A tall, heavy-set man claiming to be “God and the messiah” barricaded himself inside his Ocean Gardens home for 20 hours before surrendering without incident early Thursday. 

During the siege, Berkeley Police had evacuated most of the residents of the small housing complex in 1700 block of Fifth Street—though business as usual continued in the shops on Fourth Street. 

Police sealed off sections of Fifth and Sixth streets, and a mobile command post was established in a parking lot off Fifth a block north of the apartments. 

Masked and armored officers armed with military assault rifles prowled the apartment complex while BPD’s Barricaded Subject Hostage Negotiating Team talked to the agitated man through doors and windows. 

“He was armed only with kitchen cutlery,” said Berkeley Police spokesperson Officer Ed Galvan. 

The incident began at 4:40 a.m., when police received calls about an agitated man running up and down Fifth Street, crying out that he was God and the messiah. 

“We sent a couple of officers, and when they arrived he was in the middle of the street,” Galvan said. 

Seeing the officers, the man—described as a 32-year-old, 300-pound six-footer—got in his car, and appeared ready to drive off. 

“The officers talked to him and asked for his keys. He complied and got out of the car,” Galvan said. “He was sweating heavily and quite agitated.” 

All was going well until the officers tried to handcuff the man. As the officers tried to restrain him, the heavyset suspect bolted, then ran into his apartment and the standoff began. 

Armed with kitchen cutlery, the man kept officers at bay. The hostage team was summoned, and evacuation of the apartment complex began. 

Before the siege ended, Galvan said, an estimated 20 to 25 officers were involved, assisted by officers from the UC Berkeley Police Department and Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies. 

Negotiators were in contact with the distraught suspect throughout the crisis. 

Galvan said he suspects the man’s surrender may have been triggered by a combination of exhaustion and the decision by officers to turn off the utilities in the apartment, leaving him in darkness. 

Following his surrender, the man was taken to the Alameda County Medical Center’s John George Psychiatric Pavilion in San Leandro, where he is currently undergoing evaluation, Galvan said. 

Residents were evacuated to the North Berkeley Senior Center, which served as an emergency shelter during the incident. By 10 p.m. only four people remained in the shelter, Galvan said. Most of the others had found alternative places to stay.  

City Manager Phil Kamlarz and City Councilmember Linda Maio visited the scene during the late afternoon. 

Neighbors seemed to take the incident in stride. 

One couple parked in the car in the Restoration Hardware parking lot, hoping they’d be able to return to their home. 

“He broke up with his girlfriend,” said one of the pair. “That’s what we figure set this off.” 

Another car in the same lot was occupied by people one officer identified as relatives of the barricaded man. 

Yet another man complained to a officer that he was losing business and wanted things brought to a conclusion. 

“He’d probably feel different if it was one of his family members,” said Galvan, who said that, “especially in this city, we were going to sit there for a while” and not force the situation. 

“We had no indication he was armed with anything beyond kitchen knives,” said Galvan, adding that after the surrender, no firearms or other types of weapons were found..

Berkeley Police Officer Sgt. Cary Kent has not been charged with a crime, but the district attorney’s warrant allowing officers to search his office, locker and computer ties Kent tightly to drugs missing from the department’s evidence vault. 

In January, Chief Douglas Hambleton put Kent, an Administrative Narcotics Unit sergeant, on paid administrative leave and subsequently allowed him to retire.  

Kent, a Berkeley police officer for about 20 years, had worked in the narcotics unit since September 2003. His annual salary was $109, 431. 

Neither the Alameda County District Attorney’s office, whose job would be to charge Kent with criminal activity, nor the Berkeley Police Department, which would arrest him, would speak about the case, each agency referring the Planet to the other for comment. 

His attorney, Harry Stern, did not return calls for comment. 

Most of the known information in the case is found in Search Warrant No. 2006-0098 filed Feb. 15 with Alameda County Superior Court. The warrant details the findings of investigator Mark Scarlett of the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, who, with a Berkeley police officer, led the search of Kent’s locker and office. 

In his statement, Scarlett concludes: “I believe, based on the above facts, that Sgt. Kent #S24, while in his capacity as the Administrative Narcotics Unit sergeant, and while working in an office that adjoins the BPD drug vault, took the opportunity to tamper with, and remove, drug evidence scheduled for a ‘drug burn.’” (A drug burn is where drug evidence no longer needed is destroyed.) 

Further, the report says Scarlett believes that Kent: 

• “intentionally opened sealed BPD’s evidence envelopes and then removed some, if not all, of the drug evidence, and then attempted to reseal these evidence envelopes in a manner that would avoid detection …” 

• “intentionally attempted to remain in the capacity of the Administrative Narcotics Unit sergeant until the ‘drug burn’ scheduled for 12 Jan 06 could be completed and with it, any proof of tampering with sealed evidence envelopes destroyed …” 

• could have used the evidence to “be sold, traded, provided to others, or used by [himself] ...” 

City Manager Phil Kamlarz said investigators have to walk a fine line, giving the employee his rights while carrying out a criminal investigation. He commended the police chief for responding quickly to the problem and said the city is bringing in the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), to review and improve BPD procedures. POST would not play a role in investigating the specific incident, he said.  

In the document, Scarlett detailed Kent’s duties including: “processing, tracking and storing all drug evidence submitted by BPD officers, reviewing drug evidence for in-custody cases, determining which cases should be tested by the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department Crime Lab, insuring that any drug evidence needed for court is tested and returned prior to the court date, processing assets that are seized in SEU [Special Enforcement Unit] cases …. [and] maintaining a liaison between the SEU and the District Attorney’s Office….”  

The report indicates that fellow officers were aware that something was wrong with Kent as early as September 2005. At that time Lt. Al Yuen became Kent’s supervisor when he was reassigned to the Special Enforcement Unit, where the Administrative Narcotics Unit is located. 

Scarlett wrote that “[Yuen] said upon his reassignment, he noticed that Sgt. Kent looked unhealthy, had put on a lot of weight, and that his skin often looked gray or pale. He said Sgt. Kent’s personal hygiene was poor and noticed that he was constantly perspiring, causing him to have to change his clothes in the middle of the day due to a reoccurring strong body odor. Other times, Lt. Yuen said Sgt. Kent could be found wearing the same set of clothes to work that he had been wearing the day before. On some occasions, Sgt. Kent would fall asleep at his desk while Lt. Yuen was speaking to him.”  

Moreover, Kent’s work went unfinished; he wasn’t reporting to work as scheduled and “officers subpoenaed for court were unable to obtain their drug evidence from the drug vault in a timely manner.” 

When asked, Kent blamed his problems on a medical condition, lupus.  

Capt. Bobby Miller told Scarlett that police administration concern led them to compel Kent to see a physician. Kent stalled but when he finally was examined on Dec. 28, he refused to give blood or have an EKG performed. 

“As a result of the examination, Sgt. Kent was deemed unfit for duty as a patrol sergeant,” but was permitted to come back on administrative duty to inventory evidence for the drug burn. (He was to rotate into the patrol division.)  

A preliminary audit by the Berkeley police of the drug evidence in early January determined that at least 15 evidence bags had been tampered with. On Jan. 6 Chief Hambleton placed Kent on administrative leave. Before meeting with the chief, the report says telephone records show that Kent made a call to a “known drug dealer in the city of Berkeley who has also worked as an informant for Sgt. Kent.”  

On Jan. 11, a joint county-Berkeley investigation was launched and showed that at least 181 evidence bags had been tampered with. 

While allegations of theft of drug evidence may seem shocking, it is not an isolated occurrence, said Joseph McNamara, retired 15-year San Jose police chief, now a fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University.  

“The police property room has been a special problem for a number of years,” McNamara said. “Many departments have suffered the theft of drugs by sworn and non-sworn personnel.” 

This has led to the tightening of procedures in many departments. But still, some officers join drug gangs. And they steal from dealers. In such instances, “the drug dealers can’t go to the nearest police station,” McNamara said. 

There have been instances where honest officers are murdered by criminal police, he said. Police “have a distaste for the officer who blows the whistle.”  

Other evidence is also commonly stolen from property rooms, including firearms, jewelry and cash. “It’s a major management problem,” McNamara said. 

One way investigations are broadened is that when one officer is caught, he is offered a deal: “He goes to prison for 15 years or cooperates, giving evidence against his friends,” McNamara said. 

Some departments test officers for drugs. Some also review officer’s finances, so if an officer bought a $1 million house, for instance, it might look suspicious. 

But “police unions have been pretty successful blocking (drug testing),” McNamara said. “They negotiate working conditions and say that there is no testing of other civil servants.” 

Politics can also play a role, since elected officials want the endorsement of police unions, McNamara said. 

City Manager Kamlarz said the Berkeley City Council rejected drug testing in the ‘80s, though he said federal law mandates drug testing for city employees who drive very large vehicles, such as garbage trucks. 

Citizens spoke out before and during the Wednesday night Police Review Commission meeting at the South Berkeley Senior Center, demanding commissioners investigate allegations that Berkeley Police Sgt. Cary Kent tampered with drug evidence locked in the Berkeley Police Department vault. 

Kent, who has not been charged with a crime, was placed on administrative leave in January and subsequently retired from the department.  

The public learned of the allegations through an East Bay Express report based on Search Warrant No. 2006-0098 filed Feb. 15 in Alameda County Superior Court. 

A March 14 Freedom of Information Act request by the police watchdog group Copwatch for all public documents relevant to the missing drug evidence—police had sent out a press release about the missing drugs in January—was denied in a March 17 letter by Chief Douglas Hambleton. The request was denied on grounds that the investigation was in process, despite the existence of the search warrant, which is a public document. 

“Drugs are a community problem from the halls of the police station to the ghetto,” said attorney Osha Neumann, in an interview before addressing the 25 people rallying outside the South Berkeley Senior Center. 

If the officer “was a black kid in the ghetto, no way would he be walking around not charged,” Neumann said. 

Speaking on the steps of the senior center, Andrea Prichett of Copwatch, who organized the rally, also raised the question of equal justice. 

“Do (the police) get thrown on the ground?” she asked rhetorically, implying that Berkeley police intimidate suspected drug dealers. “Do they get their doors kicked in?” 

She said she wasn’t suggesting harsh retribution for Kent. 

“I feel bad for Sgt. Kent,” she said. “I feel bad for all addicts.” 

Jacob Crawford of Copwatch also spoke. 

“How many other officers patrolling are high on drugs?” he asked, noting, “To this point, Sgt. Kent is yet to be tested.” 

Kent refused a blood test as part of a physical ordered by the department. 

Crawford also pointed out that four other officers had access to the evidence room, but the others were not named in the warrant.  

Inside the PRC meeting room, the public addressed the commissioners directly during the public comment period. Because the issue of the missing drugs was not on the agenda, commissioners could not respond, though they promised to place the issue before the commissioners at the next meeting. 

Karen Hilton was among those addressing the commission. She pointed out that no one knows how long the tampering has been going on. And Jacob Crawford called on the body to investigate whether the drugs are being sold back on the street. 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington promised to call on the City Council to restore the commission’s budget cuts, so that in-depth investigations can be funded.  

Janice Schroader asked the commission to use its power of subpoena to look at the case. She reminded commissioners that on police cars it says “serve and protect,” but, she said, “I don’t feel safe.” 

Vacationing in Maine, Mayor Tom Bates said, through his Chief-of-staff Cisco De Vries, that he thought the PRC would be the appropriate venue for a public discussion on how the situation could have occurred and how to avoid similar incidents in the future. 

Photo by Judith Scherr: 

Attorney Osha Neumann condemns police practices that allow alleged drug theft by police and calls on Police Review Commission to investigate at a rally called by Copwatch on Wednesday before the PRC meeting.

Want your anti-war protest to get noticed? Don’t pay your taxes. 

Susan Quinlan’s been doing it for 25 years, and she’s attracted plenty of attention from the Internal Revenue Service, which showed up at her front door one day demanding she pay a portion of her earnings or face imprisonment. 

Quinlan refused to cooperate, the IRS slunk away and, 10 years later, she’s dodging federal tax laws as gamely as ever. 

Quinlan, 47, is an out-and-proud tax resister, a would-be taxpayer who refuses to pony up each April 15—or April 17 this year—in conscientious objection to federal expenditures on war. 

According to the National Priorities Project (NPP), a nonpartisan research group, the war in Iraq costs $272.6 billion and counting. In Berkeley alone, that’s $97.7 million, enough to send almost 13,000 kids to Head Start for a year, hire 1,693 additional teachers or pay for 880 new public housing units. 

About 28.5 percent of personal income taxes fund the military, the NPP says. The War Resisters League, a peace action organization, pegs the figure closer to 50 percent, when taking into account veterans’ benefits and interest on past military spending. 

It is estimated that tens of thousands of Americans refuse to pay dues in some form as protest, be it a 3 percent phone bill charge, a symbolic sum like $9.11 or all personal income.  

Penalties for tax resistance vary, and can include the issuance of notices, fines between 5 to 25 percent of what’s owed, plus interest, property seizures or, in rare cases, criminal action. 

Quinlan, a Berkeley resident, has retooled her life to keep negative consequences to a minimum. She doesn’t own property or maintain much cash in bank accounts and she declines jobs that require she withhold money from her paycheck. 

“My approach was, I don’t want to pay any taxes at all, which means adapting my lifestyle to make that possible,” Quinlan said.  

As a full-time volunteer peace advocate, Quinlan falls beneath the tax line this year and need not pay a dime. In the past, though, when she’s owed money, she’s had to navigate thorny legal territory to ensure her earnings steer clear of federal war coffers. 

One problem facing many aspiring resisters is that taxes are typically taken out of paychecks automatically, thwarting the opportunity to resist. Solutions include self-employment, contract work, or loading up on W-4 allowances that minimize per-paycheck deductions. When April 15 rolls around, many resisters either submit a 1040 then refuse to pay their taxes or eschew filing altogether. 

Quinlan opts for the latter. She hadn’t filed a federal income tax return since 1987, when the IRS came after her wages from a job she held at a nonprofit Latina employment agency. Rather than pay up, she quit, and would do it again, she said. 

“I loved that job, but my commitment to not pay for war came first,” she said. 

Does that mean she pockets the money and heads for the outlets? 

Definitely not, she said. Like many resisters, Quinlan redirects those tax dollars to local charities and community groups. 

“I always calculated what taxes would be owed because I do feel it’s important that I contribute to the community,” she said. “I just don’t want it to go to illegal, immoral, imperialistic wars.” 

Tax resistance as peace activism is nothing new. Examples in the United States date back to colonial times, when Quakers condemned taxation during the American Revolution and the Mexican-American War, saying they wouldn’t pay for killing, the War Resisters League website says. 

Henry David Thoreau famously spent a night in jail in 1846 for spurning a poll tax levied to fund military operations. Other luminaries who’ve said no to war taxes include Joan Baez, Gloria Steinem, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Dorothy Day, David Dellinger and Noam Chomsky. 

In 1972, Oakland Mayoral Candidate Ron Dellums, then a congressmember, introduced a bill that would allow taxpayers to declare conscientious objector status. The bill has been reintroduced into each Congress since, last year by Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.).  

But until it passes—if ever—Quinlan and her tax-bucking ilk will continue to defy the law in the name of peace.  

“I write to Congress, I make phone calls, I march, but to me, this is just a bottom line,” Quinlan said, “I feel if I really want to be clear about standing up for peace, I need to take it to every step of my life.” 

*** 

Tax Day Events 

Bay Area Women in Black, a group of Jewish feminists and allies, will meet for a silent vigil at 35th Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, to mourn the cost of war. Call Sandra Butler at 597-1070 or Sharon Dugan at 271-0825 for more information.  

The Oakland-based Northern California War Tax Resistance group will donate more than $8,000 to community groups working for peace, justice and human rights on Monday, April 17, at 1550 Fifth St. in Oakland (around the corner from West Oakland BART), from 6:30 to 8 p.m. From 8:15 to 10 p.m. the group will greet tax filers with an outdoor anti-war slide show and distribute flyers about how federal taxes are used for war at the West Oakland Post Office, 1675 Seventh St. For more information, go to www.nowartax.org/index.html or call 843-9877..

The countdown has begun. If contract negotiations aren’t reached within a week, Oakland teachers will walk out.  

State-appointed school administrator Randolph Ward announced a state of emergency Tuesday, allowing the 42,000-student Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) to hire non-credentialed teachers to replace permanent employees who are scheduled to stage a one-day work action April 20.  

The Oakland Education Association, the union representing 3,200 district employees, has been bargaining with the district for fair contracts for two years.  

The sides are inching toward a compromise and have settled a number of thorny issues including salary, but one item remains unresolved: health care. 

District negotiators last offered to split the cost of future health care cost increases fifty-fifty over three years. Average-income employees would pay nothing the first year, about $20 a month the second year and roughly $54 a month the third year.  

An earlier proposal put forth by the district would have placed a $7,046 a year cap on coverage.  

The union wants members to contribute no more than half a percent of their salaries to health care premiums. A neutral fact-finding report said the district could afford that, a conclusion later disputed by some in the education sector.  

OUSD currently picks up the cost of employees’ medical plans in full, an estimated $39 million a year with annual increases projected at 10 percent. However, it is one of “very few” districts in the Bay Area to do so, the report said. This is due chiefly to the spike in health care premiums nationwide. 

Most Bay Area school districts either cap coverage or grant total compensation packages. Seven of the 17 school districts in Alameda County offer the latter. 

In Berkeley, teachers are mostly covered, but starting next year, they will assume all increases in health care premiums, which could dig into salaries by $50 to $150 a month, said Barry Fike, president of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers. 

Albany Unified, a small, urban school district serving 3,400 students, is among the few to wholly fund employee medical benefits. The district can afford it because, unlike many urban school districts—including Oakland—Albany Unified is growing, said Margaret Romero, Assistant Superintendent of Business Services. Enrollment based on students’ average daily attendance is the primary source of funding for public schools. 

Albany Unified faces skyrocketing medical expenses, nonetheless. This year, the district shouldered an 8 percent hike. Last year, costs went up 21 percent. When contract negotiations come around in 2007, administrators will push for a shared-cost plan, Romero said.  

“It’s always on management’s mind because we have to be able to contain the costs some way,” she said. What Albany Unified has, “is becoming more rare because of the cost of getting medical. The districts can’t afford that.”  

OEA President Ben Visnick warns against drawing comparisons between school districts. With an average pay of about $53,000, Oakland’s teachers are some of the lowest paid in the Bay Area, he said, and affordable medical coverage is the trade-off. 

Healthcare spending nationwide spiked 7.9 percent in 2004, with the amount spent per person coming in at $6,280, a 74 percent increase over the last decade, according to the California Health Care Foundation. Worldwide, the United States ranks first in expenditures and 37th in quality of care. 

“Put your finger on a map, it’s everywhere,” said Marty Hittleman, vice president of the California Federation of Teachers, which represents public and private school employees. “Los Angeles, San Francisco, any school district you go to, they’re having problems with health care.” 

In 2004, the California Public Education Labor-Management Committee formed to find solutions to the health care crisis in California schools.  

“Health care costs are increasing so much for everyone and all our negotiation battles are over health care, [so] we though we’d get together to find out the root of these causes,” said Hittleman, who is a committee member. 

What they’re discovered is that rising prices are largely tied to a dearth of health care providers. Though districts can’t control the industry’s consolidation, they can build regional buying coalitions and educate themselves on how to negotiate with HMOs. 

“Up until now, we’ve just been buyers and pay the price they ask,” Hittleman said. “But if we change that dynamic, we may make some gains.” 

At least 42 candidates have applied to serve on the task force planning the first stages of development at the Ashby BART station. 

Two elected officials have been nominated—Berkeley Unified School District board member John Selawsky and Oakland City Councilmember Jane Brunner—as have neighbors, architects, planners and others. 

Another ten are architects, planners and others with ties to the building and development industry. 

But the question of just how many will be chosen and how they will be selected remains unanswered. 

“We have more qualitative than quantitative guidelines,” project director Ed Church told the Daily Planet last month. “We’re more concerned with representativeness and inclusion.” 

Reached Wednesday, he said decisions about the number and composition will be up to the board of the South Berkeley Neighborhood Development Council, the non-profit group nominally in charge of the process. 

Only 12 applicants had been received by April 6, and the remaining 30 flooded in during the final week before last Thursday’s filing deadline. 

“We are hoping to put together a May 3 community meeting where we can talk about the task force and the rest of the process,” Church said, adding that the panel’s membership will have been determined before the meeting. 

In December, the City Council gave what amounted to a retroactive approval of the October application for a $120,000 California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) grant to pave the way for a project that would consist of more than 300 dwelling units and ground floor commercial spaces to be built at the site on the station’s western parking lot. 

Championed by Mayor Tom Bates and Councilmember Max Anderson—whose district includes the site—the project immediately drew fire from neighbors concerned that the proposed density was too much. 

After checking his calculations, Church later said the 300 figure was actually a maximum rather than a minimum and blamed the area on a misunderstanding of the available building space. 

Lauren Wonder, public information officer for Caltrans’s Oakland regional office, said the officials reviewing the grant applications have yet to reach a decision. 

Church said that should Caltrans deny the grant, that planning might still move forward. 

“We were told at the Feb. 11 City Council meeting that the councilmember and the mayor had asked the city manager to look at paying for part of the process through one-time funds,” he said. “That could be a backup.” 

Controversy 

The selection process has been dogged with controversy. 

“I have been hearing from folks who raised a number of legitimacy issues about the task force,” Church said. 

One of the questions raised concerns whether or not the task force was authorized by the city council at its Dec. 13 meeting. While Church said it was, Lauriston says it wasn’t. 

Lauriston has also criticized Church for going beyond simply setting up a process in which volunteers would apply for positions and actively soliciting specific people—which Church acknowledges. 

“I thought there should be a good cross-section,” Church said. 

Lauriston also charged that task force applicants were required to endorse the project. Not so, said Church, adding that non-endorsement wasn’t a disqualifier, “but it is a salient factor for the SBNDC board to be aware of.” 

“They don’t have to accept 300 units,” he said. “A specific number is off the table—300 is not being considered. It will be whatever the task force comes up with.” 

The actual decisions are up to the City Council, he said. 

Development professionals 

Among the applicants with industry connections are: 

• Jiane Du, of Kappe+Du Architects, a firm with offices in San Rafael and Berkeley.  

• Walter Hood, professor and former chair of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at UC Berkeley. 

• Wells M. Lawson, a planner and consultant with Strategic Economics who also serves as a director of the San Francisco Community Land Trust. 

• Erick Mikiten, a Berkeley architect who designed the Satellite Homes Senior Housing project now rising at 1535 University Ave. 

• Mark Sawicki, a real estate finance and asset management consultant who ran as a Green write-in candidate against Betty Olds in the 2004 council race. 

• Larry Rosenthal, executive director of the Goldman School of Public Policy’s Berkeley Program on Housing and Urban Policy at UC Berkeley. 

• Karen Hester, whose Co-housing Consultants specializes in developing small co-housing communities of 10 units or less. Cohousing might best be described as communes with individually owned units. 

• Donald H. Oppenheim, executive director of the Meyers Nave law firm, which is based in Oakland and has offices throughout the state. The firm’s specialties include redevelopment and housing law. 

• David Duncan, principal planner for UC Berkeley’s Capital Projects Department. 

• Samuel Pedicone, a restoration and remodeling contractor. 

Critical applicants  

Among the applicants who have expressed criticism of the project as originally announced are members of Neighbors of Ashby BART (nabart.com):  

• Robert Lauriston, a technical writer who is the organizer of the Neighbors of Ashby BART web site (nabart.com) 

• Jackie DeBose, executive director of the New Light senior lunch program and a former member of the city’s Police Review Commission. 

• Marcy Greenhut, city recycling director. 

• Leslie K. Shipnuck, who has been active in South Berkeley development issues. 

• Osha Neumann, a South Berkeley attorney, civil rights activist and sculptor. 

• Ozzie Vincent, a longtime area resident active in crime control issues. 

• Kenoli Oleari, a community organizing consultant. 

• Robin Wright, a Lorin neighborhood activist and member of the South Berkeley Crime Prevention Council. 

• Dan Bristol, a member of NABART. 

Others 

Other applicants include: 

• Dan Cloak, a civil engineer and environmental consultant. 

• Mike Friedrich, a union activist and member of the Livable Berkeley lobbying group and an advocate of infill development projects such as that proposed at the BART station. 

• Andy DeGiovanni, of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Berkeley Structural Genomics Center, who has written critically about the city’s push for the project. 

• Mansour Id-Deen, executive director of Inter-City Services, a non-profit program housed in the 3200 block of Adeline Street that offers GEDs, training in word processing and computer training skills and job placement for young people and adults. 

• Julie Chervin, who is also an activist on public school issues. 

• Dmitri Belser, executive director for the Center for Accessible Technology, which will be housed in the new Ed Roberts Center, which is to be built across Adeline Street from the project on the station’s eastern parking lot. 

• Ashley Berkowitz, a management consultant who also serves as executive director of Epic Arts, a studio and cultural program based at 1923 Ashby Ave. 

• Gabrielle Wilson, who has produced programs for KPFA. 

• Preston Tucker, who is technology integrator at College Preparatory School in Oakland. 

• Dawn Rubin, a project neighbor who serves as a consultant to non-profits. 

• Tony Hill. 

• Jeffrey Jensen. 

• Beatrice Barrigher. 

• George Luna. 

• Maryann Sargent. 

• Toya Groves. 

• Tracey Powers 

• Jaine [CQ] Gilbert 

• Ricardo Charles  

• Allen Myers. 

• Regina Myers. 

Berkeley’s legendary ice-skating rink will stay open—for now. 

A permit that allows Berkeley Iceland to operate expires Saturday, but the City of Berkeley has no intention of closing the rink, a representative from the mayor’s office said Tuesday. 

“We’re going to continue to operate and keep the programs intact,” said Jay Wescott, general manager of East Bay Iceland, Incorporated, which owns Berkeley Iceland and two other rinks.  

Berkeley Iceland’s fate was called into question in February, when owners placed the rink on the market, claiming they could not meet the climbing cost of facility maintenance. Many feared that if the Berkeley Iceland didn’t get new owners by April 15, the permit’s expiration date, the rink would shut down for good. 

Instead, rink operators are seeking to extend the permit through the city’s Planning Department. The Zoning Adjustments Board will rule on granting the extension, a decision that can be appealed to City Council.  

Berkeley Iceland, at 2727 Milivia St., was issued an administrative use permit in 2005 when the Fire Department deemed its permanent ammonia-based cooling system a hazard, and forced the rink to install a temporary system. Ammonia is known to cause serious respiratory problems if released in the air. Wescott maintains that the rink was never a risk to the community. 

The permit was granted under the premise that owners would invest in a new, permanent system. 

But they couldn’t afford the estimated $500,000, Wescott told the Planet in February—and the facility went up for sale Feb. 27. 

Gordon Commercial Real Estate has posted Berkeley Iceland for $6.45 million. So far, there aren’t any takers. 

“It’s still available,” said Ito Ripsteen, an associate with Gordon Commerical. “There have definitely been looks from different types of people, but no offer.” 

He declined to identify interested parties, but said there have been a few who would maintain the site as a rink, and others who would not. Possible uses for the facility include a sports center or an entertainment venue, Ripsteen said. 

“It’s a limited field to find a user to use it as is,” he said. 

And the ice rink business isn’t exactly booming. According to the Ice Skating Institute nationwide survey, median revenues for single-sheet ice rinks decreased from $566,000 to $505,000 in 2002, while the average amount invested in facility improvements shot up from $28,000 to $88,000 between 1998 and 2001. 

Berkeley Iceland is an especially hard sell, because it requires major work to meet city health and safety code, and other refurbishments such as window, roof and exit door replacements, new piping under the ice floor and snow pit improvements. 

Because rinks aren’t moneymakers, many cities offer subsidies or assume owership, said Oakland Ice Center General Manager Dave Fies, who’s been in the rink business for more than 20 years. 

Fies was hired in 1998 after the city of Oakland was forced to assume control of the Ice Center when developers failed to pay back a multimillion-dollar loan for the project. 

The rink just barely stays afloat, Fies said.  

Cisco DeVries, chief of staff for Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, said the city is doing everything in its power to keep Berkeley Iceland an ice-skating rink—looking into state grants and low-income loans, for instance—but it’s not interested in taking over the facility.  

“We do want to look at what ways the city can be helpful at keeping the rink in the current location, but we need to be realistic about the city’s financial resources and expertise,” DeVries said. And “ultimately, any decision is between the owners at Iceland and the potential buyers.” 

Last Thursday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission moved to designate Berkeley Iceland a city landmark. A hearing is slated for June 8.  

Built in 1939, Berkeley Iceland is one of few Olympic-sized skating rinks in the Western United States. It hosted the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships in 1947, 1957 and 1966, and was frequented by Brian Boitano, who earned gold in figure skating in the 1988 Calgary Olympics. The rink attracts 75,000 to 100,000 skaters a year, and is home to six skating clubs, eight hockey teams, including the UC Berkeley hockey team, and an ice-skating school. 

Tom Killilea has a daughter in skating school, and said he practically lives at Berkeley Iceland. 

“I just like the place a lot,” he said. “You don’t see any rinks like it around. It’s a special place and most people feel that way.” 

Killilea’s dream is to see the rink turn into a nonprofit organization and forge a partnership with the city that would allot for additional recreational activities, he said. 

But for now, he’s pleased Berkeley Iceland will stay open while the permit extension is under consideration.  

He said, “If it closed, probably we’d lose the rink forever.” 

—Richard Brenneman contributed to this report..

The oft-embattled flagship Pacifica radio station, KPFA, seems to be cruising into its 57th birthday—tomorrow, April 15—on relatively calm waters, with fundraising goals met, the last beleaguered-short-lived general manager gone, a permanent executive director at the national level in place and, last week, the appointment of Interim General Manager Lemlem Rijio. 

Rijio calls her new role “a worthy challenge.”  

Born and raised in Ethiopia, with a B.A. from UC Berkeley, Rijio worked in fundraising for socially-conscious organizations before becoming KPFA’s development director about two years ago. 

She’ll continue her role as development director at the same time she takes on the temporary GM job. 

“It’s hard, but it’s very important. I’m honored to have the job for a few months,” said Rijio, who does not plan to toss her name into the hat for the permanent post. 

“I’m sure there is an older and wiser soul that will take on the job,” she said. 

Rijio was among the 15 women accusing former General Manager Roy Campanella II of gender-biased behavior and calling for his removal.  

The station is “a lot calmer now,” Rijio said. “Staff morale is up and tensions seem to be easing up a bit.” 

Rijio said her main focus will be working with staff to create a more harmonious environment. She said she hopes to be a unifying force that will bring the staff together to educate the community for peace and justice “as the founders intended.” 

It was Executive Director Greg Guma’s job to appoint the interim general manager, which he did with input from board members and staff. 

She is “somebody who already understands KPFA and has the respect of the staff,” he said. “The staff likes her and she seems pretty honest and centered.” 

On the other hand, Guma said he’d like to see a “fresh face” in the position of the permanent general manager.  

Like Rijio, Brian Edwards-Tieker, staff representative to the Local Station Board and board treasurer, said the station climate is calmer. 

“Things seem to have settled down. People can focus on work now, more than six months ago,” he said, underscoring that it is too early to assess the interim general manager. 

With tensions waning, Edwards-Ticker said it is the right time for the Local Station Board to focus on projects such as fundraising and community outreach. 

“This work has fallen by the wayside with factional in-fighting,” he said. 

The next task for the board will be selecting finalists for the permanent general manager position. The Pacifica executive director makes the final call. 

“I want someone with radio administration experience,” Edwards-Ticker said, “someone who understands community radio in particular.” 

The individual should understand new technologies such as podcasting and digital. 

Like the others interviewed, LSB Chair Richard Phelps said things appear calmer at the station. “Everything’s in a holding pattern, while we’re busy looking for a new general manager,” he said. 

A member of the search committee, Phelps said this time he hoped they would select someone with media experience, noting the last two general managers lacked that knowledge. The individual should also be good at conflict resolution and able to establish clear rules, so everyone is on an even playing field, he said.  

As the station enters its 58th year, Guma said he was particularly excited about the network coordinator position recently budgeted by the national board. 

That means “taking local programming national,” he said. And developing new programming, which has not been done in years, he said.  

Edwards-Ticker pointed out that the simple existence of KPFA after 57 years is a triumph. 

Even though the station seems “driven by conflict 365 days a year,” he said, its progressive programming remains “something of an example for the rest of the country.” 

Photo: Lemlem Rijio, KPFA’s new 

interm general manager

Tom Butt thinks he’s found a way to get quick action to start fixing Richmond’s sorely overtaxed sewer system—shut down new connections till the job is done. 

The outspoken city councilmember says he’ll be introducing a resolution calling on the city to do just that when the body meets Tuesday night. 

Fighting a lawsuit by Baykeeper and the West County Toxics Coalition and facing enforcement orders from state regulators, the city’s ailing sewer system is literally under siege, Butt said. 

San Francisco Baykeeper is part of the International Waterkeeper Alliance, an organization based in New York and headed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The West County Toxics Coalition is based in Richmond and chaired by Dr. Henry Clark. 

“The city has been dragging its feet, and it’s an indisputable fact that the system can’t handle flows during certain storms,” he said. 

The major culprit is a system of thousands of aging and ailing lateral lines—the lines that take wastewater from buildings on private and public property to the main sewer lines that run under the city streets. 

The laterals, many of them made from leaking clay pipes, take in rainwater from storms which then burdens the sewer lines. 

“During dry weather, the typical flow is five to eight million gallons a day,” Butt said. “The system has a capacity of 20 million gallons. But during wet weather, the flow can reach 40 to 50 million gallons.” 

The overtaxed system then produces backups that send raw sewage flowing backwards into homes and basements. 

In the 2005-2006 fiscal year, the city has paid out more than $1 million in backup damage claims, Butt said. 

“We need a laterals ordinance,” said Butt, “and it’s my understanding an ordinance has been drafted and left to gather dust in the city attorney’s office.” 

Such a law would require property owners to have their lateral lines inspected and repaired before they could sell their homes and businesses. 

Two of the sewage districts that serve the city—Stege and West County—have already adopted a laterals ordinance, but the city hasn’t acted to put a law in place for the Richmond system itself, which serves about 60 percent of the community, Butt said. 

Butt said the city did pass one long-delayed FOG ordinance in at the end of January. FOG stands for fats, oils and grease—which often play key roles in creating sewer system problems. 

