The Week

Photograph by Judith Scherr: Berkeley Police Chief Douglas Hambleton shows the Police Review Commission how Sgt. Cary Kent tampered with drug evidence envelopes, through the bottom.
Photograph by Judith Scherr: Berkeley Police Chief Douglas Hambleton shows the Police Review Commission how Sgt. Cary Kent tampered with drug evidence envelopes, through the bottom.
 

News

Police Chief Details How Cop Stole Drugs

By Judith Scherr
Friday April 28, 2006

While Berkeley Police Chief Doug Hambleton called Sgt. Cary Kent’s drug evidence theft “a profound violation of public trust,” in an oral report he gave to the Police Review Commission Wednesday, the chief’s accounting left some commissioners and audience members still searching for answers. -more-


Bitter Honda Strike Ends With Contract Agreement

By Suzanne La Barre
Friday April 28, 2006

Service workers at Berkeley Honda overwhelmingly ap-proved a contract late Monday, ending a bitter 10-month strike—and the reign of an inflatable rat over Shattuck Avenue. -more-


International Food Festival Lands in West Berkeley

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday April 28, 2006

Ever heard of a little something called “Mulligatawny”? In case you haven’t, it’s a a spicy Anglo Indian soup made with red lentils, vegetables and chicken. Nothing foreign about red lentils, vegetables or chicken, is there? And yet, most of us would think of it as something exotic and even have a hard time relating it with food. -more-


North Shattuck Plaza Planned for Gourmet Ghetto

By Suzanne La Barre
Friday April 28, 2006

A tree-lined plaza. Grassy area for feasting on a slice of Cheese Board pizza. Small kiosks housing newsstands, cafes and flower shops. -more-


Council Jumps into the Gaia Building Culture War

By Judith Scherr
Friday April 28, 2006

When Patrick Kennedy got permits to develop the Gaia Building on Allston Way, he was allowed to build two stories more than the downtown height limit allowed, in exchange for the promise of using the ground floor and mezzanine for cultural purposes. -more-


Contentious Lawn Parking Law Revision Delayed

By Judith Scherr
Friday April 28, 2006

As Berkeley curbs get increasingly jammed hood-to-trunk with stationary vehicles, easing rules about parking cars on private property becomes a viable solution, the city’s planning staff says. -more-


Oakland Teachers’ Contract Meets Mixed Reception

By Suzanne La Barre
Friday April 28, 2006

Reviews of a tentative contract agreement for Oakland’s teachers are decidedly mixed. -more-


Opt Out Bill Passes Committee

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday April 28, 2006

Despite the absence of public speakers in opposition at a hearing held this week in the state Assembly Education Committee, a high school military recruitment notification bill co-sponsored by Bay Area Assemblymembers Loni Hancock and Sally Lieber only won the support of committee Democrats, leaving much work to be done if the bill is to become state law. -more-


David Beauvais: Defender of the First Amendment

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday April 28, 2006

David Beauvais loves the First Amendment. -more-


Commission Grills UC Officials On Campus Disaster Plans

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday April 28, 2006

Officials from UC Berkeley’s Office of Emergency Preparedness met with the Disaster and Fire Safety Commission and the public Wednesday to present the emergency aspects of the university’s Memorial Stadium project and take part in a question and answer session related to it. -more-


May Day Action Calls for Immigration Strike

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday April 28, 2006

This May 1 could become the day without immigrants if calls to boycott schools and work by national and local immigrant organizations are heeded all over the United States. -more-


County Medical Center Settles Nurses’ Contract

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday April 28, 2006

Finalizing a settlement reached after a year of contract negotiations with its 2,000 registered nurses, the Alameda County Medical Center turned this week to shore up its remaining nagging budget problems. -more-


City College Completion Scheduled for Mid-July

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday April 28, 2006

Construction of the new Berkeley City College in downtown Berkeley is 85 percent complete with a tentative opening date scheduled for mid-July, Peralta Community College District trustees learned this week at their regular meeting. -more-


