Teacher Maria Carriedo helps Yarik Munguia write letters at the summer bridge preschool program at Rosa Parks Elementary School Wednesday. Sitting next to them, Madison Milan practices her writing. Photograph by Michael Howerton
Teacher Maria Carriedo helps Yarik Munguia write letters at the summer bridge preschool program at Rosa Parks Elementary School Wednesday. Sitting next to them, Madison Milan practices her writing. Photograph by Michael Howerton

Page One

Parents and Kids Prepare for Kindergarten

By Suzanne La Barre
Friday June 30, 2006

The first foray into kindergarten can feel overwhelming for many children who have not previously attended preschool. From socializing with others to learning to hold a writing implement, youngsters with no prior schooling may struggle where their peers forge ahead. -more-



Council Faces City Housing Authority’s Failures

By Suzanne La Barre
Friday June 30, 2006

The Housing Authority Board convened for an extended meeting Tuesday to face the bitter reality that the Berkeley Housing Authority (BHA) is a troubled agency. -more-



Ward Quits OUSD, Takes District Post In San Diego

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday June 30, 2006

The future of the administration of the Oakland Unified School District—as well as the future of OUSD’s downtown administrative properties—fell into considerable confusion this week with the decision by the San Diego County Board of Education to hire state administrator Randy Ward as their administrator. -more-



Convicted Drug Officer Not Yet Serving Sentence

By Judith Scherr
Friday June 30, 2006

The former Berkeley police sergeant convicted of grand theft and felony possession of heroin and methamphetamine was not formally sentenced to home detention Tuesday, as was expected, due to a paperwork snafu. -more-



Presidential Impeachment Measure on November Ballot

By Judith Scherr
Friday June 30, 2006

Excoriating George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney for defiling the constitution, the Berkeley City Council spoke out with one voice Tuesday night, voting unanimously to place a referendum on the November ballot to poll Berkeley citizens on the question of impeaching the president and vice president. -more-



Features

Council Rejects ‘Clean Money’ Measure, Adopts New Budget

By Judith Scherr
Friday June 30, 2006

Ignoring commission advice, the Berkeley City Council voted Tuesday not to place public financing of local elections before the voters in November. The Fair Campaign Practices Commission had voted 7-1 last week to support putting “clean money” on the local ballot. -more-


Planning Commission OKs In-Lieu Condo Fees, Library Gardens’ Condo Map

By Richard Brenneman
Friday June 30, 2006

Berkeley planning commissioners Tuesday voted to urge the City Council to adopt a new in-lieu fee for condo developers designed to create more affordable housing for the city’s poorer residents. -more-


Federal Deadline Arrives for BUSD Paraprofessionals

By Suzanne La Barre
Friday June 30, 2006

The union representing about 370 paraprofessionals and other classified employees is accusing the Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) of failing to avert layoffs in the face of newly effective No Child Left Behind mandates. -more-


Alternative High Students Protest Exclusion from Graduation Event

By Suzanne La Barre
Friday June 30, 2006

A handful of students from the Berkeley Alternative High School claim they were denied participation in unofficial graduation festivities earlier this month. -more-


Police Blotter

By Richard Brenneman
Friday June 30, 2006

Berkeley experienced an unusual rash of drive-by assaults during a four-day period from June 13-19, starting with paintballs, escalating to a lemon and culminating in a drive-by shooting that left a Brentwood man with a leg wound. Another shooting, this one with no injuries, followed. -more-


Fire Department Log

By Richard Brenneman
Friday June 30, 2006

Watery rescue -more-


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Friday June 30, 2006

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS -more-


Commentary: Neglect Threatens Hillside School

By Mary Lee Noonan
Friday June 30, 2006

As a neighbor of the Hillside School since 1968, as a parent of children who attended Hillside and as a school volunteer, I knew the school as a jewel in the crown of the Berkeley Unified School District. And then in 1983, sadly it was closed. For almost a quarter century, like all the neighbors, like the endless parade of tenants, like the weekend basketball players and the recreation programs, like the children swinging on the play structures or learning to ride their bikes, I have watched the surfaces of this gracious Tudor building quietly rot. -more-