The new ordinance allow inspection of restaurants that generate that fats and implements a system for enforcing compliance. 

One of the factors behind Butt’s move is the lawsuit filed Jan. 26 by Baykeeper and the West County Toxics Coalition which charges that the city is in violation of the Clean Water Act. 

Baykeeper Sejal Choksi said the suit was filed in part because Richmond has one of the Bay Area’s highest rates of sewage spills and was failing to report them as required by law. 

“That, coupled with the fact that city has so many other pollution, social and economic problems, was the reason we filed,” Choksi said. “We really thought the situation needed to be remedied as soon as possible.” 

In addition to forcing repairs of the lateral lines, Baykeeper also wants the city to establish a funding program to help homeowners too poor to afford the repairs.  

“The city also needs to fix the collection system by maintaining and repairing the main sewer lines, where clogs have contributed to a majority of the spills,” she said. 

Butt acknowledged that the main lines need repair, citing a report by Veolia—the private contractor the city has hired to run the system—saying that 75 percent of the spills could be eliminated by replacing the main lines along San Pablo Avenue from I-80 to Bissell Avenue and Macdonald Avenue from San Pablo to 33rd Street. That work is planned but has not commenced, he said. 

The city takes the suit seriously, and last week the council voted to allot $100,000 for legal fees to Sacramento law firm Downey Brand to defend them in the action. 

“Without the suit, Richmond probably wouldn’t have moved at all,” Butt said, attributing passage of the FOG regulation to the litigation. 

The city is also under pressure from the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, which issued a notice of violation to the city on March 15 charging the city with failure to keep adequate records of spills and other incidents. 

Butt said he has introduced the moratorium to force hand of a city caught between conflicting pressures. 

On the one hand is an ancient and clearly inadequate sewer system, while on the other hand is a cash-starved city hungry for the fees and taxes that come with construction of new homes and businesses. 

Butt singled out for criticism the environmental impact reports generated for projects served by the main Richmond district, noting that the reports for two Toll Brothers projects—Marina Bay West Shore and Point Richmond Shores—either ignore sewer capacity (the former) or declare it satisfactory (the latter). 

The councilmember acknowledges that sewer fees are going to have to rise to meet current regulations, and says even stiffer regulations likely in the near future could force rates still higher. 

While Butt said Veolia is doing an excellent job of running the city’s system after decades of poor management by city workers, Choksi said she is alarmed at the already high rates being charged in one of the Bay Area’s poorest cities..

The gathering at St. Joseph the Worker Church Tuesday morning was a send-off of sorts for Sarah Harper and Cheryl Sommers. The two women had called friends and the media to the church where they intended to speak out in public for the last time before they went to jail for three months. 

Convicted of trespassing at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation—better known by its former name, the School of the Americas—the pair was to surrender their liberty at the Federal Correctional Institute in Dublin that afternoon. 

The two arrestees were among 37 at a Ft. Benning, Geo., protest that drew 19,000 people last November calling for the closure of the U.S. army combat school that trains Latin American police and military. Opponents of the school say training manuals released publicly in 1996 demonstrate that the school teaches its graduates torture, extortion, blackmail and targets civilian populations. 

Neither Sommers nor Harper can be called lifetime activists.  

Sommers, 67, is a retired Berkeley elementary school teacher. She was sympathetic to the civil rights and free speech protests of the ‘60s. 

At the time, “I didn’t put myself on the line,” she said. “I didn’t get involved, even though I saw people brutalized.” 

The late Father Bill O’Donnell, a priest at St. Joseph the Worker , inspired Sommers to act. She decided to “cross the line” at the School of the Americas in November to honor O’Donnell, who served prison time for his civil disobedience at the School of the Americas, and, she said, “also because of my feeling of about how our government has taken the lives of people and is still doing it so casually that we would just allow this.”  

With tears in her eyes, Sommers talked about a man she met from Guatemala who had been tortured. 

“He didn’t see sunlight for two years,” she said. “Every time they moved him from prison to prison it was American planes with American pilots.” 

Sommers said she hopes by her action to publicize H.R. 1217, which calls on Congress to suspend operations at the School of the Americas. 

Sarah Harper, 37, of Emeryville, was also going to prison in Dublin. Like Sommers, she hasn’t been a longtime activist. In fact, she joined the military in what she calls “the poverty draft” so she could get an education. She served at Oakland’s Oak Knoll Hospital as an X-ray technician and LVN during the Gulf War and cared for some of the injured military returning home. 

Harper opposes teaching soldiers to act brutally, but she is not against the military. 

“I have nothing against the soldiers,” said Harper, now a member of Veterans for Peace. 

Still, the present state of war concerns her: “It seems like the same things are happening that happened in the first Gulf War.”  

Harper searched for her own way to express her dissent and participated in an earlier demonstration at Fort Benning before committing to do civil disobedience as she did last November. 

“Not everyone can be an astronaut,” she said, “But everyone in their own way and their own time can take a step for social justice.””

Despite a recent legal setback, the attorney for ousted Alameda County Medical Center Trustee Gwen Rowe-Lee Sykes said that he is working on continuing legal action against what he calls a “culture of intimidation” at the center “which retaliates, penalizes, and punishes people who point out problems” at the center. 

Last week, Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch dismissed Sykes’ Petition for Writ of Mandate seeking to overturn what the court called “Supervisor Keith Carson’s attempted unilateral removal” of Sykes from the Medical Center Board “on or about February 15, 2006.” 

But in denying Sykes’ petition, the court noted that it was “tak[ing] no position on the validity of the Board of Supervisors’ vote on March 14, 2006,” a notation that Sykes’ attorney calls “significant” in any possible future legal action. 

Oakland-based attorney Hab Siam is representing three individuals—Sykes, ACMC Human Resources Director Bill Maddox, and former ACMC manager of medical services Jackie Leo—with pending grievances against the medical center. Siam said by telephone this week that the three cases are interrelated, all involving people who “are not on the medical center ‘team.’ If you’re on the team, you keep the team’s secrets.” 

Siam said that Sykes, Maddox, and Leo all suffered retaliation “because they chose to speak up about the problems at the center.” 

The publicly-financed Medical Center operates several facilities in Alameda County, including Highland Hospital in Oakland and Fairmount Hospital and the John George Psychiatric Pavilion in San Leandro. The center has been embroiled in considerable controversy in recent years, including ongoing budget and labor problems and, most recently, difficulties with its newly-installed Kronos payroll system. 

Siam would not comment on details of the suspension of HR Director Maddox, saying only that “Mr. Maddox categorically denies that the center’s present payroll problems had any basis in his suspension.” 

Siam called the present electronically-based payroll system “a disaster,” and added that “Mr. Maddox had no responsibility for the Kronos system.” Siam said that “it’s not clear to me exactly why” Maddox was suspended, saying that “at this point, it’s a moving target.” 

He added that he is exploring legal options for Maddox, saying that “the law provides remedies for employees for reporting mismanagement, waste, and fraud.” 

Last month, a spokesperson for the medical center would only say that Maddox had been suspended, but could not provide details. 

Sykes was removed from her position as ACMC Board Trustee by a March 14 vote of the Alameda County Board of Trustees. Leo was terminated from her medical services manger position on March 10, and Maddox was placed on administrative leave on March 3. 

Siam has filed a class action suit in California Superior Court in Oakland against the medical center with Leo as the sole named plaintiff. The attorney is considering legal action in the Maddox matter. 

The Public Information Officer for the Medical Center was not in the office this week, and the medical center’s general counsel could not be reached for comment. 

In its response to Sykes’ Petition for Writ of Mandate, the Alameda County general counsel’s office admitted that Carson did not have to power to remove Sykes from the board on his own, stating that “the action of the Board of Supervisors to place [Sykes’] termination as an action item on its March 14, 2006 meeting agenda indicates that as of the date of the issuance of the agenda..., the Board of Supervisors, including President Supervisor Carson, did not recognize Supervisor’s February 16, 2006 [letter to the trustee board announcing Sykes’ removal] to have been effective to remove [Sykes] from the Board of Trustees.” 

But the Alameda County counsel’s office argued—and the court agreed—that the Board of Supervisors’ action in bringing Sykes’ removal up for a vote in March negated Carson’s February action. 

Sykes’ removal from the board has generated controversy in recent weeks, with Carson—who originally nominated her to the board—saying that she had lost her effectiveness as a board member because she had generated considerable opposition among other board members, and Sykes charging that she was removed after raising serious questions about the fiscal management of the medical center. 

A request for Sykes’ removal from the ACMC Board was placed on the consent calendar of the Board of Supervisors’ March 14 agenda. But just prior to the vote on the entire consent calendar, Carson announced that he was “pulling” the Sykes’ item in order to allow two Sykes supporters to speak up for her. 

Meeting observers never heard Carson return the item to the consent calendar, or take it for a separate vote, so it remains unclear whether supervisors ever actually voted to remove Sykes. In addition, because ACMC Board bylaws require a vote of four supervisors to remove an ACMC trustee, Sykes maintains that a vote on her ouster would require a roll-call vote, rather than the voice vote used for the consent calendar. 

In a telephone interview, Siam called the supervisors’ March 14 action “confusing” and “a very sneaky vote. It was done in such a way as to give political cover to the other supervisors. They want to be able to run for office saying that they never actually voted against Gwen Sykes. I think the rest of the supervisors realize that they are playing with fire.” 

In addition, Siam said the March 14 Supervisors action was a “violation of the Brown Act because even people who were present at the meeting did not have an opportunity to know what it was that the supervisors were voting on.” 

Siam said that his office is “looking at every option” to move forward with challenging the board of supervisors’ March 14 action. 

In the meantime, Leo’s class action complaint against the medical center revolves around charges that the center’s payroll system regularly malfunctioned, not crediting workers with the full pay turned in by their supervisors. “ACMC’s disastrous timekeeping system, technology systems and payroll systems have been oftentimes so wildly, incomprehensibly, and unconscionably inaccurate,” Leo’s complaint alleges, “that employees were paid for so little time in proportion to the time they actually worked that those employees’ hourly rates fell below the minimum wage.” 

Medical center officials have publicly acknowledged serious problems with the computerized payroll system, and have been working in recent weeks to correct the difficulties. 

A medical center answer to Leo’s complaint was filed on Thursday, but was not available for public viewing at presstime..

“This is where it all begins,” said Jim Allison, BART spokesperson, as he pointed out the Operations Control Room (OCC) at the Lake Meritt station on Monday morning. 

The OCC was the first stop during the two hour tour of the BART control systems; the second was its headquarters in Oakland. 

On a typical day in the OCC, Ben Williams Jr. and his counterparts are on the “hot seat.” If any of the 669 trains traveling at a average of 36 mph and carrying 326,500 weekday passengers faces a bump, jolt, or threat, the OCC managers in the hot seat try to solve the problem as quickly as possible.  

The train controllers come next. The people who direct technicians to various trains in case of an emergency are referred to as “Tango One.” 

“That’s because each technician in the field has a number designation, as in Tango 24 or Tango 13,” Allison explained. “Tango One” is always in direct radio control with the train operators. 

“Power Control” is in charge of controlling electricity. “Comm Specs” is in charge of traffic, and announcements and “Power and Way” is responsible for delivery of electricity to the third-rail tracks. When the trash fire occurred in the Embarcadero station last month, the electricity was turned off immediately. 

Had there still been 1,000 volts of electricity running through the third-rail track, it would have proved fatal for the hundreds of passengers trying to get out of the train and walk along the tracks. 

“Self evacuation was what made it a really serious situation,” Allison added. 

In case of a minor problem with the train or incidents like shooting, the train is moved to the maintenance yard. Allison said that “when required, everyone inside the OCC turns into problem solvers.” 

With its many flickering lights and symbols, the two main control boards inside the OCC looks like a scene straight out of Star Wars, but the fact of the matter is that both boards serve a far more important purpose—they are BART’s lifeline.  

When a “network switch problem” occurred on March 29 at exactly 5:40 p.m., a third or almost half of the two main boards blacked out and people in the control office had no way of knowing or seeing where the trains were.  

“The network switch, which brings all communications into central, became overloaded with information and shut down,” Allison said. “It was then necessary to bring the trains into ‘road manual’ and bring about a complete service halt. Although the switch is an industrial grade switch and shouldn’t have performed like this, our preliminary analysis indicates that work by BART staff contributed to the overloading and subsequent shutdown of the switch.”  

BART is currently operating on the older version of the software while trying to analyze the cause and correction of the software problems. 

Any pauses in the system for more than five minutes is considered a “delay” at BART. In the last year (April 2005-April 2006) BART has had a total of eight delays out of 200,000 rides.  

More than 3,000 BART employees work around the clock throughout the year to ensure that there are no service delays—given that the whole system is so complex, it’s no easy task. 

Allison acknowledged that funding was one of the main problems BART faced at the moment. 

California is an automobile culture, he said. 

“We at BART are constantly fighting for money,” Allison said. “There are 600 cars that need to be replaced—outlining a plan that will help us get the money for it is not easy.” 

According to Allison, BART funding depends on what its passengers pay more than any other transit system in the country.  

Some of the challenges that BART faces in the future are: 

• Securing the necessary funding to meet the district’s multitude of security needs. 

• Maintaining balanced budgets in an environment of limited revenue growth while facing uncertainties such as future power costs, capital needs, security requirements, and added costs of maintaining a complex and aging system. 

• Developing a comprehensive improvement program and funding strategy for the second generation renovation program, which will likely emerge as the most ambitious, complex and costly capital undertaking by BART since the construction of the original system.  

BART’s 10-year next generation renovation program includes five major areas of focus. Among them is the 10-year $1.6 billion Earthquake Safety Program to seismically reinforce the Transbay Tube, BART’S nearly 200 aerial structures, stations and other critical structures. 

In the event of an earthquake, BART has its own emergency preparedness plan which can be put into action immediately. BART officials will be converting a seismically safe undisclosed subterranean area complete with computers, radios and telephones into a control center. 

“An entire wall will have a board outlining exactly where officials would have to be dispatched,” Allison said. “Planning would be done to assist people for the next twelve hours and engineering crews would be brought in to assist the damage. There will be constant updates to the media.” 

BART also continues to advocate for security funding for detection and prevention, safety enhancements and operational response strategies that would ensure BART’s safety for its riders, he said..

César E. Chávez, the courageous defender of those who work the earth, used to claim that farm workers were an early warning system against environmental destruction. 

Much like miners who used to carry canaries with them to warn of poison gas, “farm workers are society’s canaries,” he stated. “Those who live in the area of grape vineyards are constantly exposed to cancer, birth deformity, miscarriages, sterility, respiratory difficulties and death. You find toxic substances in the fields, streets, soils, air, water, playgrounds, parks, and the poison and killing of children continues unabated.” 

Those were his last public words, spoken on April 15, 1993 in a speech at the Chicago Cultural Center. Eight days later, the noted advocate of non-violent social action died quietly in his sleep in Arizona. He was only 66 but worn out by 40 years of sacrificial dedication to farm workers and the American consumer. 

Over these 40 years, Chavez’ successes include the creation of the first union for farm workers, the signing of the first agricultural worker agreements, and passage of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act. He is the first labor leader and first Latino to be honored with a State holiday. 

While Cesar’s social justice efforts are more known, his commitment, however, to earth stewardship is not. Chávez consistently articulated both an environmental and social justice message. That message was that there is probably no greater connection that we have with the earth than through the food that we eat, and that those who work the earth, those who plant and harvest the food that sustains us, are among the most unappreciated and exploited. 

As early as the 1960’s, concerns about cancers and chemicals were a part of the United Farm Worker Union’s effort. César Chávez and Dolores Huerta, in co-founding the first farm worker union, launched the first organization to take on the world center of corporate agriculture—the Central Valley of California. One of their first efforts was to negotiate labor contracts with growers that limited the use of DDT on certain crops.  

By the early 1980’s, the UFW began to aggressively warn the public and elected officials about the ecological dangers of wasteful chemical technology, mechanization, and over-corporatization of farming. That effort defined the broad parameters of Cesar’s environmentalism – small farmers providing healthy food to consumers through fair and healthy labor practices with farm workers.  

In 1984 Chavez initiated a new grape boycott (the most heavily chemicalized crop) in McFarland, CA, also known as “cancer town” for its well documented childhood cancer cluster that was attributed to pesticide spraying and nitrate-containing fertilizers leaching into the water system. The danger is poignantly articulated in a poem “Toxic Shock” by Susan Samuels Drake, a long time Assistant to César Chávez. 

Here is a portion of it: 

Like mammoth steely-grey tarantulas from outer space  

crop-dusters drop low,… 

showering our food with poison… 

Too soon, women and men 

return to work in these fields 

danger seeping through their skin, 

inhaled with each breath 

drunk from water buckets left open in the fields or 

drawn from underground water tables drowning in pesticides. 

What poison rubs off work clothes 

onto a snuggled child? 

Cancer-cluster towns in farmlands tremor 

with wails from mothers of the deformed unborn 

and born… 

In 1988, Cesar tried to refocus the national movement around these concerns by launching a punishing 36-day, water only, “Fast for Life.” After losing 30 pounds and in a dangerously weaken state, he finally yielded to medical warnings and passed the responsibility on to Jesse Jackson and to a series of other committed celebrity activists who pledged to continue the fast for three days each. 

Today, 13 years after Chavez’ death, farm workers are still sounding the canary’s warning. Agriculture remains one of the most hazardous occupations in the U.S. A recent LA Times article revealed that “scientists have amassed evidence that long-term exposure to toxic compounds, especially pesticides, can trigger (Parkinson’s) the neurological disease.”  

The canary metaphor holds for the plight of poor people in general. Bahram Fazeli of Communities for a Better Environment, in acknowledging Chavez as an early environmental justice pioneer, states that “communities of color and lower income neighborhoods are disproportionately affected by cumulative impacts of toxic emissions.”  

Richard Hofrichter in his book Toxic Struggles argues optimistically that the environmental justice movement provides a working model for addressing these issues more inclusively. The environmental justice movement is “led by the people who suffer most from corporate ecological devastation, i.e., people of color, the poor, women, migrant farm workers, and industrial workers who are joining forces with civil rights, peace and local community activists.” Chávez, who wrote one chapter in this book, was certainly a consistent national figure in that effort.  

As we develop our own effort here in Berkeley to honor the legacy of Chávez, it is important that it reflect this balanced approach of social justice and environmental stewardship. The UFW Union, under the leadership of Arturo Rodriguez and Dolores Huerta, has this balance, and their efforts represent a hopeful bridge to an environmental movement that is more representative and inclusive. 

For the last two years the Ecology Center in Berkeley has stepped forward and joined the Chavez Commemoration Planning Committee. As part of the committee’s efforts to plan and support a variety of city, community and school-based service learning opportunities, the Ecology Center offered a workshop on current campaigns to protect workers, their health, and the environment. And at their weekly Farmers’ Markets they developed special informational displays celebrating Chavez’s environmental leadership, the history of the farm workers movement, and current ways to get involved to protect farm workers and the environment. Such supportive efforts are welcome and hopeful. 

Unfortunately, in the environmental movement, as elsewhere, a gulf still seems to pit working class people, who relate much more to the urgency of immediate survival, against more affluent or privileged mainstream folks, who have the time and resources to focus on population growth, global warming, endangered species and the like. These two environmental camps have very different perspectives and priorities that prevent the coming together as a disciplined and unified progressive movement—one that can both protect poor people and the survival of the planet. Hopefully, in the years to come the Berkeley community can reflect this balance by bringing new constituencies together, drawing folks across class, race and environmental priority lines. It is some of the most personally challenging work that has to be done.  

When my own commitment wavers in the face of such challenges, I reach down and grab hold of the memory of César. He was a common man really, who operated on an eighth grade education, yet achieved extraordinary things. He lived a modest material life, never making more than few thousand dollars per year. He was a practicing vegetarian and organic gardener, and fasted for political and spiritual purposes. 

I try to keep in mind that César Chávez was able to maintain his own dedication and sacrifice by drawing on a deep well of virtues. I call on these virtues when I need to replenish my resolve, wishful that a little of what he embodied might take hold in me—the determination to stick with a struggle despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles; the courage to conquer the fear that can immobilize us; the tolerance to deal with our differences with patience, understanding, and nonviolence; and the hope that makes us believe we can transform the present.  

On this Earth Day season, may we all be guided by such virtues. And may Cesar’s inspiration live on in the spirit of ¡Si Se Puede!  

Santiago Casal is the director of the Chávez Memorial Solar Calendar and Education Project, and acting chair of the Chávez “Circle of Service” Commemoration Committee. A list of city-wide Chávez commemorative activities and resources can be found at www.ecologycenter.org/chavez..

Hundreds of demonstrators flocked to Sproul Plaza at UC Berkeley Monday to protest proposed federal immigration reform and to shore up support for immigrant rights. 

Students and representatives from several campus groups mounted the steps of Sproul Hall with flags and banners splayed, demanding “amnistia,” amnesty, for all immigrants. The demonstration was part of a nationwide Day of Action spearheaded by a grassroots organization based in Washington, D.C. 

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) also staged a protest Monday. SJP initially reserved the plaza to commemorate the 1948 massacre of Palestinians in Deir Yassin, but joined with immigrant-rights activists when they learned of the national movement, an SJP member told the Daily Planet. 

“We were both supportive of each other’s causes so we decided to combine,” said Zaynah Hindi. 

Immigrant rights demonstrators chanted in Spanish and English and wielded signs that said “No anti-immigration/Jim Crow laws,” “We are all Americans” and “No human being is illegal.” 

After an initial microphone snafu, speakers denounced the proposed bill, which would reinforce U.S.-Mexico border security and usher in a worker permit program.  

“There is no such thing as an illegal,” said Hatem Bazian, UC Berkeley instructor in Near Eastern Studies, who spoke at the rally on behalf of Palestinian and immigration rights. “At one point, all of us in this country were illegals.” 

Yael Martinez, a native of a Venezuela and a UC Berkeley graduate student in social work, echoed his concern. 

“Immigrants make up a large portion of the workforce and without them our economy would crumble. We’re all immigrants,” she said. “I’m an immigrant and I feel we should have better laws to protect all human rights.” 

Monday’s protest attracted UC Berkeley students, teachers, employees, and unaffiliated supporters including 9-year-old Pablo Hijuera, who held a sign that said, “Immigrants are not criminals” and told the Daily Planet he was fighting for his rights. 

Oakland, Concord, San Francisco, Sacramento and cities nationwide also hosted protests. At press time, the New York Times estimated that hundreds of thousands of protesters came out in more than 100 cities. 

In December, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would make it a felony both to live in the country illegally and to abet an illegal immigrant. The bill also green-lighted 700 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.  

A less draconian version of the legislation stalled in the Senate Friday, despite bipartisan agreement over multiple amendments including a guest worker program that would create 325,000 new visas for unskilled laborers—a measure backed by President Bush—a track for immigrants to earn U.S. citizenship and tighter border security.  

Many protestors said they support amnesty and nothing less.  

“Everyone who’s here should have the right to stay here,” said Yvette Felarca, California Coordinator for the affirmative action group By Any Means Necessary, in a phone interview Monday. “What the Congress has been debating is a new form of racism and we’re not going to stand for that.” 

Several demonstrators came out in favor of the DREAM Act, a bill introduced in the Senate in November that would facilitate the ease with which immigrants gain access to higher education.  

A handful of counter-protestors made an appearance at Sproul Plaza Monday. Several members of the Berkeley College Republicans brandished signs calling illegal immigrants “criminals” and beseeching President Bush to crackdown on immigration. 

“This is about protecting our borders and protecting our national security,” said Andrew Quinio, news editor of the conservative campus publication the California Patriot and BCR member. “Legal immigration is absolutely necessary. We can’t give special passes to people who have broken the law. I support a wall.” 

The peaceful protest was topped off by a march, intermittent drizzles notwithstanding. 

Felarca said another demonstration is scheduled for May 1. 

U.S. legislators will not consider proposed immigration reform over the next two weeks because they are on recess. 

With South Berkeley residents complaining of threats against their lives following an appeal hearing in their Small Claims Court “drug house” lawsuit last week, questions are again being raised as to whether such lawsuits should be handled by city officials rather than by neighbors.  

Last January, Alameda County Court Commissioner Jon Rantzman awarded $5,000 apiece to 14 South Berkeley residents who had sued Oregon Street homeowner Lenora Moore in Small Claims Court, arguing that Moore allowed family members to operate a drug house out of the premises over a period of several years. 

Moore did not dispute the drug charges against several of her children and grandchildren, but claim-ed that she had little control over her offspring and was not involved in any drug dealing herself. 

Last weekend following an appeal hearing in the case, Oregon Street resident Sam Herbert circulated an email saying that three men made separate visits to a neighbor’s house, asking her to “deliver a message for me. She was told that I am ‘as good as dead,’ and describing me as a ‘Dead Woman Walking.’” 

Herbert concluded that “both of us took the threats seriously, and literally, as death threats.” 

Another plaintiff in the case, Laura Menard, told the Daily Planet in a telephone message that the Oregon Street neighbors were forced to represent themselves in Superior Court last week after they were turned down by six separate attorneys. 

“All of them said they were concerned about reprisals,” Menard said. 

In a telephone interview, Berkeley journalist Paul Rauber, the lead plaintiff in the case against Moore, called the threats “pretty serious.”’ 

Asked if such threats against the neighbors made it more desirable for the city to take the lead in such legal action rather than citizens themselves, Rauber said, “Oh, yeah. We’re already working on [city officials] to act on a declaration of a public nuisance against the Moore house.” 

Rauber said neighbors were continuing to take legal action against Moore “because [the city] is not doing it. It’s their job. That’s what we have city government for, to take care of situations like this. Guys with uniforms and guns should be handling these problems, not amateurs and neighbors like us.”  

The Oregon Street neighbors were advised in their small claims legal action by Neighborhood Solutions, an Oakland-based nonprofit that specializes in helping citizens bring nuisance abatement lawsuits. Neighborhood Solutions does not have attorneys on staff, and the Oregon Street neighbors represented themselves in Small Claims Court. 

But while Rauber said that Berkeley residents have been left to pursue legal action virtually on their own against what they call “drug house nuisances,” without City Hall help, Oakland residents are getting direct assistance from the office of the Oakland City Attorney and city councilmembers. 

On Saturday, residents of Oakland’s Fruitvale district held a street party celebrating the reclaiming of their block from drug dealers, in part because of lawsuits filed by City Attorney John Russo’s Neighborhood Law Corps. The law corps, a special collection of deputy city attorneys, filed lawsuits against three problem drug houses in the area. 

According to an article in the Sunday Oakland Tribune, Russo said that the law corps was able to do much more in the courts than residents can with a small claims nuisance lawsuit. 

“I can’t recommend that Berkeley citizens try to get the city to declare these problem properties a nuisance,” Rauber said, commenting on the differences between Oakland’s actions and Berkeley’s. “I would if [Berkeley] would do its job. But until they prove whose side they’re on, we’re going to have to take on the job ourselves.” 

Meanwhile Moore, a 74-year-old grandmother, has appealed the small claims court decision against her, and last week Superior Court Judge Wynne Carvill heard the case from scratch, listening to two days of testimony from Berkeley police officers and a collection of plaintiff neighbors describing drug dealing activities surrounding the Moore house. 

A ruling on the appeal is expected within days. 

The Superior Court hearing was not a half-hour old when plaintiffs won their first victory, with Moore’s attorney, Oakland lawyer James Anthony, dropping a portion of the appeals in eight of the cases. 

Anthony told the court that the arrest of one of Moore’s children on her premises on drug possession charges “created a nuisance per se under the law. I can’t argue that there wasn’t a nuisance created for the neighbors living closest to the house.” 

But Anthony continued the appeal against neighbors in the 1700 block of Oregon Street, a block away from the Moore dwelling, saying that “they would have to prove a nexus between the problems they experienced and any activities coming out of Ms. Moore’s house.” 

In addition, Anthony argued that all 14 of the cases should be thrown out because contrary to Small Claims Court procedures, the neighbors failed to make a monetary demand of Moore before bringing their action in court. 

“We aren’t too worried about that,” plaintiff Rauber said by telephone this week. Rauber said that plaintiffs took their demand letter to the lead attorney for the Small Claims Advisor Program of Alameda County. 

“She cleared it,” Rauber said. 

While using the Small Claims Court to put pressure on nuisance properties has generated considerably controversy in recent months, the practice is gaining popularity throughout the state. 

The cities of Fairfield, Santa Rosa, Concord, Vallejo, and Modesto all post web pages promoting citizen small claims court nuisance abatement lawsuits against alleged drug houses, with detailed instructions as to how citizens can take those actions. Some of the websites even provide telephone numbers for city staff members who can assist citizens in filing the suits. 

But the website for the Beat Health Program of the Vallejo Police Department, perhaps inadvertently, points out the contradiction in such programs that encourage citizens to participate in law enforcement activities. The web page notes that Beat Health “is a unit of the Vallejo Police Department designed to supplement traditional law enforcement and approaches to drug and gang-related problems in Vallejo,” calling it a “nationally recognized program which started in Oakland.” 

A notation on the page says that “neighbors are a main source of information” about drug and gang-related nuisance properties that come under the jurisdiction of the Vallejo Police Beat Health Program, adding that such citizens “can remain anonymous. They are thus shielded from retaliation, both physical or legal.” 

But the Vallejo Police website then goes on to say that “neighborhood groups can also be of assistance if property owners do not take any action to abate the nuisance or are not willing to cooperate.… [N]eighborhood groups can sue property owners in Small Claims Court for allowing a public nuisance to emanate from his/her property.” 

How such neighborhood groups can sue, but still remain anonymous and be shielded from physical and legal retaliation, is not explained in the Vallejo Police Department website. 

Meanwhile, Lenora Moore’s attorney is saying that citizen use of the Small Claims Court for nuisance abatement is not what troubles him about the Oregon Street situation. Anthony says he is more concerned about state law that blacklists a property once any amount of drugs is associated with it. 

“You find one joint or one baggie on the premises and bang!—it’s tied to the whole property,” he said. 

Anthony, who used to work as an attorney for the City of Oakland, said he left the city after suing a 94-year-old North Oakland grandmother in a similar drug nuisance case. 

He now belongs to Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (www.leap.cc), a nationally based organization made up of current and former members of law enforcement who support drug regulation rather than the current drug-banning laws. 

“We’re now seeing the vicious, dirty underbelly of the war on drugs,” Anthony said by telephone. “After throwing a teenager in jail for drug possession, we’re now going after the house of the grandmother where the teenager lived. Those laws are very problematic.”

After two years of labor strife between employees and Library Director Jackie Griffin—and growing discontent with the director from a citizen’s group—Berkeley’s Board of Library Trustees met Saturday behind closed doors to discuss possible litigation threatened by the library director’s attorney, were she to be terminated. 

This information suggests what employees and citizens have suspected—that the Library Trustees are considering terminating the embattled director. 

A memo from the city attorney’s office, first obtained last week under California’s open meeting laws by Councilmember Kriss Worthington, revealed that Jonathan Siegel, Griffin’s attorney, had a telephone conversation with two deputy city attorneys at the end of March.  

“During that conversation Mr. Siegel threatened to file a lawsuit against the board. Mr. Siegel stated that if the board terminated Ms. Griffin, he would file a lawsuit on her behalf alleging wrongful termination,” the memo stated. 

Library Trustees came to no final conclusions at Saturday’s closed-door meeting that lasted some two hours. Because they made no decisions, the trustees are not obliged to share their deliberations with the public. 

And that leads to speculation about the status of the director. 

Among the possible outcomes is that the library director will keep her job, that as an at-will employee, she will lose it, or that she can leave her $131,494 (plus about $66,000 annually in benefits) job with a negotiated settlement.  

“I don’t believe in golden parachutes,” commented Gene Bernardi, a member of SuperBOLD, Super Berkeleyans Organizing for Library Defense—a group that first came together to protest Radio Frequency Identification, chips that, despite community objections, Griffin had imbedded in books. 

Speaking for herself, Bernardi said she thought the director should get “adequate notice and severance pay.” 

If there are settlement negotiations, they must be held behind closed doors, according to Acting City Attorney Zach Cowan. But Bernardi argued that, if such negotiations occur, they should be in the light of day 

“If it’s negotiated in public, we could avoid a golden parachute,” she said. 

Union shop steward Andrea Segall wasn’t thinking about whether the director would be fired or get a negotiated settlement. She said she was simply glad that signs seemed to point to the director’s exit and the end to antagonistic relations with employees, represented by Service Employees International Union Local 535. 

The conflicts began when the director carried through with her proposal for the more-than-$650,000 Radio Frequency Identification program, an expense that resulted in staff layoffs. 

The union has alleged that there was administrative retaliation against employees who have engaged in union activities and spoken out against library policies, exacerbating the conflict. 

“There’s been a climate of incredible fear in the library—now people are afraid to challenge (the director),” Segall said. 

“Our perspective is that we have tried over almost two years in five different venues to affect change,” Segall said. “That cost the city quite a bit of money in staff and consultant time.” 

Anes Partridge, senior field representative with SEIU 535, underscored that the union will keep the pressure on at the library until the personnel files of people disciplined unfairly have been cleared. 

A call to Griffin was returned by Community Relations Librarian Alan Bern, who said the director “can’t comment at this time on internal issues.” A message on the answering machine of her attorney, Jonathan Siegel, said he was away from the office until April 14..

Proposed development on San Pablo Avenue described by one resident as resembling “someone who squeezed into a pair of pants two sizes too small and is bursting at the seams” was narrowly granted a use permit by the Zoning Adjustments Board Thursday. 

The board approved a permit, 5-3 with one abstention, for developer Jim Hart, who plans to erect a five-story, 29,665-square-foot building with 30 condos—including six affordable units—and up to five commercial spaces at 1201 San Pablo Ave., at Harrison Street. 

The site, currently a vacant lot, was formerly used to sell Christmas trees. 

Additional features include an interior, open-air courtyard measuring approximately 20 feet by 103 feet that would provide pedestrian access to residential units, a rear 5-by-130-foot landscaped yard and a 38-space parking garage.  

On the heels of a rigorous 13-month design review process, many residents say they’re glad to see the lot developed. The proposed structure, they say, however, is simply too big.  

“This is a terrible site for a project of this scale,” said Terry Dillon, who lives in the neighborhood, predominantly comprised of one- and two-story homes, in addition to commercial properties, including an auto shop and a Church’s Chicken fast food restaurant on the opposite side of San Pablo. The area is zoned for commercial structures. 

Residents also complained about projected parking problems brought on by 30-plus new neighbors and shop visitors. 

