Bancroft Avenue Waterworks
              A Berkeley garbage truck hit a fire hydrant on Bancroft Avenue below Dana Steet around 7 a.m. Tuesday creating a huge geyser of water that took about 20 minutes to contain.
              Photograph by Hank Chapot.
Bancroft Avenue Waterworks A Berkeley garbage truck hit a fire hydrant on Bancroft Avenue below Dana Steet around 7 a.m. Tuesday creating a huge geyser of water that took about 20 minutes to contain. Photograph by Hank Chapot.

Page One

Grant Denied, Ashby BART Plan On Hold

By Richard Brenneman
Friday June 02, 2006

Caltrans last week denied the city of Berkeley’s request for a $120,000 grant to fund a transportation plan to be used in shaping the development of a project that would feature about 300 units of housing over commercial space and parking at the Ashby Bart Station. -more-



Developer Challenges Albany Shore Petition

By Richard Brenneman
Friday June 02, 2006

Stop that initiative or we’ll sue, an attorney for Golden Gate Fields has warned Albany officials. Citizens for the Albany Shoreline (CAS) filed the initiative in question, an attempt to stop shoreline development, with Albany City Clerk Jacqueline Bucholz on May 16. -more-



Council OKs Creek Task Force Recommendations

By Judith Scherr
Friday June 02, 2006

The City Council on Tuesday approved the Creek Task Force (CTF) recommendations that ease current building restrictions, but still would require various permits and environmental analyses to build or remodel near creeks. -more-



Many Fail Exit Exam As Graduation Nears

By Suzanne La Barre
Friday June 02, 2006

Graduation season is fast approaching, but more than 40,000 students statewide, including about 200 in Berkeley, still have not passed the high school exit exam. -more-



Standoff at Nexus Institute Continues, Artists Staying Put

By Richard Brenneman
Friday June 02, 2006

Members of the Nexus Institute were still occupying their rented West Berkeley home Thursday, the day after the deadline had passed for them to leave. -more-



Features

Judge Orders DOD to Expedite ACLU Records Request

By Judith Scherr
Friday June 02, 2006

A federal court judge last week ordered the Department of Defense to expedite a Freedom of Information request made by the ACLU of Northern California on behalf of UC Berkeley Stop the War Coalition and UC Santa Cruz Students Against the War. -more-


DAPAC-LPC Discuss Downtown Architecture

By Suzanne La Barre
Friday June 02, 2006

The Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee (DAPAC) and the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) held a joint meeting Wednesday, and the topic du jour was architectural preservation. -more-


Appeal Filed Against Pacific Steel Odor Reduction Permit

By Suzanne La Barre
Friday June 02, 2006

L. A. Wood has filed an appeal to the Zoning Adjustments Board’s (ZAB) decision to modify a use permit that allows Pacific Steel Casting to construct odor pollution reducing facilities. -more-


Hancock’s Opt-Out Recruitment Bill Moves to State Senate

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday June 02, 2006

The “opt-out” notification high school military recruiter bill co-sponsored by Bay Area Assemblymembers Loni Hancock and Sally Lieber has moved on to the California State Senate, but solid Republican opposition and lack of full Democratic support mean that the bill continues to have little chance of surviving a possible gubernatorial veto. -more-


Two Men Injured in South Berkeley Drive-by Shooting

By Richard Brenneman
Friday June 02, 2006

Two self-professed gang members were wounded in a drive-by shooting in South Berkeley Monday night—and neither one is talking to police. -more-


Supervisors to Vote on Voting Machine Contract

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday June 02, 2006

With Alameda County Supervisors coming down to the wire on a decision for the purchase of a permanent new voting system, local voting activists are hoping for what they call an “interim solution” that will not commit the county past the November elections. -more-


Green Albany Project Celebrates Program’s First Anniversary

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday June 02, 2006

Officials from Alameda County, the Albany Chamber of Commerce as well as Albany residents and small businesses got together at the Albany City Hall Tuesday to talk trash. -more-


Summer Activities for Teens

By Elizabeth Hopper
Friday June 02, 2006

Even though the end of the school year is approaching, it’s not too late for local teenagers to find summer activities. -more-


BOCA Helps Immigrants, Others Find a Voice

By Judith Scherr
Friday June 02, 2006

“People think Berkeley is different, that we don’t have undocumented people,” says Belen Pulido-Martinez, organizer with BOCA, Berkeley Organizing Congregations for Action, a nonprofit dedicated to giving voice to people from communities with little power. -more-


Cell Phone Towers Rejected in Residential Area

By Suzanne La Barre
Friday June 02, 2006

About a dozen Berkeley residents filed into Council Chambers last Thursday to urge the Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) to reject a proposal for new wireless facilities at a local Catholic church. The board took heed. -more-


