection of short stories about modern life in China and the United State “A Thousand Years of Good Prayers” at 7 p.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave. 526-7512. 

Paul Krasser reads from his new book “One Hand Jerking: Reports from an Investigative Satirist” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

Teada with Cathie Ryan at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761.  

Gary Rowe, solo jazz piano, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Ellen Hoffman Trio and singer’s open mic at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra at 8 and 10 p.m. through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $18-$28. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Philips Marine Duo at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7 

FILM 

The Battles of Sam Peckinpah “The Getaway” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

“No Man’s Land” A film program celebrating the United Nations 60th Anniversary, at 7 p.m. at 60 Evans Hall, UC Campus. 540-8017.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“Justice Matters: Artists Consider Palestine” A exhibition of works by fourteen Palestinian and American artists. Artists panel discussion at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. in Live Oak Park. 644-6893.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

The Face of Poetry with photographer Margaretta K. Mitchell and poet Zach Rogow at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

Central Asian Tales: Sabjilar, Choduraa Tumat & Sarymai. Lecture demonstration at 7 p.m., performance at 8:15 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15. 525-5054. 

Ned Boynton Trio at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Calvin Keys Trio Invitational Jam at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. 841-JAZZ.  

Orquestra Universal, salsa, at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Whiskey Brothers bluegrass, at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473.  

THURSDAY, DEC. 8 

EXHIBITIONS 

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

“Oncology: Photographs from Children’s Hospital” Black and white photographs by Diane Malek. Reception at 6 p.m. at Photolab Gallery, 2235 Fifth St. 644-1400.  

Greenlining Institute’s Fall Art Review Reception at 6 p.m. at 1918 University Ave., 655-3538.  

FILM 

Marcel Pagnol’s Provence “The Well-Digger’s Daughter” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

“The Soul of Justice: Thelton Henderson’s American Journey” A screening of the documentary and discussion with filmaker Abby Ginsberg at noon at the Laney College Forum, 9th and Fallon St. 464-3161. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poets for Peace with C.B. Follet, Ilya Kaminsky, Jeffrey Levine and others at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Yiyun Lee reads from her new book of short stories “A Thousand Years of Good Prayers” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

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

Anna Pavord reads from her new work, “The Naming of Names” at 7 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloway’s, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Word Beat Reading Series with Avotcja and Pablo Rosales at 7 p.m. at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 526-5985. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Jazz Night with the MLK Middle School Jazz Band and “The Potentials” at 7:30 p.m. in the MLK, Jr. Middle School Auditorium. Donations accepted. Fundraiser for the Jazz Band. 

Berkeley Saxophone Quartet at noon at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6233. 

Cris Williamson, Teresa Trull & Barbara Higbie at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761.  

Mad & Eddie Duran featuring Raul Ramirez at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is. $5. 841-JAZZ. 

Home at Last, The Flux at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. 

Pete Madsen, acoustic guitar, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Gini Wilson, solo jazz piano, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.


A Guide to Holiday Music Around the Bay By JANOS GEREBEN Reprinted from San Francisco Classical Voice

Friday December 02, 2005

Music can turn any old day into a celebration, but the holiday season is a special time for concerts, with Messiah, Messiah & Messiah (not a law firm), dancing Sugar Plums, and other traditions that often provide a significant first experience of classical music.  

Any guide to holiday music in the Bay Area is fraught with difficulties: No such list can ever be complete, and the choice of what’s most important is subjective. San Francisco Classical Voice has deftly sidestepped these pitfalls by disclaiming anything approaching completeness, and listing events in chronological order.  

Just to keep things interesting, we also present three categories of concerts: traditional, offbeat, and coincidental. The first two relate to the holidays, to various degrees. But the third category contains events that just happen to take place in December, while also promising some jolly good musical merrymaking. For more information about tickets, locations, phone numbers, performance times, and other details, please visit the Web sites listed.  

And if this guide doesn’t satisfy, you’ll find a comprehensive listing of classical music performances, many holiday-related, at SFCV’s Performance Calendar at www.sfcv.org. 

 

Traditional Holiday Music 

• Lorraine Hansberry Theatre: Black Nativity gospel celebration, through Dec. 24, various times, $16-$27. www.lorrainehansberrytheatre.com. 

• San Francisco Conservatory of Music: Final performance of the school’s traditional “Sing-It-Yourself Messiah,” conducted by Bruce Lamott, Dec. 2, 8 p.m., Davies Symphony Hall, S.F. $20-$49. www.sfcm.edu. 

• California Bach Society: Brit- ten’s A Ceremony of Carols and selections from Piae Cantiones of 1582, Dec. 2, 8 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Berkeley; Dec. 3, 8 p.m., All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Palo Alto; Dec. 4, 4 p.m., St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church, S.F. $10-$25. www.calbach.org. 

• American Conservatory The-ater: A new musical version of A Christmas Carol, Dec. 2-24, various times, Geary Theater, S.F. $18-$80. http://act-sf.org. 