Commentary: Comedy: Cliches or Contradictions

By R.G. Davis
Friday June 30, 2006

Sitting in a local theater a few weeks ago and watching the audience listen to a political comedy I wondered why some people were laughing at things I thought were rehashed slaps at the Bushites. A giggling older man I watched was bouncing up and down on his chair. I thought that must be fun—the jiggling, not the giggling. There is after all, an important function to jiggling while giggling or just jiggling the body. More oxygen, the blood flows and the body is alert—all to the good. The problem is that current political comedy theater is not capable of digging deep enough into the malaise to face a number of reactionary factors. -more-


Commentary: A Pro-Business, Pro-Berkeley Agenda

By Zelda Bronstein
Friday June 30, 2006

“It was a shock,” Tom Bates told the New York Times, “that an institution like Cody’s was closing.” What’s really shocking is the mayor’s surprise at this turn of events. Since Mr. Bates took office in December 2002, the precarious state of independent bookstores and the deterioration of Telegraph Avenue have been obvious to anyone who cared to look. Tom Bates simply hasn’t paid attention. It’s a safe bet that if Andy Ross hadn’t announced in May that Cody’s flagship would close in July, and if the mayor weren’t up for re-election in four and a half months, Mr. Bates would still be ignoring both Telly and its struggling merchants, just as he’s ignored the city’s other neighborhood shopping districts and small businesses—when he hasn’t actually harmed them. -more-


Commentary: Oakland Should Consider ‘Municipalizing’ the Oakland Athletics

By Jean Damu
Friday June 30, 2006

There’s a new sheriff in town and he has called for new ideas to help make Oakland a better city. -more-


Commentary: Don’t Lose the Benefits Of Our Only Warm Pool

By Daniel Rudman
Friday June 30, 2006

On Tuesday evening, June 20, I went to the City Council meeting to offer my support for the Berkeley Warm Pool. I arrived at the old City Hall building at 6:30 and left after midnight, depressed after what I’d witnessed. The members of the council sat in a semi-circle, each leafing through stacks of paper as speakers took their two-minute turns at the microphone. I asked the guy next to me how come they weren’t paying attention. “It’s called “multi-tasking,” he said. -more-


Commentary: Educational Bonds vs. Economic Justice

By Jacqueline Sokolinsky
Friday June 30, 2006

Saturday afternoon after a quiet sabbath at home, I found myself talking about the spate of educational bond measures, now defeated in the polls. One was what I considered a “construction boondoggle”—for Vista, Berkeley’s community college, to build brand-new facilities with state-of-the-art new equipment. Why shouldn’t the community college continue its already established relationship with UC Berkeley, sharing the facilities and equipment of the UC Berkeley campus? -more-


Commentary: No Public Policy by Fiat

By Sam Herbert
Friday June 30, 2006

Before the 2004 election for City Council representative for District 3 I knew little about Max Anderson. I knew he had powerful friends among the city’s leadership. I had heard he was into development for South Berkeley. I asked friends of mine whose opinions I valued, if they thought Anderson could be trusted to represent all the voices in South Berkeley, equably and honestly. The comments and observations of these friends were discouraging. -more-


Commentary: Correcting the Record on Urban Development

By Doug Fielding
Friday June 30, 2006

EDITOR’S NOTE: This commentary appears only on our website. -more-


Commentary: Toward a Sweat-Free Ordinance

By Nicholas E. Smith
Friday June 30, 2006

EDITOR’S NOTE: This commentary appears only on our website. -more-


The Usual Suspects Sound Off on the Middle East

Friday June 30, 2006

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following letters appear only on our website. -more-