Police Blotter

By Richard Brenneman
Friday April 28, 2006

Bloody arrest -more-


Council Joins Impeachment Campaign

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday April 25, 2006

A resolution on tonight’s (Tuesday) City Council agenda, calling on the House of Representatives to impeach President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney, is not just another feel-good Berkeley measure. -more-


Alta Bates Road Cut Could Be Permanent

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday April 25, 2006

After decades of wrangling, neighbors of Alta Bates Hospital gathered at the Alta Bates auditorium last week to express their outrage at the city’s decision to install a road across the hard-won grassy mall next to the hospital. -more-


Hancock Bill Slows Military Recruiters

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday April 25, 2006

A Berkeley assemblymember’s bill scheduled for debate this week in the assembly Education Committee would not end military recruitment on California’s high school campuses, but it would make it easier for parents to exempt their children from the recruitment process. -more-


UC Regents Delay Action on Compensation Issue

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday April 25, 2006

The chairperson of the UC Board of Regents said this week that there may be disciplinary action taken in the wake of the university’s employee compensation scandal, but what those disciplinary actions might be will not be revealed until the regents’ May meeting. -more-


Public Invited to Weigh In on School Parcel Tax

By Suzanne La Barre
Tuesday April 25, 2006

Small class sizes, school libraries and music and arts education are just a few of the programs the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) will ask local voters to support this November. -more-


City Council Will Discuss Gaia Building, Backyard Parking and Bus Service

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday April 25, 2006

The Berkeley City Council will begin its meeting tonight (Tuesday) with a Disaster Training Workshop at 5 p.m. An executive session meeting on the threat of a lawsuit be developer Patrick Kennedy will by held at 6 p.m. The council will begin its regular meeting at 7 p.m. -more-


Commission Looks at Parking, Traffic Concerns

By Suzanne La Barre
Tuesday April 25, 2006

The Transportation Commission last week weighed in on a traffic report for mixed-use development at University Avenue at Martin Luther King Jr. Way, moved forward with a solution to parking losses on Telegraph Avenue and introduced design options for the downtown Berkeley BART station. -more-


City Seeks Deadline Extension For Contentious Creeks Ordinance

By Suzanne La Barre
Tuesday April 25, 2006

Time is running out for the Planning Commission to officially weigh in on the city’s much-debated Creeks Ordinance, but a viable recommendation is still weeks away. -more-


Hispanic Media Split on May 1 Economic Boycott

By Elena Shore New America Media
Tuesday April 25, 2006

Although Hispanic media helped to mobilize hundreds of thousands of people in last month’s immigration protests, they are split when it comes to the economic boycott planned for May 1. -more-


Kragen Site, Pacific Steel, Sisterna Top ZAB Agenda

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday April 25, 2006

The controversial proposal to build a massive five-story high-rise at the corner of University Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Way comes before ZAB Thursday. -more-


News Analysis: Italy’s Murky Election: A Vote for Weak Government

By Paolo Pontoniere New America Media
Tuesday April 25, 2006

It’s over. The Italian superior court has declared that Silvio Berlusconi is out and that Romano Prodi has won. But more than voting out Berlusconi’s center-right alliance or approving Prodi’s center-left coalition, Italians have chosen to go back to the splintered governments preceding the early 1990s. -more-


First Person: Learning Never to Say ‘This Time Next Year’

By Winston Burton
Tuesday April 25, 2006

I was in Atlantic City, New Jersey, at my aunt’s 95th birthday party. Her name was Pricilla, but everyone called her Aunt Gussie. She had outlived all of her friends and contemporaries and was the matriarch and Griot (oral historian) of our family. -more-


Opinion

Editorials

Sewers, Impeachment, Alcohol Policy on Council Agenda

By Judith Scherr
Friday April 28, 2006

After a serenade by Berkeley’s Kairos Youth Choir and enlightenment by clever Public Service Announcements written by students in Berkeley High’s Communication Arts and Sciences program to inspire recycling, the City Council was ready to dig into the more meaty issues of the evening—aging sewers, creating an alcohol policy and impeaching the president. -more-