• San Francisco Ballet: Tchai-kovsky’s Nutcracker, Dec. 2-29, War Memorial Opera House, S.F. $10-$175.www.sfballet.org. 

• San Francisco Bach Choir: “Psallite,” a candlelight Christmas, Dec. 3, 8 p.m., St. Ignatius Church, S.F.; Dec. 4, 4 p.m., Calvary Presbyterian Church, S.F. $15-$26. www.sfbach.org.  

• Sacred & Profane: Christmas and Advent motets by Rheinberger and Poulenc, Dec. 3, 8 p.m., Trinity Lutheran Church, Walnut Creek; Dec. 10, 8 p.m., St. Ambrose Church, Berkeley; Dec. 11, 2 p.m., St. John the Evangelist Church, S.F. $12-$15. www.sacredprofane.org. 

• UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus: Concert of French Christmas music and carols, Dec. 7, noon, Hertz Hall, Berkeley. Free. Also, “Holiday Music with a French Accent and Southern Twist,” Dec. 10, 8 p.m., St. Mary’s College, Moraga. $12-$25. http://ls.berkeley.edu/dept/music/calendar.html. 

• San Francisco Guitar Ensemble: A holiday guitar concert, Dec. 9, 8 p.m., Old First Church, S.F. $12-$15. http://www.oldfirstconcerts.org. 

• Voci: “Psalms and canticles of praise and comfort,” Dec. 9, 8 p.m., Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, Oakland; Dec. 10, 3 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Berkeley. $15-$20. www.coolcommunity.org/voci.  

• Philharmonia Baroque Orche-stra: Handel’s Messiah, as orchestrated by Mozart, Dec. 8, 7:30 p.m., Herbst Theatre, S.F.; Dec. 9, 7:30 p.m., First United Methodist Church, Palo Alto; Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 11, 7 p.m., First Congregational Church, Berkeley. $33-$67. www.philharmonia.org. 

• Magnificat: Charpentier’s Nativity Pastorale, Dec. 9, 8 p.m., First Lutheran Church, Palo Alto; Dec. 10, 8 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Berkeley; Dec. 11, 4 p.m., St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church, S.F. $12-$25. www.magnificatbaroque.org. 

• Mark Morris Dance Group: The Hard Nut, Dec. 9-18, various times, Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley. $32-$60. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu. 

• Black Repertory Group: They Sing Christmas in Harlem, Dec. 9-20, various times, Berkeley. $7-$20. www.blackrepertorygroup.com. 

• San Francisco Girls Chorus: “Et in Terra Pax” concert of holiday music and sing-along Christmas carols, Dec. 9, 8 p.m., Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church, Lafayette; Dec. 16, St. Raphael’s Church, San Raphael; Dec. 21, 8 p.m., Davies Symphony Hall, S.F. www.sfgirlschorus. org. 

• Oakland East Bay Symphony: Singalong Messiah, featuring an unusual lineup of soloists, including “American Idol” finalist LaToya London and Mexican mariachi star Juanita Ulloa, Dec. 10, 8 p.m., Paramount Theatre, Oakland. $15-$28. www.oebs.org.  

• Pacific Boychoir: “Harmonies of the Season,” with the music of Britten, Elgar, and Rutter, Dec. 10, 7 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, Oakland; Dec. 11, 5 p.m., St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Oakland; Dec. 17, 7 p.m., St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Belvedere. $15-$20. www.pacificboychoir.org. 

• San Francisco Choral Artists: “A Medieval Christmas,” featuring Britten’s Ceremony of Carols and world premieres of works by Aprahamian and Mollicone, Dec. 10, 8 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Palo Alto; Dec. 17, St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church, S.F.; Dec. 18, 4 p.m., St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Oakland. $12-$25. www.sfca.org.  

• Piedmont Choirs: Candlelight concert, Dec. 11, 3 p.m., Old First Church, S.F. $12-$15. www.piedmontchoirs.org. 

• San Francisco Symphony: Messiah has passed already, but remaining holiday concerts include the Deck the Halls Children’s Party, Dec. 11 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Colors of Christmas, Dec. 13-15 at 8 p.m.; Choral Christmas Spectacular, Dec. 16-17 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 18 at 2 p.m.; Peter and the Wolf, Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.; The Wondrous Sounds of Christmas, Dec. 18, 2 p.m.; A Gospel Christmas, Dec. 18, 7 p.m.; and the Count Basie Orchestra, Dec. 22, 7 p.m., Davies Symphony Hall. $18-$77. www.sfsymphony.org. 

• Chanticleer: Sacred and traditional choral music of the holidays, Dec. 11-23, in a half-dozen Northern California locations. $25-$42. www.chanticleer.org.  

• American Bach Soloists: Messiah, Dec. 14, Mission Dolores, S.F.; Dec. 15, Grace Cathedral, S.F.; Dec. 16-17, Mondavi Center, Davis; all at 7:30 p.m. $18-$50. www.americanbach.org. 

