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A resident sweeps up broken glass at the Cloyne Court Co-op Monday. Photograph by Richard Brenneman.
A resident sweeps up broken glass at the Cloyne Court Co-op Monday. Photograph by Richard Brenneman.
 

News

Campus Police Investigate Co-Op Death

BY Richard Brenneman
Tuesday September 19, 2006

UC Berkeley police are investigating the death of a graduate student whose body was discovered Friday evening in the same residential co-op where 16 residents were treated at local hospitals a week earlier after consuming cannabis-laced cookies. 

Fre Hindeya, 26, was pronounced dead at the 2600 Ridge Road building after his body was discovered about 6 p.m., reports the Alameda County Coroner’s office. 

An autopsy was scheduled to be performed Monday, but hadn’t commenced by mid-afternoon. “We have five homicides we have to do today,” explained a coroner’s spokesperson. 

While there was no immediate indication of foul play, campus police treated the room at the Cloyne Court Co-op as a crime scene pending the outcome of the medical exam. 

Berkeley police spokesperson Officer Ed Galvan said his department wasn’t involved in the investigation, and campus police didn’t return calls from a reporter. 

Two residents of the UC Berkeley-owned building declined to comment about Hindeya or his death. 

“I’m sorry we can’t help you,” said one. “We’ve all suffered.” 

Another resident was busily sweeping up broken glass from beer and other bottles in the courtyard of the landmarked building, containers apparently smashed against a rear concrete retaining wall. 

The debris was collected in a blue plastic tarp that took three students to empty in a rubbish bin. 


Progressive Coalition Endorses Candidates

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday September 19, 2006

After the City Council and mayoral candidates fielded questions on workers rights, affordable housing, a closed-door city-university lawsuit settlement, the city’s (convicted and alleged) criminal police, the use of city resources to fight terrorism and more, some 60 Berkeley residents participated in the Berkeley Progressive Coalition Endorsement Convention Saturday, choosing to endorse Zelda Bronstein for mayor and Dona Spring, Kriss Worthington and Jason Overman for City Council. 

All Berkeley residents attending the convention were permitted to vote. 

The convention also heard School Board candidates speak on issues that included closing the achievement gap between whites and racial minorities and the importance of empowering parents. They endorsed Karen Hemphill and Nancy Riddle. 

The Berkeley Citizens Action Endorsement Meeting is scheduled for 3-6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24, at the North Berkeley Senior Center, Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Hearst Avenue. 

 

District 1 

Fourteen-year incumbent Linda Maio faced tough questioning from the audience at the Berkeley Progressive Coalition Endorsement Convention and, while winning 54 percent of the vote, failed to capture the 60 percent needed for a coalition endorsement. 

Much of the questioning was directed at a May 2005 closed-session settlement agreement between UC Berkeley and the city, ending a city lawsuit over proposed university expansion and fees the city collects from the university for services such as sewers.  

Calling her vote for the settlement a “betrayal,” neighborhood activist Carl Friberg challenged Maio: “You voted for the secret settlement, which cost the city $15 million each year” in services it provides to the university. 

Maio responded that the city got as good a deal as it could. “The university has a lot of power in Sacramento,” she said. 

Community activist Merrilie Mitchell, running against Maio for the seat, picked up about 20 percent of the convention votes (with “no endorsement”—a separate voting category—garnering 23 percent). What is needed is “clear growth boundaries” for UC Berkeley, Mitchell said. 

 

District 4 

There was little contest between incumbent Dona Spring and challenger Raudel Wilson, a Mechanics Bank manager in downtown Berkeley, with Spring winning the endorsement with 81 percent. 

Convention rules allowed candidates a chance to question one another. Noting that downtown business is not doing well, with “other areas of Berkeley having more tax revenue than the downtown,” Wilson asked Spring what she would do to improve the business climate. 

Spring responded that this was an area of concern, but said property owners needed to take some of the blame. “Radston’s left, because they jacked up the rent,” she said, referring to the almost-century-old downtown stationery business that recently closed its doors. 