To offset parking shortages, architect Don Mill will install 34 of the 38 spots as electronic lifts, which will stack cars on top of each other. Resident John Arnold fears tenants will park on the street anyway,  

“The lifts are a great solution but they’re inconvenient and residents won’t use them until parking on the street is inconvenient,” he said. 

Traffic congestion was an additional concern. A report prepared by the Oakland-based traffic consultant Dowling Associates found that the proposed development would generate an extra 426 vehicle trips a day, invariably increasing traffic and parking demands. 

However, congestion at studied intersections—San Pablo at Gilman Street and San Pablo at Harrison—would not be “unacceptable,” the report says. 

Many residents begged to differ, insisting that traffic will affect nearby side streets like Stannage Avenue and Kains Street, both north of San Pablo. 

Others worry that the building will set a standard for large-scale development in the San Pablo corridor. The proposed structure on San Pablo is only the second mixed-use housing development proposed in the area. A similar building, under construction at 1406 San Pablo, is three stories tall. 

“This giant building, I feel, is going to set a precedent on San Pablo,” said Susan Cohen. “I think it’s really going to change the nature of the neighborhood and I’m concerned it’s going to turn into something much less pleasant.” 

Resistance to the project is not unanimous, though. 

“Now this vacant lot is going to be a well-designed building, a place that I think will encourage more small businesses,” said Steven Donaldson. Five or six individuals living in the neighborhood share his sentiment, he said in a correspondence to the board last year. 

Some board members who voted in favor of the use permit agreed with residents’ opposition to the project, but could not find grounds on which to reject the proposal.  

“The density is too much for the neighborhood, but we’re not the planning commission, it’s simply not our role to say that,” said board member Bob Allen. “I’m going to have to support the project knowing I’m going to lose some friends in the audience.” 

Allen joined with Jesse Anthony, Rick Judd, Christiana Tiedemann and Peter Levitt in favor of granting a use permit. David Blake, Carrie Sprague and Dean Metzger opposed the project. Andy Katz abstained. 

Opponents have 14 days after the board mails its official decision to appeal to the Berkeley City Council. 

Resident Erika Lamm said neighbors plan to file an appeal. 

Cheryl Chinn received a special delivery Friday: a Tupperware filled to the brim with an oily, murky liquid, and an accompanying note handwritten in marker.  

“Dear Mrs. Chinn,” the letter said. “This is salad dressing for you. It has herbs from the garden. Room 17.” 

Such is a day in the life of Chinn, veteran principal of Malcolm X Arts and Academic Magnet School, where, in an average week, students are planting strawberries, producing full-length musicals, pirouetting in dance class and throwing fresh, campus-grown ingredients into a gourmet salad dressing that Chinn only too gladly taste tests. 

It’s all part of the school’s distinctive blending of arts and academics, an approach to education that has not gone unnoticed.  

In the next week, State Superintendent Jack O’Connell is expected to name Malcolm X a Distinguished School, an honor conferred on schools that display excellence in academics, special programs, community outreach, professional development and other arenas, and meet state and federal testing goals. 

More than 2,000 schools were deemed eligible for the award and fewer than 1,000 applied. Of those, 368 scored high enough—including Malcolm X—to merit visits from a state review team charged with validating applications. Final awardees will be announced by April 18. 

Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) last reaped a Distinguished School award in 2001 with Martin Luther King Middle School. The year before, both Malcolm X and Berkeley Arts Magnet earned the recognition. 

“We’re really pleased that Malcolm X is going for their second award and that in doing so they’re really representing all of Berkeley’s schools,” said district spokesman Mark Coplan. 

Designation as a distinguished school proffers neither money nor glory, only validation, Chinn said. “It’s validation for the people who are working at the school, that their hard work isn’t overlooked,” she said. 

Malcolm X, a school with 377 students and about 20 teachers, was accorded magnet status in 1998 with a $650,000 federal grant distributed over three years for construction, teacher training and arts program development. 

At every grade level, students are exposed to each of the major art forms: visual art, dance, music and drama/creative writing. A kindergartner’s foray into fine art may involve painting stick figures. By fifth grade, she’s experimenting with lighting design.  

“We believe kids learn in different ways,” Chinn said. “Some are strong in academics, others do well in arts. The idea is to educate the whole child.” 

The concept seems simple enough but as standardized testing mandates along with ever-dwindling budgets to divert attention away from the arts, Malcolm X occupies a unique niche, some parents say.  

The school offers “a different way of learning things,” said Terry Young, whose two sons attend Malcolm X. “Geometry comes through in art, or in gardening, there’s math and literature.” 

At Malcolm X, Young’s eldest discovered he likes to dance. Her younger son is taking a shine to cooking class. Typically a picky eater, he now entreats his mother to purchase beets (“beets!” she said) and gives recipe suggestions to boot.  

“The kids love the program here,” she said. “Stuff like this is so important.” 

Malcolm X was abuzz Friday, the last day of school before spring break and the date when state assessors were scheduled to visit. Fifth-graders had just completed a production of the musical School House Rock and were regrouping to perform again that evening. A break in the rain allowed students to run around outside, while others stayed indoors cooking up a carrot soup replete with fresh ingredients. Sarita Johnson’s second-graders were shopping for books and other goodies with fake money, a weekly activity that gives students a hands-on method for counting change, Johnson said. 

Before class let out, Johnson led her students down to the school garden, where they picked up pots of strawberries they had planted a week earlier in honor of Cesar Chavez Day. 

The garden, with mustard plants, fava beans, sour lettuce and other edible plants, is built, planted, maintained—and eaten—by students, said Rivka Mason, Malcolm X garden teacher and coordinator for 10 years. 

Community members also contribute to the garden, she said. The cob greenhouse where students left their strawberry plants to grow was assembled with the help of local architect John Fordice. 

“The crucial part of any school is the collaboration of teachers, principals, the parents, the community,” Mason said. “As a unified, diverse school, we all come together. I just feel honored being here.” 

Photograph by Suzanne La Barre 

Clara Monk, a second-grader at Malcolm X, shows off strawberry sprouts she planted a week earlier in honor of Cesar Chavez Day..

The battle between a developer and neighborhood preservationists in the city’s Sisterna Tract Historic District continues, in part because city staff failed to date a key document. 

The struggle has pitted developer Gary Feiner and architect Timothy Rempel against property owners who live near two Sixth Street projects within the new district. 

The dispute landed back on the agenda of Berkeley Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) Thursday after neighbors discovered that Feiner’s contractor had demolished the roof and most of the walls of a Victorian cottage he is turning into a multi-unit residential building at 2104 Sixth St. 

Though Feiner wasn’t at the meeting, Rempel told commissioners a contractor had “innocently removed the roof as a safety hazard.” 

The old roof has been replaced with a steel-framed roof, he said, and the walls will be replaced with materials that match what was removed. 

“We will restore it with historically appropriate siding and trim and bring all the period detailing back to where it should be,” he said. 

Rempel was accompanied by attorney John Gutierrez, who lamented that “Gary Feiner’s progress through this body and the Zoning Adjustments Board has been one of the most tortuous activities anyone has ever had to go through.” 

Neighbors scoffed, and urged the commission to recommend that the Zoning Adjustment Board deny Feiner approval of a retroactive demolition permit that would regularize his project. Under the city’s Landmark Preservation Ordinance, the LPC rules on alteration permits but is not able to deny applications for permits to demolish historic resources. 

But the commissioners couldn’t act on this matter at all because it was not legally before them—the city’s Planning Department had failed to date the Initial Study and proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration included in their packets, which ordinarily would be submitted to the LPC for recommendations to ZAB. 

“Just say no,” said Elise Blumenfeld, who with her spouse and fellow psychotherapist Neal is co-owner of the Victorian at 2112 Sixth St. 

Neighbor Sandy Kasten said that Feiner had removed exterior features that had been singled out for preservation in the landmarking document. 

“All that’s left is part of the exterior siding on the north side,” she said. Approving the demolition, she said, “would be a slap in the face” to neighbors. 

While Rempel denied knowing about the demolition until after it occurred, neighbor Sarah Satterlee called the claim ridiculous. “He lives and works a block away, and his wife is project manager.” 

Rempel angrily declared that his wife was only briefly in charge of the project, but Satterlee produced a Dec. 28 e-mail which seemed to contradict him. 

Neighbor Jano Bogg charged that Feiner had removed the fence that separates the home from his property and replaced it with one higher than city code permits. 

“He claims he didn’t know his contractor had inadvertently knocked down my fence,” said Bogg, who described himself as an outraged neighbor. 

Rempel said the building permit called for replacement of some sections of the fence. 

Planning Director Dan Marks said that “because an ongoing project is being delayed, there is some interest to see it moved forward as quickly as we can.” 

But he also realized the commission couldn’t act because the document in question hadn’t been properly submitted. 

Marks said the corrected declaration would be mailed out the following day. 

Once the document is issued, the commission will have 21 days to comment— but because their next meeting isn’t until May 4, it could reach the Zoning Adjustment Board before the next LPC meeting. 

LPC members then voted to allow their project subcommittee to comment on the document and submit their remarks to ZAB. 

While some commissioners voiced their unhappiness with the developer, member Gary Parsons said he believed the demolition had been an honest mistake. Several of the neighbors shook their heads at the comment. 

The demolition marks merely the latest twist in a project that has been colored by considerable acrimony and delays. It was Feiner’s plans for a much larger pair of projects that triggered the move to create the historic district, which commemorates a working-class neighborhood from the city’s earliest years. 

The project was scaled down after the district was formed and the designs altered to fit in better with the Victorian streetscape, despite Feiner’s protests.  

New landmark 

The commission voted unanimously to declare the house at 2667-69 Le Conte Ave. as Berkeley’s newest landmark. 

Designed by John Hudson Thomas, the building is the architect’s only creation sided with wooden shingles. 

The structure has been sitting vacant, and several windows are broken, much to the dismay of some commissioners..

City landmarks commissioners took up matters concerning construction at UC Berkeley twice Thursday night—once as a pitch about a massive new project at and around Memorial Staduim and again to set a hearing on landmarking the Bevatron. 

University officials, led by Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor for Physical and Environmental Planning Emily Marthinsen, faced some tough questions and comments from members of the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) and from audience members as well. 

The university plans to spend nearly a third of a billion dollars on new buildings near the stadium and on a retrofit of the stadium itself that will include a “tiara” of press and luxury sky boxes that will add 50 percent to the height of the venerable structure’s western side. 

Also planned is a 186,000-square-foot athletic training center at the base of the western wall, a multi-level semi-underground parking structure to the northwest, a new building combining functions of the law and business schools and work on the Piedmont Avenue streetscape. 

The university came to the LPC because the project calls for demolition of landmarked houses on Piedmont and will impact the streetscape, which is itself a landmark designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of New York’s Central Park and the founder of American landscape architecture. 

Memorial Stadium, designed by Berkeley architect John Galen Howard, is also the subject of a current national landmark application, written by preservationist John English, who was the first to speak in the public comment session following the UC presentation. 

“There’s something terribly wrong with the whole approach” to the stadium project, English said. “They are trashing the historic character of the stadium.” 

English cited the university’s own historic structures report of 1999, which declared that “no additions or alterations should project above the historic rim.” 

As a result of the addition of skyboxes on the western side and other additions on the east run, many historic elements would be obstructed or severely altered, he said, as would be views from nearby neighborhoods. 

Gary Parsons, an architect and one of the commission’s newest members, said he was troubled by the renderings presented by the university. 

“They are misrepresentations,” he said, which were not done to scale or dimension. 

Views of the stadium itself either failed to include the above-the-rim sky and press boxes or did so using only dashed lines, he said. 

“In other hearings, it’s been described as a tiara,” he said. “I get a little worked up about being shown things not as they will be.” 

Robert Johnson, who was elected to chair the LPC later in the meeting because Jill Korte had finished her statutory maximum of two years at the helm, said he was shocked by the stadium plans. 

“It scares me,” he said, noting that modern additions had destroyed the historic character of Soldier Field in Chicago. 

“Do we really need something that adds 50 percent to the height of the stadium?” he asked. 

“In my mind, this project trashes the historic environment,” said LPC member Lesley Emmington. 

Commissioner Steven Winkel said he wanted to see the alternative projects spelled out in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on the project, a document that UCB Principal Planner Jennifer Lawrence said should be ready by the beginning of May. 

Emmington said the commission would need more than the 30 days allotted for comments to prepare a response to the EIR—especially if the document wasn’t ready in time for the commission’s next meeting May 4. 

Lawrence said she would take up the request for an extension with university officials, but offered no promises. 

LPC members then voted to appoint a subcommittee consisting of Parsons, Emmington, Carrie Olson and Fran Packard to work on a response to the EIR. 

Other audience comments focused on traffic impacts, the addition of increased density in the town’s most densely inhabited sector and the wisdom of adding massive new construction immediately atop or adjacent to the Hayward Fault.  

Bevatron 

L.A. Wood and Pamela Shivola presented the commission with the latest draft of their application to landmark the Bevatron at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a structure that housed the equipment for the experiments that won four Nobel Prizes for university faculty. 

Operating between 1954 and 1993 in Building 51 at the lab, the Bevatron contraction from “billion electron volts”—smashed subatomic particles together at speeds high enough to shatter them into their previously undetected subcomponents, such as the anti-proton, the particle discovered by Owen Chamberlain and Emilio Segre in a Nobel-winning discovery. 

Chamberlain, who died Feb. 28, was a passionate advocate of preserving the Bevatron and Building 51. 

Shivola told commissioners that Shivola told commissioners that Chamberlain hoped the building could be converted into an educational and historic resource. “It’s unique in the world,” she said. 

Built between 1949 and 1954, the particle accelerator and the surrounding structure are slated for demolition by the lab, which is a U.S. Department of Energy facility. 

Critics of demolition consist of those who fear the public health consequences of the demolition and removal of a building loaded with asbestos, lead and radionucleides and those who say that the massive structure is both a testament to groundbreaking research and to the legacy of the government-sponsored “big science” of the Cold War era. 

So large is the structure, Wood said, that most of Memorial Stadium could fit inside its walls. 

The commission will consider the landmark application during their May meeting. 

The application, with links to historic documents and photos, is available at Wood’s website, berkeleycitizen.org. 

Rad Hotel 

While she didn’t mention the project during the meeting, Shivola later faxed reporters a message to call their attention to one of the projects listed in the lab’s environmental assessment on the demolition project, which lists projects planned in the area of the building. 

Page 88 of the document reports that the lab plans to build a 60-room guest house for visiting scientists near the structure, to provide low-cost accommodations for scientists and students visiting the lab’s facilities—which include the Advanced Light Source, the National Center for Electron Microscopy, the lab’s cyclotron facility and the soon-to-be opened Molecular Foundry. 

The facility, which Shivola dubbed “the Rad Hotel,” would encompass 25,000 square feet in the three-story building. 

As currently planned, construction would begin in February 2007 and be completed in June 2008. 

A crowd gathered Thursday on Bancroft Way outside UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law to denounce the United States’ role in torture, the centralization of federal power in the executive branch and Boalt Hall Professor John Yoo, the man protesters condemn as the author of these policies. 

“Some of you know that John Yoo, who is on the faculty here at Boalt Law School, is the primary legal architect of the torture policy and of the policy that the president is above the law,” said Graduate Theological Union instructor Taigen Leighton, speaking at the vigil and teach-in that drew more than 30 people. 

Although Yoo is away on sabbatical for the spring semester, protesters have held vigils weekly since early February to remind the campus community that the former Bush advisor works among them, organizers said, underscoring that they seek to challenge Yoo’s ideas, not to limit his academic freedom. 

The Daily Planet was unsuccessful in attempts to reach Yoo by e-mail for comment. Calls to the dean of the law school and the law school public information office were not answered before deadline.  

Yoo, who joined the law school faculty in 1993, is known for the “torture memo” he wrote when working at the Department of Justice in 2002, arguing that fighters captured by U.S. troops in Afghanistan are not covered by the Geneva Conventions, which make mistreatment of prisoners of war illegal. 

George W. Bush has also relied on Yoo’s legal advice to argue that wiretap laws do not apply to the president. 

Speaking at the vigil, American Civil Liberties Union attorney Davis Riemer said that Bush’s move to consolidate power in the executive, “if left unchallenged, will leave a legacy that will fundamentally alter the balance of power in our constitutional democracy.” 

A strong judiciary is required in questions of surveillance, he said. 

Warrantless wiretaps “sound like the George against whom we fought the Revolutionary War, not like the George we would elect in a democratic process,” he said. 

Most of the protesters Thursday were affiliated with one of the organizing groups—American Friends Service Committee, The World Can’t Wait, Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Code Pink, St. Joseph the Worker Social Justice Committee and others.  

Few students stopped to listen to the speakers or view the images of torture victims. Ima Davis, with The World Can’t Wait organization, said she was demoralized “passing out flyers and people just passing by. I’ve been noticing that these people, who are my peers—because they’re just about my age—are not taking flyers and just walking by, or even acknowledging that torturing is going on or stopping to find out what is happening right now. 

“It will keep on happening if people don’t come out and speak out against it. That’s what I’m trying to do,” Davis said. 

The Thursday protests continue through May. On April 14 Andres Contera, on the staff of the radio news magazine “Democracy Now!,” and whose family was tortured in Uruguay, will speak at 4:30 p.m. about United States’ torture in Latin American and the relevance to Bush’s torture policy today. Information can be found on the Buddhist Peace Fellowship web site. 

Photograph by Judith Scherr 

Craig McClaeb is among protesters Thursday at UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall condemning Professor John Yoo, whose legal advice to the president has permitted torture of prisoners.

Responding to Mayor Tom Bates’s proposal to weaken the city’s landmarks ordinance, Berkeley preservationists say they’ll be taking the issue to the voters. 

Computer security consultant Roger Marquis told the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) Thursday that he’ll present them with a copy of the initiative at their meeting May 4. 

“Right now we’re calling it the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance 2006 Update Initiative,” said Marquis, who is spokesperson for the committee preparing the measure. 

Meanwhile, Planning Director Dan Marks told the commission his staff is drafting a formal version of the mayor’s proposal, which will also be presented to the council in May. 

Marks said either he or Deputy City Attorney Dan Marks would make the presentation. 

“The mayor has prepared revisions that would significantly weaken the ordinance,” Marquis told the commission. “We are preparing an initiative to put an updated version of the current ordinance before the voters.” 

Marquis said the initiative would include an ordinance similar to the proposal drafted by the LPC. Another version had been drafted by the Planning Commission, and the mayor’s version incorporated features of both. 

Mayor’s revisions 

Marks said his staff is preparing two versions of the ordinance offering different treatments of the city’s most controversial landmark category, the structure of merit. 

These are typically buildings that have been significantly altered since their construction but which still contain significant features of the original. The other category, landmark, is usually bestowed on a more pristine structure. 

In one version of the ordinance Marks is preparing, the structure of merit designation and the protections it carries could only be applied within designated historic districts. 

That version is strongly backed by developers and attorney Rena Rickles, who frequently appears to argue their cases before city commissions and the council. 

A second version would continue the present law’s practice of allowing its application anywhere in the city.  

In both proposals, a landmark category of designation could be named anywhere in the city. 

Marquis said his version will also allow its applicability throughout the city, a position backed by the LPC majority. 

Both the landmark and structure of merit designations carry protections under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). 

Marks said the mayor’s ordinance would also include a third, new form of designation called a “neighborhood point of interest,” which would carry no CEQA protections. 

The mayor’s proposal also calls for the creation of a new city post, Historic Preservation Officer, who would also serve as the LPC’s secretary. Marks said current LPC Secretary Janet Homrighausen would be well-qualified for the post. 

The mayor’s proposal also creates a new process called a Request for Determination, which would allow owners to determine if their properties might be potential landmarks.  

LPC member Carrie Olson had few kind words for the mayor and his proposal. 

“It was worthy of Tom Delay,” said Olson, comparing Bates to the now discredited House GOP leader. “At the very last minute he added structures of merit only in historic districts. There was no opportunity for public comment ... this guy learned his craft well in Sacramento”—referring to the mayor’s years in the state Assembly. 

Initiative proposal 

Marquis said his group’s initiative “basically updates the current ordinance with a few changes to reference the state Permit Streamlining Act and its timeline, and incorporates a few other changes recommended by the state Office of Historic Preservation.” 

The current ordinance was adopted in 1974, a year after Berkeley voters approved the Neighborhood Preservation Ordinance that mandated the landmarks ordinance (LPO). 

The initiative, which will require 2,007 valid signatures of Berkeley voters to qualify for the November ballot, will preserve the existing structure of merit category, he said. 

“Structures of merit are basically local resources that may or may not be eligible for the state or national registers (of historic places), but they are important elements of the neighborhood context,” Marquis said. 

The LPO proponent said he didn’t want to get into more specifics of any changes in the proposed initiative until the committee’s attorneys had finished vetting the draft, which should happen later this week. 

Marquis said the initiative will include a call for a survey to identify potential landmarks, something the mayor has also called for. 

“The mayor and the planning department say they want a survey but the city already lost out on a $25,000 grant to conduct a survey because they didn’t apply on time,” said Marquis.  

Marquis said proponents expect to face an intense campaign against the initiative, financed by developers—who are largely critical of the existing ordinance, and especially of the structure of merit. 

“Fortunately, Berkeley voters tend to take the time to look behind the rhetoric,” he said. 

Marquis said the ordinance would concentrate new development on vacant sites, including the locations of old gas stations, rather than on sites occupied by 19th-century Victorians and other historic structures..

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series of interviews with local elected officials. 

Daily Planet: Where were you born and where did you grow up, and how does that affect to how you regard the issues in Berkeley and in your district? 

Kris Worthington: I was in foster homes in Pennsylvania and New Jersey at a very early age, until I was 11 years old when I was adopted. And that was in Bucks County Pennsylvania, a place where at the age of 11 I knew that I was a Democrat and I was very much in the minority. ... I knew that if you believed in things and you’re fighting for things that it doesn’t matter whether you’re a majority or a minority you just work for the things that you believe in. 

I think that being a foster child has influenced the way I see the world, it influences my sympathy for people who are in difficult situations. ... I think supporting social services and putting money into social service programs to support young people is one of the most important things in the world. That is a major dynamic in Berkeley in terms of our budget. 

We’ve been cutting important social services in Berkeley unnecessarily with the excuse that we don’t have money. At the same time we have millions of extra dollars rolling in from the transfer of property tax being way over budget. But that goes to special designated things at the same time that we’re cutting very precious valuable human services. 

What is your educational background, and how did that help prepare you for being a councilmember? 

KW: When I graduated from high school I took courses at Wilmington College, a Quaker school in Wilmington, Ohio. I didn’t graduate from Wilmington College and I moved to Cambridge and took extension courses at Harvard which were the most demanding and the most educational of any courses I ever took anywhere. 

There are things about the practical real world that nobody ever teaches you. Like when I first got elected I guess I was really shocked to find out that elected officials do not read their packets. That is not said in any way to disparage anybody on the City Council. Now I understand that it’s not just in Berkeley but all over the country and probably all over the world elected officials do not have the time or take the time to read the stuff they’re voting on. It’s just not done. 

And, in fact, one of the mayors from another city nearby laughed at me when I admitted that I actually read our council packets. He thought it was a joke. I like to know what I’m voting on. So there are certain little things like that no education is going to prepare you for. 

I guess my education also didn’t prepare me to understand the personal animosity and political in-fighting. .... You can’t just have a good idea and put it out there. You have to be really persistent and push and push and push in order to get even popular ideas accomplished. 

I guess I feel that my volunteer activities with all the different non-profit groups and political groups that I volunteered with, like my volunteering with the Sierra Club and with neighborhood associations and The National Organization for Women and NAACP, groups that I’ve been a board member of for many years and an activist for many years, that prepared me for City Council a thousand times more than any or all of the classes that I ever took anywhere.  

What are the top three most pressing issues facing your district? 

KW: One, is affordable housing. The costs of rents is outrageously high in Berkeley. No matter how many times Gordon Wozniak lies and says things are great for tenants and that we should take away the tenants’ protections because everything is so wonderful it is tough to get an affordable place to live in Berkeley ... People who work in Berkeley would love to live in Berkeley but they are not even poor. They are middle class. They can’t afford to live here. So I would say that the affordability of housing, both rental and ownership, is one of the most important issues that affect people in Berkeley and what the quality of life is in Berkeley. Right now Berkeley has policies that if you build condos none of your units have to be affordable: at 30 percent, 50 percent, 80 percent or even 100 percent AMI (Area Median Income). It is outrageous that Berkeley, a supposedly progressive bastion, has worse policies on this than most other cities in the state. And we allow developers to say ‘Oh well, I can’t make enough profit so I need to charge 120 percent AMI for my (so called) affordable units’. I think it’s a stretch to say 80 percent units are actually affordable. What we desperately need is units at 30 percent and 50 percent Area Median Income. At least when we had a law where there were 80 percent units it could help the lower middle class. A hundred percent AMI is a lot of money. I think that’s one of the glaring outrages. 

The other two biggest things are traffic and transportation issues and public safety. People feeling it’s dangerous to have speeding cars going down the streets. The volume and velocity of the vehicles. Also, how much money is going to go in traffic and how much is going to go in highways. 

Do you agree with the direction the city is heading in. Why or why not? 

KW: That depends on what subject you look at. I think Berkeley has a lot of wonderful people that are working for the city doing really good things... 

There are some issues where we are stumbling or falling backwards. It’s rare now that we’re the first city to do progressive things. ... We should have solarized every public building we own by now and we are not even close. The tree ordinance: Certainly there are many, many cities that have a better tree ordinance than Berkeley. 

I think the single biggest glaring problem with city government is land use. Anyone that has to deal with land use is being thrust into an insane situation. And this is whether you’re a developer trying to build something or whether you’re a home owner trying to do something for your house. The process is absurd. You’re supposed to show up at this meeting at 7, like the zoning board, and sign a card in order to speak at 10 or 11 or sometimes public hearings start after 12. You can leave and come back. Either we make you make two trips or we make you sit there for hours and hours and hours listening to cases that have no interest to you. That is so undemocratic. 

And then within land use, I see it as corruption, because of campaign contributions to certain politicians, the city has illegally and or immorally approved certain projects or given them special treatment. I think it’s unfair to the other developers that one developer gets told ‘Oh, you don’t have to follow the rules. We will let you not do your environmental review. We’ll take the low income money and give it to you for projects that are not low income.’ And we have a history of that happening here in Berkeley. ... 

We have so little money for low income housing. How can you justify stealing the low income money to support higher income housing? If you want to create a pool of money to fund middle class housing I would vote for that, but don’t steal the money from the low income housing fund in order to give it to the middle income housing.... 

Even the Downtown Plan recently, which was staffed with pro-growth, built lots of things and didn’t get students’ perspectives and minority peoples’ perspectives or poor peoples’ perspectives. Even those people, the elitist big name people, all agree that the most important thing in planning is to have consistency. You can’t have favoritism for certain developers. I believe that all four panelists agreed with that concept, that you really need to have consistency. And what Berkeley has is a consistency that certain big campaign contributions corruptly get favoritist treatment. I think that is a major problem that we need to fix and it’s going to affect the whole future of Berkeley because when people are upset over land use things that are done corruptly, then they vote against ballot measures to fund things that they actually support... 

The integrity of our planning process has got to be restored. That’s one of the reasons why I support public finance of elections to take away some of the stench of certain developers and corporate interests. In Berkeley, even though the developers’ campaign contribution is only $250 and that developer can only give $250, we have had cases where one developer gets many thousands of dollars to a councilman. Are those councilmembers going to turn around vote against that developer? It could happen but it makes it a lot harder. I see that as one of our big problems that’s affecting the faith and confidence of the people in the city.  

What is your opinion of the proposal to develop a new downtown plan and the settlement with the University of California over its Long Range Development Plan? 

KW: From a taxpayer point of view I think it’s outrageous that the university, which is clearly legally obligated to pay us over a $1 million for sewers, is being allowed under this agreement to pay $200,000 for sewers. So the taxpayers of Berkeley have to subsidize somewhere between $1 million to $2.4 million dollars that pretty much every lawyer agrees that the university has to pay. 

From a taxpayers’ point a view this settlement is outrageous. ... It makes no logical sense to take less money for everything than you’re owed for one thing. Separate from that is the whole factor of the secrecy. There is no legal requirement that this deal had to be kept secret ... It is a horrible violation of open government that one or two people behind the scene are going to make this secret. I think the secrecy is more outrageous then the agreement. One of the ironies of this is , and I haven’t seen this publicized in any newspaper, is that Chancellor Bergineau offered the city in writing basically as much money as this offer before the lawsuit even happened. So if the City Council was to settle for this pathetic pittance that doesn’t even pay the legal bills the university actually owes us, why would they get anybody in an uproar?... 

The priorities that could have and should have been fought for that affect the quality of life in Berkeley. ... We could dedicate one half of one percent of a project budget as transportation mitigation and provide free public transit to every single UC employee. Even if it only got 5 percent of employees from driving their cars it would dramatically reduce the need for parking. It would improve public transit. And it would benefit UC’s employees. This could have been a wonderful thing that benefits the neighborhoods by reducing traffic.... 

This secret settlement let down the students, let down the employees and was a giant disappointment to the neighborhood people who were promised by Tom Bates repeatedly that they would get to see this agreement.... It will be hurting the taxpayers of Berkeley for many, many years to come. 

How do you think the mayor is doing at his position? Are you considering running for mayor, and if so, what changes would you try to make? 

KW: I can’t answer that question here in this building. 

Has Berkeley’s recent development boom been beneficial for the city? What new direction, if any, should the city’s development take over the next decade? 

KW: Building more housing is a good thing to do. But to the extent that much that has been built is so expensive, it’s not very helpful. And because of our policies, This whole thing of allowing them to do 120 percent AMI, these hundreds of hundreds of condo units that are coming in effectively have not one affordable unit. So I don’t think this benefits the city an awful lot to have hundreds of hundreds of really expensive condos.... 

We need to strongly support our industrial area because we have the West Berkeley Plan. That means we’re providing frequently union or union scale salaries to a bunch of people who don’t have to have college degrees. So, we’re giving working class people the chance to have a good salary by keeping our manufacturing.... 

We need to make a real priority for affordable housing. Fund the housing trust fund. Fund the general fund. We have to give the one or two affordable housing projects that come through the City Council enormous support and help them to succeed. And we’re not doing that sufficiently from my point of view. 

I think affordable housing projects should be moved to the front of the line. There are so few of them. We really need to fix the chaos and confusion of our whole land use process. The very first item on the agenda should be the land use public hearing. 

How would you characterize the political climate in Berkeley these days? 

KW: The political climate in Berkeley among the people is great. There are a lot of progressive people providing leadership to local, state, national and international campaigns and issues. We have people in Berkeley that are rocking the world and the nation. The whole MoveOn campaign is the most prominent example that mobilized and organized tens of thousands of people all over the country. ... There are many activists that are doing a phenomenal job. The climate among City Council is not reflective of the people of Berkeley and that’s sad. 

What is your favorite thing about Berkeley? 

KW: My favorite thing about Berkeley is its diversity and its creativity and progressiveness.  

What is your least favorite thing about Berkeley? 

KW: There are two things that are equal and I don’t know which is worse. The corruption in land use decisions and favoritism to certain developers. And [the other is] the hypocrisy in city government.?

Eye check-ups topped the list of “to-do things” for homeless kids attending Berkeley’s “Youth Connect” event at the Youth Emergency Assistance Hostel (YEAH!) on April 3. 

Piper, a regular at YEAH!, had attended the event primarily for the free eye check-ups and the glasses that were to follow on Friday. 

Out of the more than 20 who got their eyes checked for free that evening, 11 of them received free glasses from Lens Crafters last Friday morning.  

“Our Executive Director Sharon Hawkins Leyden went and picked up the glasses on Friday morning and the kids got them at 10 a.m. They were all very happy to receive new glasses and are wearing them right now,” said Terri Fletcher, case manager and supervisor for YEAH!  

Minors who were present for check-ups at the Berkeley Mental Health booth that day have also been assigned case managers for weekly check-ups. Out of the 60 kids who attended the event, six will be receiving free weekly check-ups. 

Robert Myers, who receives housing vouchers to stay in an Oakland hotel through a mental health program, had his prescriptions refilled at the medical clinic and received new lenses last week. 

The free day passes picked up from the YMCA will now help kids to access the gym when they want to.  

Those who were deemed eligible to receive bus passes under AC Transit’s disability or youth quotas had their passes mailed to YEAH! last week. They now need to take their passes to AC Transit in downtown Oakland and pick up the pass stickers before they can start using them.  

Medical appointments were made at Lifeline Clinic in Berkeley. 

Alameda County’s general assistance program is giving out government aid in the form of food stamps and cash to minors who signed up for it.  

“Many housing programs require a percentage of your income in order to become eligible. Since most kids don’t have any kind of income the cash helps them to take care of it,” Fletcher told the Planet. 

Although the amount does not usually go over $450, it is need-based and varies from person to person. The follow-up for this kind of government public aid to the kids will be carried out this week, added Fletcher. 

Berkeley Library cards were also handed out that day. 

Julie Sinai, senior aide to Mayor Tom Bates and one of the event co-ordinators, told the Planet that the ultimate goal for the Youth Connect event was “to follow up on the services performed that day.”  

“We want to utilize this opportunity to connect with as many service providers as possible,” she said. “This is the first tIme we are all coming together under one roof. Instead of having to go to each of these providers, the providers are coming to the kids. This is the first of its kind in Berkeley.” 

“We got to connect, to see the faces behind the names, to know who’s doing what,” said Marcela Smid, a UC Berkeley grad student and a volunteer for the Suitcase Clinic. “The three most important things were perhaps vision, HIV, and dental check-ups. Veternary care for the kids’ pets came a close second.” 

The idea for Youth Connect originated when Bates visited YEAH! last January. 

“After talking to kids, Mayor Bates realized what their concerns were, what it was that they wanted to see,” Cisco De Vries, chief of staff to the mayor, told the Planet. “Needs such as veterinary care for the kids’ dogs is often overlooked. But we talked to service providers and made sure that all these things were included. We plan to host Youth Connect at least three to four times a year. The service providers are very enthusiastic about it and we might even include new services next year. We will continue talking to young people to learn how things worked out for them and how we can help them even more.” 

Mayor Bates’ office coordinated with YEAH!, the Suitcase Clinic, Fred Finch Youth Center and the City of Berkeley departments of Housing, and Health and Human Services to set up the event. It was co-sponsored by assemblywoman Lori Hancock and Supervisor Keith Carson. 