• San Francisco Early Music Society: “El Mundo—music of the season from Italy, Spain, and Latin America,” Dec. 16, 8 p.m., First Lutheran Church, Palo Alto; Dec. 17, 8 p.m., First Congregational Church, Berkeley; Dec. 18., 4 p.m., St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church, S.F. $22-$25. www.sfems.org. 

 

Offbeat Performances 

• National Jewish Theatre: Meshuga Nutcracker, “a new Chanukah musical,” Dec. 1-4, various times, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Thrust Stage; Dec. 13-18, various times, University of San Francisco, Presentation Theater, S.F. $18-$36. www.njtf.org. 

• Other Minds: A New Music Séance of “spiritual and hypnotic classical music,” Dec. 3, 2 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 8 p.m. (three distinct concert sets), Swedenborgian Church, S.F. $20-$50. www.otherminds.org. 

• San Francisco Conservatory of Music: The Opera Theater presents Hansel & Gretel, Dec. 10-11, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., Hellman Hall, S.F. Free, but reservations needed. www.sfcm.edu. 

• Theatre of Yugen: The originator of the memorable kabuki Christmas Carol some years back now presents the Tori-no-ichi, or “Lucky Rake” Festival, which is held in Japan before New Year’s. The event features the Kyogen comedy Persimmon Mountain Priest and experimental Noh dances to Christmas music. Dec. 11, 2 p.m., NOHspace, S.F. $5 (adults), kids free. www.theatreofyugen.org. 

• San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus: “Home for the Holidays,” marking the 40th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas, Dec. 15, 7 p.m., and Dec. 24, 5 p.m., 7 p.m., and 9 p.m., Castro Theatre, S.F. $15-$20. www.sfgmc. org. 

 

Coincidental Music Around the Holidays 

• San Francisco Conservatory of Music: Student recitals and ensemble concerts, Dec. 1-16, various times. Free. www.sfcm. edu. 

• Trinity Chamber Concerts: Rova Saxophone Quartet, Dec. 3, 8 p.m., Trinity Chapel, Berkeley. $8-$12. www.trinitychamberconcerts.com. 

• San Francisco Lyric Opera: Mozart’s Abduction From the Seraglio, Dec. 9-17, 7:30 p.m., Palace of the Legion of Honor, Florence Gould Theatre, S.F. $15-$28. www.sflyricopera.org. 

• San Francisco Contemporary Music Players: “Dazzling New Music From France,” including U.S. premieres of works by Philippe Leroux and Philippe Hurel, Dec. 12, 8 p.m., Herbst Theatre. S.F. $12-$27. www.sfcmp.org.  

• San Francisco Performances: “The Monumental Brahms,” with the Alexander String Quartet and Robert Greenberg, Dec. 17, 10 a.m., St. John’s Presbyterian Church, Berkeley. $29. www.performances.org. 

 

This article originally appeared in San Francisco Classical Voice (www.sfcv.org), the Bay Area’s most complete source of classical music news and reviews. Janos Gereben is a regular contributor to San Francisco Classical Voice.


A Taste of Hawaii Right Here in Berkeley By JOE EATON Special to the Planet

Friday December 02, 2005

In retrospect, it was the best possible introduction: stumbling into Ono Hawaiian Foods, a hole-in-the-wall on Kapahulu Avenue in Waikiki, after walking from the hotel almost to Diamond Head and back, and ordering the laulau. I wasn’t sure what I was in for except that it involved pork and taro leaves, but we had just seen the white terns of Kapiolani Park and felt like celebrating with something local.  

The laulau turned out to be a kind of Polynesian tamale, with an outer wrapping of (inedible) ti leaves surrounding falling-apart-tender pork, taro greens that reminded me of well-done collards, and what appeared to be a hunk of fat but was more likely salted butterfish. Tasty, though. Lomi salmon, pipikaula (dried beef), and tangy day-old poi on the side. And I got to sample kalua pig, which has nothing to do with the liqueur: it’s like Carolina-style pulled pork without the heat, traditionally pork butt cooked in an underground earth oven called an imu. “Kalua” means “baked” or “to bake,” according to my handy Pocket Hawaiian Dictionary.  

Traditional South Pacific societies were pork-positive. The islands of Micronesia and Polynesia had a limited inventory of edible land mammals, once you got beyond fruit bat range, and the large flightless birds that the voyagers discovered did not last long. Pigs, though, held up well on long canoe trips and could pretty much fend for themselves after landfall. The descendants of the pigs that the first colonizers brought to Hawaii are genetically close to New Guinean stock, and were probably acquired by the Lapita people, the ancestors of the Polynesians, during early contact with the Papuans some 3,500 years ago.  

