News

For political cognoscenti, a day just isn’t complete without a Daily Kos fix. -more-

City councilmbers Tuesday approved transferring the Oxford Plaza parking lot to developers Tuesday night, but their vote—the first of two—left as many questions as answers. -more-

Depending on whom you talk to and how you read between the lines, this Saturday’s Berkeley Progressive Coalition Convention will pull together a coalition of old and new progressive organizations in the city—including members of the longtime Berkeley Citizens Alliance and the year-old Berkeley Progressive Alliance—strengthening all of them. Or else it is a movement by the BPA to supplant the BCA that could potentially lead to a split in Berkeley’s progressive movement and establish competing progressive candidate endorsements for the fall elections. -more-

South Berkeley neighbors sparred verbally at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, most supporting Black and White Liquor store owner Sucha Banger in his quest to overturn the Zoning Adjustments Board vote to designate his store a “public nuisance” and impose restrictions, such as hours of operation, on the establishment. -more-

A nascent plan to develop open space in the El Cerrito Hills is eliciting protests from neighbors who say the city’s natural land must be preserved. -more-

An Oakland-based environmental nonprofit is threatening to sue Pacific Steel Casting in federal court. -more-

The latest Democrats to cancel speaking events at a UC Berkeley event are Al Gore and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. -more-

Foes of the proposed upscale mall planned for Albany’s Golden Gate Fields turned in nearly three times the signatures needed to qualify a November ballot initiative measure that would stop the proposal. -more-

Peter Sussman, noted journalist and editor, often described as a 35-year Berkeley resident, was shocked when he looked at his sample ballot and discovered he was slated to vote across the border in Oakland. -more-

When classes commence this fall, students at 2701 Martin Luther King Jr. Way will be the first to navigate the multiple pathways of Berkeley Technology Academy. -more-

The question of condominium conversion, one of some 50 items on the City Council agenda Tuesday night, was significant, not so much for the council vote, but for what modifications the ordinance might face in the future. -more-

Supported by councilmembers Betty Olds, Laurie Capitelli and Gordon Wozniak, George Beier, 42, has jumped into the proverbial ring, challenging incumbent, nine-year Councilmember Kriss Worthington, 51, for the second time. -more-

Wayne S. Dismuke was born Oct. 17, 1941, in El Dorado, Ark., through the union of Horace K. and Doris J. Dismuke. Wayne was the first child of Horace and Doris. He graduated from Berkeley High School in 1959. -more-

A California Highway Patrol officer was injured Thursday afternoon when his motorcycle was struck by a car on westbound Interstate 80 near Ashby Avenue. -more-

Neighbors of Alta Bates-Summit Medical Center who gathered for the Bateman Mall Restoration meeting at Alta Bates on Wednesday night welcomed the city’s announcement that the grassy area that has lately been the site of the temporary road during construction at the hospital would be restored. -more-

There is no Police Blotter again because the city’s new Community Crime View software has caught a bug. -more-

Foes of the proposed upscale mall planned at Albany’s Golden Gate Fields handed in nearly three times the needed signatures needed to qualify a November ballot initiative measure that would stop the proposal. -more-

The largest new commercial project in Berkeley in decades won city approval Thursday—though Zoning Adjustment Board (ZAB) members fear West Berkeley will be bowled over by the traffic. -more-

The Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) is refusing to excuse the absences of teachers who joined nationwide rallies May 1, and is subsequently docking pay. -more-

An Oakland-based environmental nonprofit is threatening to sue Pacific Steel Casting in federal court. -more-

Although former Berkeley Police Sgt. Cary Kent, who pleaded guilty in April to felony charges of grand theft and possession of heroin and methamphetamine was sentenced Friday to one year in county jail, he’ll do no time behind bars. -more-

The California Superintendent for Public Instruction is close to a decision concerning the disposal of 9.47 acres of midtown properties owned by the Oakland Unified School District. -more-

The Berkeley Daily Planet is going daily again! Yes, you read that right. After three years, readers will now be able to get news flashes every day, as they happen—on the Internet at www.berkeleydailyplanet.com. The Tuesday and Friday print issues will remain the same—“All The News That Fits, We’ll Print” as one wag around here puts it. But we’ll be able to fit even more intriguing information into the Internet edition. -more-

Zoning Adjustments Board members said no to Quiznos Thursday, and yes to a $2 million air filtering system designed to halt the obnoxious odors emanating from Pacific Steel Casting. -more-

The founder of the environmental organization that spearheaded legal threats against Pacific Steel Casting is stepping away from the lawsuit due to infighting with the mediation service, Neighborhood Solutions, though other plaintiffs are still moving forward. -more-

Today’s (Tuesday) City Council meeting includes a budget update at 5 p.m., a Redevelopment Agency meeting at 6:30 p.m. and a regular council meeting at 7 p.m. -more-

The Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee (DAPAC) will hear presentations from 10 departments and organizations on environmental issues germane to the Downtown Area Plan. -more-

A high school military recruitment notification bill sponsored by two Bay Area Assemblymembers continued to sail through committee last week, with a 5-3 vote in the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee. -more-

The Berkeley Board of Education is set to decide whether to ratchet up funding for an environmental analysis of the East Campus Field project Wednesday. -more-

After Thursday’s futile attempts to capture the sea lion that attacked three people at the Berkeley Marina last week, the Marine Mammal Center along with the Office of Enforcement of the Marine Mammal Protection Act decided against any more capture attempts for the time being. -more-

Another arson -more-

A mass panty raid variously described as a “hell raising mob,” an “insurrection,” or a manifestation of “spring fever” swept through the streets around the UC Berkeley campus 50 years ago this week, leaving damage and embarrassment in its wake. -more-