Youth Connect is modeled on a San Francisco-based youth connect program. YEAH! is also working with Mayor Tom Bates’ office on a project called “Homeward Bound,” which reunites homeless kids with their families if it is deemed appropriate to do so.  

Monday was a sad day for YEAH! as it marked the end of the winter shelter program that had housed almost 40 street kids every night since last November. 

“Some of the kids will be seeking shelter at Dwight Way Women’s Shelter, the others at the Fred Finch Youth House, and a few more at Harrison House,” Fletcher told the Planet. 

Although arrangements were being made to provide long-term housing services to kids at YEAH! for sometime now, the Youth Connect event played an important role in providing placements to those who wanted it. 

Carjacked 

A pair of brazen bandits robbed a 28-year-old Berkeley man of his wallet and took his car on a two-block joyride before abandoning it to flee further by means unknown. 

It was just before 1:20 a.m. Saturday and the Berkeley man had just pulled up to park across the street from his home in the 2300 block of Derby Street, when two young men walked up to his car. 

One yanked open the driver’s side door and pulled him out as the other yelled “Gimme your wallet!” 

The man complied, and the pair then leapt into his car, a Toyota Scion, and sped off. 

Berkeley Police spokesperson Officer Ed Galvan said the car was recovered two blocks away. 

Two men matching the bandits’ descriptions—young men, one in a black hoodie and the other wearing a brown one— were apprehended, but the victim was unable to make an ID, Galvan said. 

Armed robbery 

A armed robber brandishing a small folding knife pulled two separate capers minutes apart in the Telegraph Avenue district early Saturday morning, according to UC Berkeley Police Chief Victoria Harrison. 

The first incident was reported at 4:05 a.m., when Berkeley police were called to the intersection of Dwight Way and Hillegass Avenue. They found a man who said he’d just been robbed of his valuables. 

A minute later, Berkeley police were called again, this time by a woman who reported being robbed of a small sum of cash by the fellow near the corner of Dwight Way and Telegraph. 

The suspect is described as a short (5’4” to 5’6”) African-American man in his early 20s sporting a light-colored stone in an earring in his left ear who wore a gold jacket and carried an umbrella. 

Bogus bill 

When a 30-year-old Oakland man tried to pass a bogus $100 bill in Thalassa Billiards at 2367 Shattuck Ave. this weekend, an alert employee spotted the fake and called police. 

The counterfeit C-note passer was booked on suspicion of hanging bad paper and for violation of his parole, Galvan said.

Last Friday we found ourselves in Oakland at lunch time, in fact in the Old Oakland area near Ninth and Broadway where the Friday Farmers’ Market is held. Every farmers’ market has its own personality.  

The Berkeley ones are all-organic and almost painfully sincere, shrines for those who take food very seriously indeed. The Ferry Plaza market in San Francisco is upscale, with gem-like produce surrounded by luxury accoutrements.  

The Old Oakland market is different, because it’s the closest one to Oakland’s booming Chinatown, which is a real shopping area for locals, not a tourist destination like San Francisco Chinatown. It features uncommon Asian fruits and vegetables, and I’ve even seen live chickens and fish, presumably for shoppers to dispatch at home before cooking. It’s also a showcase for ready-to-eat food prepared by small-time enterprises and at-home cooks, reflecting the scope of the whole international Bay Area population mix. 

Because we were in a hurry, we decided to settle for the first stall on the Broadway end of Ninth Street, especially because it had a substantial though fast-moving line. All Star Tamales, which seems to sell only at farmers’ markets, has the most amazing variety of tamales I’ve ever seen—I have no idea if they’re authentic, but they certainly taste good and are cheap: two for $4.75. Nine or 10 choices, among them green pasilla, chicken mole, picadillo. 

There were a few plastic picnic tables behind the stalls, so we ordered our tamales “for here” and sat down. We shared a table with a group of young women who seemed to be taking a lunch break from an office where they all worked. They looked like they’d just left one of the Eileen Fisher clothing ads in the New Yorker, which feature a variety of cheerful normal-looking multi-ethnic women who aren’t necessarily professional models, a veritable bouquet of fresh faces of many colors. One of them, seemingly Latina, explained to the others how tamales were made in her family for special occasions, and they all then resolved to get together soon for a tamale-making lesson. The supplied salsas were too hot for some and not hot enough for others. (By now the reader is probably wondering if this is an editorial or a restaurant review, but never fear, the moral of the story is coming in due time.)  

When we finished eating, we looked around for a trash can, but what we found instead was a very elderly bent-over Asian lady with a little plastic shopping bag, who took our used plates with a smile in exchange for a bit of small change. All in all, a good lunch and a pleasant experience on a nice day in Oakland. 

And the moral of the story?  

Last week the big boys in Washington thought they were going to settle the immigration question once and for all. They made a deal, divvied up the spoils, and planned to get out of town fast. But the American people had other ideas, and let them know in a hurry. Hundreds of thousands of Americans, many but not all from Spanish-speaking roots, took to the street to let the country know that they won’t stand for having people who have come to this country without proper paperwork turned into felons.  

The first demonstrations in Los Angeles surprised some commentators, but not others, since the Spanish-speaking population of southern California has been vocal and politically active for a long time now. But when demonstrations took place Monday all over the rural South, that was news. The Associated Press reported with some amazement from North Carolina that “more than 200 people walked five miles along a highway in Smithfield, about 30 miles southeast of Raleigh in Johnston County, many carrying American flags and wearing white.” 

The polls this week suggest that demonstrators have pretty good underlying support from about three quarters of all Americans, not just from Spanish-speaking respondents, if the question is whether those who have been in this country for five years and stayed out of trouble should be allowed to stay on. The California Field Poll dispelled a pervasive myth, that African-Americans might be anti-immigrant because they feared competition for low-end jobs. Eighty-two percent of the African-Americans polled by Field were in favor of letting those who are here stay on without being criminalized for undocumented entry. Other more complicated questions produce somewhat different numbers in polls, but over all it’s quite clear that most Americans like having the Latin immigrants here, however they came. 

And why shouldn’t we? After our pleasant farmers’ market lunch we reflected, and not for the first time, that it’s possible to get many of the supposed benefits of world travel without the hassle and expense, almost any day and almost anywhere in the Bay Area. We stay home and the world comes to us. What could be nicer?  

The stereotype is that immigrants do jobs that Americans won’t do, and like many stereotypes there’s some truth in it. The old lady who picks up the lunchtime trash has indeed created a unique niche for herself in a self-service economy, one that I’ve seen in Asia but not in this country before. She gets out of the house into the sunshine, picks up a little pocket money, and the street stays cleaner. What’s not to like?  

There are vexing unsolved questions, to be sure. Under the present situation, there’s a temptation for employers to exploit undocumented workers and exclude native-born workers because they know that people whose immigration status is shaky won’t be able to complain. One good remedy is to remove the temptation and level the playing field by mandating that a living wage must be paid to all workers, native born and immigrants, citizens and non-citizens alike. That’s happening in some places, including Berkeley. Though enforcement could be better, it’s already working pretty well. 

B

It’s been an established tradition on these opinion pages that we print almost everything we get that’s borderline literate. We accommodate even those correspondents who are spelling or grammar challenged, bringing their output up to normal print standards for the pleasure of our readers. We do have a few correspondents who, though literate enough, are so obsessed with one topic that they run the risk of boring the audience to death.  

This is the situation with regard to two or three writers who are fervent partisans of the state of Israel, and who have decided that Berkeley in general and the Berkeley Daily Planet in particular have major responsibilities for the woes now besetting that nation. We imagine our readers have somewhat limited tolerance for repeated charges that Hamas won the recent Palestinian election because of something done by judicious, mild-mannered Berkeley Councilmember Linda Maio. Ms. Maio might hope to be firing shots heard round the world from Berkeley’s Old City Hall council chambers, but an intelligent analysis would suggest that the Hamas electoral victory might also have something to do with Israel’s actions. We’ll leave that to our correspondents to discuss, which we have no doubt they will do at exhausting length. They’re already starting in this issue.  

What we’d like to address instead are the out-of-bounds attempts in various arenas to squelch discussion of the controversy. A recent issue of The Nation documented two instances of pressure from pro-Israel quarters being applied to artists in connection with the planned New York Theatre Workshop appearance of the long-running Royal Court Theatre of London’s production of “I Am Rachel Corrie,” which resulted in its cancellation (euphemistically called “postponement.”)  

Theaters in the Bay Area, perhaps even those in Berkeley, ought to rally round their Royal Court colleagues and offer them the chance to stage their production here instead. Of course the economic outlook wouldn’t be as bright here as it would have been for a New York run. And perhaps local theaters are worried about getting the same kind of pressure that they received in New York. But if any of them have the guts, even a jointly-sponsored staged reading of “I Am Rachel Corrie” would make the point that whatever you might think of Israel, Palestine and/or the current or past governments of either or both, censorship-by-pressure of a dramatic production with a particular point of view on the controversy should be out of bounds. It would also be cricket to throw in a staged reading of some anti-Palestinian work if such can be found, just for balance.  

This week is called “Holy Week” by many Christians and it also marks the start of Passover for Jews. Seders traditionally end with the phrase “next year in Jerusalem,” which has been the subject of a good deal of philosophical discussion now that Israel controls the city itself. A clergyman of my acquaintance, trying to interpret the phrase for his own Christian congregation, suggested that “next year in Chicago” would do as well, that its deep meaning expresses the universal human desire to reconnect with absent or estranged friends and family.  

Would-be commentators on the deplorable relationship between those who call themselves Palestinians and those who call themselves Israelis should remember that they are jointly custodians, along with miscellaneous Christian sects, of what people of all the desert monotheistic religions call “the Holy Land.” Even more, they are jointly and severally members of what used to be called “the human family.” The recent Israel elections offer some hope that reasonable people might be ready to start trying to make peace again. There’s been enough blood shed by all parties already. Eventually, sooner rather then later, they’ll all have to sit down around a table somewhere. How about, perhaps, “next year in Jerusalem”? 

—

CREEK SETBACK 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The 30-foot creek setback is both a major component of the revised creek ordinance and potentially a major problem for property owners. Opposition to the ordinance might be muted if there were explicit procedures to a llow construction when the 30-foot setback makes it difficult or impossible. The following are possibilities:  

Consider trade-offs against other restrictions: 1) Relax the property-line setbacks to allow more flexibility as to where the building can be p laced; 2) relax the building height limit to fit the building on a smaller area.  

Move the creek bed to allow room for building. This measure is particularly appropriate when a creek is currently in an underground conduit.  

Trade off mitigation measures against a reduced set-back. Studies show creek health tends to increase as the setback width increases, but 30 feet is not a magic distance. Erman’s study suggests that almost 10 percent of the creeks with setbacks of only 10 feet have as much biodiversi ty as the average creek with a 30-foot setback. The odds decrease rapidly below 10 feet. Setbacks provide habitat, flood plain, and a buffer from fertilizers, excessive run-off, toxins, and so on. This suggest that setbacks should be allowed to be reduced to 10 feet on one side if the lot is otherwise unbuildable and if explicit measures are installed to control run-off and contamination, and provide for storm flows. To maintain habitat availability, the reduced set-back should be limited in length to 40-50 feet, and increased set-backs should be required on the opposite side of the creek if possible. These mitigations should also be considered for existing buildings within the 30 foot setback on change of ownership.  

Robert Clear  

• 

WEST BERKELEY BOWL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

After reading the many letters about the West Berkeley Bowl, I think I see the main problem: The store is too big. 

So I have a proposal: Why not ban all except neighborhood-size stores in Berkeley? The big stores just produce more traffic and more pollution. Or, we could just build them in the heavily poor and minority sections of the city, so that the traffic and congestion doesn’t bother the kind of people who have time and money to complain to City Hall about what does and doesn’t belong in their own neighborhood? Then the complainers could shop at Berkeley Bowl anyway. 

I suppose that would be racist, so we should ban big stores throughout the entire city. Maybe force the existing Berkeley Bowl, and other supermarkets, to leave, too. We should make Berkeley a haven for neighborhood-size stores, which would not be allowed to provide parking, because people should not drive cars but should be taking the bus or riding their bikes or their electric wheelchairs anyway. 

Meantime, we should make sure the car dealers all leave town. Don’t allow them to build near the freeway! We should keep that land zoned for light manufacturing. And since there is hardly any light manufacturing growth in the United States anymore, that land could la y fallow, or be populated by artists. 

The downside of all this, of course, would be reverse economic growth and a declining tax base. We could always hit up property owners, already paying the highest taxes in the region, for more. Maybe we could aim for 50 percent higher taxes than surrounding cities. 

If the property taxpayers balk, and don’t vote in new taxes, because they think taxes are already too high, we won’t be able to fix our sewers, or our streets, and Berkeley will gradually crumble. But it will still have that old-fashioned neighborhood feel, without any big retailers to muck it up, so maybe it’s worth it. 

But if people do agree to raise taxes, maybe we could help out Mayor Bates and the university by subsidizing city services to a greater extent than we are already. We are a university town after all. 

This town is crazy! 

Tom Case 

• 

LIBRARY BLUES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Gail Todd (April 11-13) felt sad because no one spoke to her while checked out a book from the library. Boo hoo. Librar ies probably have more people using their services than ever even though it is expensive keeping them open. They have to keep up with everything else changing in the 21st century. 

No one is “hiding our librarians.” If you have a problem or a question, so meone is right there to talk to and they are knowledgeable and helpful and friendly. This isn’t the 1950s, when libraries had so many manual details to keep up and needed many bodies. Using a computer is so much easier and quicker than a card catalog. 

Gail Todd has been in Berkeley 36 years. Well, I have been visiting Berkeley libraries for 59 years. No, Gail, we cannot afford to pay people to stand at a counter to take a book from a little girl to stamp it and hand it back (with a smile and a good word). We pay them for the many other tasks they have to do. 

Bob Kelleher 

• 

HR 543 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) introduced HR 543 last fall, which calls for a full debate and vote on the war. Now we have an excellent chance to get Cong ress to consider substantive measures to end the war quickly!  

Republicans Walter Jones (R-NC), Jim Leach (R-IA) and Ron Paul (R-TX) will sign on to the resolution adding bipartisan momentum to the this. Apparently, contrary to Berkeley mythos, there ARE honest Republicans who think Bush is a bad leader.  

HR 543 can be activated by a “discharge petition.” This means that once it receives the signatures of half the members of the House (218 members), the bill bypasses its committee and is immediately con sidered on the House floor for debate and a vote. This bill guarantees us 17 hours of debate (the war hasn’t been debated at all in Congress until now) and allows amendments. Rep. McGovern (D-MA) plans to introduce his “end the war in Iraq Act”—which cuts off funding for the war—as an amendment. We also expect Rep. Lee (D-CA) to introduce her No Permanent Bases in Iraq resolution as an amendment, and Rep. Murtha, (D-PA) to offer his bill as an amendment.  

Please, everybody, support groups like the CODEP ink ladies (I’m sure they’ll welcome men, also!). Supporting the Troops = Ending The War Now. Thank you in advance.  

This war costs every American household at least $2,442 a month. Sheesh! This cash could go towards college, health care, a vacation, clo thes for the baby, or enough instruments to outfit a garage band! Really good quality instruments! 

Linda Smith 

• 

IMMIGRATION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Environmentalists arise! The data are in. Official state estimates from the Department of Finance show that in 2005 there were 500,000 new residents in California. The majority of the increase involved new foreign immigrants and a relatively high birth rate among immigrants. I have personally benefited in the past—my beloved and legally adopted son was born in the Dominican Republic. And, yes, I have also benefited from cheap illegal labor. But now we are all starting to pay the delayed costs of an over-burdened infrastructure resulting in loss of open space, crowded highways, hospitals going out of business, high housing costs, water shortages, and poorer air quality. The governor has proposed a massive $222 billion 10-year bond to address infrastructure problems. Realistic environmental policy must come to terms with the fundamental issue of poorly regulat ed population growth. 

Robert Gable 

• 

POPE IN THE HOUSE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Your reporter quotes Gary Hart as saying, “Preachers said that if he [John F. Kennedy] was [sic] elected, the Pope would be in the White House,” as though the idea were absurd. It may be unfair, but it is not absurd. Kennedy’s two best-remembered foreign policy acts were to intervene militarily on behalf of Catholics in Cuba and South Vietnam. At the time, we inferred that Cardinal Spellman of New York was directing foreign po licy for the White House.  

Mark Tatz 

Oakland 

• 

KEEPING THE CRAZIES IN CHECK 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Though she publishes me, Becky O’Malley feels that I am boring her readership because I am a one-issue person. I actually have very many issues of interest in life, but restrict myself here to the Israel/Palestine conflict for good reason. First, these pages are filled with so much venomous nonsense regarding the Middle East, and lies must be refuted lest if left unchallenged they metastasize into the Big Lie.  

As a small typical example, R.G. Davis’ letter in the same issue states that Yasir Arafat was a Christian. He most certainly was not. He was a Muslim, and his wife, who was a Christian, converted to Islam before she could marry him, and thus gain a ccess to the many millions of dollars she stole from the Palestinian government.  

Because O’Malley refuses to do even minimal fact checking before she publishes, somebody in this community needs to keep the crazies honest. The Daily Planet has made itsel f a hotbed of Palestinian propaganda, and O’Malley has even allowed Palestinian activist Henry Norr to report (not comment, but report) from the Middle East, breaking the first tenet of good journalism—namely, that the reporter should be apart from and ab ove the story.  

Second, Israel since 2000, has been faced with the genuine specter of genocide. Imagine, Ms. O’Malley, if rockets rained down on Berkeley every day from next-door Albany, and that the mayor of Albany was elected on a platform of killing e very Berkeleyan. Or imagine that the city across the bay threatened to wipe Berkeley off the map with nuclear weapons. Would you be bored if that is what people wanted to talk about? While feigning boredom with me, O’Malley pleads in the same piece to bri ng a Palestinian propaganda play about Rachel Corrie to Berkeley, and while at it, she wants to bring an anti-Palestinian play as well for balance (I am not sure that such a thing exists, since Israelis aren’t normally given to such excesses).  

Why, Beck y? So that you can amuse yourself further by pretending to be bored, while in fact setting Berkeleyans at each other’s throats for your amusement? So here’s the deal, I’ll stop obsessing in these pages about the Israel/Palestine conflict when you do. 

John Gertz 

• 

THE INDEFENSIBLE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

How does one justify the indefensible? Judging from Becky O’Malley’s editorial, when it comes to pro-Palestinian apologists I guess the answer is to ignore the elephant in the room: Hamas.  

Let’s say jus t for the sake of argument that the manifestly false allegations Israel-bashers regularly express in these pages were true. Would that obviate holding the Palestinians accountable for electing a regime which advocates Jewish genocide? You can bet your boo ts that any other government whose covenant supported such barbarous intent would have been eviscerated by the likes of such so-called progressives. But apparently not when the intended victims are Jews. 

Of course, rather than recognizing a populace whic h has long supported suicide bombers as simply coming out of the closet to elect the chief architects of anti-Israeli terrorism, O’Malley explains this away by suggesting that “this might have something to do with Israel’s actions.” She sanctimoniously ca lls this absurd equation “an intelligent analysis.” 

O’Malley goes on to imply that the Jews and Arabs should share governance of Jerusalem, forgetting that at Camp David Ehud Barak offered this to Arafat along with a Palestinian state comprising a contig uous 94 percent of what has been called the Palestinian Territories. Given that Arafat’s response was the Second Intifada consisting of better than 80 homicide bombings resulting in hundreds of innocent deaths, the notion of Israel sharing Jerusalem in th e future is as likely as the United States sharing Washington with Al Qaeda. 

In sum, for O’Malley and others who continue to support the Palestinians without calling into question their election of Hamas, I offer the words of the esteemed Joseph Welch in his response to Joe McCarthy: “At long last, have you no semblance of decency?” 

Dan Spitzer 

Kensington 

• 

FAMILY EGO TRIP 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Well, a big, sloppy “hag sameach” or Happy Holidays back to you as well, Becky, dear! Your best attempt at a goodwill, Holy Week editorial should go a long way to dispelling any preposterous suspicions in the local Jewish community that you are just an embittered, resentful and malignant anti-Semite at heart! 

Lord knows, you have reasons enough to be full of bitterness and hostility to this small but resourceful and accomplished minority who has and continues to wield such enormous influence in the world of politics and media in general and newspapers in particular, a field you had to buy your way into just in order to give away your “product” for free. Just imagine how you could stew over this injustice subconsciously, how it could corrode your heart and mind, were you not such a transcendent paragon of virtue, free from the cancer of prejudice and bigotry.  

In a just world, wouldn’t the Jewish, New York Times-owning Sulzberger family (among other Jewish media mogul families) be reduced to giving away twice per week at a loss their failed “daily” newspaper in a small, whack job college town, while the O’Mal ley newspaper empire was deemed the “paper of record” and feted the world over as the most serious of journalistic enterprises? Don’t you really deserve this acclaim, your birthright, robbed from you by a cabal of shady, Jewish influence mongers and peddl ers? Is it pure coincidence in your mind that spell check thinks the name Sulzberger is a misspelling of “sleazebag”? 

How unjust to you also that even the mayor of this small town could not bring himself to call the Daily Planet a “real newspaper,” let a lone bother to read it. That must have hurt where it counts! In your heart, you might even have blamed some malicious Israeli pressure groups who probably donated to the mayor’s election fund as the reason he felt it necessary to demean your publication s o. I wonder what the mayor meant by that statement? Was he perhaps implying that the Planet is really just a blog in print, one family’s ego trip masquerading as a local “newspaper”? 

Perhaps we Jews should add one more “dayenu” to our Passover Seder this year: If He had limited the Berkeley Daily Planet to the total insignificance it has—Dayenu, it would have been enough. 

Edna Spector 

• 

NUFF SAID 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Regarding your “Next Year in Jerusalem” editorial: Your last three paragraphs are u ninformed, inaccurate, and incorrect. No need to say more. 

Frank Price 

• 

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It is interesting that the United States has recently decided not to run for a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council. Could it be that t he Bush administration which has condoned and practiced torture, has launched two pre-emptive wars which have killed tens of thousands, spies on its own citizens, and generally denies its continued war crimes and other crimes against humanity recognizes t hat sitting on such a body would be hypocritical? Oh I forgot this is the Bush regime where hypocrisy is a virtue. 

The council was created on a U.N. General Assembly vote of 170 to 4. The United States and Israel were two of the four no votes. Israel, wh ich continues to illegally occupy Palestinian territory and violate Palestinian rights, has strong motives to oppose the creation of such an international body. It also makes sense that the Bush administration would be opposed to any organization that cou ld possibly condemn the regime’s consistent violation of human rights both here and abroad. 

The Bush regime’s actions are also consistent with it earlier opposition to the International Criminal Court. It is clear that Bush and his cohorts do not want to be held accountable for any of their actions by the international community. As long as it remains in power we can expect that the regime will continue with its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan where the body count mounts daily. We can also expect increased repression here at home. 

Bush will not leave office until Jan. 20, 2009. But the world can’t wait another two and a half years. We must drive the Bush regime from power now. For more information on how to oppose the Bush regime, see worldcantwait.net. 

Ke nneth J. Theisen 

Oakland  

• 

TREE PRUNING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Ron Sullivan was correct in identifying that PG&E’s pruning program produces some very bizarre results. Sullivan noted that their tree pruning was merciless, but that it use to be worse whe n “line-cleaning pruning crews used to just top a tree—whack it off bluntly, a procedure that usually, gradually kills the tree.” Sullivan noted that PG&E now uses “drop-crotching” instead and notes that “It’ll still probably kill the tree, but more slowl y...” PG&E’s contract workers are supposed to hang notices on doorknobs of residences and businesses where pruning will take place. Sullivan should note that these PG&E hangers show three types of pruning that are in current use: 1) topping; 2) drop-crot ching; and 3) side prunes where all the limbs on one side of a tree are removed. 

All three types of pruning are highly visible on many Berkeley streets and the trees are in danger. Sullivan’s final salvo stating that is “a good idea that arborists and ev en PG&E urge people to choose smaller trees to plant under city power lines in the first place...” is dismissive of one of the finest features of Berkeley, its thousands of stately, mature trees that now are mangled by PG&E each time they prune. It use to be better in the past when PG&E had an program that fostered healthy trees and trimmed them esthetically. The current slashing program is new and I hope Sullivan will consider helping Berkeley to nourish and save it urban forests.  

Sally Williams 

• 

BACK WARD BERKELEY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

A while ago you published two letters from me regarding the filth at the Berkeley High School swimming pool and also the arrogance and incompetence of the Berkeley Public Library computer department. 

The pool is just as filthy as it ever was but the library was impelled to suddenly promise to “have a technician look at it”—they still ignore my e-mails and haven’t done a thing to fix computer problems I have been complaining about for months on end. 

I guess power of the press doesn’t work in “backward Berkeley.” 

Brian C. Waters 

• 

BUSH LEAK 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Bush OKd leak, former aide says: Impeach the treasonous bastard! Never in the history of the United States has there been a president who so violated truth, justice and the American way. George W. Bush has been a cancer since he was placed in office five years ago. Public elections, the heart of democracy, have been hijacked by private corporations under Bush’s watch. Since his inception Americans have had to endure lie after lie issuing from the White House. And you watch the news, I don’t have to tell you about the war. This is what happens when fraud trumps the Constitution. 

Ron Lowe 

Grass Valley%

Last summer in these pages John Gertz complained that the “old” Berkeley Peace and Justice Commission was “setting Berkeley’s citizens against one another by condemning one side alone.” He reassured us that the “newer members are unlikely to support anti-Israel resolutions. But neither are they inclined to put forth pro-Israel or anti-Palestinian resolutions. [T]hey are waging a peace campaign—they want peace to return to Berkeley on this issue.” (Daily Planet, July 29, 2005) Now he is suggesting that that same commission, as well as the City Council, “should call the Palestinians to task” for electing Hamas.  

With any other Berkeley resident, we might note the apparent change of mind, perhaps snicker, and move on. However, when John Gertz speaks, I think we ought to pay attention. A suggestion from him has something of the quality of a “suggestion” from Don Vito Corleone. Readers may recall that when he disagreed with the “old” Peace and Justice Commission, he fixed the problem by packing it with members of his choosing. When Councilmember Maio displeased him with her vote on Rachel Corrie, he made a credible threat to destroy her chances with a smear campaign should she choose to run for mayor.  

Here’s the issue. If our public officials—our councilmembers and our mayor—agree with Gertz and have followed their hearts with respect to Israel, so be it. We can express our disagreement with them at the polls. If, however, they have appointed Gertz’s picks to the Peace and Justice Commission, backed off on divestment and Rachel Corrie, possibly chosen not to run for mayor, and generally agreed to total silence on a critical issue because they fear the reprisal of Gertz and other members of the Jewish lobby, then our votes are of no avail. A small, unelected group is distorting city policy by exerting undue influence and would do so no matter who was in office. We need to know if this is indeed happening.  

Finally I note that the money John Gertz has at his disposal to spend either for or against any particular candidate, he has made, ironically, by marketing Zorro—that iconic avenger of the oppressed—whose trademark he owns. Lately there has been a veritable Zorro torrent involving many artists, like Culture Clash and Isabelle Allende, who would probably prefer not to finance the occupation of Palestine. If readers of this paper feel the same, one small thing they can do is boycott all things Zorro—and spread the word. 

Joanna Graham is a Berkeley resident.

On April 18 the Berkeley City Council seems set to pass a new sewer lateral ordinance. This ordinance requires the inspection and repair (as necessary) of sewer laterals to private property at the time of sale or in conjunction with a general property improvement valued at $100,000 or more or plumbing-related improvements valued at $50,000 or more. The inspections and repairs will be done privately, but they will be overseen by City of Berkeley staff at a cost to property owners for the oversight and necessary permits of several hundred dollars. Over the next 20 or so years, the value of these required repairs is estimated to be in the range of $1 million. 

Most Berkeley residents are interested in improving our infrastructure and environment and, in general, have supported the city and Berkeley Unified School District’ very high taxes for the sake of improving our community. However, in the case of sewer laterals, Berkeley appears poised to enact an unnecessarily burdensome ordinance with costs for property owners that are way out of line with neighboring jurisdictions. 

Since the city has apparently not undertaken (or publicized) the comparative research as requested, that would provide a context for the proposed measure, I have done so to the best of my ability. If any of my figures are off, I want our city staffers to feel free to undertake independent research and advise of appropriate corrections, if any. Here is what I have learned: 

• Albany: It too has a sewer lateral ordinance but charges no fees for city “oversight.” The property transfer tax in Albany is $11.50 per $1,000 of sale price compared to Berkeley’s $15 per $1,000. 

• El Cerrito: Has a sewer lateral ordinance, but no city “oversight” fees are charged. El Cerrito has no property transfer tax. 

• Kensington: Same as El Cerrito. 

Piedmont: No sewer lateral ordinance. Property transfer tax of $13 per $1,000. 

• San Francisco: No sewer lateral ordinance. Sliding scale property transfer tax of $5 per $1,000 for properties under $250,000, $6.50 per $1,000 for properties from $250,000 to $1million, and $7.50 per $1,000 for properties of $1 million or more. 

Additionally, EBMUD collects sewer service fees on behalf of the cities of Emeryville, Oakland, and Berkeley. Here is how these city fees stack up: 

• Emeryville: Charges a flat rate of $16 (per two-month EBMUD bill) for all properties. 

• Oakland: Charges a flat rate of $32.52 for all properties. 

• Berkeley: As usual, much more complicated and expensive! My own bill, which I will use as an example herein, averages 12 units per billing period in winter (a unit is 748 gallons of water) and about 24 units per billing period in summer (because I water my garden and help keep my property and Berkeley green.) 

Single family: $3.11 per unit, maximum of $83.32 per period. So my own sewer charge during the winter is about $37.32 and during the dry months about $74.64. So even during the period of lowest water use, my bill is more than twice as high as it would be in Emeryville and during the dry season, my bill is almost five times what it would be in Emeryville. In comparison to Oakland, my winter bill is about 15 percent higher and my summer bill is more than twice as high. 

For owners of multiple units and other types of properties, the disparity with Oakland and Emeryville is even more shocking: 

• Duplex: $3.17 per unit, $134.74 maximum. 

• Triplex: $3.38 per unit, $198.60 maximum. 

• Fourplex: $3.33 per unit, $231 maximum. 

• Five units and over: $3.34 per unit, no maximum. 

• Other properties: $3.74 per unit, no maximum. 

The City of Berkeley also has a special assessment for clean storm water, which is part of the extensive list of city special assessments shown on the right hand side of the property tax bill. My clean storm water charge is about $80 per year. Do any other cities have such an extra charge? I have asked the city to research this. According to the article by LA Wood in the Berkeley Daily Planet (“Berkeley’s Stormwater Property Tax: Where’s the Money?”, Oct. 29, 2004), this tax money has been seriously mismanaged and misdirected. I refer you to the city Newscan website or the Planet’s website where you can locate a copy of this article. 

I personally am fed up with the city’s constant whining about lack of money. We have far more money available from all our taxes and fees than almost every other California jurisdiction, and I don’t think that we have that much to show for it. It’s time for our public officials to show moderation, fairness and common sense when dealing with our overburdened and underserved homeowners. With respect to the sewer lateral program in particular, evidence of such good faith would be the elimination of the city “oversight” fees and serious consideration of a property tax or transfer tax rebate for repair work on the sewer laterals, which benefits the entire community. 

Barbara Gilbert was a 2004 City Council candidate in District 5 and is active in  

several Berkeley civic organizations.›

I thought about writing this op-ed last summer when Reverend Pat Robertson said that Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez should be “taken out,” but I decided to pass on the opportunity. I figured people were making too big a fuss over that. Surely, being a man of the cloth, Robertson had no malicious intent. He’s a good Christian, so when he talked about “taking out” Hugo Chavez, I’m sure he meant taking him out to dinner or something like that, possibly a movie as well, and walking him home after the movie, and then.... Well, we all know that Jesus said, “Love thy neighbor.” 

Of course, this is the sort of op-ed that anyone can write anytime. The material is a renewable resource. Last month Robertson treated his flock to a tirade against Islam, calling Muslims “crazed fanatics... motivated by demonic power... satanic. Islam is not a religion of peace.... The goal of Islam... is world domination.” 

If this has a ring of familiarity, try this: substitute “Communism” and “Communists” for “Islam” and “Muslims,” and replay the video. Add Donald Rumsfeld’s recent reference to the “Long War” and the convergence of this rhetoric becomes obvious. We have our next ideological war to whip up our anxieties to the point that we’re happy to feed the military-industrial complex for the next 50 years, just like we did throughout the Cold War. 

Another thing you might try is to imagine yourself standing on the walls of Jerusalem during the First Crusade, substitute “Christianity” and “Christians” for “Islam” and “Muslims” and replay the video. That works, too. Or picture yourself standing in front of the Alexandria Library before it was destroyed by a Christian mob, or looking on while priests burned the books of Aztec and Inca science and culture. Where do Christians like Robertson get the idea that they have the right to cast the first stone? 

I get a big kick out of these people who are looking forward to the Second Coming. They wouldn’t recognize Him. Quite the opposite, they would crucify Him again because they haven’t learned a damned thing in two thousand years. 

Of course, Islam vies with Christianity for the world heavyweight title as the most intolerant, violent, and destructive religion. A thousand years ago, it was spread across the Middle East, South Asia, North Africa, and Southern Europe at the point of the sword. In recent times, there has been the 1988 fatwa against Salman Rushdie: write a witty book, get sentenced to death. 

Then there was the Nigerian journalist, Isioma Daniel, who, reporting in 2002 on the Islamic furor over a beauty pageant in her country, posed the question, what would Mohammed do? He would probably want to marry one of the contestants. There were riots, people were killed, and she had to flee Nigeria. Now this was just wrong. As I understand it, the Prophet, peace be unto him, would probably have wanted to marry four of the contestants. OK, now I have a fatwa against me. See how easy that was? 

And for all those who buy into the neocon ideology that we ought to spread democracy and pluralist values across the Islamic world at the point of a depleted uranium shell, consider the recent case of the Afghan who was sentenced to death for converting to Christianity. 

The saving grace of Judaism is that, although just like Christians and Muslims, Jews are cock-sure that they have the One True God and everyone else is wrong, they really don’t mind that everyone else is wrong. It’s one monotheistic religion that isn’t in the habit of terrorizing, torturing, and killing millions of people... except for the Philistines, of course. They’re a special case. There’s just no living with those Philistines, and we all know that. 