Clearly pork was still taken seriously in Hawaii. But it wasn’t until a couple of days after that dinner at Ono Foods that I got the point of the plate lunch. A Hawaiian plate lunch consists of two scoops of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad surrounding the kalua pig (AKA kalua pork), or something barbecued or fried; could be adobo, could be Korean shortribs, could be chicken katsu. In this case, at a nondescript drive-in down the road from Waimea on Oahu’s North Shore, it was mahi-mahi, probably not too long out of the Pacific (right across the highway) and done just right.  

As Rachel Laudan explains in The Food of Paradise: Exploring Hawaii’s Culinary Heritage, a favorite work of sociology-with-recipes, Hawaiian cooks were doing fusion long before that trend was born on the mainland, and not being the least bit self-conscious about it. She calls Local Food a Creole cuisine, the culinary equivalent to the language the islands’ peoples patched together from native Hawaiian, English, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, Filipino. The plate lunch tradition is a global potluck: Japanese deepfrying techniques, Korean marinades, Portuguese sausages, and always the mac salad and the rice. And as vernacular food should be, it’s cheap: that mahi lunch set us back less than five bucks.  

Which, allowing for portion size, is close to what you’ll pay for most items at Wikiwiki Hawaiian BBQ, on Shattuck Avenue on the site of a defunct rotisserie chicken operation. If you haven’t noticed, Hawaiian barbecue joints are the latest fast-food phenomenon. Waikiki Barbecue on San Pablo in El Cerrito has been around for something like a year, and there are a couple of chains with multiple franchises all over the East Bay. This is a happy development. I’ve tried a few of them, and while none have supplanted Ono Foods in my affections, none have been really bad either. 

Wikiwiki lets you try the laulau and kalua pork as a combo ($8.95)—kind of a pork sampler. Both were acceptable, but I’d go with the kalua pork on points: tender to the point of unctuous, with a smokiness that undoubtedly came from a bottle instead of a pit oven, but was still just about right. You can get it on its own, in either regular (two scoops of rice) or mini (single scoop) portions, $7.25 and $4.75 respectively. 

Ron ordered the fried mahi ($6.25 regular, $4.50 mini), which suffered by comparison with our memories of the North Shore—probably pre-breaded, not terrible, but nothing to write home about. She plans to get something barbecued next time, and there are lots of options: short ribs ($6.75/$4.75), chicken ($5.75/$4.25), teriyaki steak ($6.25/$4.75). 

For the curious or the hard-core nostalgic, Wikiwiki offers both Spam musubi ($1.75) and locomoco ($5.75), the latter involving a hamburger patty, a fried egg, and brown gravy, over rice. Sides include kimchee and fries. No poi, no poke (Hawaii’s answer to ceviche, usually involving raw tuna, soy sauce, and seaweed), no lomi salmon, no beer—but a full range of Hawaiian Sun fruit drinks. 

Décor is minimal. Takeout is available, and they also cater. 

It seems like a good place to have within walking distance. Sometimes you just need a dose of the islands, and it can be a long time between Aloha Festivals at the Presidio, or even between Aloha Sundays at the TempleBar. Even without the nostalgia or the rum drinks, Hawaiian grinds (to borrow a Localism) can be deeply satisfying. 

 

 

 

 

 

Photograph by Jakob Schiller 

Cal Hawaii Club members Stephanie Hall, 19, and Brianna Matsuura, 19, await their meal at Wikiwiki Hawaiian Barbeque on Shattuck Avenue. ?


Berkeley This Week

Friday December 02, 2005

FRIDAY, DEC. 2 

“The Incredible Shrinking Map of Palestine” with Jerry and Sis Levin at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. Donations accepted. 845-4740. 

Ward Churchill on “Since Predator Came: Notes From the Struggle for American Indian Liberation” at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship, 1924 Cedar St. Cost is $5-$10 at the door. 208-1700.  

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Burton Dragin on “The Social Connsequences of Legalized Gambling” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $13.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. 526-2925. 

“Martin and Malcolm: Implication of Their Legacies for the Future,” with Dr. Cornel West and Imam Zaid Shakir at 8 p.m. at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, 10 Tenth St. Cost is $20. 238-7765. 

“An Evening with Angela Y. Davis” at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St. at 25th. Tickets are $10-$12. Benefits KPFA. 848-6767, ext. 609.  

Job and Resource Fair with over 40 local companies and community-based service providers, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the North Oakland Senior Center, 5714 MLK, Jr. Way, Oakland. Hosted by Oakland Adult Education, OUSD. 879- 4020. 

PEN Oakland National Literary Awards at 5:30 p.m. at Elihu Harris State Building, 1515 Clay St. Free. 228-6775. 

Pre-Kwanzaa Celebration at 6 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California. Free with museum admission. After hours party with music by Trace Ellington is $15. 238-2200. 

Holiday Plant Sale from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive, through Dec. 12. 643-2755. 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 548-6310, 845-1143. 

SATURDAY, DEC. 3 

Walking Tour of the New Downtown Plan Area with the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Aurora Theater, 2081 Addison St. 981-7487. 