Editorial: Impeach Bush in the State Assembly

By Becky O'Malley
Tuesday April 25, 2006

Monday morning’s e-mail brought a dispatch from the lively Op-Ed News website, the first to report, as far as we know, that Assemblymember Paul Koretz has just introduced in the California Legislature a resolution to impeach not only the despised Dubya but also the odious Dick Cheney. He has submitted it as amendments to his prior Assembly Joint Resolution No. 39. They reference Section 603 of Jefferson’s Manual of the Rules of the United States House of Representatives, which allows federal impeachment proceedings to be initiated by joint resolution of a state legislature. A similar resolution is already underway in Illinois, and proponents have high hopes that it will be passed. -more-


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Friday April 28, 2006

OREGON STREET -more-


Commentary: ‘Push Polls’ Not Part of Downtown Association’s Agenda

By Mark McLeod
Friday April 28, 2006

I appreciate the Daily Planet’s interest in the fact that several merchant associations, including the Downtown Berkeley Association (DBA), have been discussing the commissioning of a professionally created and administered survey of Berkeley residents to determine their public policy interests and preferences. -more-


Why I’m the Only Viable Candidate for Mayor

By Zachary Running Wolf
Friday April 28, 2006

I am a Native American leader, not a sold-out career politician. Berkeley citizens need me as mayor at this very important time in world history. A career politician sells his or her souls to the highest bidder, climbs the political ladder by making “compromises” with fellow politicians, and leaves behind and ignores the best interests of their constituencies. A perfect example of a career politician and his dirty dealing is Mayor Bates and his closed-door sweetheart deal to sell out downtown Berkeley to his alma mater, the University of California at Berkeley. In contrast, a Native American leader looks to the future and out for the well being of the community (or tribe), which comes first before personal security and economic gain. This means looking out for the well-being of the children for seven generations. -more-


Commentary:How to Create a Lively ‘Green’ Oasis in Downtown

By Kirstin Miller
Friday April 28, 2006

Increasingly, people living in cities are calling for the creation of natural, beautiful, functional, and healthy public spaces accessible to all citizens, regardless of age, ability or income. Cities are also taking greater steps to heal the natural environment within their borders. Revitalizing and restoring nature in the city not only helps the environment, but also connects people with place. -more-


Commentary: 1610 Oregon Street: It’s Everyone’s Concern

By Shirley Dean
Friday April 28, 2006

It is hard to believe that Councilmember Max Anderson actually said that the action taken by 14 neighbors in Small Claims court regarding 1610 Oregon St. involved a “revenge motive.” But, there it was in the April 18 Daily Planet, in a news story about the appeal brought by 1610’s owner against the judgment the neighbors had won in January in Small Claims Court which awarded $5,000 to each of the neighbors. The news story reported that the owner’s appeal had been dismissed by Superior Court Judge Wynne Carvill. -more-


Letters to the Editor

Tuesday April 25, 2006

STRAWBERRY CREEK -more-


Commentary: Berkeley High Baseball: A Field of Reams

By Neil Cook
Tuesday April 25, 2006

Much has been written in these pages about the prospect of a regulation baseball diamond for the Berkeley High baseball team. Reams of articles and opinions have been written as a matter of fact. Others have been written as a matter of fancy. Few articles or commentaries have, however, addressed the perspective of what results from not building such a field. What happens, of course, is that things stay the way they are. With San Pablo Park being the practice and game field for the team. So what’s that like? -more-


Commentary: Berkeley Urgently Needs Responsible Alcoholic Beverage Service Training

By Emer Cunningham
Tuesday April 25, 2006

On April 25 the Berkeley City Council will vote to consider a comprehensive Alcoholic Beverage Sales Commercial Activities Regulation plan. One aspect of this proposal is mandatory Responsible Beverage Service training (RBS) for licensees, managers, servers and clerks prior to selling alcoholic beverages. -more-


