Public Comment

LEAGUE OF  

WOMEN VOTERS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I wish to correct a serious misimpression left by a quote attributed to Councilmember Gordon Wozniak in the story “Council Looks at UC Election” that appeared in your July 25 edition. 

Mr. Wozniak is quoted as having said that “It was a valid election [the ASUC student body election held in April] run by the League of Women Voters.” 

Had Mr. Wozniak (and the Daily Planet) checked with us, we could have told him and you that the League does not “run” the ASUC election. Since 1979, we have offered our services as consultants on fair election process, and served as poll-watchers. When we have seen election rule infractions, we have pointed them out to the Elections Council, with whom we have our contract for services. The Elections Council then proceeds to try to cure or bring sanctions against those responsible, and the final arbiter of all election controversies is the ASUC Judicial Council. 

The bottom line is that the ASUC Elections Council “runs” the ASUC election, and under their by-laws and elections rules, the Judicial Council has the final say about sanctions against rule violators. 

Thank you for letting us clear up this serious misunderstanding of the role of the League of Women Voters in the ASUC elections process. 

Sherry Smith 

ASUC Elections Committee,  

League of Women Voters of Berkeley, Albany and Emeryville 

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UNDER WATER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

About the ongoing concern expressed by the Friends of the Ocean View-Sisterna Historic District over an old house on Sixth Street: Given that by the end of the century all the houses in that area will be under water, along with the entire bay shoreline, let me suggest that you consider turning your attention to more serious matters. 

Jerry Landis 

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WRONG NAME 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In your July 28 story, “Massive New UC Lab to Rise at Downtown’s Edge,” you mention Hong Kong business man Li Ka-Shing. I believe that you incorrectly refer to his last name as Ka-Shing, when in fact “Li” is his last/family name, and Ka-Shing is his first/given name. 

John Hanley 

Oakland 

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SIDEWALK DISPLAY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am adding my voice to the complaint of Karla James in the July 28 Daily Planet, regarding the habit of Berkeley Honda on Shattuck and Carleton, parking display cars on the city side walk. Not only do they obstruct foot traffic in this way, they also follow another practice, which obstructs auto traffic, sometimes parking cars at right angles to the curb, jutting out into the much used turnout exit from Reel Video. I first noticed this while trying to walk home through this obstacle course three weeks ago. When I reached home, I telephoned the police. The officer I spoke to said that was the problem of the Traffic Department (or some title like that) and gave me the telephone number. I immediately called the number. A machine answered, stating business hours for that office (I WAS calling within the business hours) but I was told to leave a message and my phone number; I would be called, and the problem, whatever it was, would be dealt with during business hours. Three weeks. Nothing has changed. No one has called me back. 

Dorothy Bryant 

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TOWER OF SONG 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Justin DeFreitas’ review of the film Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man was pretty much right on. The film’s one saving grace was, as DeFreitas pointed out, Rufus Wainwright.  

The ultimate sacrilege in the film was to have a female vocalist massacre Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” This is one of the more beautiful expressions of male sexuality ever put to music and lyric. To hear it sung with the sensitivity and intensity with which Cohen wrote it, listen to any of Jeff Buckley’s interpretations, from for example, the album Live a L’Olympia, or the EP Live from the Bataclan. These and the versions from the remastered Grace album are available as CDs at Amazon.com, or you can stream them, with much less fidelity, from the Peyote Radio Theater media player at www.jeffbuckley.com. “Hallelujah” is also on the DVD Jeff Buckley Live in Chicago setlist. In the process you will hear some incredible solo guitar playing. 

If the film introduced some to Cohen’s music and wordplay, it was not a total loss. 

Richard Holmquist 

Richmond 

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OAKLAND POLICE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It is outrageous that the Oakland police have wasted their time and our tax dollars with their spying on and infiltrating the local anti-Iraq war movement some three years ago. If the aim of the police was to “prevent violence,” perhaps they should have instead infiltrated and investigated the Oakland Police Department, since there was a police riot with the firing of many rubber bullets on May 12, 2003 at the peaceful protestors sitting-in at the Port of Oakland. These two officers and all their superiors who approved this attack on our civil liberties and our freedoms should be fired immediately. Don’t we have enough real crime in Oakland with murders, armed robberies, assaults and burglaries for the police to deal with? 

