Berkeley resident Joyce Hawkins, a Section 8 tenant for 21 years, joined public housing advocates at Old City Hall Tuesday to show support for the Berkeley Housing Authority. Photograph by Suzanne La Barre.
Berkeley resident Joyce Hawkins, a Section 8 tenant for 21 years, joined public housing advocates at Old City Hall Tuesday to show support for the Berkeley Housing Authority. Photograph by Suzanne La Barre.

Page One

Citizens Rally for Ailing City Housing Authority

By Suzanne La Barre
Friday July 14, 2006

A rally to save Berkeley’s troubled Housing Authority drew about two-dozen supporters Tuesday. -more-



Council Approves Mayor’s New LPO

By Richard Brenneman
Friday July 14, 2006

By a 6-3 vote, the Berkeley City Council passed the mayor’s controversial new Landmarks Preservation Ordinance (LPO) Tuesday, setting the stage for a November confrontation at the ballot box. -more-



OUSD Could Make Less Than Planned in Land Sale

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday July 14, 2006

The Oakland Unified School District held the first of three public hearings Wednesday night on the proposed sale of 8.25 acres of OUSD Lake Merritt-area properties, but a key component of the proposal was only available to those who later followed a trustee’s suggestion to look up the actual development proposal on the district website. -more-



Post Office Might Close In Elmwood District

By Richard Brenneman
Friday July 14, 2006

While Berkeley’s Elmwood district gained one landmark last week, it may be about to lose another community mainstay—it’s post office at 2705 Webster St. at College Avenue. -more-



Warm Pool Measure Wins Approval, Then Postponed

By Judith Scherr
Friday July 14, 2006

Warm-water pool users cheered as the Berkeley City Council, its chambers packed wheelchair to walker, voted 6-3 to place a referendum before the voters asking for approval of a $4.5 million bond to complete funding for a new warm pool. -more-



Features

Vandals Strike Warm Water Pool

By Judith Scherr
Friday July 14, 2006

Warm-pool users, already reeling from the fear that their only source of exercise will be demolished without a replacement—the school district plans to remove the pool and the city may not come up with funds to build a new one—discovered Wednesday the pool had been vandalized. -more-


Sea Scouts Appeal Berkeley Case to Supreme Court

By Judith Scherr
Friday July 14, 2006

The Pacific Legal Foundation filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court this week aimed at reversing the California Supreme Court’s unanimous March decision that upheld Berkeley’s refusal to subsidize the Sea Scout’s fees at the Berkeley Marina because of the group’s affiliation with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), which denies membership to gays and atheists. -more-


City Council Kills ‘Clean Money’ Ballot Proposal

By Judith Scherr
Friday July 14, 2006

Claiming there was no time, no local need and insufficient public interest, the City Council killed a proposal Tuesday to put public financing of city elections on the November ballot. -more-


Berkeley Schools’ Achievement Gap Is Widest in County

By Suzanne La Barre
Friday July 14, 2006

Berkeley’s African-American students earned the second lowest standardized test scores in the county, whereas Berkeley’s white students laid claim to some of the highest, according to United In Action, a local minority student advocacy group. -more-


Local Agencies, Cities Make Preparations for Coming Bird Flu

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday July 14, 2006

The recent strategy laid out by the Bush Administration to prepare for a possible bird flu pandemic in the United States is one which the administration hopes it will never need. -more-


Details of Proposed Land Deal Differ From Initial Proposal

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylo
Friday July 14, 2006

In May of 2005, TerraMark proposed a development on the OUSD Lake Merritt properties which it called “The Trophy.” -more-


Police Blotter

By Richard Brenneman
Friday July 14, 2006

Short blotter -more-


Lopez Obrador Wins California Cities in Symbolic Vote

By Stan Oklobdzija, New American Media
Friday July 14, 2006

Mexican presidential candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador might have had a better showing if the polls in the Mexican cities of Saltillo and Durango were moved to the California cities of Stockton, Sacramento, and Fresno. -more-


Democracy a Buzzword After Failed Taiwan Recall of Chen

By Eugenia Chien, New American Media
Friday July 14, 2006

Politicians and observers in Taiwan and the Chinese community are using the unsuccessful recall motion to unseat Taiwan President Chen Shui Bian as an opportunity to discuss democracy, according to the Chinese-language press. -more-


News Analysis: The Mexico Election: Obrador is No Gore

By Ted Vincent, Special to the Planet
Friday July 14, 2006

The July 2 elections in Mexico saw the Partido Revolucionario Democratico (PRD) poll 35.31 percent of the announced presidential votes, a rise for this moderately left “BCA del Sur” from 17 percent in the 2000 contest. -more-