The louder someone proclaims his faith in God and what God wants, the more you ought to suspect that a) he doesn’t have a clue, and b) he’s trying to scam somebody... out of his money, out of her freedom, out of his life. One of the remarkable observations to come out of the Enlightenment was Edward Gibbon’s comment in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: “The various modes of worship, which prevailed in the Roman world, were all considered by the people, as equally true; by the philosopher, as equally false; and by the magistrate, as equally useful. And thus toleration produced not only mutual indulgence, but even religious concord.” 

Those filthy pagans! How dare they live in peace with one another! Well, monotheism fixed that problem. Worship is even more useful to authority today. The real power of the One True God is wielded by the cleric and the politician to stoke the machinery of death and feed into it the infidel and the faithful alike, each comforted in the belief that they go to a far, far better rest than they have ever known. 

It beats me how all of these religions can have the same truth, each with a somewhat different face, yet so many people don’t seem to notice. What could be simpler than the idea that one should treat people justly and have faith that in the long run one will receive justice? 

I know what beliefs comfort me, but I pretty much keep them to myself. I suppose that’s something of a Jewish attitude. No, I’m not a Jew, but I wouldn’t mind being mistaken for one. Or a Christian. Or a Muslim. Or a Hindu. Or whatever. 

Happy Passover. Happy Easter. Happy Mawlid al-Nabi. Happy Hanuman Jayanti. Make friends and play well with others. 

Thomas Gangale is an aerospace engineer and a former Air Force officer. A resident of San Rafael, California, he is currently the executive director at OPS-Alaska, a think tank based in Petaluma and an international relations scholar at San Francisco State University.  



BERKELEY BOWL WEST 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

After listening to the speakers at the public hearing on the Berkeley Bowl project, I think I see the main problems. 

The proposed new store is far too big for a neighborhood grocery. Its location near the freeway facilitates access by out-of-town shoppers, all of whom will arrive by car. There will be a big traffic impact, which neighbors won’t like. Smaller businesses in the area will have their deliveries obstructed. Many slow-moving cars will add to our air pollution. The parking lot will be bumper-cars, worse than it is now at Whole Foods. 

The new Bowl will probably be successful, but if it is not, the proposed re-zoning will allow in a “big box” store like Wal-Mart. If the new Bowl is really needed, there should be a zoning variance made for it. We should not allow this one project to destroy the zoning planning that went into the West Berkeley multiple-use light-industrial (MULI) district. I don’t think we want to throw out the small businesses and the artists. 

Steve Geller 

• 

BRING IT ON 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I’d like to weigh in on the Berkeley Bowl’s proposed second location on Ninth and Heinz. As a 20-year resident of Ninth Street, I say bring it on! We need a grocery store in this area, and I believe lots of the folks who are my neighbors agree. The little old ladies who walk to the liquor store every morning for a loaf of bread, the kids who want a quick snack, the Latina moms and grandmoms who push strollers to the bus stop, and us folks who get sick of driving uptown to Safeway, will benefit. As for the vocal opposition coming from the French American School at the intersection of Ninth and Heinz, voicing concern for the increased traffic in the neighborhood, I say: Take a look in the mirror! How much traffic do they bring to that corner every day? How many miles a day do they drive to bring their kids to that fancy little school? The idea that these people, who don’t live in Berkeley and don’t pay city taxes are crying “Not in my back yard!” makes my blood boil. It’s not their backyard at all, it’s ours, and there’s a heck of a lot of us neighborhood folks who can’t wait to shop at the new Berkeley Bowl.  

Rachel Crossman 

• 

MEGASTORE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

We live two blocks from the proposed Berkeley Bowl “Megastore” and we are totally against such a store in our neighborhood. We already have too much traffic and pollution at Ashby and San Pablo to want to invite shoppers from all over the Bay Area to drive to this location. What we really need is a smaller produce market with reasonable prices, more like Monterey Market.  

Berkeley Bowl is OK—especially since they finally allowed the employees to have a union. It’s well within biking or even walking distance from our house. Usually we ride our bikes and our side bags are adequate because we like to eat small amounts of fresh food. If we need to stock up more, we use a laundry cart. We would far rather walk or ride the eight blocks to the current store than put up with the pollution, traffic and parking nightmare that would come with this proposed megastore. It’s healthier to get a little exercise.  

Also, the Ecology Center has a great program to bring fresh organic produce into our neighborhood called “Farm Fresh.” Every Wednesday from 3:30 to 6 p.m.. they set up a table in San Pablo Park and offer fresh organic fruits and veggies at discount prices. The ideal would be to have this available every day at a smaller produce market like Monterey Market and perhaps have some other small stores that sell fish, bakeries, healthy restaurants etc. right on San Pablo at Ashby.  

What we have now are fast-food joints, auto body places that put out paint-fume pollution, and a giant dumpsite which was formerly a gas station. Leave the proposed Berkeley Bowl site light industrial. Bring in some smaller stores that truly “serve the neighborhood.” Don’t dump another ton of pollution on us.  

Alan Bretz and Helen Jones 

• 

DERBY STREET FIELD 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I appreciate the BUSD board members’ final, official vote to ask City Council to close Derby Street to proceed with building the multi-use fields. It’s a strong indication of their obligation and commitment to put the best interests of the students first. Obviously, the board members considered the costs in their vote. Don’t ignore their decision. Or Parks and Recreation’s majority (unanimous) vote in favor. Or the Fire Department’s support and cooperation of the street closure. Or the Berkeley students’ spirited support at public meetings. BUSD has patiently allowed the vocal minority their say in the matter. Unfortunately, that has included a lot of errors regarding the closed-Derby design. 

BUSD’s original intent was to build a field for the baseball program, as well as any other sport that wanted to play and practice there. In other words, a true multi-use field for all sports. At that point it was fully funded. Current BHS freshmen were first-graders. To stall our park for over nine years and then promote an inferior park design that excludes the very sport the park was proposed and designed for in the first place is missing the point: Derby Park is foremost for the kids of Berkeley schools. 

I am a neighbor and I recognize that it should be designed and built for the students who will use it for generations to come. The rest of us, including neighbors, parents, community members and even the out of town farmers using the Park as a market a few hours a week, are being considered and will clearly benefit more from the closed-Derby design.  

Bart Schultz 

• 

BALLFIELDS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Doug Fielding is correct that the Gilman Street sports field complex is not a project of the Berkeley Unified School District, or of those of the other five participating local cities. My sources from several of these towns were incorrect and for that I apologize. The facility, funded by two state grants, has five sports fields including a regulation baseball field. These are available to school and private sports teams from Berkeley, Emeryville, Albany, Richmond and El Cerrito. The Berkeley High baseball team will have access to the regulation baseball field when it is completed this fall. At that time they will have two regulation baseball fields, Gilman Street and the San Pablo field they currently use to play their 10 annual games on. Mr. Fielding has not explained why the baseball squad can’t be satisfied with a fully functional practice field at Derby Street while sharing the field with other sports teams and avoid disrupting the Farmers’ Market, the residents and the neighborhood folks holding out for the last usable open space in that part of town. The Farmers’ Market does not need Mr. Fielding to speak for them and they fully support the open-Derby multi-use plan. This plan is the only plan that has guaranteed from the beginning that the field will not be dominated by baseball and available to other outdoor activity including other sports. This plan is the only plan that has guaranteed that the public will have access when not in use. This plan is budgeted, funded, publicly approved and has been held up too long by the baseballers.  

Mr. Fielding claims that the city’s general fund will not be saddled with the unknown additional millions required for the regulation baseball field, but he neglects to mention just where the funding will come from. As one of the school district directors points out, these cost estimates do not include the extra costs of excavating the new sewer line, pipes and wiring as required by law when a street is decommissioned. We all have seen what a multi-million dollar boondoggle the Harrison Street field has become when toxics were discovered subsurface and though it is unlikely, serious excavation always stands a chance of exposing a burial site or pollution pocket with even more costs.  

The only children who will be affected by leaving Derby Street open are the baseball players who will only be able to practice there. Involving low-income at-risk disabled children who are not on the baseball team and who will have guaranteed access under the open-Derby plan is a cheap gimmick and it’s proponents should be ashamed of themselves.  

Two regulation baseball fields is more than enough. Share the field and spare the budget. Keep Derby open.  

Mark McDonald 

• 

ECOLOGY CENTER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

On behalf of the Ecology Center and the South Berkeley Farmers’ Market, I wish to respond to Ed Mahley’s recent letter, in which he asks the neighbors of the Derby Street playing field, including the Farmers’ Market, to let BUSD know what is needed for the site to work for everybody.  

The Ecology Center, which operates the South Berkeley Farmers’ Market on Derby Street, has repeatedly stated its seven basic needs to both BUSD and City Council. So far, BUSD has not shown any concrete commitment to meet these needs in either open or closed street scenarios. On the contrary, just last month the School Board president made a clear statement that the school district is not responsible for supporting community needs such as those at the South Berkeley Farmers’ Market. Statements like these reinforce concerns that the School Board does not see the Farmers’ Market as an educational asset in spite of the many ways we support its goals. Based on these comments, and prior history, there is little reason for the Ecology Center to believe that the School Board will truly support the South Berkeley Farmers’ Market should the market be forced to operate on school property in the future.  

We believe that if the district is to acquire community owned real estate for its own private use, existing community uses for that property should require a significant commitment from the school district.  

Linda Graham  

Program Manager  

Berkeley Farmers’ Markets  

• 

CREEKS ORDINANCE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Clearly some members of Neighbors of Urban Creeks will never be satisfied with the Creeks Task Force unless the task force calls for the trashing of the Creeks Ordinance. But the past year and a half of open, public dialog between task force members and the public has taken the teeth out of their reactionary calls to throw the baby out with the bathwater.  

The task force’s areas of agreement- points on which they’re unanimous about- include allowing all current structures illegal under the Creeks Ordinance to stand, and for the automatic rebuilding of them after a disaster. Balance Hydrologics submitted a survey in late March to the task force (Attachment A, March 22 meeting on the city’s website) which points out that the vast majority of buildings and patios near creeks don’t conform to the Creeks Ordinance. The task force has worked out a compromise between property rights and the public good which everyone should applaud.  

Three other points of agreement: Culverted (i.e. buried) creeks should be treated differently than open creeks, and the city needs to find money to help pay for creek restoration, storm drain repair, and overall watershed management. The buried creeks are also to be treated like storm drains, therefore there’s a good chance that- depending on how current lawsuits work out- residents may be able to count on public money to help out with repairing private culverts.  

Finally, the rainy season again highlights the disaster-related issues often overlooked by the hills-heavy critics of the task force. Large areas of West Berkeley flood during the rainy season, causing property/economic damage and traffic hazards. It’s simple: concrete speeds water up compared to natural creek beds. Current storm water and creek culverts are crumbling and undersized for the amount of drainage our city needs as we remove absorbent soil and increase non-absorbent surfaces—mostly cement and asphalt.  

Anyone who is doubtful about the need for a Creeks Ordinance should walk to the end of North Valley Street, a tiny nub of a street off behind Allston and Acton and look down. Be careful though, as the street has been eroded by the force of the water shooting out of the crumbling culvert into the open section of Strawberry Creek behind the Strawberry Creek Lodge. As it has crumbled over the years, the culvert’s opening receded many feet, bringing it closer and closer to the private home that’s now just 15 feet away from it. Compare that with the meandering creek a half-block away in Strawberry Creek Park, where the water is not rushing pell mell out of a concrete corridor and eroding the creek banks. Our revamped Creeks Ordinance, thanks to the fabulously collaborative and reasonable task force and the City Council, will protect us from such jarring situations throughout this century and well into the next.  

Jesse Townley  

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I find Jesse Audette’s letter regarding annual windturbine raptor kills at Altamont a little disingenuous. He tells us only two birds per turbine are killed without mentioning the total number of turbines at Altamont are 6,000, most of them the old technology design, ie. the more lethal type. The wind farm is next to the largest golden eagle nesting area in the state. Approximately 116 golden eagles are killed a year. Three hundred red-tailed hawks, 380 burrowing owls, and 2,500 meadowlarks (grassland birds “being the most rapidly declining bird population in our nation.” ) An estimated total of 4,700 birds killed a year at Altamont. As for raptor collisions with cars, how many near misses have you had going down I-580? Birds have an amazing ability to avoid cars and I would guess jet turbines are much more of a hazard. Most of the people I know who are interested in birds and nature including members of Golden Gate Audubon from which the above figures are sourced in the June 2005 “Gull” are involved in local and international environmental issues. For the entire article and how the kill rate can be lowered if industry was willing, see the June and September issues at www.goldengateaudubon.org. 

Judi Sierra 

Oakland 

• 

OAKLAND VIOLENCE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Once again, columnist J. Douglas Allen-Taylor presents the unsolved question of escalating violence in Oakland (“Oakland Fails to Deal with Violence Problems,” April 7). But this was different—a shocking reminder of the roots of violence. As I read the harrowing childhood tragedies, I am also reminded of those who promote only more punishment, more jails; and ridicule such history as “excuses.” 

How can children, without intervention, who are so cruelly abused, so severely wounded in mind and body, know how to live with respect for others or for themselves? I was hoping that Allen-Taylor would conclude his tragic accounts with at least a hint of some successes for these victims. But he only closes with a truth: “There’s work to be done.” 

I may have found a partial answer, ironically, on your letters page! James Hopkins writes that he is committed to finding work, and to “having power over his own future. Since his release from prison over two years ago, he has been continuously frustrated, in his searches, and even when employed, by “the indignity of abrupt dismissal when a background check is completed.” 

Would not Hopkins and other ex-prisoners, who have “experienced the day to day horrors of prison life,” have much to teach the desperate victims that Allen-Taylor speaks of? It would be ideal if these motivated prisoners were educated in this role while in prison, but as a start, there are Oakland churches, and there are Oakland homeless shelters, etc. which provide needed aid to such teens and young adults. In helping troubled young people to find new options and self-esteem, ex-prisoners may increase their own as well. 

James Hopkins is a gifted writer, who is determined to show his own son a righteous path. The public needs such reminders of the indignities and the waste of capable persons who have paid for their mistakes and may now ask only to be heard!  

Gerta Farber 

• 

HAMAS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

There are many items in the April 7 commentary by John Gertz that could be refuted, like “It is now universally acknowledged that Arafat was not a leftist.” We do know “universally” that he was a Christian and the PLO is a secular movement. Arafat can be explained by Jeffrey Blankfort or Edward Said’s writings, rather I will use Gertz’s rationale for his assertions as a counter argument since footnotes are not used in this matter. All is justified by the phrase it is “universally acknowledged.” Isn’t it “universally acknowledged” that General Sharon was shifting money to his son? Isn’t it “universally acknowledged” that the general was responsible for the Sabra and Chatila massacres? Isn’t it “universally acknowledged” M. Begin was a “terrorist” to the English when his underground group killed Brits and Palestinians?” Isn’t it “universally acknowledged that the Israelis helped the apartheid regime in South Africa, the dictator in Guatemala with military weapons and advice? Is it not “universally acknowledged” that the Bush neo-cons with 98 percent of the Democrats considers the preemptive attack on Iraq a good effort, and Iran should be next as both Democrats and Republicans state Israel is the closest ally and friend of the United States? Isn’t it “universally acknowledged” that this deadly cabal is likely to lead to more savagery in the name of theocracies here and in the Middle East? Isn’t it also “universally acknowledged” that the United States’ raptus religious right supports Israel’s religious right whose aim is to eliminate, kill or exile all Palestinians from Israel so the Second Coming can arrive? The last is so “universally acknowledged” that Gertz surely knows of this and is on line to be one of the 144,000 Jews who will be taken to heaven with the raptus folks. 

R.G. Davis 

San Francisco 

• 

BURROWING OWLS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Last Friday’s Daily Planet story about Albany’s City Council approving a burrowing owl habitat contained a couple of errors. Richard Brenneman, apparently attempting to provide some background on the owl, wrote, “An endangered species, the burrowing owls had been spotted nesting on the site, and constructing the new habitat was a condition of the mitigations spelled out.” In fact, the burrowing owl is not an “endangered species,” and there have been no observations of the bird “nesting” at the ballfield site. In 2004, Fish and Game rejected a proposal to add the burrowing owl to the list of threatened or endangered species. Burrowing owls “nest” in the spring and summer. Two nesting surveys in 2005 failed to detect any owls. This year, a winter survey observed one owl “present” at the site, but not “nesting.” Based on this it is not clear that Berkeley ever established the finding that the ball fields project had any impact on resident birds. 

More importantly, I think that the Daily Planet missed the real story here. A story about incredibly tenacious, organized, and politically connected environmental groups hijacking the Gilman Street sports fields CEQA process, and manipulating it to their own ends. Albany’s conceptual plan for the 20-acre plateau called for active recreational uses at the site. The rest of Albany’s upland portion of the park is already completely devoted to preservation or conservation. While the environmental groups objected to the plan for the plateau area, the record shows that the plan was developed through a very deliberative, public process. The owl habitat and utility road will now eliminate public use of more than half the plateau as recreation open space. Maybe, Albany residents should be grateful. The environmental groups originally proposed fencing off the entire plateau! 

Clay Larson 

Albany 

What a sad day. I returned my library book at my local branch, picked up the book I had reserved, and checked it out—all without speaking to a soul, much less a wise librarian.  

It is the stuff of legends—the alert librarian who reaches out to a distressed child, or a shy child, or an at-risk child and steers that child towards a love of books and from there to a life of possibility. Author Barbara Kingsolver celebrates every living librarian “on behalf of the souls they never knew they saved.” 

But today, in Berkeley, every library process is impersonal: We reserve books via computer, retrieve our reserved books from an alphabetized shelf, and check them out using an automated machine. 

Even returning books is solitary. As a child, one of my first—and most valuable—ethics lesson was given by a librarian: When you return books late, you pay a fine. However, now that we anonymously toss our overdue books through a silent slot and pay our fines at an unrelated time in the future (if at all), this simple lesson is lost.  

Are we hiding our librarians to save money? Certainly the wealthy Bay Area with its countless technological gadgets is wealthier than the little frontier communities that could afford a visible librarian. Is it to free the librarians for more important tasks? What is more important than guiding patrons towards a love of books? 

And who will support this new, unwelcoming library financially? Last time Berkeley successfully voted for a special library tax, I calculated that I could buy a brand new hardcover book every two weeks for what the new tax would cost me. However, I voted for the tax because I loved my library—and my librarian. 

Today, who will be inspired to become a librarian? Did beloved children's author Beverly Cleary become a librarian just to order and catalogue books out of sight? Did Benjamin Franklin? 

My library, the North Branch of the Berkeley Public Library, has actually set up a barricade on the check-out desk to keep patrons from setting their books down on the counter. When I asked what it was for, I was told that “Books on the counter upset the reader.” In this new library the reader, it seems, is now the machine that checks out the books, not the person who curls up on the couch at home reading them. Well, guess what North Branch? I’m still the reader and I’m upset. 

Gail Todd is a 36-year Berkeley resident.›

Steven Donaldson’s commentary piece in this paper (“West Berkeley Bowl: Community Needs vs. Power of the Wealthy”) has unfortunately lowered the discourse on an important community issue through unnecessary personal attack, name calling, and by portraying misinformation and innuendo as truth. We feel it is necessary to offer objective information so that Berkeley citizens are able to make an informed decision. Mr. Donaldson asserts that those expressing their opinions and concerns about the Bowl (which he terms opposition) are “a small cadre of political ideologues” who are “ignoring the needs of the neighborhood, do not care about the working families of the neighborhood,” and are “funded by someone living in the Berkeley hills.” 

The simple truth is that there is no opposition to the Berkeley Bowl. There are only local residents, institutions, and businesses who believe that an appropriately sized grocery store (similar in scale to all Berkeley supermarkets) can fulfill the acknowledged need for good, reasonably priced food for West Berkeley without needlessly endangering safety, degrading quality of life, or threatening the economic viability of local businesses and their hundreds of workers. These residents, institutions, and businesses are from the Potter Creek neighborhood, the area immediately adjacent to the north of the project, and from businesses on both sides of the lower Ashby corridor. Individuals and two community organizations made up of various members of these groups are involved in the discussion. A number of the local business are working with WEBAIC (West Berkeley Artisans & Industrial Companies) to ensure that traffic and land use issues that may affect their continued economic viability are not overlooked. These businesses have joined together with residents of the Potter Creek neighborhood to form TASC (Traffic and Safety Coalition) to find reasonable solutions to traffic, safety, and economic concerns. These longtime West Berkeley families and businesses are the people Mr. Donaldson calls “a small cadre of wealthy ideologues who don’t care about working families in the neighborhood.” In a community as committed to intelligent, peaceful solutions as ours has historically been, and in an effort that asks for respect on all sides, Mr. Donaldson’s poisoning of the well of public discourse surely has no place. 

As to Mr. Donaldson’s claim that the property “has been vacant for over 50 years,” and that “the loss of industry has been going on in West Berkeley for 40 years,” the facts are that half the Bowl’s property was a functioning manufacturing facility until they purchased the land, and the other half was most recently an organic farm until the owner got caught with his coffee beans mislabeled and lost his business. Of course companies come and go and some larger ones have left only to be replaced by many that are smaller and mid-sized. There are upwards of 300 of these industrial companies providing 5,000-6,000 well-paying jobs in West Berkeley today.  

When the Bowl originally came to the Potter Creek neighborhood with a proposal for a 41,000-square-foot grocery store plus 14,000 square feet of warehouse for the Shattuck store, there was unanimous approval coupled with an awareness of potentially significant traffic issues. (The existing Berkeley Bowl is 42,000 square feet including warehouse, and all other Berkeley supermarkets are between 26,000 and 30,000 square feet.) After hiring a consultant from Los Angeles, the Bowl then declared that the project would be 91,000-plus square feet, two to three times the size of all other Berkeley groceries. Once Potter Creek residents understood the ramifications of the largest supermarket in the near East Bay locating on a small urban lot immediately adjacent, the vast majority signed a petition asking for traffic relief. The reasonable hope was that the local streets would not have to become congested freeways, endangering ourselves, our children, and degrading the air and quality of life. 

On the basis of the Bowl’s own traffic study (which calculated that traffic in 2004 at San Pablo and Ashby was less than in 1993), the city promptly gave the project a “negative declaration,” meaning that no environmental impact report (EIR) would be required since the project would create no “significant environmental impacts.” The conclusion that a development generating over 42,000 trips a week (TASC engineer says 56,000) through intersections already highly stressed would create no impacts worthy of study was a slap in the face of common sense. In order to determine the facts, several local businesses, institutions, and individuals joined together to hire an independent traffic engineer. Doing empirical traffic counts and analysis, this highly respected engineer identified the objective situation: a project of this magnitude would create “potentially significant environmental impacts” and clearly required an EIR. Faced with the facts, the city was forced to agree. If, in its rush toward approval, the city had not ignored common sense and standard procedure and had begun an EIR immediately, the entire process would be behind us. 

The latest version of the EIR identifies 13 “Project Objectives,” the main objective being to fulfill the West Berkeley Plan’s goal of “improving the level of neighborhood serving retail” by providing a supermarket with a range of fresh produce and groceries at competitive prices to West Berkeley. The EIR shows that two smaller versions of the project (both larger than the existing Bowl) would meet all thirteen objectives, while easing traffic. The folks down here would simply like a supermarket on a scale similar to those that work for all the other Berkeley neighborhoods. If the City and the Bowl want a regional megamarket and are willing to sacrifice local businesses and residents on that altar, then be honest, call it what it really is and make the decision consciously. But please don’t call it “neighborhood serving retail,” the stated goal of the West Berkeley Plan. The two EIR solutions, Alternatives C and D, would satisfy all the objectives of the city, the neighborhood, local business, and the larger community. They would likely have the added benefit of not requiring the planned underground parking and second story, the high costs of which are will undoubtedly make the food more expensive. But the Bowl has never been willing to negotiate this solution with the other stakeholders, and the city has never attempted to facilitate mediation. 

We strongly feel that in the spirit of community harmony, if all parties truly consider their neighbors’ needs, we can find a solution that works for everyone. Not perfectly (this is Berkeley after all, not heaven), but well. As we all heard it said so honestly and elegantly in a much graver situation, “Can’t we all just get along?” 

Rick Auerbach, resident/business owner (Grayson Street) 

John Curl, Heartwood Woodworking Cooperative (Eighth Street) 

David and Barbara Bowman, residents/business owners (Tenth Street) 

John Phillips, business owner (Grayson Street) 

Jeff Hogan, Ashby Lumber 

Susanne Herring, business owner (Grayson Street) 

Sarah Klise, Byron Delcomb & and Milo (Eighth Street) 

Mary Lou Vandeventer, Urban Ore 

Bob Kubik and Carol Whitman (Pardee Street) 

Morgan Smith, Tracy Schrider, Natalie and Ben, residents/business owners (Grayson Street) 

Maurice and Ed Levitch, Architects & Builders, residents/business owners  

(Heinz Avenue) 

Sally Swing (Grayson Street) 

Richard Finchm (Eighth Street) 

California Rose Catering (Grayson Street) 

Norman Potter, owner, The Tubmakers 

Barry, Donatella, Christoper Wagner,  

residents/business owners  

(Ninth Street) 

Rosa, Anette, Tom Mendicino (Grayson Street) 

Laurie Bright, D& L Engines 

David Snipper (Grayson Street) 

Andrew Fischer (Pardee Street) 

Dan Zemmelmen (Grayson Street) 

M

Although I can appreciate James K. Sayre’s concern over avian mortality resulting from wind turbines, I feel compelled to clarify several assertions made in his recent commentary, “Wind Turbines Will Kill Birds and Bats” (Daily Planet April 4).  

First, I don’t think Mr. Sayre or anyone else knows for certain whether the new wind turbine at the Shorebird Nature Center near the Berkeley Marina will kill birds and bats. This is precisely why the Golden Gate Audubon Society has strictly required the city to consult with a leading scientist in the field to determine final location of the wind turbine and establish a long-term monitoring plan for the site. Another clear contingency of Golden Gate Audubon’s approval is the city’s commitment, should any birds be killed by the turbine, to work immediately with a consultant approved by Golden Gate Audubon to avoid bird kills. Should we determine the number of deaths to be unacceptable and mortality cannot be mitigated, the city and all parties agree to remove the turbine.  

Golden Gate Audubon takes avian mortality from wind turbines very seriously. In fact, we are currently engaged in a critical effort to resolve the egregious bird kill at Altamont Pass, to which Mr. Sayre refers. Joined by four other local Audubon chapters, Golden Gate Audubon has filed a suit under the California Environmental Quality Act against Alameda County over permits issued to wind energy operators at the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (APWRA). The highly contentious wind turbines at the APWRA kill up to 4,700 birds annually, including up to 116 fully protected golden eagles, and have been doing so for more than two decades.  

Golden Gate Audubon is also profoundly aware, however, of the severe consequences global warming on wildlife and habitat, and we are committed to finding solutions that support renewable energy while also protecting wildlife. Mr. Sayre himself suggests that we need to find “more passive ways to generate and conserve energy,” and includes solar energy as a means of doing so. The Shorebird Nature Center, which is to be the future site of the Berkeley wind turbine, already uses solar electricity, along with radiant heating, natural linoleum floors, sustainably harvested wood and recycled glass countertops, to limit their footprint on the Earth. They seek wind energy to further lower their impact.  

While it’s difficult to say for sure whether a single 1.8 kilowatt wind turbine with a combined height of 40 feet will have an impact on birds, the city has asserted this is unlikely due to poor food sources near the site and lots of human activity, including daily classes of 30-plus people at the site. And despite the implication that Berkeley has turned its back on its progressive roots of the 1960s and 1970s in favor of selling out for “corporate technology,” this is not is not the first time Berkeley has been open to the progressive idea of wind energy. In fact, there are already two small wind turbines in the Berkeley area—one built in 1982 on a 60-foot tower with 10-foot blades, and one built in Albany in 1998, with four-foot blades.  

The city’s proposed turbine at the Berkley Marina is simply not analogous to the more than 5,000 turbines built in the 1980s at the APWRA, squarely in the middle of a critical flight corridor for birds. Moreover, the new Berkeley turbine will allow the city to explore the feasibility of wind energy at this site with assurances that the turbine will be removed, if unacceptable bird mortality occurs.  

Finally, I believe Mr. Sayre is mistaken in his assertion that we are “just another large corporate entity with its own agenda, which does not always place protecting all bird life at the top of its priorities.” Golden Gate Audubon, an independent organization that is affiliated as a chapter of the National Audubon Society, has been a leader in protecting Bay Area birds since 1917. For nearly 90 years, we have played a critical role in protecting many Bay Area habitats—from Eastshore State Park to Oakland’s Arrowhead Marsh to vast acreage in the East Bay hills.  

With the threat of global warming looming, I hope Mr. Sayre will agree that Golden Gate Audubon can—and must—play a role in shaping the development of future Bay Area wind energy projects. If wind energy is to play a role in California’s effort to reach 20 percent renewable energy, we must find solutions that work for wind and wildlife. Golden Gate Audubon is perfectly situated to help negotiate this balance. 

Samantha Murray is the Golden Gate Audubon Society’s conservation director.

When India’s Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram presented the government’s budget this past February, he trumpeted the country’s vault into modernity. Economic growth is 8.1 percent and is projected to rise as high as 10 percent next year. India has completed its “Golden Quadrilateral,” a multi-lane highway that links New Delhi in the north, Calcutta in the east, Chennai in the south, and Mumbai in the west. The collective wealth of India’s 311 billionaires jumped 71 percent in the last year. 

“Growth will be our mount,” the minister told the Parliament, “equity will be our companion, and social justice will be our destination.”  

But for India’s rural and urban poor, the chasm between them and the wealthy only got wider and deeper. Last year, India slipped from 124 out of 177 countries to 127, according to the United Nations Human Development Index. Life expectancy is seven years less than in China, and 11 less than in Sri Lanka.  

Mortality for children under 5, according to a United Nations Development Report, is almost three times China’s rate, almost six times Sri Lanka’s, and greater than in Bangladesh and Nepal. 

The divide is best summed up in a searing editorial by Palagummi Sainath, India’s leading independent journalist. In an April 1 opinion piece in The Hindu, Sainath contrasts the two worlds that increasingly make up the second most populous nation on earth. 

“Farm suicides in Vldharbha crossed 400 this week. The Sensex (stock exchange) crossed the 11,000 mark. And Lakme Fashion Week issues over 500 media passes to journalists. All three are firsts. All happened the same week. And each captures in a brilliant if bizarre way a sense of where India’s Brave New World is headed. A powerful measure of disconnect. Of the gap between the haves and the have-mores on the one hand, and the dispossessed and the desperate, on the other.” 

For more than a decade, the Mumbai-based journalist has criss-crossed India by train, bicycle and foot, chronicling the daily lives of the poor. He writes about people like Ganesh Bhimrao Thakre, a small farmer in Vidharbha who struck hard times. His daughter got cholera, his wife had an eye operation, and his son was forced to drop out of college for financial reasons. Desperate and unable to get a loan, he played Bhishi, a sort of Ponzi scheme where farmers pool money to try and win a monthly jackpot. 

He lost.  

So he committed suicide. Most farmers kill themselves by drinking pesticides. Thakre hung himself. 

There are literally thousands like him in the countryside, where in states like Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Bihar the “average” income is considerably below the national rural poverty line of $650 a year. Stories like the death of Ganesh Thakre do not make Sainath a popular man in the corridors of power where “India Shining” is the slogan. The government is less interested in helping the poor, as it is increasing military spending and building a “blue water” navy. 

India has launched a 30-year program to build a fleet capable of projecting power into the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. It is negotiating to purchase 66 Hawk fighter-bombers for $1.43 billion. The price of a single Hawk could supply a lifetime of clean drinking water to 1.5 million people. 

The new budget is a case study in skewed priorities. 

Under the former right wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, social support networks were systematically dismantled, and social expenditures declined from 22.9 percent to 19.7 percent.  

But the center-left Congress-UPA government’s budget is only marginally better. Social expenditures will rise just 1.2 percent. Education will jump a paltry 0.4 percent, and health funding will go from 4.4 percent to 4.9 percent. According to the finance minister, “Growth is the best antidote to poverty.” 

The “growth” formula is the so-called “Washington Consensus” of open markets and foreign investment, which has accelerated the divide between rich and poor from Terra del Fuego to West Africa.  

In India, “growth” has been restricted to a relatively narrow band of industries, like high tech. In the countryside, where 75 percent of the population lives, living conditions have worsened.  

A World Bank study in 2004 found that while the number of Indian millionaires rose so did the number of poor. According to a U.N. development report, inequality in India has grown faster in the last 15 years than in the last 50 years. 

The report also found that rural poverty alleviation schemes generally ended up being used in the interests of the wealthy. 

In his searing book Everyone Loves a Good Drought, Sainath exposed how the elites manipulate rural aid to enrich themselves and impoverish small farmers. Wealthy landowners used government aid during a drought to dig wells so deep that they drained off the water small farmers were using. In exchange for water, the small farmers had to grow what the wealthy farmers wanted them to grow.  

Most small farmers quickly found themselves squeezed between low prices for their crops and high prices for seed and fertilizer. Many had no choice but to turn to the local sahucar, moneylenders who charge usurious rates of 60 percent or higher.  

“Bank don’t loan money to small farmers,” says Sainath, “although you can get all you want to buy a Mercedes.” 

In 1991, 26 percent of rural households were in debt. By 2003 that had jumped to just under 50 percent, although in some states, like Andhra Pradesh, four-fifths of the farmers were in arrears. Tens of millions of small farmers ended up losing their land, and became landless laborers. If they were lucky and had a union, they made $1 a day. If they were not, they made as little as 33 cents per day. 

In contrast, each of those 311 billionaires takes in about $17.5 million a day. 

The miserly increase in health spending is particularly burdensome to the rural poor. Medical care is the second most common cause of rural debt, and close to the 25 percent of the population do not seek medical care because they cannot afford it. 

As a share of its GDP, India spends less on health care than countries like Cambodia, Myanmar, Togo, Sudan, Guinea and Burundi. 

According to a U.N. human development report, “Some of India’s southern cities may be in the midst of a technological boom, but one in every 11 Indian children dies in the first five years of life from want of low-technology, low-cost interventions.” 

The medical situation is deepened by the food crisis that many Indians endure. A study by Professor Utsa Patnaik found that per person food availability is lower now than it was during the horrendous Bengal famine of 1942-43. 