Spring asked Wilson why he supported the city-university settlement agreement. (Spring was among three councilmembers who opposed it.) Wilson said that while he did not support the secret way it had been done, its outcome would bring business downtown, such as the new UC Hotel and Conference Center.  

Spring contended that these projects had been on the books long before the settlement agreement was signed. 

 

District 7 

Incumbent Kriss Worthington was the overwhelming favorite, picking up 83 percent of the votes in District 7.  

Pointing to high crime and drug use in People’s Park, challenger George Beier, president of the Willard Neighborhood Association, alleged Worthington had neglected the district. Worthington responded that he had fought and lost the battle to retain social services and bike cops on Telegraph Avenue during budget cuts a few years ago. These have now been restored. 

 

District 8 

Rent Stabilization Board Member Jason Overman, who won the convention endorsement with 86 percent of the votes, used his opening statement to define his opponent, incumbent Gordon Wozniak, as a moderate. 

He attacked Wozniak for failing to support funding a new warm pool or the David Brower Center, which will house very low-income people, and failing to take a position on Measure I, the condominium initiative, which Overman opposes. Further, Overman chastised Wozniak for voting against a council attempt to put public financing of city elections on the ballot and his lack of support for Claremont Hotel workers on strike. 

Rather than respond to most of the charges, Wozniak painted himself as a longtime progressive. “I met my wife registering voters for (former Berkeley City Councilmember) Ron Dellums,” he said, adding that he had been among the founders of the progressive April Coalition.  

Addressing Measure I, the ordinance which will permit converting up to 500 apartment units to condominiums under certain conditions, Wozniak said that while not supporting it, he liked the fact that it gives a sitting tenant 5 percent discount on the purchase price. He said that city policies focus on helping tenants, but the city needs to do more to help them buy homes. 

“We do nothing much to transition to home ownership,” he said. 

Overman also attacked Wozniak’s use of a picture of himself and Rep. Barbara Lee on a campaign flyer since Lee does not support Wozniak. Wozniak explained that the pictures he uses on campaign flyers are not necessarily of people who endorse him. 

 

Mayor 

In a four-way race for the mayor’s seat former Planning Commission Chair Zelda Bronstein captured the convention endorsement with 64 percent of the vote. (Candidate Christian Pecaut, who moved to Berkeley to run for mayor, was the only candidate for office who did not appear at the convention.) 

Bronstein challenged Mayor Tom Bates to lead the effort to rescind the city-UC settlement agreement. She asked why the mayor had promised to push for a settlement that was more beneficial to city, accusing him of then backing away from a fight. 

Bates responded by arguing that the city, though in a weak position, was benefiting from the agreement, getting about three times what it had previously received for services. 

On the “secret” agreement, Bates contended that both sides pledged to keep the settlement confidential. 

Challenger Zachary RunningWolf asked the mayor what he thought about the “police out of control.” He was referring to the three officers—Sgt. Cary Kent, convicted of stealing drugs from the police evidence room, another officer reportedly caught in an FBI sting that showed criminal behavior, and a third allegedly inebriated officer arrested last week after shooting his service revolver in the air. 

“It’s unbelievable, what happened,” Bates responded. “I’ll do whatever I can to get together with the council (on this). This is not acceptable.” 

Asked by an audience member about using city money for anti-terrorist work, RunningWolf said he was opposed to the RFID tags in library books and red-light surveillance cameras on street corners.  

And Bates said: “There’s no way we’re going to turn the police and fire departments into spies.”  

Bronstein said open government is important in safeguarding people’s rights. Addressing another audience question on an open-government ordinance that will soon come to the council, she asked: “Does it have teeth? Will it include the possibility of suing the city?” 