James K. Sayre 

Oakland 

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CITY AUDITOR 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I can only guess that John Selawsky is looking for a fatter paycheck when announcing that he is considering a run for the city auditor position. Selawsky as School Board director and member of the school’s audit committee has failed and refused to implement at the school district even the most basic and minimum auditing requirements recommended by the the Government Accountability Office.  

Furthermore, Selawsky has failed to be an independent board member and does not provide oversight over the school administration. He failed to vote against a single pay increase for administrators. Yet, where was he when the teachers’ contract was being negotiated? 

Several years ago, school board members asked for a 30 percent raise, telling us among other justifications, that they would pool this money to hire staff to assist the board to develop an independent oversight function. That has not happened. Instead, the board is wholly dependent upon the superintendent for all its information, for all its data. The board performs no independent evaluation of whether the data is valid, whether the analysis is correct, and whether other points of view have been omitted. This is why so many of us consider the School Board a rubber stamp. 

Of course, the School Board and administraiton, as a single voice will tell you that all is well with the schools. But given the high level of administrative secrecy under which the school system operates, the true situation at the schools often remain hidden from public view. Even simple actions to encourage democracy are not taken. For example the school district’s audit committee’s meeting times and agendas aren’t even posted on their website. 

John Selawsky is totally inappropriate to be our city auditor. 

Sandra Horne 

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ENROLLMENT POLICY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I want to thank Lorraine Mahley and David Baggins for their constructive, civil letters regarding BUSD’s out-of-district student enrollment policy and my own letter of last week. I want them both to know, and the residents and taxpayers of Berkeley, that I will encourage our staff to implement a procedure similar to the one used in Albany that requires a lease agreement or house title as proof of residency to ensure that Berkeley students and only those students legally permitted within the Berkeley schools are the recipients of Berkeley’s continued largesse. Once again, thank you for the suggestions and your comments. 

John Selawsky 

Director, Berkeley School Board 

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FORE ERNEST—WITH GROANERS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

How fortunate for our town and times we had such a prophet for non-profits as our beloved Ernest Landauer—a poet, first and coremost.  

Two other devotions of Ernest need remembering: his there-at-the-creation when the Ecology Center opened at College and Derby around 1980, and his last gig as director of the Bay Area Funeral Society; how much financial heartbreak he saved folks in passing. 

In delightful memory, puns are weaving my heart and soul, and I say, dear friend: You shall be mist, and we shall feel your great spirit on Pacific winds, where I believe you have gone to rest—and jest.  

Also, all my best to the loved of Thunder, Julian White and Floyd Dixon.  

Arnie Passman 

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IN PRAISE OF ERNEST 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I want to join Osha Neumann (Planet, July 28) in saluting the life of Ernst Landauer, my first professor of Sociology at UC Riverside in 1963. Ernst Landauer did indeed love words, so much so that he wanted his students to come to understand the meaning of the most potent on their own. For example, he refused to define Durkheim’s term, “moral density.” He wanted us to “figure it out.” I also recall that he was responsible for bringing to the campus the filmmaker, Jean Renoir. And, I remember him telling us “public schooling has taught you not to think.” 

As an educator and sociologist I am very grateful to have been taught by Ernst Landauer, a sui generis teacher, indeed. I mourn his passing. 

Molly Freeman 

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SIDEWALK TRASH 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I absolutely agree with Yolanda Huang’s message, especially its last sentence. The property managers (North Berkeley Properties) of the apartment building I live in won’t address root causes. They could give new tenants guidance in not creating seething piles of fly- and rat-attracting garbage on the sidewalk in front of our building, but the suggestion has gone continually unheeded. They don’t have to walk through this unhealthful mess every day, and neither do the people in the group of investors who own the building. 

Sandy Rothman 

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TWO NUMBERS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Apropos Yolanda Huang’s letter concerning sidewalk trash, it may be helpful to inform readers of these two numbers. 

1. City of Berkeley Public Works Customer Service: 644-6620. It is my understanding that the city will come to pick up illegal dumping. 

2. Alameda County Computer Resource Center (ACCRC): 528-4052. They are located in Berkeley on EastShore Freeway. ACCRC recycles computer hardware for nominal fee and, to my understanding, CRT monitor drop off is now free. 