Commentary: An Oligarchic Cesspool of Radical Lunacy

By John Gertz
Tuesday April 25, 2006

Graham called me a hypocrite for urging Berkeley’s City Council and Peace and Justice Commission (P&J) to pass anti-Palestinian resolutions, when I derided the same bodies for passing a pro-Palestinian resolution. I never said, nor did mean, any such thing. I do not believe that Berkeley city government has any constructive role to play in the locally divisive issue of the Palestine/Israel conflict. I merely said that Berkeley’s Palestinian supporters like Graham, should have a good heart-to-heart with their Palestinian friends and let them know that their election of Hamas won’t wash even here in Berkeley. If Graham and her buddies want to stand by Hamas, fine. At least I tried to talk some sense into them. -more-


Columns

Column: Dispatches From the Edge: Rummy Shelled, Silvio Falls, Iran Strikes

By Conn Hallinan
Friday April 28, 2006

There are any number of reasons why half a dozen retired generals have turned on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, but a major one was a disastrous week in the spring of 2002 when several battalions of the 101 Airborne Division attacked insurgents in the Shahikot Valley of Afghanistan. -more-


Column: Undercurrents: Public Comment Lies at the Heart of Democracy

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday April 28, 2006

Mr. Ignacio De La Fuente, we learn in last week’s Oakland Tribune, is “frustrated” with the present debate format in the Oakland mayoral race which “rarely, if ever,” the Tribune explains, “allows candidates time to rebut their opponents’ remarks.” -more-


She’s Got Your Goat at Caribbean Cove

By B.J. Calurus Special to the Planet
Friday April 28, 2006

You don’t forget your first curried goat. It was years ago, and I was on the Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando’s answer to San Pablo Avenue, looking for a cheap and non-franchised lunch. I wound up at a hole-in-the-wall run by Trinidadians that served goat and roti, a flatbread with South Asian roots. Really good goat. I’ve been looking for its equal ever since. -more-


About the House: Neatness Saves Time, Even on a Job Site

By Matt Cantor
Friday April 28, 2006

I have slovenly tendencies. I know this about myself. I’m not proud of it, but let’s face facts: I like neatness, but it is, on most days, beyond my grasp. I also like to complain about those around me who do not keep things neat. Of course I never complain about my wife or kids and their messes, and if you think you’ve ever heard me shouting from next door, it must have been someone else or perhaps it was the game on TV. -more-


Garden Variety: Recycling For Garden Decor at Omega Too

By Ron Sullivan
Friday April 28, 2006

So I dropped by Omega Too on San Pablo Avenue to see what Jana had for gardens. The answer was: Not quite so much as she used to, but what’s there is nifty. Of course; her sensibility is one I’ve always liked. -more-


Column: Flying JetBlue with The Blues Brothers

By Susan Parker
Tuesday April 25, 2006

I take JetBlue when I fly back East because it offers multiple, non-stop flights from Oakland to JFK at a price I can almost afford. I like flying from Oakland Airport because I can walk out my front door and get to the departure gate fast and easily by public transportation. -more-


Breakfast Off the Beaten Path

By Marta Yamamoto Special to the Planet
Tuesday April 25, 2006

Hunger calls as the sun rises or, in some cases, long after it’s crossed the sky. Hundreds of cafes are ready to entice your taste buds. From the happy trio of eggs, potatoes and breakfast meat to sweeter yummies like pancakes, waffles, French toast or crepes. Steaming hot lattes, fresh orange juice. Smells and flavors reminding us of home or favorite friends. -more-


Introducing Berkeley’s New City Bird: The Barn Owl

By Joe Eaton Special to the Planet
Tuesday April 25, 2006

It’s official! Last Tuesday night the Berkeley City Council approved a resolution sponsored by councilmembers Betty Olds and Dona Spring, designating the barn owl as our city bird. I was at Old City Hall for the event but did not make it into the council chamber, which was packed with young jocks lobbying for the Derby Street baseball field. -more-