Police Blotter

By Richard Brenneman
Friday June 02, 2006

Stuck up -more-


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Friday June 02, 2006

IGNACIO -more-


Commentary: Saving Telegraph: Three Plans Leave Neighbors Outside the Loop

By Sharon Hudson
Friday June 02, 2006

In the wake of the news of the upcoming closing of Cody’s bookstore, people are acting like something that has been happening for over twenty years is suddenly a “crisis.” This is not necessarily good. As useful as “crises” are in finally focusing attention on their causes, it is equally important to focus on controlling their consequences. Crises always energize those with ideological or self-interested agendas, which they advance as panaceas for the problem at hand. -more-


Commentary: Notes on What Telegraph Needs from An Avenue Merchant

By Al Geyer
Friday June 02, 2006

Here are some thoughts on each of the nine items that were part of the Telegraph Avenue assistance package passed on May 23 by the Berkeley City Council: -more-


Commentary: Ron Dellums: The Practical Visionary

By Paul Rockwell
Friday June 02, 2006

Ron Dellums is running for mayor of Oakland at a time when the people of Oakland are desperate for a change in leadership. The Board of Education has lost control of its own schools,the education of our own children. Under its current president, Ignacio De La Fuente, the City Council cannot even protect the safety of its own citizens. The security of life and limb is the first test of government, and De La Fuente has failed the test. He talks tough, he postures. But Oakland now has one of the highest murder rates of any city in the U.S., triple the national average. Our city is the crime capital of California, and entire sections of Oakland live in fear. Forty-six residents have been murdered in three months. -more-


Editorial

Editorial: Making the Best of a Hard Choice

By Becky O’Malley
Friday June 02, 2006

If you’ve come to this space looking for a recommendation card to take with you to the polls, you’ve come to the wrong place. We—the Publisher and I—still haven’t made up our minds which candidate for governor to choose. Frankly, they both look somewhat unattractive at this point. -more-


Columns

Column: The View From Here: The Roots of a Problem: Looking at Oregon Street

By P.M. Price
Friday June 02, 2006

“Spell it!” demanded the young redhead, eyes glaring, hands on narrow hips. -more-


Column: Undercurrents: Two More Innocent Bystanders Die in High Speed Chase

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday June 02, 2006

We didn’t do anything about it when it happened the first time and so, perhaps, that is why it has happened again . . . a high-speed police chase, supposedly from an East Oakland “sideshow,” ending in the death of innocent bystanders. Saturday night, it happened on 90th and MacArthur Boulevard. -more-


Column: The Public Eye: Enemy of the People: Al Gore or George Bush?

By Bob Burnett
Friday June 02, 2006

It’s unlikely that the producers of the documentary An Inconvenient Truth thought that they were producing a sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People. But it’s impossible to see this 96-minute film about Al Gore’s single-handed fight to educate America about the dangers of global climate change and not wonder how different things would be if he had won in 2000. -more-


About the House: On the Case of House Mold

By Matt Cantor
Friday June 02, 2006

It never ceases to amaze me what madness the media and the legal community have created out of a little thing like mold. -more-


Garden Variety: The Place to Look for Unusual Garden Tools

By Ron Sullivan
Friday June 02, 2006

One of my favorite places to look for—or just look at—esoteric, obscure, clever, or kinky garden tools is Hida Japanese Tools on San Pablo, across from REI and a few doors down from Ashkenaz. -more-


Arts Listings

Arts Calendar

Friday June 02, 2006

World Music Festival This Weekend Along Telegraph

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Friday June 02, 2006

Looking Inside Barbara Cushman’s World of Collage

By Robert McDonald, Special to the Planet
Friday June 02, 2006

Events Listings

Berkeley This Week

Friday June 02, 2006

Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

Editorial: Making the Best of a Hard Choice 06-02-2006

Suspension and Accusations at the Berkeley YMCA 05-30-2006

Public Comment

Letters to the Editor 06-02-2006

Commentary: Saving Telegraph: Three Plans Leave Neighbors Outside the Loop By Sharon Hudson 06-02-2006

Commentary: Notes on What Telegraph Needs from An Avenue Merchant By Al Geyer 06-02-2006

Commentary: Ron Dellums: The Practical Visionary By Paul Rockwell 06-02-2006

Letters to the Editor 05-30-2006

Commentary: Where the Rhetoric Meets the Creek By Patrick Finley 05-30-2006

Commentary: A Better World Begins in Oakland By Paul Rockwell 05-30-2006

Commentary: Report from the State Democratic Convention By Mal Burnstein 05-30-2006

Commentary: Enforce Labor Laws so Immigrants Aren’t Needed By Adolfo Cabral 05-30-2006