Editorial

Editorial: Dreams for Everyone to Share

By Becky O'Malley
Friday June 30, 2006

Over the weekend I got an e-mail petition asking me to add my name to this letter and pass it on: -more-


Columns

Column: The View From Here: Out of Berkeley . . . and on to Africa

By P.M. Price
Friday June 30, 2006

My daughter beat me to Africa. On Monday morning, “Liana” (her pseudonym in this sometimes embarrassing column), along with 10 other students and two teachers from Berkeley High School, arrived in Shirati, a small village in the East African country of Tanzania. -more-


Column: Undercurrents: Pressing Mayor-Elect Dellums on Press Access

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday June 30, 2006

One afternoon, some years after the election of Jerry Brown to succeed Elihu Harris as mayor of Oakland, I saw Mr. Harris walking with some friends and former aides along “government street” between City Hall and the federal and state office buildings that were the centerpiece of the Harris administration’s downtown revival after the devastation of Loma Prieta. I had once described the Harris administration as “dismal” and “drifting” in a column for the old Urban View newspaper, and I had to stop and confess to him that the more I saw of his replacement, Mr. Brown, the better Mr. Harris had come to look. -more-


To Vegas Through the Back Door

By Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Special to the Planet
Friday June 30, 2006

Last September, on a spectacularly scenic car trip to Las Vegas, I spent a night by Mono Lake, another by June Lake, and another in Death Valley. We drove through the Tioga Pass in Yosemite, which is open only a few months each year—usually May through September (it is closed in winter due to heavy snowfall). -more-


About the House: Some Advice on Avoiding Floods

By Matt Cantor
Friday June 30, 2006

Your washing machine is following you. O.K., so I’m being a bit dramatic but it’s true. Your washing machine is trying to get into your bedroom. -more-


Garden Variety: How to Plant a Plant to Ensure It Will Survive

By Ron Sullivan
Friday June 30, 2006

You buy a tree or shrub and dig a hole and put the plant into it and fill it up and that’s pretty much it, right? Well, not exactly. It’s usually not a technical challenge, but there are right ways and wrong ways to plant a plant. -more-


Quake Tip of the Week

By Larry Guillot
Friday June 30, 2006

Visited Your Shut-offs Lately? -more-


Arts Listings

Arts Calendar

Friday June 30, 2006

Theater: ‘Permanent Collection’ Examines the Art of Race

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Friday June 30, 2006


Events Listings

Berkeley This Week

Friday June 30, 2006

Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

Editorial: Dreams for Everyone to Share 06-30-2006

News of Doubletree Sale Worries Hotel Workers 06-27-2006

Public Comment

Letters to the Editor 06-30-2006

Commentary: Neglect Threatens Hillside School By Mary Lee Noonan 06-30-2006

Commentary: Comedy: Cliches or Contradictions By R.G. Davis 06-30-2006

Commentary: A Pro-Business, Pro-Berkeley Agenda By Zelda Bronstein 06-30-2006

Commentary: Oakland Should Consider ‘Municipalizing’ the Oakland Athletics By Jean Damu 06-30-2006

Commentary: Don’t Lose the Benefits Of Our Only Warm Pool By Daniel Rudman 06-30-2006

Commentary: Educational Bonds vs. Economic Justice By Jacqueline Sokolinsky 06-30-2006

Commentary: No Public Policy by Fiat By Sam Herbert 06-30-2006

Commentary: Correcting the Record on Urban Development By Doug Fielding 06-30-2006

Commentary: Toward a Sweat-Free Ordinance By Nicholas E. Smith 06-30-2006

The Usual Suspects Sound Off on the Middle East 06-30-2006

Letters to the Editor 06-27-2006

Commentary: Defining Artisans Out of Existence By John Curl 06-27-2006

Commentary: A No-Sweat Method To Make Berkeley Sweat-Free By Igor Tregub 06-27-2006