It is common for rural family members to alternate days when they eat. The result is that 46.7 percent of Indian children are underweight, and 44.9 percent of them are growth stunted. In comparison, China—which also has a wide and growing gap between rich and poor—those figures are 10 percent and 14.2 percent, respectively. 

Urban slum dwellers fare little better. In the same week that the fashion shows and the stock market were doing well, almost 5,000 urban shanties were torn down in Mumbai.  

“In the village we demolish their lives,” writes Sainath, “in the city their homes.” 

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During the last time American political jurisdictions openly maneuvered to keep African-Americans from voting—for you young readers, we’re not talking about Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004, but Alabama and Mississippi in the 1950s and early ’60s—there used to be a joke told by black comics about the black fellow who came back home to South Carolina to register to vote after spending many years in New York and Philadelphia, a bachelors degree in American history from Temple and a masters in government from NYU in his pocket. 

In those days, Southern registrars used what they called the “literacy test” to keep black people from registering. A prospective black voter had to read, and then interpret, several government documents to the satisfaction of the registrar, who sometimes could not read the documents himself. 

As the joke went, the registrar pulled out the Declaration Of Independence, asked the black fellow to read a passage, and then said, “What does that mean?” The registrar then got a copy of the Constitution, pointed to an obscure clause, asked the black fellow to read it, and then said, “Now tell me what that means.” Then came an old dog-eared Federalist Papers, a request to read a paragraph out of one of the articles, and then the question: “What does it mean?” The black fellow expounded on each answer for 15 minutes or more, providing citations to various texts he had read on the various subjects. He’d gone to school for this, after all. He was well prepared. 

Finally, the white registrar went into the back of his office, rummaged through some old books, and came back with a copy of Plato’s Republic. “Pick a passage, any passage, and read it,” the registrar said. The black fellow opened the book, leafed through it a moment, and said, “This book’s in Greek. I don’t read Greek.” “That’s OK,” the registrar replied. “Just tell me what it means.” The black fellow thought a moment, closed the book, and handed it back to the registrar. “It means I’m not going to be able to vote,” he said. 

Sometimes, we sadly discover, the results of government policy are pre-ordained, and the various actions leading up to them are merely for the show. 

So it was with the takeover of the Oakland public schools. 

In the first UnderCurrents column for the Berkeley Daily Planet, in April of 2003, I wrote about three separate calls, over the years, for state takeover of the Oakland Unified School District. Each, interestingly enough, involved a different announced reason for the threatened takeover (in 1998 the desire by some state officials to get rid of then-OUSD Superintendent Carol Quan; in 2000, it was over a discrepancy in reported attendance figures; in 2003, the year the Oakland schools were finally seized by the state, it was because of overspending the budget to finance a teacher pay hike). Interestingly enough, too, each of the three calls for a state takeover in the past eight years involved state Sen. Don Perata in some way. 

Despite the fact that this was the largest school seizure in California history, and a complete disenfranchisement of Oakland voters over the running of our school system, the East Bay public still knows almost nothing about how, and why, the State of California came to take over the Oakland schools. 

But at least now, thanks to a recently-published book by local author, educator, and political activist Kitty Kelly Epstein, we have some valuable insight into an earlier attempt by the State of California to take over the Oakland schools, this one ten years before Mr. Perata began making his threats in 1998. 

In 1988, Ms. Epstein writes in A Different View Of Urban Schools; Civil Rights, Critical Race Theory, And Unexplored Realities, the Oakland school district was facing a fiscal crisis and needed to make severe budget cuts in order to balance the budget. Epstein says that a coalition of public officials—including then-state Superintendent of Education Bill Honig, then-state Assemblymember Elihu Harris (at that time a candidate for mayor of Oakland), then-Alameda County School Superintendent William Berck, and Sheila Jordan, the only white member of the Oakland school board—began pushing for state intervention into the Oakland schools, even though the majority-black school board had not sought out a state loan, and the budget was still balanced. Harris went so far as to introduce state trustee legislation in the state assembly. 

But the school board, led by members Sylvester Hodge and Darlene Lawson, arranged the sales of something called “Certificates of Participation,” $10 million in financing that made a state loan—and a state trustee—unnecessary. “Honig declared that he would block the sales of certificates,” Epstein writes, “but Hodges and Lawson had done their homework carefully. Other districts had already used this method of financing, and the board members had carefully worked through the necessary procedures before announcing the plan.” 

Folks who followed the 2003 Oakland school takeover will see some interesting echoes from what happened, or didn’t happen, in 1988. In 2003, in the frantic weeks before the Oakland School Board was stripped of its power and Randolph Ward was sent in to run the Oakland schools, the local board produced a balanced budget that would have ended the need for a state loan, and a state takeover. That balanced budget was based on the temporary transfer of construction bond funds, a transfer that board members said was being done by other school districts around the state. But even though the district’s bond attorneys—the same attorneys that advise the state, by the way—said that the construction bond transfer was legal, the Alameda County Superintendent of Schools held them up, and eventually they were blocked by an “opinion” by state Attorney General Bill Lockyer. And who was the county superintendent who played such an important role in keeping Oakland from bailing itself out in 2003 and retaining home rule? If you guessed that it was the same Sheila Jordan who Epstein says was pushing for state takeover as an Oakland School Board member in 1988, you win the prize as a careful reader. 

As important as Epstein’s account is of the 1988 abortive takeover, her description of what happened immediately after is even more instructive. One year after Oakland resisted state takeover, she writes, “the neighboring Richmond school district … went broke and was forced to accept the $10 million loan originally slated for Oakland. They were also forced to lay off hundreds of teachers and cut the salaries of those teachers who remained. Today, more than a decade later, that district, now called West Contra Costa County, has not yet recovered financially. Interest and fees on the loan were so high that the loan will not be repaid and local control restored until 2018. In contrast, Oakland did not lay off teachers or cut salaries [during the 1988 financial difficulties]. And by the time Sylvester Hodges ended his tenure as chair of the district’s Budget and Finance Committee, the school district had achieved Standard & Poor’s highest bond rating and had accumulated a substantial cushion of reserves.” 

(Ms. Epstein’s book, which concentrates on how the issue of race affects American public education, using Oakland as a prime example, is an essential text for people wishing to understand what’s going on in public schools these days, by the way.) 

The state has made a royal mess of things amongst the Oakland schools, if anyone is watching. With Oakland further in debt than when the state administrator took over, the school district is being slowly dismantled and outside companies coming in and seizing campuses like the European colonial powers once seized African villages and communities. Meanwhile, a potentially devastating teacher strike looming, is there anyone around who will now argue that letting the state take a hand at running the Oakland schools was a good experiment, and Oaklanders couldn’t have done this better, our own selves?  

But as we said, sometimes, the results are pre-ordained, and the various actions leading up to them are merely for the show. For a long time, there have been folks deeply interested in taking over Oakland’s public schools. Now that they’ve finally done it, we may begin to finally understand why. But that’s a subject for another day, and another column. 

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I know you’re out there. You who are easy prey for handywomen and contractors. You who don’t fix things. Yes, I know you’re there. Well come out of the closet and go boldly where your uncle Filbert never went. Where you mother never dared to tread. Today we are going to hang something on the wall. Yes, You CAN do it. 

Hanging shelves or paintings on a wall has reduced the hardiest of men and women to tearing out their hair but I will share some secrets with you that will have you hangin’ with the best of ‘em. 

Hanging things means first mounting an anchoring system in most kinds of walls. Most of us have either drywall (sheetrock to the masses) or plaster (mostly installed over wooden lath although some lath is actually made of drywall).  

Let’s start with plaster over wooden lath, since it’s the trickiest and we’ll save the fun stuff for last. If you have plaster, you’re probably in a house that is at least 50 years old and more likely 60 or 70. Nearly all houses from the ‘40s or earlier were finished in plaster (except for those with wood paneling and that makes things really easy). 

If you have plaster, you can probably see the rough wooden strips from the backside somewhere in the house, usually the basement or possibly through a broken wall section somewhere. Plaster is quite hard and brittle and anyone who ever tried to drive a nail through this material probably found themselves making large running cracks or possibly even breaking off a chunk or two. 

The first thing you want to try to do is to attach whatever you have to somewhere that a wooden upright or “stud” is located. Finding a stud (alright, take a minute and get all the jokes out of your system ... are you done?) isn’t as hard as one might think because the wooden lath strips that the plaster is smooshed into (yes, when it was wet) are nailed to the studs or 2x4 uprights behind the plaster. 

These nails can be found using one of my favorite tools, a magnetic stud-finder. Some people call this a “compass” stud-finder because it’s very much like a compass. It has a magnetic rod mounted at it’s midpoint so that it can spin freely inside of a plastic bubble about 2” in diameter. If you run it along the wall, the rod will dart around and point, like a good bloodhound, right at the nail hidden in the wall. This shows you where the stud is and where you can drill or nail (although nailing has its own tricks). 

I think it’s a very good idea to use the device to locate all of the nails in the region of wall you’re going to be working on using a sharp pencil. You only need a small mark. When you have a lot of marks made, you can run a straight-edge along the vertical lines of nail spots to see if you can approximate the actual middle of the stud. Nails might not be centered on the stud but if you look at a long line of these pencil marks, you can probably guess pretty well where the stud center is and eliminate the odd one that was on an edge. 

Keep in mind that you may have pairs of nails on some studs where the lathing strips meet. The point between the two nails is the stud center, more or less. If this is confusing, just start “mapping” the whole wall this way and you’ll soon figure out what I’m talking about. Some points will have one nail and some will have two about 1” or more apart. 

Once you’ve done this, you can drill a small hole for a screw or a nail using a common drill bit. I keep cheap or old bits for this purpose because plaster and other similar materials will dull the bit. These cheapo bits are perfect for any such dirty job. 

If you’re attaching directly to a stud, the weight bearing is much better and you can use up to very large nails or screws, depending on what’s being attached. This is definitely the way to go for shelving. 

If you want to attach something mid-span between the studs on lath and plaster, be very careful and patient. This stuff loves to crack when hit, or drilled with the wrong bit. Plaster is stiff and the wood lath is springy. When you hit or drill the wooden lath and it springs about, the brittle plaster wants to separate, so you need a slow method and a sharp implement. 

You can start to drill a hole with a dull bit if you like but you should drill through the lath (about 1/4” inward) with the sharpest bit you have so that it will not be grabbed and pulled about the way a dull bit might. You can then attach a toggle bolt or another similar anchor. 

There are several new kinds available but this needs to be something that will compress from the inside to the outside without applying much pressure outward radially from the hole. This, again is to prevent cracking. You’ll really need to use The Force on this one because plaster is very touchy stuff. 

With drywall, life is somewhat easier. Drilling is much more forgiving, although a very dull bit can punch through the paper skin too roughly (yes, I did say paper) or crush the chalky substrate, rather than carving a nice neat hole. Try to use a fairly sharp bit and take your time. 

Again, studs can be found the same way, with a magnetic finder, although I’ll also mention the modern stud-finders (take one of these to a nightclub for laughs sometime and let me know how it works out) that use something akin to radar called radiolocation. They’re very cool but quirky and take some getting use to. 

If you’re attaching something like a sheetrock screw (very narrow) or a nail, no drilling is needed. A large screw should be predrilled. Now the fun stuff. If you’re attaching to drywall between the studs, I very much like the new mega-screws made of plastic or aluminum that just screw themselves into the sheetrock (predrilling a small hole is best). These tighten up as they reach the end of their ability to turn and make a great and reusable point to install a screw of the right size. 

You can buy them in sets with the screws that fit into them if you’re not sure how to match them up. Ask as the store and they’ll fix you up. Although these are my favorites. I’ll also add the old fashioned plastic anchor or “mollie” to the list. These can work in either plaster or drywall if you’re careful to make the right-sized hole and you won’t be hanging anything especially heavy. They also work on concrete and stucco, although you’ll need a masonry bit to drill those holes. 

Funny how a simple thing like hanging a screw in a wall can be such a bear and how a few new ideas can take a lot of anxiety away. O.K., get to work! 

Got a question about home repairs and inspections? Send them to Matt Cantor, in care of East Bay Real Estate, at realestate@berkeleydailyplanet.com.?

There’s a lively side discussion going on within a California native-plants email list about how to garden with the least impact. 

Part of it hinges on things like the comparative drainage of blue path fines versus gold path fines—“fines” or “quarry waste” are the almost-sand-sized bits of rock you see around some civic trees, for example at the Ashby BART station—when used as inorganic mulch. 

Some native plants do better in “unimproved” soil than in the loamy garden soil that organic mulches eventually make.  

From that point, the topic moved to just how much one is screwing up by importing things over great distances using resources like petroleum. This one reaches into homes, too: Imagine the real cost of hauling a few tons of granite for garden rocks or countertops from China. (Then there’s that interesting trade imbalance that seems to profit a very few Americans, at least in the long run.) But how much more of the Sierra do you want to mine? 

Those of us who live in the flatlands where the native rock is mud might despair of ever having the flag path or planting wall or featured boulder we dream of, if we also want a clear conscience. If you really want to torment yourself, there are a couple of places around the Richmond/Albany/El Cerrito border to do so.  

American Soil is the better known, having been right here in Berkeley for years, at Bancroft between the railroad tracks and Aquatic Park. I took my brand-new pickup down there to baptize it with a cubic yard of Walt Whitman, one of their most useful compost mixes. Here came a guy on a front-loader; he raised it waaaayy up and dropped its load into my truck. “Oof!” said the truck, and then we drove home very slowly because the braking distance was new to me. Lesson: a cubic yard of dirt about fills a six-foot compact pickup bed.  

American Soil, in its new location north of Central Avenue on the frontage road, has amazing big rocks, pavers, amusing sculptures, and a menu of some 15 soil amendments and various mulches and gravels, with swatches in a bin to help you choose. They carry assorted handy supplies like jute netting and rhizome barriers. The inimitable Keeyla Meadows has a display garden there, too.  

On the other side of Central Avenue, on the same frontage road, is the comparative upstart Acapulco Rock & Soil. It has a smaller menu of soil amendments, mulches, rock, sand, cobbles, and fines, but if it has the rock you’re fated to fall in love with, you’re in luck: the prices there are a shade cheaper than American Soil’s. Their quick can-I-help-you works well for those new to gardening or just bewildered.  

Here’s the rub, at any such store. The stated prices are just for the stuff; delivery can cost more than the material. So if you have a good friend with a pickup, you know the time to call in your favors. You can get stuff by the bag, too—more pricey and heavy lifting if you need lots. So call in your favors from the friends with linebackers in the house. And for mercy’s sake, feed them.  

April is National Poetry Month and I unintentionally celebrated it last week with a visit to Manhattan.  

I go to New York often because I have many generous friends and relatives there. I always make a point of catching up with my childhood companion Jack and my former writing partner Karen while in town.  

Jack has lived and worked in and around Manhattan for the past 35 years. Karen moved there from San Francisco more than 20 years ago. I introduced Jack and Karen to each other because they both love writing, reading and listening to poetry. Now they see each other regularly. They share meals, ideas and gossip; they go to literary events together.  

During my visit, Jack and Karen were reading at A Gathering of Tribes Gallery on Third Street, between avenues C and D. I met them for dinner on the Lower East Side and we walked from Spring Street up to 3rd. The neighborhood grew grittier as we approached the gallery, and by the time we reached the stoop of the tenement where the event was taking place, I knew I could be in trouble. 

Poetry readings are not really my thing. I attend in support of my friends who have made this difficult art form central to their lives, therefore guaranteeing themselves an existence full of angst, disappointment, and very small apartments. 

Jack has been writing poetry since he was in junior high. He spends his daylight hours working for a pest control company located in Hells Kitchen. He pursues mice, rats, and creepy crawly things between the hours of 9 and 5. After work and late into the night he writes sharp, extraordinary poetry about ordinary, humdrum things.  

Karen is an editor and writer for Dance Magazine, and she pens beautifully crisp, stinging poems while juggling a hectic work week. Jack and Karen would prefer to spend their time writing verse, but life gets in the way. For Jack it’s fleas, ants, moths, and cockroaches. For Karen it’s ballerinas, rhythm tappers, tangoistas, and urban hiphop dancers.  

On the stone steps of 285 East Third St. we came upon two transients sharing a small bottle of booze hidden inside a paper bag. They apologized for being in our way, parted to let us walk between them, wished us a successful reading. 

Up to the second floor we trudged, to the home of Steve Cannon, a blind black poet famous for, among other things, his Friday night heckling activities at the nearby Nuyorican Poets Cafe. We entered the front room, found a seat among the folding chairs, and waited.  

Waiting at poetry readings is a big part of the action. You wait for the venue to be unlocked. You wait for someone to get you a chair. You wait for the MC to test the mike, and if it doesn’t work you wait for him or her to find the essential parts to get the damn thing working. Sometimes there isn’t a mike and so you wait for everyone to shut up so you can hear what the MC has to say.  

At this reading there was an audience of four who willingly paid the admission price of five dollars each. There were five readers and none of them went more than twenty minutes over the ten-minute time allotment. No one was obviously drunk or under the influence of illegal drugs. Steve stayed quiet in the adjacent room, smoking cigarettes and drinking herbal tea. There were no fights and no one left prematurely.  

Karen read from her chapbook One Foot Out the Door, and Jack read from his soon-to-be-published collection, Fun Being Me. I was glad to be there, delighted and humbled to hear my friends recite their hard-earned, remarkable words, happy to be celebrating National Poetry Month in the apartment of a strange blind heckler, and grateful that he did not heckle. 

Karen Hildebrands’ One Foot Out the Door can be ordered through Three Room Press at onefootoutthedoor.blogspot.com. Jack Wiler’s second book of poetry, Fun Being Me, will be available from Cavankerry Press this fall. He can be contacted at jackwiler.com.›

The more scientists learn about non-human cognition, the blurrier the boundary between the human mind and various animal minds seems to become. And I’m not just talking about tool-making, intention-guessing, empathetic chimps. Some remarkable findings have emerged from the study of birds—and not necessarily the kinds of birds you’d expect. 

Episodic memory—memory that encodes particulars of what, where, and when—used to be considered exclusively human. Your recall of where you were when you heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center is an episodic memory (in my case, waiting for the elevator in the lobby of my office building). 

So is your recollection of where you last left your car keys. Animals, even bright ones like the great apes, were not supposed to be able to store and retrieve this kind of information. 

But biologists working with corvids—birds in the family that includes jays, crows, nutcrackers, and magpies—began to wonder about that. Some corvid species are food-cachers: they hide stashes of acorns or pine nuts in summer or fall to sustain themselves during winter and early spring, when other food is scarce. 

When they returned to their cache, had they made a random search or had they remembered where the items had been hidden? Better-than-chance retrieval performance suggested that birds like western scrub-jays, pinyon jays, and Clark’s nutcrackers had a well-developed spatial memory. 

The brains of these species have a larger-than-average hippocampus, an area thought to be responsible for processing memory. 

Do their memories have a time dimension, though—a “when” associated with the “what” and “where”? Nicola Clayton, working with western scrub-jays at Cambridge, thinks so. In an ingenious series of experiments, Clayton allowed captive scrub-jays to cache perishable food items—mealworms—and relatively non-perishable items—peanuts—in the lab. When given the opportunity to retrieve the goodies right after caching, her jays displayed a strong preference for the mealworms. 

But she found that the preference changed over time. If a jay had recovered a worm that was past its prime, in a subsequent trial five days after caching it would go for the more reliable peanuts.  

To rule out the possibility that, for whatever reason, more worm memories were lost than peanut memories, Clayton “taught” some of her subjects that worms did not in fact go bad by substituting fresh ones in the caches. Those birds continued to choose the worms at the five-day mark. In another variation, she accelerated the apparent decay rate of crickets, and found this resulted in a preference for nuts within a shorter time frame. 

Clayton has been careful to call what she has observed “episodic-like memory”, to avoid equating the human and corvid thought processes. But it sure looks like her jays were recalling not only where they had stashed the different kinds of food but when they had done so. 

(She has also documented something very like a theory of mind in scrub-jays, the ability to put oneself in the mental space of another individual. Jays that are more prone to pilfer other birds’ caches are correspondingly more likely to move their own caches if they were observed in the act.) 

Corvids have relatively big brains for birds (and scrub-jays have large hippocampi even for corvids). If you’d expect any kind of bird to be capable of memnonic prodigies, it would probably be a scrub-jay. However, episodic-like memory may not be unique to jays. Very similar processes have now been documented in, of all things, hummingbirds.  

In a study that recently appeared in Current Biology, Susan Healy and Jonathan Henderson of the University of Edinburgh describe their fieldwork with rufous hummingbirds in the Canadian Rockies.  

(The rufous hummer is an early spring migrant through the Bay Area; its close relative, the Allen’s hummer, stays to nest). Healy and Henderson placed eight artificial flowers in an alpine meadow patronized by hummingbirds. Some of the “flowers” were refilled with hummer food at 10-minute intervals, others at 20-minute intervals.  

Tallying visits by three male rufous hummers, the researchers found the birds could distinguish between the 10-minute and 20-minute “flowers” and remember their locations and when they had last drained them. Over several days, they reliably returned to the “flowers” just after they had been refilled; once again, a matter of what, when, and where.  

It makes sense for hyperactive birds like hummers to maximize their foraging efficiency. Return to a flower too soon, and the nectar won’t have been replenished; too late, and a rival may have beaten you there. With a long migration route and a short breeding season, rufous hummers can’t afford to waste time and energy in the search for food.  

Healy and Henderson point out that their male hummers were able to track the timing of nectar supplies while defending their territories and courting females. So you have not only episodic (oh, OK, “episodic-like”) memory but serious multitasking, all with a brain the size of a grain of rice.  

I don’t know how large a hummingbird’s hippocampus is, absolutely or relatively. But the bird doesn’t have a whole lot of neurons to work with. It may turn out to be not the size of the brain that enables these kinds of mental processes, but the complexity of the wiring. Smaller does not necessarily equate to dumber: the minuscule brain of the hummer appears to have the bandwidth to do what it needs to do.

FRIDAY, APRIL 14 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “The Devil’s Disciple” by G.B. Shaw, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. at Berryman, through May 6. Tickets are $12. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Aurora Theatre “Small Tragedy” Wed.-Sat at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St., through May 14. Tickets are $38. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

BareStage “The Fantasticks” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. April 23 and 30 at 2 p.m., through April 30, at the basement of Cesar Chavez Student Center, UC Campus. Tickets are $8-$12. 642-3880. barestage.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley Rep “Culture Clash’s Zorro in Hell” at 8 p.m. in the Roda Theater. Tickets are $45-$59. Runs through April 16. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Berkeley Rep “The Glass Menagerie” at 8 p.m. at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $59. Runs through May 31. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theater “Animal Crackers” at 8 p.m. Fri and Sat., and Sun. at 2 p.m. at Contra Costa Civic Theater, 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito, through May 20. Tickets are $12-$20. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Masquers Playhouse “Relative Values” by Noel Coward. Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond, through May 6. Tickets are $15. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

“Takashi’s Dream,” the story of Takashi Teanemori, an atomic bomb survivor from Hiroshima, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Shotgun Players “Bright Ideas” opens at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. and runs Thurs.-Sun. to April 23. Tickets are $15-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Remake/Remodel:Rebound” Studies of Transformation with ACCI artists Clayton Bain, Dina Gewing, Kate Kerrigan and Dobee Snowber. Reception at 6 p.m. at ACCI Gallery, 1652 Shattuck Ave. 843-2527.  

FILM 

Brave Outsiders: The Films of Kim Longinotto “Runaway” at 7 p.m. amd “Divorce Iranian Style” at 9:15 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Antonin Kratochvil, documentary photographer, will speak at 7 p.m. at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, corner of Euclid and Hearst. Cost is $10. www.fotovision.org 

Joel Primack describes “The View from the Center of the Universe: Discovering Our Extraordinary Place in the Cosmos” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

www.codysbooks.com  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Chamber Music at noon at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Elephant Hunter, Angel of Thorns, DSEPD, Swamp Donkey at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

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

Odile Lavault & The Baguette Quartette at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

Mitch Greenhill & Mayne Smith with Peter Spelman at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Glenn Walters Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

DJ and Brook, jazz, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Sam Misner & Megan Smith at 8 p.m. at Spuds, 3290 Adeline St. at Alcatraz. Cost is $7-$10. 

Nels Cline Singers at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Funeral Shock, Blown to Bits, Fatality 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. 

Atman Roots, jazz, funk, and afro-cuban soul, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

John Scofield Quartet at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $12-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, APRIL 15 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Estela Knott & David Berzonsky, songs from the Americas, at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“From the Ground Up” Paintings and installation by Alena Rudolph. Reception at 6 p.m. at Union Art Gallery, 1232 19th St., Oakland. 444-0924.  

“Eclectix” New gallery opening with an ongoing group show of mixed media works by Chris Fortin, Patricia Mitchell, Susan Billings, William Dunton, Karla Bruk and Chuck Mitchell. Reception at 6 p.m. at Eclectix Gallery, 7523 Fairmount Ave. at Colusa Ave., El Cerrito. 364-7216. 

COMEDY 

Final Round of the Bay Area Black Comedy Competition at 8 p.m. at the Oakland Paramount Theatre, 2021 Broadway. www.BlackComedyCompetition.com  

FILM 

Brave Outsiders: The Films of Kim Longinotto “The Day I Will Never Forget” at 6:30 p.m., and “Sisters in Law” at 8:50 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Javanese Music and Dance at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $3-$10.  

Jazz at the Chimes with Melanie O’Reilly at 2 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Donation of $15 requested for the artist. 228-3207. 

Mike Glendinning, jazz guitar, at 1 p.m. at A Cheerfull Noyse, music store, 1228 Solano Ave., Albany. Free. 524-0411. 

John Richardson Band at 9 p.m. at Circus Pub, 389 Colusa Ave., Kensington. Free and all ages. 

Robin Gregory & Her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Reggae Angels at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Los Boleros, traditional son montuno, son cubano, boleros, cumbia and merengue at 9:30 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Ross Hammond and the Jayn Pettingill/Debbie Poryes Duo at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Lost Weekend, classic western swing band, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Wits End, Sleep in Fame, Maxwell Adams at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $10. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Mark Levine Trio at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Steve Heckman & Gini WIlson at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Sam Misner & Megan Smith, modern folk acoustic, at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

Howdy, The Bittersweets, Dame Satan at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Matt Heulitt Quartet, guitar, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Babyland, 8-Bit, Ninja Academy The Mormons at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 16 

FILM 

A Theater Near You “The Spirit of the Beehive” at 3 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

The Writing Salon Open House Reading and Art Show, with Suzy Parker, Alison Luterman, and Chris Malcomb at 3 p.m. at 1250 Addison St., Suite 204, at the Strawberry Creek Design Center, corner of Addison and Bonar. www.writingsalons.com 

Poetry Flash with The Five Fingers Review contributors Julie Carr, Jaime Robles and Meridith Stricker at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Ricardo Piexoto/Mark Little Duo at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Americana Unplugged, bluegrass and oldtime music showcase, at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 655-5715. 

Urban Achievers, The Castrati, Built for the Sea at 5:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $8. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Eda Maxym and the Imagination Club with Stephen Kent on didjeridu at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

MONDAY, APRIL 17 

THEATER 

Shotgun Theater Lab: muwumpin presents “Frankie & Johnny” Mon. and Tues. to April 18 at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. Tickets are $10. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Andrea McLaughlin: Selected Black and White Photography from the Photolab Gallery, 1998-2006” at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St., through June 17. 981-6100. www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Aurora Theatre “Sinker” a reading of the play by Ron Campbell at 7:30 p.m. at 2081 Addison St. Free. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

Ilya Kaminsky, D.A. Powell, Tessa Rumsey and others read from “Legitimate Dangers: American Poets of the New Century” at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Juliet Eilperin talks about “Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the U.S. House of Representatives” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

www.codysbooks.com  

Poetry Express with Linda Zeiser at 7 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Zilberella Monday at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

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

Robert Stewart at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, APRIL 18 

THEATER 

Shotgun Theater Lab: muwumpin presents “Frankie & Johnny” Mon. and Tues. to April 18 at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. Tickets are $10. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

FILM 

Vantage Points: New Documentaries by Women “The Joy of LIfe” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Richard Schwartz introduces “Earthquake Exodus, 1906” at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., followed by a reception at the McCreary-Greer House, 2318 Durant Ave. Tickets are $15. 841-2242. 

Freight and Salvage Open Mic at 8 p.m. at at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $4.50-$5.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Bruce & Lloyd’s Tri Tip Trio at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Singers’ Open Mic with Ellen Hoffman at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

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

Jazzschool Tuesdays, a weekly showcase of up-and-coming ensembles from Berkeley Jazzschool at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Brian Kane Duo at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19 

THEATER 

The Marsh Berkeley “Faulty Intelligence”satirical songs by Roy Zimmerman, Wed.-Thurs. at 7 p.m. at 2118 Allston Way, through April 27. Tickets are $15-$22. www.themarsh.org 

FILM 

Latino Film Festival “Cachimba” at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $5-$6. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Banff Mountain Film Festival Wed. and Thurs. at 7 p.m. at Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Tickets are $13-$16. 527-4140. 

Film 50: History of Cinema “Cries and Whispers” at 3 p.m. and Video: Recent and Strange at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Mount Fuji: Hidden in Plain Sight” with Christine Guth in conjunction with the exhibit “Hideo Hagiwara - Mount Fuji Woodblock Prints” at 5 p.m. at the IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton Street, 6th Floor. Sponsored by the Institute of East Asian Studies and the Center for Japanese Studies http://ieas.berkeley.edu 

Ben Ehrenreich reads from his novel “The Suitors” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Noah Eli Gordon and Sara Veglahn, poets, at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

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

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, with music by Cindy Cox, poetry by John Campion at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

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

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

Jules Broussard at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. West Coast Swing dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

The Dale Ann Bradley Band, Kentucky-based bluegrass, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Dave Stein Bubhub, groove-driven funk at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Sheol, Normal Like You, Minus Vince at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Tinariwen, South Saharan rock, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $14-$20. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, APRIL 20 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Under a Rock” recent paintings by Jean Fawver. Reception at 5:30 p.m. at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

THEATER 

“The Bizarro Baloney Show” with Dan Piraro, comedy, video, songs, cartoons, audience participation and more, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15-$18. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“The Bancroft Library at 100” Curator’s Talk by Jack von Euw at 5:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Conversation with Author Isabel Allende in celebration of National Library Week, at 7 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. 

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

Carole Terwilliger Meyers presents a slide talk on the latest edition of her book, “Weekend Adventures in San Francisco and Northern California” at 7 p.m. at the El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave. 526-7512.  

Colin Whitehead reads form his comic novel “Apex Hides the Hurt” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

Word Beat Reading Series with John Rowe and Katie McAllaster Weaver at 7 p.m. at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave., near Dwight Way. 526-5985. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“I’m A Performer” Concert with Jefferson and Oxford students at 8:30 a.m. at Jefferson Elementary School, 1400 Ada St. 841-2800. 

Michael Chapdelaine, acoustic guitar, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Blue Roots at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Move, Sin Voz at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

Showtime @ 11 Hip Hop at 10 p.m. at the Ivy Room, 585 San Pablo Ave. at Solano. 524-9220. www.ivyroom.com  

Gene Bertoncini, solo jazz guitar, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Omar Sosa Quartet, featuring Pee Wee Ellis at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com™

A match struck in darkness on the “veranda” of a tenement fire escape to light a cigarette is the first illuminating ray in Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, at Berkeley Rep, as Williams’ young “double,” would-be poet Tom Wingfield (Erik Lochtefeld) slowly drawls out, in Delta Faulknerian, the introduction to his nostalgic narration of a “memory play.” 

“Yes, I have tricks in my pocket, I have things up my sleeve. But I am the opposite of a stage magician,” he says. “He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant guise of illusion.” 

Williams’ first great play, penned in 1944, is set during “that quaint period, the thirties” in St. Louis. “In Spain there was revolution. Here there was only shouting and confusion.” 

The Glass Menagerie is a quiet play, though, a lyrical excursion into a displaced Southern family living vicariously through dreams in otherwise straitened circumstances—and what happens when a long-expected, real-life Lochinvar appears suddenly out of the hazy sunset of those dreams. 

The straitened circumstances aren’t just those of the Depression. Sister Laura (Emily Donohoe) is crippled—though mother Amanda (Rita Moreno) insists that word never be used—with a bad leg and overwhelming self-consciousness. 

And the dreams aren’t equally distributed among the family trio: Tom dreams of escape, adventure—but goes to the movies; Laura plays her Victrola and tends to her “glass collection” of transparent animals; and Amanda fervently hopes for a future for her children, a gentleman caller for Laura, like the 17 she boasts of having received in one day in her girlhood, and struggles to keep the family together, sending Laura off mornings to a business college she’s long stopped attending, and archly cajoling and threatening Tom over his habits and his distractions. 

It’s a little ironic that Ms. Moreno’s genuine star presence finds its vehicle in wannabe-belle Amanda, who first comes on too demure, almost mousy, then gradually digs in with her motherly nagging, her almost-antebellum nostalgic recitals, rising to all-out tirades that dissolve into pleading. Amanda is the first, the test-run, of Williams’ famous monstres sacrées. 

Moreno carefully layers her character, punctuating the overly-artificial and nerve-wracking Southern poses and langeurs with sharp, quick gestures and movements, culminating in her shockingly funny apotheosis, “shaking her girlish ringlets” (as per the playwright’s stage direction) as she enters to greet Jim O’Connor (Terrance Riordan), the gentleman caller she’s dragooned Tom to invite to dinner from the shoe warehouse where both work. She is all dolled up in a “historic, almost” gown she just pulled out of the trunk. It is literally a museum piece, with one drooping flounce hanging from its otherwise perfect, rustling, mothballed finery.  

The exact dress was Moreno’s call, but perfectly fits the direction in which Les Waters’ interpretation leads the play. Williams is too often presented in full “breast-beating” fashion, but on the Rep’s Thrust Stage Waters’ adroit cast brings out the comedy that’s mixed with pathos. A touch of it’s almost Chaplinesque, as when Tom, who jokes and clowns to slough off Amanda’s high-handed routines, flies into a rage on his way out to the movies and tangles himself in his coat, accidently throwing it off onto the glass menagerie, provoking hysterics from Laura.  