“A Question of Conscience” Martin Sheen & Fr. Roy Bourgeois in conversation about their lives, work and the legacy of Fr. Bill O’Donnell at 7:30 p.m. at Newman Hall, 2700 Dwight Way. Benefit for the San Carlos Foundation. Tickets are $25 for the talk, $25 for the reception. 525-3787. 

Kids’ Garden Club We plant, harvest, build, make crafts, cook and get dirty. For ages 7-12, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 525-2233. www.ebparks.org 

Berkeley River Restoration Symposium An assessment of Bay Area channel-reconstruction restoration projects from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 112 Wurster Hall, UC Campus. 658-3984. 

“The Greening of Cuba” Film and discussion at 7 p.m. at Casa Cuba Resource Center, 6501 Telegraph Ave., near Alcatraz, Oakland. 658-3984. casacuba@california.com 

East Bay Sanctuary Covenant Holiday Crafts Fair Unique gifts at reasonable prices from indigenous worker cooperatives in Central America, Africa, Asia and Haiti from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing. 524-7989. 

Middle East Children’s Alliance Palestinian Hand Crafts from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Berkeley Friends’ Meeting, 2151 Vine St.  

Pit Fix Day at the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society. Have your pit bull spayed or neutered for free. For an appointment call 845-7735. 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market Holiday Crafts Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Center St. at MLK Jr. Way. 548-3333. 

“Playing With Fire” Berkeley Potters Guild Holiday Sale from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sat. and Sun. at 731 Jones St. at Fourth St. www.berkeleypotters.com 

Albany Community Art Show from noon to 6 p.m. at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave. 

Kensington Holiday Street Fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Arlington Ave. and Colusa Circle business districts. 525-3993. 

American Indian Craft Fair and Pow-Wow on Sat. from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sun. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Gymnasium at Merritt College, 12500 Campus Drive, Oakland. Benefits the American Indian Child Resource Center. 208-1807, ext. 305. 

Bay Area Ridge Trail Luncheon at 12:30 p.m. at the Trudeau Center, Skyline Drive, Oakland. Tickets are $75. 415-561-2595. www.ridgetrail.org 

Nature’s Holiday Learn what winter means to zoo and local animals for ages 12-14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Oakland Zoo. Cost is $40-$50. For reservations call 632-9525, ext. 205. 

California Clean Money and Fair Elections Act Forum at 10 a.m. at Oakland City Hall’s Hearing Room 2, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza. Sponsored by Alameda County Council of the Leagues of Women Voters. 339-1994. 

Grand Lake Farmers’ Market Goes GE Free Celebrate freedom from genetically engineered foods with a screening of “Futre of Food,” discussions and information on how to shop for healthy food. From 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Grand Lake Neighborhood Center, 530 Lake Park Way, Oakland. www.gmofreeac.org 

Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios Sat. and Sun. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For a map of locations see www.berkeleyartisans.com 

BHS Communication Arts and Sciences Calendar Sale Wall, desk and enagement calendars on a variety of topics for only $5, from noon to 2 p.m., also on Sun. at 2310 Valley St., 3 blocks west of Sacramento St., off Channing Way. 843-2780. 

Sunset Walk at Emeryville Marina meet at 3:30 p.m. at the west side of Chevy’s Restaurant. Rain cancels. Sponsored by Solo Sierrans. 234-8949. 

Freedom From Tobacco from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Alta Bates Medical Center, First Floor Auditorium, 2450 Ashby Ave. Also on Dec. 17. Free hypnosis available. Free, but registration required. 981-5330.  

Fungus Fair: A Celebration of Wild Mushrooms, Sat. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sun. from noon to 5 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200.  

Sick Plant Clinic UC plant pathologist Dr. Robert Raabe, UC entomologist Dr. Nick Mills, and their team of experts will diagnose what ails your plants from 9 a.m. to noon at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. 643-2755.  

Kids’ Night Out For children ages 4.5 to 10, from 5 to 10 p.m. at Berkwood Hedge School. Cost is $40 for one child, $25 for siblings. 540-6025. 

Free Emergency Preparedness Class on Basic Personal Preparedness from 10 a.m. to noon at North Berkeley Senior Center. To sign up call 981-5506. 

Managing Foreign Exchange A business workshop from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Vista College, Allston Way Annex, Room 110, 2075 Allston Way. To register call 981-2927. 

Flu and Pneumonia Shots from noon to 4 p.m. at Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy, 1744 Solano Ave. Cost is $25 and $35. 527-8929. 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. and Sun. at 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732.  

SUNDAY, DEC. 4 

Annual Art Show & Holiday Faire from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Kensington Unitarian Universalist Church, One Lawson Rd, Kensington. 

Richmond Art Center Holiday Arts Festival with silent art auction, arts and crafts sale and children’s activities from noon to 5 p.m. at 2540 Barrett Ave. 620-6772. 