First Person: The Trick of Knowing How to Keep the ‘Stupids’ at Bay

By Marta Yamamoto, Special to the Planet
Friday July 14, 2006

Stupid is not a nice word. When applied to others it’s neither kind nor p.c., even when deserved. When applied to oneself, stupid is often the only term that fits. Sadly, I use this term in personal reference more often than I’d like, sometimes several times a week. In fact, after a stellar stupid, I might greet the day with “Okay, what stupid thing are you going to do today?” -more-


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Friday July 14, 2006

ARTISTS’ RETREAT -more-


More Letters to the Editor

Friday July 14, 2006

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


Commentary: Berkeley’s Image After Forty Years

By Krishna P. Bhattacharjee
Friday July 14, 2006

I visited the city of Berkeley and the campus of the University of California after a period of forty years, on my way back from participating at the U.N. World Urban Forum conference held during June 19 to 24, 2006 in Vancouver, Canada. -more-


Commentary: Let Them Eat Bush!

By Barbara Gilbert
Friday July 14, 2006

To paraphrase a famous ruler dealing with citizen discontent, “Let them eat Bush.” -more-


Editorial

Editorial: Getting WMD’d in Berkeley

By Becky O’Malley
Friday July 14, 2006

In the go-go era in Silicon Valley in the 1980s, we used to have a saying: “If you look around the table and don’t know who the sucker is, it’s you.” This has never been more apparent than in the outcome of the protracted discussions over the development industry’s long struggle to de-fang Berkeley’s hallowed Landmarks Preservation Ordinance, which appears, temporarily at least, to be successful. -more-


Columns

Column: Undercurrents: What Did Ward Accomplish in the Oakland Schools?

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday July 14, 2006

As far back as the spring of 2005, when State Superintendent Jack O’Connell was forced to come to Oakland Technical High School and release his legally required but long-delayed Fiscal Recovery Plan for the Oakland Unified School District, a group of Oakland educators and activists—led by Board of Trustees President Gary Yee—had been saying that the legal requirements had either been met or were close to being met for a return to local control of the Oakland schools. -more-


First Tibs: Exploring Ethiopian Food at Finfine

By B. J. Calurus, Special to the Planet
Friday July 14, 2006

With all the Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurants in Berkeley and Oakland, it took me a while to get around to Finfine. My loss. -more-


About the House: How Trees Do and Do Not Impact Structures

By Matt Cantor
Friday July 14, 2006

Your Honor, does this lovely Liquid Amber appear capable of doing harm to anything, let alone Mr. Filbert’s 1926 Craftsman bungalow? No, I tell you, it’s a lie, a myth, a hit and a myth! -more-


Getting the Real Dirt on Smuggled Plants and Seeds

By Ron Sullivan
Friday July 14, 2006

So you don’t wear sweatshop clothes or eat veal or plant invasive exotics. Now that the bulb and seed catalogues are starting to come in the email, there’s one more ethical matter to consider. -more-


Quake Tip of the Week

By Larry Guillot
Friday July 14, 2006

The Quake Hits—Now What? -more-


Arts Listings

Arts Calendar

Friday July 14, 2006

‘As You Like It’ in Neo-Classical Garb

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Friday July 14, 2006

Staging the Life of Billie Holiday

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Friday July 14, 2006

Moving Pictures: Lost Treasures Recovered and Restored

By Justin DeFreitas
Friday July 14, 2006

Events Listings

Berkeley This Week

Friday July 14, 2006

Correction

Friday July 14, 2006

Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

Editorial: Getting WMD’d in Berkeley 07-14-2006

Editorial: Nurses Hold the Health Care System Together 07-11-2006

Public Comment

Letters to the Editor 07-14-2006

More Letters to the Editor 07-14-2006

Commentary: Berkeley’s Image After Forty Years By Krishna P. Bhattacharjee 07-14-2006

Commentary: Let Them Eat Bush! By Barbara Gilbert 07-14-2006

Letters to the Editor 07-11-2006

Commentary: Town and Gown: Great Things Are Happening...Elsewhere By Doug Buckwald and Anne Wagley 07-11-2006

Commentary: Bates’ LPO Serves Developers, Not Citizens By Neal Blumenfeld 07-11-2006

News

Citizens Rally for Ailing City Housing Authority By Suzanne La Barre 07-14-2006

Council Approves Mayor’s New LPO By Richard Brenneman 07-14-2006

OUSD Could Make Less Than Planned in Land Sale By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 07-14-2006