Commentary: John Galen Howard Was Right By Helen Burke 06-27-2006

Commentary: A Note of Thanks to Karen Grassle By Maureen McAlorum 06-27-2006

News

Parents and Kids Prepare for Kindergarten By Suzanne La Barre 06-30-2006

Council Faces City Housing Authority’s Failures By Suzanne La Barre 06-30-2006

Ward Quits OUSD, Takes District Post In San Diego By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 06-30-2006

Convicted Drug Officer Not Yet Serving Sentence By Judith Scherr 06-30-2006

Presidential Impeachment Measure on November Ballot By Judith Scherr 06-30-2006

Council Rejects ‘Clean Money’ Measure, Adopts New Budget By Judith Scherr 06-30-2006

Planning Commission OKs In-Lieu Condo Fees, Library Gardens’ Condo Map By Richard Brenneman 06-30-2006

Federal Deadline Arrives for BUSD Paraprofessionals By Suzanne La Barre 06-30-2006

Alternative High Students Protest Exclusion from Graduation Event By Suzanne La Barre 06-30-2006

Police Blotter By Richard Brenneman 06-30-2006

Fire Department Log By Richard Brenneman 06-30-2006

Condos Dominate Planning Agenda By Richard Brenneman 06-27-2006

Housing Authority Faces Friday Federal Deadline By Suzanne La Barre 06-27-2006

Trader Joe’s Project Moves to Design Review By Suzanne La Barre 06-27-2006

Landmark Commissioners Find Flaws in Mayor’s Plan By Richard Brenneman 06-27-2006

Public Financing of Elections Clears Hurdle By Judith Scherr 06-27-2006

‘Opt Out’ Military Recruitment Bill Heads to State Senate By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 06-27-2006

Council to Debate Budget, Gaia Building, Public Comment By Judith Scherr 06-27-2006

Seagate/Arpeggio High-Rise Condo Project Set to Rise By Richard Brenneman 06-27-2006

Supervisors Give $8 Million Bailout to Medical Center, Avert Layoffs By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 06-27-2006

Columns

Column: The View From Here: Out of Berkeley . . . and on to Africa By P.M. Price 06-30-2006

Column: Undercurrents: Pressing Mayor-Elect Dellums on Press Access By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 06-30-2006

To Vegas Through the Back Door By Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Special to the Planet 06-30-2006

About the House: Some Advice on Avoiding Floods By Matt Cantor 06-30-2006

Garden Variety: How to Plant a Plant to Ensure It Will Survive By Ron Sullivan 06-30-2006

Quake Tip of the Week By Larry Guillot 06-30-2006

Column: The Public Eye: Campaign 2006: Top 10 Senate Races By Bob Burnett 06-27-2006

Douglas-Fir Builds and Graces Towns, Creates Splendid Forests By Ron Sullivan, Special to the Planet 06-27-2006

Arts & Events

Arts Calendar 06-30-2006

Theater: ‘Permanent Collection’ Examines the Art of Race By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 06-30-2006

Moving Pictures: Deja Vu and Despair: Revisiting ‘Punishment Park’ By Justin DeFreitas 06-30-2006

To Vegas Through the Back Door By Carole Terwilliger Meyers, Special to the Planet 06-30-2006

About the House: Some Advice on Avoiding Floods By Matt Cantor 06-30-2006

Garden Variety: How to Plant a Plant to Ensure It Will Survive By Ron Sullivan 06-30-2006

Quake Tip of the Week By Larry Guillot 06-30-2006

Berkeley This Week 06-30-2006

Arts Calendar 06-27-2006

‘Inspector General’ at the Berkeley City Club By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 06-27-2006

Books: Czeslaw Milosz: The Poet in His Times By Phil McArdle, Special to the Planet 06-27-2006

Douglas-Fir Builds and Graces Towns, Creates Splendid Forests By Ron Sullivan, Special to the Planet 06-27-2006

Berkeley This Week 06-27-2006