Commentary: BUSD Maintenance Department Misconceptions By Ann Aoyagi 05-30-2006

News

Grant Denied, Ashby BART Plan On Hold By Richard Brenneman 06-02-2006

Developer Challenges Albany Shore Petition By Richard Brenneman 06-02-2006

Council OKs Creek Task Force Recommendations By Judith Scherr 06-02-2006

Many Fail Exit Exam As Graduation Nears By Suzanne La Barre 06-02-2006

Standoff at Nexus Institute Continues, Artists Staying Put By Richard Brenneman 06-02-2006

Judge Orders DOD to Expedite ACLU Records Request By Judith Scherr 06-02-2006

DAPAC-LPC Discuss Downtown Architecture By Suzanne La Barre 06-02-2006

Appeal Filed Against Pacific Steel Odor Reduction Permit By Suzanne La Barre 06-02-2006

Hancock’s Opt-Out Recruitment Bill Moves to State Senate By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 06-02-2006

Two Men Injured in South Berkeley Drive-by Shooting By Richard Brenneman 06-02-2006

Supervisors to Vote on Voting Machine Contract By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 06-02-2006

Green Albany Project Celebrates Program’s First Anniversary By Riya Bhattacharjee 06-02-2006

Summer Activities for Teens By Elizabeth Hopper 06-02-2006

BOCA Helps Immigrants, Others Find a Voice By Judith Scherr 06-02-2006

Cell Phone Towers Rejected in Residential Area By Suzanne La Barre 06-02-2006

Police Blotter By Richard Brenneman 06-02-2006

Flash: Golden Gate Fields Threatens Lawsuit By Richard Brenneman 05-30-2006

Flash: Caltrans Nixs Ashby Bart Planning Grant 05-30-2006

Diaz Sets Out to Save Berkeley Alternative By Suzanne La Barre 05-30-2006

Confusion Surrounds Possible Eviction of Nexus Collective By Ricghard Brenneman 05-30-2006

Commission Blasts Review of Mayor’s Landmarks Proposal By Richard Brenneman 05-30-2006

BUSD Rebuffs City Review Process By Suzanne La Barre 05-30-2006

Landmarks, Downtown Plan Panel Hold Joint Meeting By Richard Brenneman 05-30-2006

DoubleTree Hotel Workers Protest Stalled Negotiations By Judith Scherr 05-30-2006

Shattuck Cinemas Employees To Vote on Forming a Union By Judith Scherr 05-30-2006

OUSD Postpones Trustee Meeting Over Sale of Properties By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 05-30-2006

PRC Reviews Police Policies in Case of Stolen Drug Evidence By Judith Scherr 05-30-2006

A Guide to Ballot Measures in the June Election By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 05-30-2006

Superintendent, Secretary of State Races Heat Up By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 05-30-2006

Planners Tackle Creeks Group Representation, Stadium By Riya Bhattacharjee 05-30-2006

A Wake-Up Call for Telegraph Avenue By Judith Scherr 05-30-2006

Police Blotter By Richard Brenneman 05-30-2006

Columns

Column: The View From Here: The Roots of a Problem: Looking at Oregon Street By P.M. Price 06-02-2006

Column: Undercurrents: Two More Innocent Bystanders Die in High Speed Chase By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 06-02-2006

Column: The Public Eye: Enemy of the People: Al Gore or George Bush? By Bob Burnett 06-02-2006

About the House: On the Case of House Mold By Matt Cantor 06-02-2006

Garden Variety: The Place to Look for Unusual Garden Tools By Ron Sullivan 06-02-2006

Column: The Public Eye: Downtown Will Be Berkeley’s Next BART Fiasco By Michael Katz 05-30-2006

Column: Keeping Order in the Classroom By Susan Parker 05-30-2006

Hooray for Hollywood Junipers By Ron Sullivan 05-30-2006

Arts & Events

Arts Calendar 06-02-2006

World Music Festival This Weekend Along Telegraph By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 06-02-2006

Looking Inside Barbara Cushman’s World of Collage By Robert McDonald, Special to the Planet 06-02-2006

About the House: On the Case of House Mold By Matt Cantor 06-02-2006

Garden Variety: The Place to Look for Unusual Garden Tools By Ron Sullivan 06-02-2006

Berkeley This Week 06-02-2006

Arts Calendar 05-30-2006

Moving Pictures: Kieslowski’s ‘Decalogue’ at PFA By Justin DeFreitas 05-30-2006

Books: On the Trail of Hitler’s Nuremberg Laws By Marty Schiffenbauer 05-30-2006

Theater: Weisman, Founder of The Marsh, Stages Own Show By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 05-30-2006

Hooray for Hollywood Junipers By Ron Sullivan 05-30-2006

Berkeley This Week 05-30-2006