Oakland Elizabeth House Arts and Crafts Fair Fundraiser from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at St. Augustine’s Gymnasium, 400 Alcatraz. 658-1380. 

East Bay Sanctuary Covenant Holiday Crafts Fair Unique gifts at reasonable prices from indigenous worker cooperatives in Central America, Africa, Asia and Haiti from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing. 524-7989. 

Santa Paws at Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society Come have your pet(s)’ photo taken with Santa, or with a more generic Holiday theme for only $25, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 2700 Ninth St. For an appointment call 845-7735 ext. 13. 

“Solar Electricity For Your Home” A workshop on how to size, specify and design your own solar electrical generator. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Building Education Center, 812 Page St. Cost is $75. 525-7610. 

“The Future of Struggle: Movement Veterans Discuss the Lessons of Yesterday, Today” with Ward Churchill, Kathleen Cleaver, Bo Brown, Mike James, Barry Romo and Elizabeth Martinez, at 6:30 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St. Tickets are $15. 208-1700. www.akpress.org 

African/African Diaspora Film Society “Sango Malo” at 2 p.m. at Parkway Theater, 1834 Park Blvd. Cost is $5. OurFilms@aol.com  

Up the Lights Celebration Make a light sculpture and listen to stories, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Habitot, 2065 Kittredge. Cost is $6 for children, $5 for adults. 647-1111.  

“Yidl with His Fiddle” a Yiddish musical comedy film at 4 p.m. at BRJCC. Cost is $5. 848-0237. 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

MONDAY, DEC. 5 

“Urban Bird Life” with Alan Kaplan, recently retired East Bay Regional Parks District naturalist at 7 p.m. at Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave., at Masonic. Sponsored by Friends of Five Creeks. 848-9358. 

Berkeley School Volunteers Workshop for volunteers interested in helping the public schools, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. 644-8833. 

Holiday Blood Drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Tippett Studio, 2741 Tenth St. To schedule an appointment see www.BeADonor.com 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. 548-0425. 

Sing-A-Long from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. 524-9122.  

Beginning Bridge Lessons at 11:10 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. Cost is $1. 524-9122. 

TUESDAY, DEC. 6 

“Snowcamping 101” Learn the basics of safe and enjoyable ski or snowshoe travel at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

“Nourishing Holidays” How to survive the stress at 7 p.m. at Teleosis Institute, 1521B Fifth St. Cost is $5-$10. RSVP to 558-7285. www.teleosis.org 

“How to be Your Own Sleep Consultant” for parents of babies at 7 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave., Oakland. To register call 658-7353. 

Berkeley Salon Discussion Group meets to discuss “Films in Our Culture” from 7 to 9 p.m. at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. 527-1022. 

Holiday Blood Drive from noon to 6 p.m. at the MLK Student Union, UC Campus. To schedule an appointment see www.BeADonor.com 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. In case of questionable weather, call around 8 a.m. 215-7672. 

Free Handbuilding Ceramics Class 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. John’s Senior Center, 2727 College Ave. Also, Mon. noon to 4 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Materials and firing charges not included. 525-5497. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991.  

Introduction to Buddhist Meditation at 7 p.m. at the Dzalandhara Buddhist Center in Berkeley. Cost is $7-$10. Call for directions. 559-8183.  

“Ask the Social Worker” free consultations for older adults and their families from 10 a.m. to noon at BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. To schedule an appointment call 558-7800, ext. 716. 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7 

“No Man’s Land” A film program celebrating the United Nations 60th Anniversary, at 7 p.m. at 60 Evans Hall, UC Campus. 540-8017.  

New Heroes Social Entrepreneurship Forum Learn how social entrepreneurs are using business techniques to challenge poverty and injustice at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Free. 622-0202. 849-2568.  

Help “Save The Bay” Plant Natives We will transplant native marsh seedlings and do maintenance at our nursery to prepare for winter planting projects. Gloves, tools and snacks provided. From 1 to 3 p.m. at Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland. 452-9261, ext. 109.  

Holiday Wreath Making from 7 to 9 p.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $25-$30. Greenery provided but bring your own pruners. Registration required. 643-2755. 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters welcomes curious guests and new members at 7:15 a.m. at Au Coquelet Cafe, 2000 University Ave. at Milvia. 435-5863.  

Entrepreneurs Networking at 8 a.m. at A’Cuppa Tea, 3202 College Ave. at Alcatraz. Cost is $5. 562-9431.  

“Living with Ones and Twos” Information for parents at 7 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave., Oakland. To register call 658-7353. 

American Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation from 10 a.m. to noon at its Claremont Ave. office in Oakland. 594-5165.  

Survival Guide for Working with Bad Bosses with Gini Graham Scott at 5:30 p.m. at the Linen Life Park Avenue Gallery, 1375 Park Ave., Emeryville. RSVP to 339-1625. 