J. Herbert 

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CONCERNED IN ALBANY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

After reading a mailing from Concerned Albany Neighbors I read several things that concerned me. The letter called the initiative a “takeover attempt by special interest groups.” It troubling to see environmental concerns often labeled as special interests groups while we are all deeply connected to the earth and depend upon it for our very existence. Our environment needs special safeguards to protect it from interests for profit. Environmental concerns should not be considered special interests, but the interests of all of us. Unfortunately, that is not always the case so we need the watch guard groups to safeguard us and remind us of our responsibilities. Financial gains can drive us to make decisions without the proper consideration for the environment and our future. It seems to me that in this situation the special interests that we need to be aware of are Golden Gate Fields and Ladbroke. I have concerns about letting the groups who are poised to profit do the majority of the planning even if we are given the choice to refuse in the end. 

I am also confused when the people supporting the initiative are considered “dominated by people who do not live in Albany” according to the correspondence from CAN. It seems very clear to me that Golden Gate Fields and Ladbroke are the groups that are dominated by people from out of town. 

Susan Adame 

Albany 

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THE FACTS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In “Kitchen Democracy Donation Draws Scrutiny,” you state that Wozniak’s $3,000 donation provoked questions on the appropriate use of city funds. At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, the concern was reiterated that we cater to a narrow segment of the Berkeley population. 

Let’s look at the facts. Our community of nearly 750 Kitchen Democracy citizens spans all eight Berkeley districts. They have cast more than 1,000 votes on city-wide issues and on local issues covering six of the eight districts. 

It is true that District 8 is disproportionately represented in our community—but there is nothing devious here. We live in district 8; that’s where we know people; that’s where KD started just last March. 

Look behind the vote tally on our home page and you’ll find a diverse community thriving with articulate perspectives. Many are written by busy citizens using KD to participate for the first time in local government. What could be more inclusive than that? 

We’re thankful that City Council eventually approved the donation—it will help us continue to provide this public service. The next time you have five minutes on a connected computer, come to KitchenDemocracy.org, read what the experts and your neighbors are saying, then speak your mind and and help us build a better Berkeley. 

Robert Vogel and Simona Carini 

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LIBRARY METHODS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The library requires staff in the branches to perform an activity that can have no apparently useful purpose—and which has the undesirable result of delaying the availability of periodicals to the public. 

Namely the requirement that periodicals must be “logged in” before they can be put out on the shelf. This logging in often gets backed up in performance, with the result that the periodicals are sitting in the “to do” stack rather than being available for the patrons. 

Recently a further wrinkle has been added. Now the periodicals are delivered as usual to the branches. The branches then send them to the central library for “processing.” When this eventually occurs, the periodicals are sent back to the branches. 

This system makes no sense: 

1. What can be learned from “logging in” magazines? 

2. Why cannot this be done at the branch, if it must be done? 

Someone could learn something by observing the procedure at Oakland branches. The magazines are mailed to the branches; and the staff puts them out on the floor without further wasted and delaying effort. 

Bill McIntyre 

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THE JEWISH SOUL  

IN TODAY’S WORLD 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Hebrew priniciples of Tzedaka (Concern for the Well Being of Others) and Tikkun Ollum (Responsibility for Mending the World) are inherent traditions of Jewish heritage that have lifted up the human race. 

Now, progressive Jews criticize Israel’s contemporary behaviors and uphold these traditions of empathy and caring about the outcome of the world. They are the ones who tend the Jewish soul while modern Israel is an empty shell of material acquisition and militarism. 

N C Delaney 

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BUSH / CHENEY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

How can you trust and have sympathy for George W. Bush and his allies who have stolen two straight presidential elections? You don’t have to bash Bush but it is the duty of every conscious citizen to point out the egregious, and yes criminal activities that the GOP and religious conservatives have fostered over the past five years.  

Conspiracy against democracy, lying the United States into war, call it what you will, Bush/Cheney have done it to America.  

Never in my 63 years have I witnessed anything like this group of deceivers. Whether a Democrat, liberal, progressive, Green, Independent, it is our duty to stand up to this dark and malignant force that has cast its shadow on America. 

Ron Lowe  

Grass Valley