Arts & Events

Arts Calendar

Friday April 28, 2006

FRIDAY, APRIL 28 -more-


Aurora Theatre Presents a ‘Small Tragedy’

By Ken Bullock Special to the Planet
Friday April 28, 2006

“I still couldn’t say whose tragedy this was ... is ... or if it even is a tragedy ... does it belong to the people suffering, or those watching them suffer?” -more-


Moving Pictures: The Not-So-Discreet Charms of the Bourgeoisie

By Justin DeFreitas
Friday April 28, 2006

The name Luis Buñuel is familiar to even those with only a passing interest in movies, largely due to the success of his satiric films of the 1960s and ’70s. But when the great director made his seamless transition from experimental Surrealist filmmaking to commercial narrative work, he did so with the help of a slightly lesser-known talent: screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere. -more-


The International Reach of the Arts and Crafts Movement

By Marta Yamamoto Special to the Planet
Friday April 28, 2006

The Arts and Crafts Movement is no secret in Bay Area architecture and furnishings. The Berkeley hills are dotted with homes designed by Bernard Maybeck, Julia Morgan and others while the California bungalow dots neighborhoods from north to south. -more-


She’s Got Your Goat at Caribbean Cove

By B.J. Calurus Special to the Planet
Friday April 28, 2006

You don’t forget your first curried goat. It was years ago, and I was on the Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando’s answer to San Pablo Avenue, looking for a cheap and non-franchised lunch. I wound up at a hole-in-the-wall run by Trinidadians that served goat and roti, a flatbread with South Asian roots. Really good goat. I’ve been looking for its equal ever since. -more-


About the House: Neatness Saves Time, Even on a Job Site

By Matt Cantor
Friday April 28, 2006

I have slovenly tendencies. I know this about myself. I’m not proud of it, but let’s face facts: I like neatness, but it is, on most days, beyond my grasp. I also like to complain about those around me who do not keep things neat. Of course I never complain about my wife or kids and their messes, and if you think you’ve ever heard me shouting from next door, it must have been someone else or perhaps it was the game on TV. -more-


Garden Variety: Recycling For Garden Decor at Omega Too

By Ron Sullivan
Friday April 28, 2006

So I dropped by Omega Too on San Pablo Avenue to see what Jana had for gardens. The answer was: Not quite so much as she used to, but what’s there is nifty. Of course; her sensibility is one I’ve always liked. -more-


Berkeley This Week

Friday April 28, 2006

FRIDAY, APRIL 28 -more-


Arts Calendar

Tuesday April 25, 2006

TUESDAY, APRIL 25 -more-


Books: Threads of the Life of a Singer, Anthropologist, Author

By Dorothy Bryant
Tuesday April 25, 2006

It’s hard not to seem rude and inattentive while talking with Margot Schevill in her home in Berkeley. Hard to keep your gaze from wandering over the walls, tables, and chairs, decorated with colorful paintings and textiles, many from Central America. -more-



Breakfast Off the Beaten Path

By Marta Yamamoto Special to the Planet
Tuesday April 25, 2006

Hunger calls as the sun rises or, in some cases, long after it’s crossed the sky. Hundreds of cafes are ready to entice your taste buds. From the happy trio of eggs, potatoes and breakfast meat to sweeter yummies like pancakes, waffles, French toast or crepes. Steaming hot lattes, fresh orange juice. Smells and flavors reminding us of home or favorite friends. -more-


Introducing Berkeley’s New City Bird: The Barn Owl

By Joe Eaton Special to the Planet
Tuesday April 25, 2006

It’s official! Last Tuesday night the Berkeley City Council approved a resolution sponsored by councilmembers Betty Olds and Dona Spring, designating the barn owl as our city bird. I was at Old City Hall for the event but did not make it into the council chamber, which was packed with young jocks lobbying for the Derby Street baseball field. -more-


Berkeley This Week

Tuesday April 25, 2006

TUESDAY, APRIL 25 -more-