Bookmark Nonfiction Reading Group meets to discuss James Baldwin’s “The Price of the Ticket” at 6:30 p.m. at 721 Washington St., Oakland. 336-0902. 

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.  

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes. 548-9840. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Action St. 841-2174.  

Sing your Way Home A free sing-a-long at 4:30 p.m. every Wed. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

Prose Writer’s Workshop An ongoing group made up of friendly writers who are serious about our craft. All levels welcome. At 7 p.m. at BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237.  

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley BART station. www. 

geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, DEC. 8 

“The Soul of Justice: Thelton Henderson’s American Journey” A screening of the documentary and discussion with filmaker Abby Ginsberg at noon at the Laney College Forum, 9th and Fallon St. 464-3161. 

Scoping Session on the University’s Development Plans for the Southeast Campus at 7 p.m. at Booth Auditorium, Boalt Hall, UC Campus. Neighbors and community members encouraged to attaned. 642-7720. www.cp.berkeley.edu 

“Make Your Own Journal” A workshop for teens at 4 p.m. at South Branch, 1901 Russell St. Supplies are free. To reserve a place call 981-6147. 

Holiday Wreath Making from 7 to 9 p.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $25-$30. Greenery provided but bring your own pruners. Registration required. 643-2755. 

Berkeley Palma Soriano Sister City Benefit “Art, Dance and Vision of Cuba” at 7 p.m. at La Peña. Donation $10-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Healthy Eating During the Holidays with Ed Bauman at 5:30 p.m. at Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy, 1744 Solano Ave. 527-8929. 

Easy Does It Disability Assistance Board of Directors Meeting, open to the public, at 6:30 p.m. at Seventh Day Adventist Church, 2236 Parker St. 845-5513. www.easyland.org 

World of Plants Tours Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $5. 643-2755. 

ONGOING 

Warm Coat Drive Donate a coat for distribution in the community, at Bay St., Emeryville. Sponsored by the Girl Scouts. www.onewarmcoat.org 

Magnes Museum Docent Training begins Jan. 8. Open to all who are interested in Jewish art and history. For information contact Faith Powell at 549-6950, ext. 333. 

CITY MEETINGS 

Creeks Task Force meets Mon. Dec. 5, at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Erin Dando, 981-7410. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

planning/landuse/Creeks/default.html 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon. Dec. 5, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. 

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

citycouncil/agenda-committee 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Mon., Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Pam Wyche, 644-6128 ext. 113. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/rent 

Landmarks Preservation Commission meets Mon., Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Gisele Sorensen, 981-7419. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/landmarks 

Parks and Recreation Commission meets Mon., Dec. 5, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Virginia Aiello, 981-5158. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/parksandrecreation 

Youth Commission meets Mon., Dec. 5, at 6:30 p.m., at 1730 Oregon St. Philip Harper-Cotton, 981-6670. www.ci.ber 

keley.ca.us/commissions/youth 

City Council meets Tues., Dec. 6, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Commission on the Status of Women meets Wed., Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Tasha Tervelon, 981-5190. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/women 

Energy Commission meets Wed., Dec. 7, at 6:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Neal De Snoo, 981-5434. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/energy 

Fire Safety Commission meets Wed., Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m. at 997 Cedar St. David Orth, 981-5502. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/firesafety 

Community Health Commission meets Thurs., Dec. 8, at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Kristin Tehrani, 981-5356. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/health 

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., Dec. 8, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. Mark Rhoades, 981-7410. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/zoning  

 

 

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Opinion

Editorials

Editorial: Closer to One-Party Government By Becky O'Malley

Tuesday December 06, 2005

So Gov. Schwarzenegger has hired Susan Kennedy, formerly a top aide to Gray Davis as cabinet secretary and deputy chief of staff, to be his own chief of staff. And in a little noticed corollary move, his wife and political confidant Maria Shriver has hired Daniel Zingale, another Davis deputy, to be her chief of staff. Sacramento is a pretty cozy place, isn’t it? Why are we not surprised? Well, for one thing, Justin DeFreitas did a prize-winning cartoon for this page, way back when, around the time of the recall election, which depicted Davis morphing into Schwarzenegger in the space of eight panels. We should just re-run that one reversed. As they say in France, plus ça change, plus la même chose: the more things change, the more they remain the same. 

Since Davis left office, Kennedy has distinguished herself on the Public Utilities Commission by being a staunch supporter of what used to be called “the interests”—Big Energy in all its manifestations—against the little consumer. Big business is still calling the shots in California, as it has with a few periodic reprieves since the days when Upton Sinclair was defeated in his campaign for governor by a smear campaign well-orchestrated by the same kinds of business interests who now back the Davis-Schwarzenegger regime. Stopping Sinclair created the same kind of coalition between conservative Democrats and Republicans. 

Money is now the game in politics at every level, and everything else is just window-dressing. The Republican Party nationally and in California has mastered the art of making all kinds of special interest voters think that “we’re on your side” while picking their pockets. 