It’s a clean, fresh reading of the text that dispenses with the usual half-baked emotional theatrics that luridly color too many productions of Williams’ best plays. But, in a way, it’s a little too clean and straight, like the set by Scott Bradley with its Strindbergian “second proscenium arch” dividing living and dining rooms, where Amanda often poses, all lit up, like memory, by a glow from beneath (Matt Frey’s lighting design). 

It could use a little more shabbiness in the set of this quietly desperate family, just as the action needs a touch of the theatrical that goes beyond the usual emotionalizing, beyond even the excellent comedy. 

At the crucial moment, when “the most realistic character in the play . . . an emissary from a world of reality we were somehow set apart from” enters this cabinet of grotesques (in Sherwood Anderson’s sense), Ms. Moreno takes Amanda to the far reaches of comedy. It is part of Williams’ dramaturgical dichotomy, like the Baudelairean poetry he, like Tom, tried to write: spleen and ideal, the nostalgia of memory and the humor of the present. 

Director Waters’ realism here is in lower case; it has a light, sensitive touch. It may blossom into the strange blooms of Williams’, or Amanda, the jonquil girl’s, imagination as the show runs, so good is the casting. 

Laura is all big eyes, downcast or gazing at life from a remote place, while conflicting thoughts animate her lips; Tom waiting for his life of adventure that proves to be another poem like the one written on a shoebox lid that gets him fired, taking him back, over and over, into what he’s left behind. 

Jim O’Connor, professionally genial and savvy, clumsily spitting out gum because it’s lost its taste, and apologizing, delivers the final word on Amanda’s extravagant antics, so well played by Moreno: “I guess this is what they mean by southern hospitality.” 

Photo By: Ken Friedman 

Rita Moreno as Amanda in Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. 

It can be tempting to dismiss violent criminals, to simply lock them up and write them off. The details of their crimes justify it for us, allowing us to make them into monsters, to dehumanize and judge them. 

Shakespeare Behind Bars, opening today (Friday) at Landmark’s Shattuck Cinemas in downtown Berkeley, doesn’t offer that luxury. This award-winning documentary goes behind the scenes at Kentucky’s Luther Luckett Correctional Complex to remind us that the world is not so black and white, that men are not merely one thing or another but are complex and ever-evolving. 

Every year, volunteer director Curt Tofteland stages a Shakespeare play at Luckett, visiting the prison twice a week for nine months to work with his cast of convicts. The picture this film presents is disarming, for the movie is not just moving and entertaining, it is genuinely funny; prison would seem an unlikely setting for a movie of such warmth and compassion, humanity and joy. 

For this season, Tofteland has chosen The Tempest. He has selected this play for its themes of forgiveness and redemption, knowing these concepts will resonate with his cast, especially with the veterans who will be up for parole within months of the season’s conclusion. This may sound a bit heavy-handed at first, but we soon see that Tofteland’s relationship with these men is anything but patronizing; there is no condescension in his direction. Indeed, it is readily apparent that the men of Luckett not only enjoy these plays, but might have selected The Tempest themselves, given the choice, and for precisely the same reasons. 

The prisoners we meet are articulate and intelligent and often charismatic. They seem to come from all walks of life. Some are educated, some are not, but all are intellectually curious. Granted, this group is self-selecting; there are hundreds of prisoners at Luckett who have opted not to spend their time rehearsing Shakespeare, so we’re not exactly getting a representative sample. But the men presented here challenge many stereotypes. 

The troupe’s rehearsals are essentially group therapy sessions, with Tofteland in the role of facilitator. The men encourage and critique each other, each offering his own interpretation of character and motivation. And through this process each man gets closer to his own particular truth, gaining a greater understanding of his own character and motivation. It is fascinating to watch. And because it’s Shakespeare, and the dense language is not always easily understood, it gives them occasion to painstakingly deconstruct the play line by line, discovering the ways in which gesture and inflection can alter a scene’s meaning. Eventually the play will settle into something resembling a final form, but what matters to these actors is the process, the collaborative and cathartic act of creating a truthful ensemble performance.  

The insights often come indirectly and the men are often surprised by them. The roles in the play were cast deliberately by the actors themselves, so most of them start off with a certain level of awareness of the parallels between themselves and their characters. But gradually they peel away layers of meaning in Shakespeare’s lines, simultaneously delving deeper into their own thoughts and emotions. And through these revelations they develop greater sympathy and understanding for one another. There is growth here as well as catharsis. 

Big G, a bear of a man who looks more like a linebacker than a Shakespearian actor, offers key insights into the process: “I’ve often thought that a bunch of convicts would make great actors, because they’re used to lying and playing a role, but it’s the opposite of that. Because you have to tell the truth and inhabit a character. And that’s so scary for me and the guys in the group because we’re opening up our inner selves for everyone to see.” 

It is possible that these men would be averse to conventional therapy, that bravado and machismo would not allow such a frank discussion of self. But by staging these plays they are doing something more difficult and brave, opening themselves up and examining their own lives before an audience.  

We are witness to great camaraderie, moral support, friendship and compassion. They yearn for redemption. Some seek to forgive themselves; others find self-forgiveness hollow and instead seek forgiveness from friends and family, as well as from the society which has spurned them.  

Just as it is can be easy to dismiss the incarcerated, it is likewise easy to sentimentalize them, to believe that these men who strut across a prison stage have put their violent impulses behind them. But Shakespeare Behind Bars will not allow us that luxury either. In wracking one-on-one interviews the prisoners open up to the filmmakers, revealing the crimes for which they have been imprisoned as well as their hopes for some kind of closure.  

It can be difficult to rationalize the vibrant, passionate Shakespearians with the images they describe of violence and crime, but we cannot allow ourselves to believe that their sins are in the past merely because they are discussed in the past tense. The path to redemption is a long and arduous one and rehabilitation does not come easily. 

But as much as these men may look forward to the performances for which they are rehearsing, they are really in it for the process, not the final result. For each of these men, like the play itself, is a work in progress, and the act of creation is far more rewarding that any curtain call. 

Photo Courtesy Philomath Films 

Inmates at Kentucky’s Luther Luckett Correctional Complex perform The Tempest in Shakespeare Behind Bars.

Is there really a secret behind the crystal perfume bottle passed down from your grandmother? What about the French landscape you bought at a hotel liquidation sale in Hawaii for $5? Could it be valuable? Join the Appraisal Extravaganza and these mysteries will be solved. 

On April 27 the University Section Club is sponsoring a fundraiser supporting Cal student services—Berkeley’s own Antiques Roadshow with enticing extras. Held at the Clars Auction Gallery, a sponsor of television’s Antiques Roadshow, and one of the largest auction houses in the Western United States, the evening promises to expand your appreciation skills in several artistic venues. Expert appraisers, sophisticated jazz music, a stimulating art lecture, great wine and food will combine to produce—an extravaganza. 

The appraisal clinic will feature experts in four distinct fields: jewelry and timepieces, Asian art, decorative art (china, glass, furniture, collectibles) and fine art. Each admission will cover the verbal appraisal of two items. While you eagerly await the verdict on the Bengal tiger claw jewelry from British India you’ll be tapping your toes to the sparkling sounds of the piano work of Frederick Hodges. 

Trained as a concert pianist, this California native instead chose to perfect the 1920s ragtime sheet music he discovered in his grandmother’s piano bench. As a UC undergraduate he served as pianist and singer with the Royal Jazz Orchestra and later soloed at society parties and Nob Hill hotels. Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Rogers and Hart, hits from the Great American Songbook—Hodges’ lively interpretations will keep your spirits high even as you discover that the stylized Asian sculpture you bought for $1,500 is a reproduction from 1965 and only worth $400. 

Midpoint through the evening Margaret Lovell, professor of art history and director of American studies at UC Berkeley, will speak on “Why Furniture Collectors Need To Know the Trees.” Well known for her book Art in a Season of Revolution: Painters, Artisans and Patrons in Early America, Lovell researched how 18th century life was influenced by art making and purchasing. 

She used the material world as evidence of both aesthetic and ideological concerns in eighteen-century British North America. Exploring the theme of kinship, Lovell used family portraits as primary sources and then expanded the theme to artists and their patrons. Her lecture is certain to appeal to antique hunters and everyone who appreciates a Louis XV Bureau Plat with fire-gilded embellishments or a “Manxman Piano” by M.H. Baillie Scott in the Arts and Crafts style. 

Wine, hors d’oeuvres and lovely floral arrangements will add to the gala atmosphere. To protect those family heirlooms, security guards will be on hand and young men will provide car escort service at the evening’s end. The price of your ticket, aside from guaranteeing a memorable evening, is of value in a different sense as well. 

The University Section Club, sponsoring this event, has been raising funds to support Berkeley students for almost eighty years. Bringing together members of the administration and staff in special interest groups, social cement is laid, offering opportunities for friendship and service. Through aid to individuals, student-support groups, scholarships and foreign student related activities, this organization brings people and students together in common goals, forming one large university family.  

SOS, the Services Offered Students committee, keeps its members busy in a variety of well-appreciated projects. Volunteers can be seen at the Tang Center and Albany Village Nursery School. The Foreign Student Committee works with International House to help with housing, the loan of equipment and sponsors activities to make newcomers feel at home. The Center, weekly meetings for spouses and children at the YWCA, offers social outlets and addresses practical concerns. Orientations are held monthly at International House and the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab to address immigration matters and discuss campus and community services available to foreign students. 

Funds raised through donations and events go directly to students requiring emergency loans, grants and scholarships. They also provide financial support for Albany Village, the Tang Center and projects for disabled and re-entry students. It’s clear that the proceeds from this grand event will go directly to several worthy causes. 

As to your mystery appraisals, this may be your lucky night. Grandmother’s perfume bottle, from 1912, is a rare Rene Lalique original, valued at between $30,000 and $40,000. Your $5 investment has increased to $40,000. The French Riviera painted by Louis Aston Knight never looked so good.  

Appraisal Extravaganza 

5-8 p.m. Thursday, April 27 at the Clars Auction Gallery, 5644 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Reserve tickets are $30 before April 20; limited tickets at the door are $40. For more information, contact Joan Finnie at 841-7521 or Louise Kaufmann at (925) 253-9292.9

Six major paintings and 10 small landscapes on paper, all in mixed media by Micaela Gardner, are on view through April 30 at Turn of the Century Fine Arts. 

Their collective title, “AutoReflection” hints at the artist’s modesty in regarding herself as essentially an autodidact in painting, although she has received some formal instruction in visual and plastic arts. 

It is worth noting, in addition, that the painter is also a dancer. Overall, this is an exhibition for viewers who respond to color, drama and lyricism. 

Most of Gardner’s paintings would require major commitments of space by any collector: the smallest is 2 x 4 feet and the largest, 4 x 12 feet. Of greater significance, however, are the artist’s choices of palettes for the several works exhibited, her compositions and handling of her pigments, the referential contents evinced by forms and titles and the expressiveness on, beneath and beyond each surface. 

Her consistent use of 2x4-foot Masonite panels, either vertically or horizontally juxtaposed, however, emphasize the works’ reassuring geometric configurations, so that even the most serendipitously lyrical and expansive works, such as Yellow and White Triptych (2 x 12 feet), conform to the artist’s intent. 

These are serious works of art inviting hours of contemplation, not mere decoration. Matters of scale aside, they might not be easy for collectors to live with—unless they fall in love with them, which is the ideal relationship between collectors and works of art anyway.  

Gardner’s color is voluptuous. The vertical diptych Chinese Screen, for example, pairs a plunging ochre form (possibly a fish) in a modulated green environment (possibly an ocean) on the left with a gorgeously, heavily impastoed red field on the right. A suggestion of mystery enhances the work’s seductiveness. The same may be said of UmberSea Sextet (two horizontal by three vertical rows of panels) and of The Hatchet (three horizontally stacked panels). 

The latter is a tour de force of swirling earth tones whose abstract composition is rich with ambiguous suggestions of forms as well as space. Do we discern a hatchet across the top? Is that its handle, which looks like a noose? The beauty of the painting mitigates the ominousness of its title. 

The Jellyfish That Stung Me In San Diego is also puzzling. The most reductive of the paintings in the exhibition, with respect to scale, composition and color, it is one horizontal panel (hence 2 x 4 feet) with two startlingly white forms, loosely resembling yin and yang in relationship to one another, on a bright red field. The work, despite its title, looks more sexy than scary.  

Now in its 16th year of business, Turn of the Century Fine Arts, has been, along with a building that houses not-for-profits, including the Ecology Center and the Sierra Club, to the south on the same block, one of the anchors of a neighborhood in transition. 

Commerce in bodies and drugs has receded as gift and garment boutiques have moved into what is becoming known as Berkeley’s “Left Bank,” that is, the west side of San Pablo Avenue as one moves north. (“Left” refers to political and social attitudes, as well as to style, or bohemian panache.) 

Lewis Meyers, proprietor of Turn of the Century Fine Arts, first opened an exhibition space on the block in 1991 and saw it through various moves and metamorphoses, including a coffee and sandwich shop, along with art. Good Vibrations, a women-owned cooperative purveyor of merchandise that enhances erotic pleasure, is located nearby. Berkeley’s Caffè Trieste, whose model appeared in San Francisco’s North Beach on April 1, 1956, opened on the corner of Dwight Way and San Pablo Avenue last year under the aegis of Hal Braudel, Walter Wright and others. 

Meyers, a master woodworker with an MFA in sculpture from the California College of the Arts, built its interior to harmonize with the character of its antecedent. Musical harmony characterizes Caffè Trieste for both its sound system (Caruso with breakfast!) and because most evenings there are performances by instrumentalists and vocalists. “Papa Gianni” (Giovanni Giotta), creator of the original Caffè Trieste, appears at least once monthly to sing Italian favorites. Sea Salt, an upscale seafood restaurant opened next door to Turn of the Century a few months ago and has quickly become a destination for diners from throughout the Bay Area.  

Turn of the Century Fine Arts, Meyers says, is “my own brand of what I’m doing.” Huh? “Well, it’s kind of like a salon.” 

The merchandise, in addition to works of art, ranges from kitsch and funk to high quality, handcrafted wood furniture—including chairs by Meyers himself. Meyers’s assemblages are also on view, as are lamps (some made from clarinets!) by Helen Holt. Visitors know that they’re in a good place with a statue of Ganesha greeting them at the door. 

Turn of the Century Fine Arts is open Thursday through Sunday from 1-5 p.m. and by appointment. 2510 San Pablo Ave., 849-0950. The Micaela Gardner exhibition continues through Sunday, April 30, when there will be a closing reception honoring the artist from 2-6 p.m. All are welcome. 

Photo: “The Hatchet,” one of the Micaela Gardner paintings in the exhibit at Turn of the Century gallery, is a tour de force of swirling earth tones.Ÿ

I know you’re out there. You who are easy prey for handywomen and contractors. You who don’t fix things. Yes, I know you’re there. Well come out of the closet and go boldly where your uncle Filbert never went. Where you mother never dared to tread. Today we are going to hang something on the wall. Yes, You CAN do it. 

Hanging shelves or paintings on a wall has reduced the hardiest of men and women to tearing out their hair but I will share some secrets with you that will have you hangin’ with the best of ‘em. 

Hanging things means first mounting an anchoring system in most kinds of walls. Most of us have either drywall (sheetrock to the masses) or plaster (mostly installed over wooden lath although some lath is actually made of drywall).  

Let’s start with plaster over wooden lath, since it’s the trickiest and we’ll save the fun stuff for last. If you have plaster, you’re probably in a house that is at least 50 years old and more likely 60 or 70. Nearly all houses from the ‘40s or earlier were finished in plaster (except for those with wood paneling and that makes things really easy). 

If you have plaster, you can probably see the rough wooden strips from the backside somewhere in the house, usually the basement or possibly through a broken wall section somewhere. Plaster is quite hard and brittle and anyone who ever tried to drive a nail through this material probably found themselves making large running cracks or possibly even breaking off a chunk or two. 

The first thing you want to try to do is to attach whatever you have to somewhere that a wooden upright or “stud” is located. Finding a stud (alright, take a minute and get all the jokes out of your system ... are you done?) isn’t as hard as one might think because the wooden lath strips that the plaster is smooshed into (yes, when it was wet) are nailed to the studs or 2x4 uprights behind the plaster. 

These nails can be found using one of my favorite tools, a magnetic stud-finder. Some people call this a “compass” stud-finder because it’s very much like a compass. It has a magnetic rod mounted at it’s midpoint so that it can spin freely inside of a plastic bubble about 2” in diameter. If you run it along the wall, the rod will dart around and point, like a good bloodhound, right at the nail hidden in the wall. This shows you where the stud is and where you can drill or nail (although nailing has its own tricks). 

I think it’s a very good idea to use the device to locate all of the nails in the region of wall you’re going to be working on using a sharp pencil. You only need a small mark. When you have a lot of marks made, you can run a straight-edge along the vertical lines of nail spots to see if you can approximate the actual middle of the stud. Nails might not be centered on the stud but if you look at a long line of these pencil marks, you can probably guess pretty well where the stud center is and eliminate the odd one that was on an edge. 

Keep in mind that you may have pairs of nails on some studs where the lathing strips meet. The point between the two nails is the stud center, more or less. If this is confusing, just start “mapping” the whole wall this way and you’ll soon figure out what I’m talking about. Some points will have one nail and some will have two about 1” or more apart. 

Once you’ve done this, you can drill a small hole for a screw or a nail using a common drill bit. I keep cheap or old bits for this purpose because plaster and other similar materials will dull the bit. These cheapo bits are perfect for any such dirty job. 

If you’re attaching directly to a stud, the weight bearing is much better and you can use up to very large nails or screws, depending on what’s being attached. This is definitely the way to go for shelving. 

If you want to attach something mid-span between the studs on lath and plaster, be very careful and patient. This stuff loves to crack when hit, or drilled with the wrong bit. Plaster is stiff and the wood lath is springy. When you hit or drill the wooden lath and it springs about, the brittle plaster wants to separate, so you need a slow method and a sharp implement. 

You can start to drill a hole with a dull bit if you like but you should drill through the lath (about 1/4” inward) with the sharpest bit you have so that it will not be grabbed and pulled about the way a dull bit might. You can then attach a toggle bolt or another similar anchor. 

There are several new kinds available but this needs to be something that will compress from the inside to the outside without applying much pressure outward radially from the hole. This, again is to prevent cracking. You’ll really need to use The Force on this one because plaster is very touchy stuff. 

With drywall, life is somewhat easier. Drilling is much more forgiving, although a very dull bit can punch through the paper skin too roughly (yes, I did say paper) or crush the chalky substrate, rather than carving a nice neat hole. Try to use a fairly sharp bit and take your time. 

Again, studs can be found the same way, with a magnetic finder, although I’ll also mention the modern stud-finders (take one of these to a nightclub for laughs sometime and let me know how it works out) that use something akin to radar called radiolocation. They’re very cool but quirky and take some getting use to. 

If you’re attaching something like a sheetrock screw (very narrow) or a nail, no drilling is needed. A large screw should be predrilled. Now the fun stuff. If you’re attaching to drywall between the studs, I very much like the new mega-screws made of plastic or aluminum that just screw themselves into the sheetrock (predrilling a small hole is best). These tighten up as they reach the end of their ability to turn and make a great and reusable point to install a screw of the right size. 

You can buy them in sets with the screws that fit into them if you’re not sure how to match them up. Ask as the store and they’ll fix you up. Although these are my favorites. I’ll also add the old fashioned plastic anchor or “mollie” to the list. These can work in either plaster or drywall if you’re careful to make the right-sized hole and you won’t be hanging anything especially heavy. They also work on concrete and stucco, although you’ll need a masonry bit to drill those holes. 

Funny how a simple thing like hanging a screw in a wall can be such a bear and how a few new ideas can take a lot of anxiety away. O.K., get to work! 

Got a question about home repairs and inspections? Send them to Matt Cantor, in care of East Bay Real Estate, at realestate@berkeleydailyplanet.com.?

There’s a lively side discussion going on within a California native-plants email list about how to garden with the least impact. 

Part of it hinges on things like the comparative drainage of blue path fines versus gold path fines—“fines” or “quarry waste” are the almost-sand-sized bits of rock you see around some civic trees, for example at the Ashby BART station—when used as inorganic mulch. 

Some native plants do better in “unimproved” soil than in the loamy garden soil that organic mulches eventually make.  

From that point, the topic moved to just how much one is screwing up by importing things over great distances using resources like petroleum. This one reaches into homes, too: Imagine the real cost of hauling a few tons of granite for garden rocks or countertops from China. (Then there’s that interesting trade imbalance that seems to profit a very few Americans, at least in the long run.) But how much more of the Sierra do you want to mine? 

Those of us who live in the flatlands where the native rock is mud might despair of ever having the flag path or planting wall or featured boulder we dream of, if we also want a clear conscience. If you really want to torment yourself, there are a couple of places around the Richmond/Albany/El Cerrito border to do so.  

American Soil is the better known, having been right here in Berkeley for years, at Bancroft between the railroad tracks and Aquatic Park. I took my brand-new pickup down there to baptize it with a cubic yard of Walt Whitman, one of their most useful compost mixes. Here came a guy on a front-loader; he raised it waaaayy up and dropped its load into my truck. “Oof!” said the truck, and then we drove home very slowly because the braking distance was new to me. Lesson: a cubic yard of dirt about fills a six-foot compact pickup bed.  

American Soil, in its new location north of Central Avenue on the frontage road, has amazing big rocks, pavers, amusing sculptures, and a menu of some 15 soil amendments and various mulches and gravels, with swatches in a bin to help you choose. They carry assorted handy supplies like jute netting and rhizome barriers. The inimitable Keeyla Meadows has a display garden there, too.  

On the other side of Central Avenue, on the same frontage road, is the comparative upstart Acapulco Rock & Soil. It has a smaller menu of soil amendments, mulches, rock, sand, cobbles, and fines, but if it has the rock you’re fated to fall in love with, you’re in luck: the prices there are a shade cheaper than American Soil’s. Their quick can-I-help-you works well for those new to gardening or just bewildered.  

Here’s the rub, at any such store. The stated prices are just for the stuff; delivery can cost more than the material. So if you have a good friend with a pickup, you know the time to call in your favors. You can get stuff by the bag, too—more pricey and heavy lifting if you need lots. So call in your favors from the friends with linebackers in the house. And for mercy’s sake, feed them.  

FRIDAY, APRIL 14 

Creepy Crawlies Insect-inspired activities fro ages 3-7 from noon to 2 p.m. at Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive. Cost is $7.50-$9.50. 642-5132. 

Clean Up Wildcat Creek Join Verde Elementary School students and the North Richmond community in cleaning up the creek for Earth Day. From 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Verde Elementary. 412-9290, ext. 26. 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Ian Mckinlay, architect on “Why the Twin Towers Fell” 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.  

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

Yuri’s Night Celebrate the anniversary of Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s historic first flight into space, from 8 to 11 p.m. at Chabot Space & Science Center Tickets are $0-$15. 336-7373. 

Berkeley Chess School classes for students in grades 1-8 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. A drop-in, rated scholastic tournament follows from 7 to 8 p.m. at 1581 LeRoy Ave., Room 17. 843-0150. 

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. 

SATURDAY, APRIL 15 

Berkeley Alliance of Neighborhood Associations meets at 9:15 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, Sproul Conference Room, 1st Floor, 2727 College Ave. www.berkeleycna.com 

Bay Area Women in Black Silent tax day and anti-war protest from 11:45 to 1p.m. at 35th Ave. and MacArthur, Oakland. www.bayareawomeninblack.org 

Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute Benefit and tribute to Ann Fagan Ginger at 5 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Donation $15-$30. 848-0599. www.mcli.org 

California NativePlant Sale Explore the garden, and buy some plants to take home. Please bring boxes to carry home your treasures and an umbrella if it rains. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Wildcat Canyon Rd. & South Park Dr., in Tilden Park. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Mt. Wanda Wildflower Walk in the hills where John Muir took his daughters. Meet at 9 a.m. in the Park and RIde lot at the corner of Alhambra Ave. and Franklin Canyon Rd., Martinez. Wear walking shoes and bring water. 925-228-8860. 

Natural Egg Coloring Learn to make dyes from beets, red onions and coffee grounds, at 2 p.m. at Tilden Nature CEnter, Tilden Park. Please bring your own hard-boiled eggs. Fee is $3, registration required. 636-1684. 

Restore Marsh and Grassland Habitats in Richmond from 9 a.m. to noon at the West Stege Marsh. To register, and for directions call 665-3689. www.thewatershedproject.org 

The Sydney B. Mitchell Iris Society Show and Sale from 1 to 5 p.m. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lakeside Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. 277-4200. 

Oakland Restoration Project Help remove invasive ice plant and wild radish from 9 a.m. to noon at Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland. Please regiser on line. 452 - 9261. www.savesfbay.org 

Monitor Water Quality at Baxter Creek Learn how to monitor basic water quality using an electronic probe. Help us assess the success of a recent restoration on Baxter Creek by collecting data on the creek’s dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, temperature and flow. From 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Canyon Trail Park, El Cerrito. Please pre-register. 665-3686. apple@thewatershedproject.org 

From Frybread to Fuel Tank Send-off of a tour to bring bio-diesel to Native America at noon at the Inter-Tribal Friendship House, 523 International Blvd., Oakland. 

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

California Writers Club meets at 10 a.m. at Barnes and Noble, Jack London Square, Oakland, to discuss “Border Country: Erotica or Erotic Romance.” 420-8775.  

Stress Relief Class at 4 p.m. at Pharmaca, 1744 Solano Ave. 527-8929. 

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

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.  

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755.  

SUNDAY, APRIL 16 

Springtime in the Ponds See baby dragonflies, phantom midges and maybe even newts, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Community Labyrinth Peace Walk at 3 p.m., Willard Middle School, Telegraph Ave. between Derby and Stuart. Everyone welcome. Wheelchair accessible. Rain cancels. 526-7377. 

The Sydney B. Mitchell Iris Society Show and Sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lakeside Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. 277-4200. 

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 Jack Petranker on “World Without Limits” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, APRIL 17 

“Perspectives on Berkeley: Past and Present” Chuck Wollenberg’s Berkeley history class. John McBride of BAHA and John Steere of Livable Berkeley will speak on “A City of Neighborhoods: Preservation and Development” at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. Free. 981-6150. 

Grandmothers Against the War will demonstrate on Income Tax Day to denounce military spending for the Iraq war and to call for an end to the war and occupation, at noon at the IRS/Post Offices, Ron Dellums Federal Building, Clay St., between 12th and 14th Sts., Oakland. 845-3815. 

Tax Day Action & People’s Life Fund Granting Ceremony and Potluck at 6:30 p.m. at 1550 5th St. at Henry St., Oakland, around the corner from West Oakland BART. Outdoor Anti-War Slide Show and leafleting West Oakland Post Office 1675 7th Street, Oakland at 8:15 to 10 p.m. Sponsored by Northern California War Tax Resistance. 843-9877. www.nowartax.org 

Gay Men’s Health Collective 30th Anniversary Gala with entertainment and a reception at 8 p.m. at the Roda Stage, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $25-$150. For reservations visit www.gmhc30.org 

Quakes and Shakes Do some heavy shaking to learn about earthquake engineering at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive. Cost is $7.50-$9.50. 642-5132. 

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group for people 60+ years old meets at Mondays 10:15 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave, Albany through June 19th. Cost is $2.50 per week includes refreshments. 524-9122. 

“How to Expand Your Mind- Body Connection with Self Hypnosis” at 5:30 pm. in the Rose Room at Mercy Retirement Center, 3431 Foothill Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $30 or $120 for the entire series. 534-8547, ext. 666. 

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, APRIL 18 

Berkeley Garden Club Spring Tea and Flower Arranging Demonstration by Najat Nicola, Danville floral designer, at 1 p.m. at Epworth Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St., $8 527-5641. 

Presentation of Certificate of Honor to the City of Berkeley from the City of San Francisco for Berkeley’s Earthquake relief efforts in 1906, at 3:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers. 

“Earthquake Exodus 1906: Berkeley Responds to the San Francisco Refugees” Illustrated lecture by author Richard Schwartz at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Followed by a reception at the Mcgreary-Greer House, 2318 Durant Ave. Cost is $15. 841-2242. http://berkeleyheritage.com 

Anniversary of the 1906 Quake from noon to 2 p.m. at Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive. Cost is $7.50-$9.50. 642-5132. 

“Hiking the John Muir Trail” with author Jeff Alt at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Free. 527-4140. 

“John Walker Lindh: Constitutional and Human Rights Implications of an Extraordinary Case” with Frank Lindh at 7 p.m. at the College Preparatory School, Buttner Auditorium, 6100 Broadway at Brookside, Oakland. 339-7726. 

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. 

Family Story Time at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Branch Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Free, all ages welcome. 524-3043. 

Brainstormer Weekly Pub Quiz every Tuesday from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Pyramid Alehouse Brewery, 901 Gilman St. 528-9880. 

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

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. 

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

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19  

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll look for signs of spring, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Bring a light-colored plain T-shirt for our craft. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Free Mercury Thermometer Exchange sponsored by East Bay Municipal Utility District from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Frank Ogawa Plaza, downtown Oakland. Bring as many mercury thermometers as you have in original cases or in two zipper bags. One free digital thermometer per household. Part of the Oakland Earth Day festivities. 287-1651. www.ebmud.com/cleanbay 

Great Decisions Foreign Policy Association Lecture with Thomas Aragon, Center for Infectious Diseases, UCB on “Pandemics and Security” at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Cost is $5. 526-2925. 

Celebrate Habitot’s 8th Birthday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Loveee the Clown will be in the museum from 10 am to 12 pm. Bring a present—a donated toy, new or used—for our Toy Lending Library and receive a free admission guest pass. Habitot is located on 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111. www.habitot.org  

“Social Justice and the Prophets” with author Rita Nakashima Brock at 6:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, Small Assembly Room, 2345 Channing St. 848-3696. www.fccb.org 

Banff Mountain Film Festival Wed. and Thurs. at 7 p.m. at Wheeler Auditorium, UC Campus. Tickets are $13-$16. 527-4140. 

Berkeley School Volunteers Training workshop for volunteers interested in helping the public schools, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. 644-8833. 

Lonely Planet Travel Series with Greg Benchwick on Bolivia and South America at 6 p.m. at Oakland Public Library, 124 14th St. 238-3136. 

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 and a warm hat. Heavy rain cancels. 548-9840. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

Fresh Produce Stand at San Pablo Park from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the Frances Albrier Community Center. Sponsored by the Ecology Center’s Farm Fresh Choice. 848-1704. www.ecologycenter.org 

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. 

Stitch ‘n Bitch Bring your knitting, crocheting and other handcrafts from 6 to 9 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www.geocities.com/ 

vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, APRIL 20 

Preventing Violence Among our Teens A Community and Parent Forum at 7 p.m. at Longfellow Middle School, 1500 Derby St. at Sacramento. Includes a Panel discussion by local experts from Children’s Hospital, Berkeley Police Department, and Berkeley Unified School District, followed by questions and comments. 644-6320. 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll look for signs of spring, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Bring a light-colored plain T-shirt for our craft. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Creepy Crawlies Insect-inspired activities for ages 3-7 from noon to 2 p.m. at Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive. Cost is $7.50-$9.50. 642-5132. 

“The Ecology of Birds’ Songs and Identifying Them by Ear” with avian ecologist Daniel Edelstein at 12:30 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. 

Teach-In and Vigil on U.S. Torture Policy, every Thurs. from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. outside the classroom of Prof. John Yoo, Boalt Hall, UC Campus. Weekly speakers. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship and other organizations. www.bpf.org 

“A Large Pill to Swallow: Navigating the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Coverage Program” with health insurance counselors at 10 a.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. Please bring a list of your medications and dosages with you. 559-1406. 

“The Elections in Palestine and Israel: What Do They Mean Now And For The Future” with Hatem Bazian and Mitchell Plitnick, at 7:30 p.m. at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Donation $5-$20 sliding scale, no one turned away. 465-1777. www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org 

LeConte Neighborhood Association meets at 7:30 p.m. in the LeConte School cafeteria, Russell St. entrance. 843-2602, KarlReeh@aol.com  

Ask a Union Mechanic every Thursday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Parker & Shattuck, until the strike is settled. They will offer advice on all makes of car. 

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

Historical & Current Times Book Group meets on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1249 Marin Ave. 548-4517. 

ONGOING 

Albany Library Free Drop-in Homework Help for students in third through fifth grades, Mon. - Thurs. from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Emphasis is placed on math and writing skills. No registration is required. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Public Art Opportunities Request for Entries The City of Berkeley is looking for artists for the 2006 Civic Center Art Competition and Exhibition. Entries are due April 18. For details contact the Civic Arts Program, 981-7533. 

Public Art Project for the Children’s Fairyland, City of Oakland. Artist Request for Qualifications. Applications are dues May 17 and can be found online at www.oaklandculturalarts.org 238-2105. 

CITY MEETINGS 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Mon. April 17 at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Pam Wyche, 644-6128 ext. 113. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/rent 

Creeks Task Force meets Mon. April 17, at 7 p.m. the North Berkeley Senior Center. Erin Dando, 981-7410. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/planning/landuse/Creeks/default.html 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon. April 17, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

citycouncil/agenda-committee 

Berkeley Housing Authority meets Tues., April 18, at 6:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. ww.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/housingauthority 

City Council meets Tues., April 18, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Citizens Humane Commission meets Wed., April 19, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Katherine O’Connor, 981-6601. www.ci.berkeley.ca. us/commissions/humane 

Commission on Aging meets Wed., April 19, at 1:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. William Rogers, 981-5344. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/aging 

Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee meets Wed. April 19, at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7487. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

planning/landuse/dap/ 

Homeless Commission meets Wed., April 19, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Jane Micallef, 981-5426. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/homeless 

Library Board of Trustees meets Wed. April 19, at 7 p.m. at South Berkeley Senior Center., Jackie Y. Griffin, 981-6195. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/library  

School Board meets Wed. April 19, at 7:30 p.m., in the City Council Chambers. Queen Graham 644-6147 or Mark Coplan 644-6320. 

Community Health Commission meets Thurs., April 20, at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Kristin Tehrani, 981-5356. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/health 

Design Review Committee meets Thurs., April 20, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Anne Burns, 981-7415. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/designreview  

™

TUESDAY, APRIL 11 

CHILDREN 

Ventriloquist Tony Borders and his puppets in celebration of National Library Week at 6:30 p.m. at the Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

EXHIBITIONS 

The Dirt Show 30 ceramic works created by members of Richard Shaw and Lesley Baker’s ceramic studio. Reception at 4 p.m. at the Worth Ryder Gallery, 116 Kroeber Hall, UC Campus. 642-2582. 