Post Office Might Close In Elmwood District By Richard Brenneman 07-14-2006

Warm Pool Measure Wins Approval, Then Postponed By Judith Scherr 07-14-2006

Vandals Strike Warm Water Pool By Judith Scherr 07-14-2006

Sea Scouts Appeal Berkeley Case to Supreme Court By Judith Scherr 07-14-2006

City Council Kills ‘Clean Money’ Ballot Proposal By Judith Scherr 07-14-2006

Berkeley Schools’ Achievement Gap Is Widest in County By Suzanne La Barre 07-14-2006

Local Agencies, Cities Make Preparations for Coming Bird Flu By Riya Bhattacharjee 07-14-2006

Details of Proposed Land Deal Differ From Initial Proposal By J. Douglas Allen-Taylo 07-14-2006

Police Blotter By Richard Brenneman 07-14-2006

Lopez Obrador Wins California Cities in Symbolic Vote By Stan Oklobdzija, New American Media 07-14-2006

Democracy a Buzzword After Failed Taiwan Recall of Chen By Eugenia Chien, New American Media 07-14-2006

News Analysis: The Mexico Election: Obrador is No Gore By Ted Vincent, Special to the Planet 07-14-2006

First Person: The Trick of Knowing How to Keep the ‘Stupids’ at Bay By Marta Yamamoto, Special to the Planet 07-14-2006

Spring Defends Need For Warm Water Pool By Judith Scherr 07-11-2006

Citizens Press to Save Control of Housing Authority By Suzanne La Barre 07-11-2006

Peet’s Makes Pitch to Open on Telegraph By Suzanne La Barre 07-11-2006

Council Takes Another Look at ‘Clean Money’ By Judith Scherr 07-11-2006

LPC Blasts UC Stadium-Area EIR, Adds Two Landmarks By Richard Brenneman 07-11-2006

Drive to Return Oakland Schools to Local Control Gains Steam By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 07-11-2006

Group Takes Pacific Steel To Court Over Emissions By Suzanne La Barre 07-11-2006

B-Tech Awarded $50,000 State Grant to Raise Scores By Suzanne La Barre 07-11-2006

Fire Department Log By Richard Brenneman 07-11-2006

Police Blotter By Richard Brenneman 07-11-2006

Columns

Column: Undercurrents: What Did Ward Accomplish in the Oakland Schools? By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 07-14-2006

First Tibs: Exploring Ethiopian Food at Finfine By B. J. Calurus, Special to the Planet 07-14-2006

About the House: How Trees Do and Do Not Impact Structures By Matt Cantor 07-14-2006

Getting the Real Dirt on Smuggled Plants and Seeds By Ron Sullivan 07-14-2006

Quake Tip of the Week By Larry Guillot 07-14-2006

Column: The Public Eye: Attempting to Derail a Presidental Dictatorship By Bob Burnett 07-11-2006

Column: Intuitive Leaps Through Ordinary But Striking Occurrences By Susan Parker 07-11-2006

A Garden on Codornices Creek Welcomes Wildlife By Joe Eaton, Special to the Planet 07-11-2006

Arts & Events

Arts Calendar 07-14-2006

‘As You Like It’ in Neo-Classical Garb By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 07-14-2006

Staging the Life of Billie Holiday By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 07-14-2006

Moving Pictures: Lost Treasures Recovered and Restored By Justin DeFreitas 07-14-2006

First Tibs: Exploring Ethiopian Food at Finfine By B. J. Calurus, Special to the Planet 07-14-2006

About the House: How Trees Do and Do Not Impact Structures By Matt Cantor 07-14-2006

Getting the Real Dirt on Smuggled Plants and Seeds By Ron Sullivan 07-14-2006

Quake Tip of the Week By Larry Guillot 07-14-2006

Berkeley This Week 07-14-2006

Correction 07-14-2006

Arts Calendar 07-11-2006

Arts: The Fake Real of ‘Future Tense’ at Kala Art By Peter Selz, Special to the Planet 07-11-2006

Arts: ‘Restoration Comedy’In Fashion at CalShakes By Jaime Robles, Special to the Planet 07-11-2006

Moving Pictures: Festival Honors the Beauty of the Silents By Justin DeFreitas 07-11-2006

A Garden on Codornices Creek Welcomes Wildlife By Joe Eaton, Special to the Planet 07-11-2006

Berkeley This Week 07-11-2006