This time, even some conservative Republicans feel like they’ve been shafted by the Kennedy choice. Kennedy is firmly right-wing on economic questions (she boasts of having voted for all four of Schwarzenegger’s dreadful anti-labor initiatives) but she has the reputation of being more liberal on social issues. Personally, she’s an out lesbian in a committed relationship—she married her partner in Hawaii, under that state’s pioneering marriage law, similar to the one Schwarzenegger vetoed. She’s also been a staunch supporter of abortion rights. There could be no clearer proof that the greedy bi-partisan class of political activists cares not a whit about the so-called “wedge” issues that they’ve used to sucker fringe supporters when they needed their votes.  

And we need to look no further than Oakland to hear another version of the same old song, this time sung by nominal Democrats. Jerry Brown made much of his outsider sympathies when he decided to use the mayor’s job as a base for his future political fantasies. “We the people” indeed: Oakland has had a government by, of, and for real estate speculators since he first took office there. Parks, schools, downtown retail—you name it, it’s gotten worse in Oakland since Jerry came to town. Having sold off as much of Oakland as he can, Brown is now moving on to see what he can extract from the state attorney general’s job.  

Berkeley voters, too, thought that a change of factions in their mayor’s office might mean a change to that city’s planning department’s habit of making sure that speculators extract every dime of profit from every building site, but guess again. The cartoon of Shirley Dean morphing into Tom Bates would be harder to draw than Davis-into-Schwarzenegger, but it would be just as valid. We’ve had a continuation of the big-ugly-box-boom for people who can pay top dollar for rent, yet we’ve gotten almost no more housing for Berkeley’s low-income families. The rental boxes have started morphing into condos: a bad investment for individual buyers, but it lets builders off the hook as the rental market saturates and maintenance of their tacky structures starts to be needed.  

Two more prongs of Bates/Dean’s pro-speculator strategy are moving forward now: gutting Berkeley’s historic resource preservation law to create more building sites in the beleaguered flatlands (a process which started in the Dean era), and turning more of central Berkeley over to the University of California to become a satellite office park for affiliated research businesses (q.v. Dean’s memorandum of understanding with UC). And the rich get richer once more. Professor Teece has already banked his profits from investing in Patrick Kennedy’s Berkeley building projects. 

Only at the federal level do we see a small shift away from the trend toward one-party government for the benefit of the investor class. Some of the Democrats who were the loudest supporters of the President’s disastrous charge into Iraq are having a few second thoughts, too little too late, but better than nothing. We might hope that the courage lately re-captured by a few individuals like Congressman Murtha could be extended to other issues. There was a time when Democrats called themselves the party of the people, and perhaps some of them would still like that role. We’ll know there’s been a real conversion experience when all of the important Democrats in Congress come out four-square against the equally disastrous economic policies of the Bush regime: pro-wealthy tax cuts like the repeal of the estate tax, and spending cuts which attempt to balance the budget on the backs of the poor.  


Zoning Board to Decide Future of Black & White Liquor By RICHARD BRENNEMAN

Friday December 02, 2005

The fate of Black & White Liquors will be determined at a Dec. 8 meeting of the Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB). 

Following a brief discussion Monday night, ZAB members set the hearing to determine whether or not Black & White Liquors, 3027 Adeline St., constitutes a public nuisance. 

If ZAB decides it is that would mean the end of liquor sales for owner/operator Sucha Singh Banger. 

A store clerk, Satnan Singh, was arrested on five counts of attempting to receive stolen property on June 8, when Berkeley Police busted him in a sting operation in which they offered to sell him liquor they told him had been stolen. 

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control issued a 20-day suspension of the store’s liquor license, effective Nov. 16. 

Prior to the June 8 incident, the only two recorded disciplinary actions against Banger’s license occurred in 1989 and 1980. 

South Berkeley residents, including former City Council candidate Laura Menard, are seeking the public nuisance finding. 

“I have seen liquor sales to inebriated people in the middle of the day, and I believe the store is central to the presence of street inebriates who make it difficult for business owners along the Adeline corridor,” Menard said. 

Menard said she was concerned that at least seven liquor stores had been in operation within a few blocks of each other in an area of the city with a relatively high crime rate. 

The store also has strong supporters, including postal carrier Martin Vargas, who has been distributing photocopied letters along his route seeking support for Banger. 

Black & White was closed for more than four months after a July 20 arson-caused blaze damaged the store’s interior. 

Firefighters and police evacuating the building discovered a large cache of firearms and a 178-plant marijuana growing operation in an upstairs apartment rented by a tenant. Police have found no evidence to link Banger to his tenant’s operations. 

Banger has since restored the building, and was scheduled to recommence liquor sales Tuesday, two days before the ZAB hearing.  

He also owns the building at 2948 Martin Luther King Jr. Way—a block west of Black & White—that housed Laiga and Nasser Elbgal’s Grove Market. That business closed when the owners surrendered their liquor license in September. 

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