THEATER 

Shotgun Theater Lab: “Frankie & Johnny” Mon. and Tues. to April 18 at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. Tickets are $10. 841-6500.  

Berkeley Rep “The Glass Menagerie” opens at 8 p.m. at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $59. Runs through May 31.647-2949.  

FILM 

Vantage Points: New Documentaries by Women “How Little We Know Our Neighbors” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Tim Flannery discusses “The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing the Climate and What it Means for Life on Earth” at 7 p.m. at 145 Dwinelle Hall, UC Campus. 845-7852.  

Daniel Alarcon reads from his novel “War by Candlelight” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

David Hollinger, author of “Cosmopolitanism and Solidarity: Studies in Ethnoracial, Religious, and Professional Affiliation in the United States” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Singer’s Open Mic with Ellen Hoffman at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. 841-JAZZ.  

Todd Sickafoose’s Blood Orange and the Myra Melford Group at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu, and the Devin Hoff Platform at 8 p.m. at AK Press, 674-A 23rd St., Oakland. A benefit for the The Prisoners Literature Project Cost is $8, or $7 with the donation of a book in good condition. 208-1700. 

Debbie Poryes & Friends at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Jovino Snatos Neto at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s. Cost is $10-$14. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12 

THEATER 

The Marsh Berkeley “Faulty Intelligence”satirical songs by Roy Zimmerman, Wed.-Thurs. at 7 p.m. at 2118 Allston Way, through April 27. Tickets are $15-$22. www.themarsh.org 

FILM 

Film 50: History of Cinema “WR: Mysteries of the Organism” at 3 p.m. and Video: Recent and Strange at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Berkeley Treasures “A Conversation with Ariel,” artist and set designer, at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893. 

Philip Lopate in Conversation with David Thompson on “American Movie Critics: An Anthology From the Silents Until Now” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. 

Beshara Doumani, editor of “Academic Freedom after September 11,” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. 

Café Poetry hosted by Kira Allen at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Donation $2. 849-2568.  

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, “Japanese Music” at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864.  

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

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

The Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $18-$20. 525-5054.  

Famous Last Words, alt-rock and blues, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

John Scofield Quartet at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $12-$24. 238-9200.  

THURSDAY, APRIL 13 

THEATER 

Aurora Theatre “Small Tragedy” opens at 2081 Addison St. and runs Wed.-Sat at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $38. 843-4822.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“Everyting I Know, I Learned in the Movies” Color photography by Ann P. Meredith. Reception at 5 p.m. at Muse Media Center, 4221 Hollis St. at Park Ave., Emeryville. 655-1111. 

FILM 

Brave Outsiders: The Films of Kim Longinotto “Pride of Place” at 7 p.m. and “Dream Girls” at 8:45 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Robert Hass will guide a walking tour of the Addison Street Poetry Walk. Meet at 6 p.m. at Half-Price Books on the corner of Addison and Shattuck. 526-6080. 

“Earthquake Exodus, 1906, Berkeley Responds to the San Francisco Refugees” with author Richard Schwartz, at 7:30 p.m. at Builders Boooksource, 1817 Fourth St. 845-6874. 

Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance WIlliams discuss “The Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroid Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Megan Lynch with Tony Marcus, Kelly McCubbin, The Uke Apocalypse at 8 p.m. at DaSilva Ukulele Co., 2547 8th St., Suite 28. 649-1548.  

Steve Gannon’s Blue Monday Blues at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

Pete Caragher Band, 735 Institution at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. 

LoCura, music of Spain, Cuba and California at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $5-$7. 849-2568. 

Showtime @ 11 Hip Hop at 10 p.m. at the Ivy Room, 585 San Pablo Ave. at Solano. 524-9220. 

Dave Bernstein Duo at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Elemental Harmonics, dub, house, funk, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

FRIDAY, APRIL 14 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “The Devil’s Disciple” by G.B. Shaw, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. at Berryman, through May 6. Tickets are $12. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Aurora Theatre “Small Tragedy” Wed.-Sat at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St., through May 14. Tickets are $38. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

BareStage “The Fantasticks” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. April 23 and 30 at 2 p.m., through April 30, at the basement of Cesar Chavez Student Center, UC Campus. Tickets are $8-$12. 642-3880. barestage.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley Rep “Culture Clash’s Zorro in Hell” at 8 p.m. in the Roda Theater. Tickets are $45-$59. Runs through April 16. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Berkeley Rep “The Glass Menagerie” at 8 p.m. at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $59. Runs through May 31. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theater “Animal Crackers” at 8 p.m. Fri and Sat., and Sun. at 2 p.m. at Contra Costa Civic Theater, 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito, through May 20. Tickets are $12-$20. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Masquers Playhouse “Relative Values” by Noel Coward. Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond, through May 6. Tickets are $15. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

“Takashi’s Dream,” the story of Takashi Teanemori, an atomic bomb survivor from Hiroshima, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Shotgun Players “Bright Ideas” opens at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. and runs Thurs.-Sun. to April 23. Tickets are $15-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Remake/Remodel:Rebound” Studies of Transformation with ACCI artists Clayton Bain, Dina Gewing, Kate Kerrigan and Dobee Snowber. Reception at 6 p.m. at ACCI Gallery, 1652 Shattuck Ave. 843-2527.  

FILM 

Brave Outsiders: The Films of Kim Longinotto “Runaway” at 7 p.m. amd “Divorce Iranian Style” at 9:15 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Joel Primack describes “The View from the Center of the Universe: Discovering Our Extraordinary Place in the Cosmos” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

www.codysbooks.com  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Chamber Music at noon at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Elephant Hunter, Angel of Thorns, DSEPD, Swamp Donkey at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

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

Odile Lavault & The Baguette Quartette at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

Mitch Greenhill & Mayne Smith with Peter Spelman at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Glenn Walters Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

DJ and Brook, jazz, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Nels Cline Singers at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Funeral Shock, Blown to Bits, Fatality 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. 

Atman Roots, jazz, funk, and afro-cuban soul, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

John Scofield Quartet at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $12-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, APRIL 15 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Estela Knott & David Berzonsky, songs from the Americas, at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“From the Ground Up” Paintings and installation by Alena Rudolph. Reception at 6 p.m. at Union Art Gallery, 1232 19th St., Oakland. 444-0924.  

COMEDY 

Final Round of the Bay Area Black Comedy Competition at 8 p.m. at the Oakland Paramount Theatre, 2021 Broadway. www.BlackComedyCompetition.com  

FILM 

Brave Outsiders: The Films of Kim Longinotto “The Day I Will Never Forget” at 6:30 p.m., and “Sisters in Law” at 8:50 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Javanese Music and Dance at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $3-$10.  

Jazz at the Chimes with Melanie O’Reilly at 2 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Donation of $15 requested for the artist. 228-3207. 

John Richardson Band at 9 p.m. at Circus Pub, 389 Colusa Ave., Kensington. Free and all ages. 

Robin Gregory & Her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Reggae Angels at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Los Boleros, traditional son montuno, son cubano, boleros, cumbia and merengue at 9:30 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Ross Hammond and the Jayn Pettingill/Debbie Poryes Duo at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Lost Weekend, classic western swing band, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Wits End, Sleep in Fame, Maxwell Adams at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $10. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Mark Levine Trio at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Steve Heckman & Gini WIlson at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Sam Misner & Megan Smith, modern folk acoustic, at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

Howdy, The Bittersweets, Dame Satan at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Matt Heulitt Quartet, guitar, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Babyland, 8-Bit, Ninja Academy The Mormons at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 16 

FILM 

A Theater Near You “The Spirit of the Beehive” at 3 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Flash with The Five Fingers Review contributors Julie Carr, Jaime Robles and Meridith Stricker at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Ricardo Piexoto/Mark Little Duo at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Americana Unplugged, bluegrass and oldtime music showcase, at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 655-5715. 

Urban Achievers, The Castrati, Built for the Sea at 5:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $8. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Eda Maxym and the Imagination Club with Stephen Kent on didjeridu at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

MONDAY, APRIL 17 

THEATER 

Shotgun Theater Lab: muwumpin presents “Frankie & Johnny” Mon. and Tues. to April 18 at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. Tickets are $10. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Aurora Theatre “Sinker” a reading of the play by Ron Campbell at 7:30 p.m. at 2081 Addison St. Free. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

Ilya Kaminsky, D.A. Powell, Tessa Rumsey and others read from “Legitimate Dangers: American Poets of the New Century” at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Juliet Eilperin talks about “Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the U.S. House of Representatives” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

www.codysbooks.com  

Poetry Express with Linda Zeiser at 7 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Zilberella Monday at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

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

TUESDAY, APRIL 18 

THEATER 

Shotgun Theater Lab: muwumpin presents “Frankie & Johnny” Mon. and Tues. to April 18 at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. Tickets are $10. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

FILM 

Vantage Points: New Documentaries by Women “The Joy of LIfe” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Richard Schwartz introduces “Earthquake Exodus, 1906” at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., followed by a reception at the McCreary-Greer House, 2318 Durant Ave. Tickets are $15. 841-2242. 

Freight and Salvage Open Mic at 8 p.m. at at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $4.50-$5.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Bruce & Lloyd’s Tri Tip Trio at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Singers’ Open Mic with Ellen Hoffman at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

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

Jazzschool Tuesdays, a weekly showcase of up-and-coming ensembles from Berkeley Jazzschool at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Brian Kane Duo at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

The following is an excerpt from Richard Schartz’s Earthquake Exodus, 1906: Berkeley Responds to the San Francisco Refugees. This is the third in a series of four installments from the book. The Daily Planet will run the last excerpt on April 18, the centennial of the 1906 quake. 

Law and order 

Providing food and shelter was at the forefront of everyone’s minds, but Berkeleyans were also concerned about criminals and con men trying to come into town and take advantage of the disruption. 

Berkeley Police Marshal August Vollmer had been on the job exactly a year and a week when the earthquake struck. He was painfully aware that his small band of policemen was no match for the thousands flooding into town. 

By the fourth day after the quake, citizens of Berkeley, led by UC English Professor Charles Mills Gayley, petitioned Governor George Pardee to institute martial law in Berkeley. 

The governor refused, insisting that the civil authorities should be able to “take care of their own affairs.” 

Vollmer set up six special police districts, most of them headquartered in real estate offices in the neighborhoods. He then asked for volunteers to help deal with the “large number of questionable characters” showing up in Berkeley. 

As many as a thousand citizens answered the call and worked largely in pairs on night patrols, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., to prevent fires and crime around town and in the camps. They were told to patrol “wherever there was straw,” referring to the straw used in the camps to make sleeping on the ground more comfortable. 

UC cadets who had not gone to San Francisco were summoned for guard duty, as were their comrades when they returned from the city. Hundreds of U.S. Army veterans were deputized. UC President Wheeler wrote to President Roosevelt that “splendid order prevails” in Berkeley only because “stringent measures” were employed. 

Parents were advised to keep children inside, a 10 p.m. curfew was imposed, and if an able-bodied male in the camps refused work or carried a weapon, he was told to leave town. Many men departed rather than perform forced labor. 

Vollmer stationed officers at train stations and ferry terminals to check incoming refugees and prevent known criminals from slipping into town. Hundreds of criminals and ex-convicts were deported before they had a chance to cause trouble. Officers also patrolled the relief camps looking for pickpockets and other thieves. 

As in any disaster, some people were determined to help themselves to a large serving from the public pot. To prevent undeserving people from receiving relief food, plans were made to deliver each order and have an inspector make sure the recipients were truly in need. 

One person caught absconding with relief supplies was Honora Bentley of 2429 Ninth St., a wealthy Berkeley woman in her sixties with property and cash assets valued at more than $60,000. 

Vollmer spotted her at the YMCA posing as a refugee under the alias of Mary Smith and taking food and clothing intended for San Francisco refugees. He arrested her himself. Although she could easily have posted the $1,000 bail, she let Vollmer escort her to the county jail. The story of her incarceration made front-page headlines. 

Stealing relief supplies became a persistent problem. At one point, Vollmer asked that several apprehended thieves be brought into his office. When the detainees entered, he acted angrier than he actually was. He told them that stealing relief supplies could be summed up in one word—looting. 

“For that there is only one penalty,” he declared. He turned his head away from the men and secretly winked at a deputy on one side of the room, then whipped his head forward and shouted, “Death!” Scowling, he told the deputies to take them away. Word of Vollmer’s threat spread, and the stealing of supplies came to a halt.  

Vollmer was also asked to investigate rumors of local grocers selling government relief food. The government’s practice was to trade its extra sugar and crackers for local grocers’ stocks of soap and rice, which were in short supply in government stocks. He was unable to find grocers who illegally possessed government goods, but did admonish storeowners to keep their prices reasonable. 

Lorin District residents, responding to complaints of “extortionate prices,” met and formed their own committee of 47 members to deal with the problem. One law enacted in Berkeley after the earthquake penalized merchants and express-wagon men who overcharged customers or refused to remain open for business. The penalty for violators was confiscation of the store or wagon, which was then given to someone who could run the business responsibly.  

As both Berkeleyans and refugees began to adjust, many wished they could escape at night to the West Berkeley saloons, which had been ordered to close early, at 8 p.m., the evening after the earthquake. 

In May, as Vollmer was trying keep order and prevent criminal activities, frustrated workingmen clamored for allowing the saloons to remain open late. Others, however, spoke out just as loudly that the saloons should be closed entirely. The initial request to restrict the saloon hours to 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. had been made by the San Francisco Relief Council.  

At a May 26 meeting of the Berkeley Board of Trustees (the city council), the trustees were presented with a petition to close the West Berkeley saloons entirely, signed by 170 people. The same issue was about to be discussed by Oakland’s City Council. 

Some Berkleyans believed that it would be useless for the city to close its saloons if Oakland did not do the same. Marshal Vollmer told the trustees that he had not noticed an increase in arrests for drunkenness and did not see that San Francisco men came to Berkeley to drink. He assured the trustees that restricted hours were being enforced. 

One trustee moved that the saloons be closed until those in San Francisco reopened. The motion carried, but was overturned within weeks, when attorneys representing the saloon keepers threatened action. Everyone realized that the Oakland saloons were open for business anyway. 

Earthquake Exodus, 1906 is available at local bookstores. See www.richardschwartz.info for speaking dates. 

On April 18 at City Council Chambers, the public is invited to a 3:30 p.m. ceremony at which Richard Schwartz will present Mayor Bates with a Certificate of Honor to the citizens of Berkeley from San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Also, following the ceremony, BAHA will sponsor a lecture on the 1906 Berkeley Earthquake Relief effort and the book at the Berkeley City Club at 7:30 that night. Contact BAHA for tickets, at 841-2242. 

Photograph from the book Earthquake Exodus, 1906, with permission of the author, Richard Schwartz. 

Interior of the Stedge Saloon near Berkeley. The early town of Stedge straddles what are now the cities of El Cerrito and Richmond.m

“He was her man/But he done her wrong.” That’s about all for motivation in the lyrics of that old chestnut of popular song, “Frankie and Johnny.” 

Mugwumpin, the young experimental troupe based in San Francisco (where they’ve been in residence at Exit Theatre downtown), proposes not just to flesh out the story of a murder of passion on stage, but to investigate it theatrically, literally turn over the material, in the Shotgun Lab presentation of their work-in-progress, Frankie Done it 29 Ways, playing at the Ashby Stage Mondays and Tuesdays through April 25. 

Mugwumpin doesn’t so much open up the show as slide into it. Entering the theater, the spectators are confronted with the performers doing something like what the great Soviet stage director Meyerhold called “pre-acting,” riffing off the song and whatever hook that gets them moving. 

“Frankie And Johnny” is founded on historical incident—or, the song made what was a more-or-less routine incident historic. 

On Oct. 15, 1899, Frankie Baker, a young black prostitute, shot her procurer in their Targee Street crib. “And the gun went rooty-toot toot.” 

She was tried and acquitted for acting in self-defense. But the song got minted, and pursued her with the legend of the jilted whore whacking her pimp that had so quickly sprung up around her. 

The “true story,” or what we know about it, isn’t a rarity in America, certainly not as the record of a crime of passion—or as a popular arts rendering of it. Other examples spring to mind, notably, writer-director Samuel Fuller’s first onscreen outing (in 1949), I Shot Jesse James, which featured actor John Ireland as “that dirty little coward,” Robert Ford, Jesse’s pal who plugs him in the back, and then can’t collect the reward or escape the ballad about the deed that’s flung in his face everywhere he goes, until his own shooting death, and confession that he loved only Jesse. 

Like the Bob Ford legend, like the many other stories of ordinary Americans suddenly flung into the public eye who lose their way, “Frankie and Johnny” and its afterlife, a melange of mythic overlay and factual backwash, is like a prehistoric trash dump for cultural archaeologists. And Mugwumpin mines that site, dancing around and through it in a kind of new ritual, at once skeptical and sympathetic, teasing out what can be performed of a collision between the banal and the epic, fame and anonymity. 

First of all, of course, the songs. Besides the codified rendition, that of many stanzas and hypnotic (or irritating) syncopated chorus, there’s the old Charlie Patton version, “Frankie and Albert,” which Christopher White stands still for, Walkman in his ears, replicating for us in slurs and growls as best a young white urban or suburban guy can, this Delta Blues original we can’t hear. Elvis is even present. 

The deadly, prosaic fate of the jilted, acquitted heroine is relentlessly picked over and dressed up (as it’s been in legend) with a kind of theatrical phenomenology that works and reworks tableaux and vignettes in different accents and opposite takes: the self-declared “real” Frankie acted out in succession by each Mugwumpin player, asserting his/her authenticity, while exchanging glances, attitudes, even voices—interrupted by, “You don’t own this!” 

Elvis’ “cute little bootblack” becomes an ironic play on words, as the historical Frankie Baker plies her new trade in shoeshine, tired from work and apprehensive of recognition, hazed by men who show up one by one and bait her, asking “aren’t you ... ?” 

Mugwumpin channels the juice of performance into the sloughs and sluices of the unsaid and half-said, the subliminal and the taken-for-granted. It’s absorbing, nothing but theatrical—and therefore hard to describe. A catalogue of possible influences and parallels wouldn’t do them justice. What they serve up in bits and pieces at the Ashby Stage just whets the appetite for the as-yet unrealized opus, strung along from “Frankie and Johnny.” 

Shotgun Lab presents Frankie Done It 291 Ways, created by Mugwumpin at 8 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays through April 18 at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. $10. For more information, call 841-6500 or see www.shotgunplayers.org.

The more scientists learn about non-human cognition, the blurrier the boundary between the human mind and various animal minds seems to become. And I’m not just talking about tool-making, intention-guessing, empathetic chimps. Some remarkable findings have emerged from the study of birds—and not necessarily the kinds of birds you’d expect. 

Episodic memory—memory that encodes particulars of what, where, and when—used to be considered exclusively human. Your recall of where you were when you heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center is an episodic memory (in my case, waiting for the elevator in the lobby of my office building). 

So is your recollection of where you last left your car keys. Animals, even bright ones like the great apes, were not supposed to be able to store and retrieve this kind of information. 

But biologists working with corvids—birds in the family that includes jays, crows, nutcrackers, and magpies—began to wonder about that. Some corvid species are food-cachers: they hide stashes of acorns or pine nuts in summer or fall to sustain themselves during winter and early spring, when other food is scarce. 

When they returned to their cache, had they made a random search or had they remembered where the items had been hidden? Better-than-chance retrieval performance suggested that birds like western scrub-jays, pinyon jays, and Clark’s nutcrackers had a well-developed spatial memory. 

The brains of these species have a larger-than-average hippocampus, an area thought to be responsible for processing memory. 

Do their memories have a time dimension, though—a “when” associated with the “what” and “where”? Nicola Clayton, working with western scrub-jays at Cambridge, thinks so. In an ingenious series of experiments, Clayton allowed captive scrub-jays to cache perishable food items—mealworms—and relatively non-perishable items—peanuts—in the lab. When given the opportunity to retrieve the goodies right after caching, her jays displayed a strong preference for the mealworms. 

But she found that the preference changed over time. If a jay had recovered a worm that was past its prime, in a subsequent trial five days after caching it would go for the more reliable peanuts.  

To rule out the possibility that, for whatever reason, more worm memories were lost than peanut memories, Clayton “taught” some of her subjects that worms did not in fact go bad by substituting fresh ones in the caches. Those birds continued to choose the worms at the five-day mark. In another variation, she accelerated the apparent decay rate of crickets, and found this resulted in a preference for nuts within a shorter time frame. 

Clayton has been careful to call what she has observed “episodic-like memory”, to avoid equating the human and corvid thought processes. But it sure looks like her jays were recalling not only where they had stashed the different kinds of food but when they had done so. 

(She has also documented something very like a theory of mind in scrub-jays, the ability to put oneself in the mental space of another individual. Jays that are more prone to pilfer other birds’ caches are correspondingly more likely to move their own caches if they were observed in the act.) 

Corvids have relatively big brains for birds (and scrub-jays have large hippocampi even for corvids). If you’d expect any kind of bird to be capable of memnonic prodigies, it would probably be a scrub-jay. However, episodic-like memory may not be unique to jays. Very similar processes have now been documented in, of all things, hummingbirds.  

In a study that recently appeared in Current Biology, Susan Healy and Jonathan Henderson of the University of Edinburgh describe their fieldwork with rufous hummingbirds in the Canadian Rockies.  

(The rufous hummer is an early spring migrant through the Bay Area; its close relative, the Allen’s hummer, stays to nest). Healy and Henderson placed eight artificial flowers in an alpine meadow patronized by hummingbirds. Some of the “flowers” were refilled with hummer food at 10-minute intervals, others at 20-minute intervals.  

Tallying visits by three male rufous hummers, the researchers found the birds could distinguish between the 10-minute and 20-minute “flowers” and remember their locations and when they had last drained them. Over several days, they reliably returned to the “flowers” just after they had been refilled; once again, a matter of what, when, and where.  

It makes sense for hyperactive birds like hummers to maximize their foraging efficiency. Return to a flower too soon, and the nectar won’t have been replenished; too late, and a rival may have beaten you there. With a long migration route and a short breeding season, rufous hummers can’t afford to waste time and energy in the search for food.  

Healy and Henderson point out that their male hummers were able to track the timing of nectar supplies while defending their territories and courting females. So you have not only episodic (oh, OK, “episodic-like”) memory but serious multitasking, all with a brain the size of a grain of rice.  

I don’t know how large a hummingbird’s hippocampus is, absolutely or relatively. But the bird doesn’t have a whole lot of neurons to work with. It may turn out to be not the size of the brain that enables these kinds of mental processes, but the complexity of the wiring. Smaller does not necessarily equate to dumber: the minuscule brain of the hummer appears to have the bandwidth to do what it needs to do.

TUESDAY, APRIL 11 

“How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth” at 7 p.m. at 145 Dwinelle Hall, UC Campus. 643-7008. 

“China Syndrome: SARS and Globalization” with Karl Taro Greenfeld, former editor of Time Magazine Asian edition, at 5:30 p.m. at North Gate Hall Library, Hearst at Euclid. 

“Kayaking 101” a class with Brad Bostrom at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Free. 527-4140. 

Raging Grannies of the East Bay invites new folks to come join us the 2nd and 4th Tues, of each month, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. to sing(any voice will do), help plan our next gig, or write outrageously political lyrics to old familiar tunes, and have fun at Berkeley Gray Panthers office, 1403 Addison St., in Andronico’s mall. 548-9696. 

“Utilizing California’s Water Supply Efficiently and Effectively” with Tom Birmingham, General Manager, Westlands Water District, at 5:30 p.m. at the Goldman School of Public Policy, Room 250. Corner of Hearst and LeRoy. www.westlandswater.org 

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” Film showing in a benefit for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at 9:15 p.m. at the Parkway Theater, Oakland. Tickets are $7.  

“Introduction to Judaism” Class on Tues. evenings through June 6 at Lehrhaus Judaica, 2736 Bancroft Way. Cost is $90-$100. To register call 845-6420. 

Stress Less Seminar at 6:30 p.m. at New Moon Opportunities, 378 Jayne Ave., Oakland Free, but registration required. 465-2524. 

Infant Massage at 10:30 a.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

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 

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

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12 

Great Decisions Foreign Policy Association Lecture with Sener Akturk on “Turkey” at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Cost is $5. 526-2925. 

Native Plant Nursery Wetlands Restoration We need your help to prepare native seedlings for future plantings along The Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline and Damon Slough. From 1 to 3 p.m. at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland. RSVP required. 452-9261 ext. 109. www.savesfbay.org  

“Arsenal of Hypocrisy” a film about the space program and the Military Industrial Complex, and “Battle for America’s Soul” at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation of $5 accepted. 

Volcanoes Explore the fire beneath the earth’s crust from noon to 2 p.m. at Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive. Cost is $7.50-$9.50. 642-5132. 

“Climbing Mt. Shasta: Tips for the Novice and Expert” with Chris Carr of Shasta Mountain Guides at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Free. 527-4140. 

Animal Communication at 7:30 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Poetry Writing Workshop, led by Linda Elkin, at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library ,1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

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

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

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

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

Fresh Produce Stand at San Pablo Park from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the Frances Albrier Community Center. Sponsored by the Ecology Center’s Farm Fresh Choice. 848-1704. www.ecologycenter.org 

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.  

Stitch ‘n Bitch Bring your knitting, crocheting and other handcrafts from 6 to 9 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www.geocities.com/ 

vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, APRIL 13 

Cooking Demo and Book Signing for “GRUB: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen” with essays by author Anna Lappé and menus, musical playlists, and cooking tips from chef Bryant Terry at 3:30 p.m. at Berkeley Farmer’s Market, Shattuck and Rose. In case of bad weather the event will move to Black Oak Books, 1491 Shattuck Ave. 548-3333. www.ecologycenter.org 

Richmond Southeast Shoreline Area Community Advisory Group Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Richmond Convention Center, Bermuda Room, 403 Civic Center Plaza at Nevin and 25th Sts. 540-3923. 

Teach-In and Vigil on U.S. Torture Policy, every Thurs. from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. outside the classroom of Prof. John Yoo, Boalt Hall, UC Campus. Weekly speakers. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship and other organizations. www.bpf.org 

“Defend Science: The Attack on Scientific Thinking and What Must be Done” A panel discussion with Kevin Padian, Phil Plait and Michael G. Hadfield at 7 p.m. at 1 LeConte Hall, next to Campenile, UC Campus. 384-1816. www.defendscience.org 

Quakes and Shakes Do some heavy shaking to learn about earthquake engineering at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive. Cost is $7.50-$9.50. 642-5132. 

American Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 6 p.m. at East Pauley Ballroom, UC Campus. Also on Fri. To schedule an appointment call 1-800-GIVELIFE. www.BeADonor.com 

East Bay Mac User Group presentation on .Mac at 6 p.m. at Expression College for Digital Arts, 6601 Shellmound, Emeryville. http://ebmug.org 

Healthy Eating Habits Seminar at 6:30 p.m. at New Moon Opportunities, 378 Jayne St. Free, but registration required. 465-2524. 

Ask a Union Mechanic every Thursday, from 4:30 to 6 p.m., at Parker and Shattuck, until the strike is settled. They will offer advice on all makes of car. 

Historical & Current Times Book Group meets on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1249 Marin Ave. 548-4517. 

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

FRIDAY, APRIL 14 

Creepy Crawlies Insect-inspired activities for ages 3-7 from noon to 2 p.m. at Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive. Cost is $7.50-$9.50. 642-5132. 

Clean Up Wildcat Creek Join Verde Elementary School students and the North Richmond community in cleaning up the creek for Earth Day. From 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Verde Elementary. 412-9290, ext. 26. 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Ian Mckinlay, architect on “Why the Twin Towers Fell” 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.  

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

Yuri’s Night Celebrate the anniversary of Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s historic first flight into space, from 8 tp 11 p.m. at Chabot Space & Science Center Tickets are $0-$15. 336-7373. 

Berkeley Chess School classes for students in grades 1-8 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. A drop-in, rated scholastic tournament follows from 7 to 8 p.m. at 1581 LeRoy Ave., Room 17. 843-0150. 

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. 

SATURDAY, APRIL 15 

Berkeley Alliance of Neighborhood Associations meets at 9:15 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, Sproul Conference Room, 1st Floor, 2727 College Ave. www.berkeleycna.com 

Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute Benefit and tribute to Ann Fagan Ginger at 5 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Donation $15-$30. 848-0599. www.mcli.org 

California Native Plant Sale Explore the garden, and buy some plants to take home. Please bring boxes to carry home your treasures and an umbrella if it rains. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Wildcat Canyon Rd. & South Park Dr., in Tilden Park. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Mt. Wanda Wildflower Walk in the hills where John Muir took his daughters. Meet at 9 a.m. in the Park and RIde lot at the corner of Alhambra Ave. and Franklin Canyon Rd., Martinez. Wear walking shoes and bring water. 925-228-8860. 

Natural Egg Coloring Learn to make dyes from beets, red onions and coffee grounds, at 2 p.m. at Tilden Nature CEnter, Tilden Park. Please bring your own hard-boiled eggs. Fee is $3, registration required. 636-1684. 

The Sydney B. Mitchell Iris Society Show and Sale from 1 to 5 p.m. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lakeside Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. 277-4200. 

Restore Marsh and Grassland Habitats in Richmond from 9 a.m. to noon at the West Stege Marsh. To register, and for directions call 665-3689. www.thewatershedproject.org 

Oakland Restoration Project Join Save the Bay to help remove invasive ice plant and wild radish from 9 a.m. to noon at Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline, Oakland. Please register on line. 452 - 9261. www.savesfbay.org 

Monitor Water Quality at Baxter Creek Learn how to monitor basic water quality using an electronic probe. Help us assess the success of a recent restoration on Baxter Creek by collecting data on the creek’s dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, temperature and flow. From 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Canyon Trail Park, El Cerrito. Please pre-register. 665-3686. apple@thewatershedproject.org 

From Frybread to Fuel Tank Send-off of a tour to bring bio-diesel to Native America at noon at the Inter-Tribal Friendship House, 523 International Blvd., Oakland. 

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

California Writers Club meets at 10 a.m. at Barnes and Noble, Jack London Square, Oakland, to discuss “Border Country: Erotica or Erotic Romance.” 420-8775.  

Stress Relief Class at 4 p.m. at Pharmaca, 1744 Solano Ave. 527-8929. 

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

SUNDAY, APRIL 16 

Springtime in the Ponds See babies dragonflies, phantom midges and maybe even newts, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Community Labyrinth Peace Walk at 3 p.m., Willard Middle School, Telegraph Ave. between Derby and Stuart. Everyone welcome. Wheelchair accessible. Rain cancels. 526-7377. 

The Sydney B. Mitchell Iris Society Show and Sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lakeside Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. 277-4200. 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

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 Jack Petranker on “World Without Limits” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, APRIL 17 

“Perspectives on Berkeley: Past and Present” Chuck Wollenberg’s Berkeley history class. John McBride of BAHA and John Steere of Livable Berkeley will speak on “A City of Neighborhoods: Preservation and Development” at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. Meets Mon. evenings through May 22. Free. 981-6150. 

Grandmothers Against the War will demonstrate on Income Tax Day to denounce military spending for the Iraq war and to call for an end to the war and occupation, at noon at the IRS/Post Offices, Ron Dellums Federal Building, Clay St., between 12th and 14th Sts., Oakland. 845-3815. 

Tax Day Action & People’s Life Fund Granting Ceremony and Potluck at 6:30 p.m. at 1550 5th St. at Henry St., Oakland, around the corner from West Oakland BART. Outdoor Anti-War Slide Show and leafleting West Oakland Post Office 1675 7th Street, Oakland at 8:15 tp 10 p.m. Sponsored by Northern California War Tax Resistance. 843-9877. www.nowartax.org 

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group for people 60+ years old meets at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave, Albany, on Mondays at 10:15 a.m. through June 19th. Cost is $2.50 per week, includes refreshments. 524-9122. 

Gay Men’s Health Collective 30th Anniversary Gala with entertainment and a reception at 8 p.m. at the Roda Stage, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $25-$150. For reservations visit www.gmhc30.org 

Quakes and Shakes Do some heavy shaking to learn about earthquake engineering at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive. Cost is $7.50-$9.50. 642-5132. 

“How to Expand Your Mind- Body Connection with Self Hypnosis” at 5:30 pm. in the Rose Room at Mercy Retirement Center, 3431 Foothill Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $30 or $120 for the entire series. 534-8547, ext. 666. 

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

ONGOING 

Free Tax Help—United Way’s Earn it! Keep It! Save It! program provides free filing assistance to households that earned less than $38,000 in 2005. To find a free tax site near you, call 800-358-8832.  

Albany Library Free Drop-in Homework Help for students in third through fifth grades, Mon. - Thurs. from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Emphasis is placed on math and writing skills. No registration is required. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour is seeking volunteers who will spend a morning or afternoon greeting tour participants and answering questions at the free native plant garden tour, featuring sixty-four gardens located throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties on Sunday, May 7, 2006. Volunteers can select the garden they would like to spend time at by visiting the “Preview the 2006 Gardens” section at www.BringingBackTheNatives.net 

Public Art Opportunities Request for Entries The City of Berkeley is looking for artists for the 2006 Civic Center Art Competition and Exhibition. Entries are due April 18. For details contact the Civic Arts Program, 981-7533. 

Find a Loving Animal Companion at the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society Adoption Center (open from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday). 2700 Ninth St. 845-7735. www.berkeleyhumane.org  

Medical Care for Your Pet at the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society low-cost veterinary clinic. 2700 Ninth St. For appointments call 845-3633. www.berkeleyhumane.org 

CITY MEETINGS 

Police Review Commission meets Wed., April 12, at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-4950. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/policereview 

Waterfront Commission meets Wed., April 12, at 7 p.m., at 201 University Ave. Cliff Marchetti, 981-6740. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/waterfront 

West Berkeley Project Area Commission meets Thurs., April 13, at 7 p.m., at the West Berkeley Senior Center. Iris Starr, 981-7520. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/westberkeley  

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Mon. April 17, at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Pam Wyche, 644-6128 ext. 113. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/rent 

Creeks Task Force meets Mon. April 17, at 7 p.m. the North Berkeley Senior Center. Erin Dando, 981-7410. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/planning/landuse/Creeks/default.html 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon. April 17, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

citycouncil/agenda-committee 

City Council meets Tues., April 18, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Berkeley Housing Authority meets Tues., April 18, at 6:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. ww.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/housingauthority