 

School Board 

While there are three open seats, the Progressive Coalition endorsed only two candidates: Karen Hemphill, parent activist and administrator for the city of Emeryville, and incumbent Nancy Riddle. It did not endorse incumbent Shirley Issel nor two other challengers, Cal State East Bay professor David Baggins and Peace and Freedom Party activist Norma Harrison. 

Hemphill talked about empowering parents at school sites and how that affects the children and their work. She hammered home her commitment to closing the achievement gap between white students and African Americans and Latinos and challenged Baggins to address the issue of students from outside the district. 

Baggins said the achievement gap is due to the large number of “at-risk” students coming from out-of-district. 

Incumbent Shirley Issel responded saying, while there is a staff person who verifies students’ residences, “Berkeley is not in favor of going around, spying on our families, making our children feel bad,” to determine who is not here legally.  

“All students are at risk,” Issel added. 

Incumbent Nancy Riddle focused her comments on district solvency and passing Measure A, a continuation of the school tax. 

Norma Harrison, who underscored her dislike of capitalism, said she is running to “teach for transformation, not replication.” 

 

Other endorsements 

Convention endorsements also included support for Measure H, impeaching Bush and Cheney; Measure J, landmarks preservation; Measure G, greenhouse gas emissions; and opposition to Measure I, condominium conversion. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Solano Avenue Going to The Dogs, Say Neighbors

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday September 19, 2006

Supporters of the Milo Foundation urged the Zoning Adjustments Board last week to authorize the animal adoption agency’s continued use and plans for 1575 Solano Ave. and 1572 Capistrano Ave., as other neighbors called the business a nuisance. 

According to the proposal, the buildings would not expand and the exterior changes would be limited to a new door, window and landscaping on the Capistrano facade, a new driveway gate, an open space area, and new windows on the Solano facade. 

Some area residents asked ZAB to deny the request and not allow the Milo Foundation to continue its operation, arguing that it fouled the area with dog feces, drainage problems and barking at all hours. 

ZAB postponed the matter until Oct. 12 when the foundation can return with concrete plans for the changes. ZAB members also said they wanted the delay to assess how the foundation responds to the neighbors’ concerns. 

The Planning Department had granted a zoning certificate to the Milo Foundation in February 2005 for a “dog/cat adoption service” at 1575 Solano with “no boarding.” However, neighbors informed city staff in June that the previous pet store never sold dogs or cats.  

As a result, the city told the Milo Foundation that a use permit would be required to allow dogs and cats on the premises and instructed it to file for the additional use permit within 60 days.  

City staff also decided that “boarding” refers to the temporary lodging of others’ animals, and “the keeping of dogs and cats for the purpose of sale or adoption is not considered ‘boarding’ and is not specifically prohibited in the neighborhood commercial district.” 

The building on Capistrano Avenue includes a dwelling unit on the second floor occupied by Lynn Tingle, the foundation’s director and founder. Tingle said that the project would bring about positive changes to the foundation as well as the neighborhood. 

“We will be working on drainage, soundproofing, indoor loading and unloading and odor control. We have applied for three off-street parking spaces,” she said. “Hot water distribution will also be increased which will help clean the sidewalks.” 

Zachary Pine, who lives three blocks away from the Milo Foundation, said that the neighborhood had become cleaner since Milo started its operations there.  

“I have volunteered for over a year now and have spoken to a lot of neighbors who feel the same way as I do,” he said. “The volunteers pick up not just their dogs’ mess but also that of other dogs. We have definitely seen an improvement.” 

However, there were also neighbors who spoke against the foundation’s operations and about 15 complained to the board about the noise from barking dogs, odors, use of the rear driveway, drainage and parking. 

“Twenty-eight dogs is just way too many. These dogs are walked thrice a day and the dog walkers leave fecal matter and urine all over my front yard. This is just too much,” said Christine Schnepp, adding that the low-density commercial nature of the neighborhood made it a very challenging situation for the neighbors. 

“We are not an area for a dog pound. My yard was quiet an year ago but after the Milo Foundation moved in I have been unable to work from home,” said Melissa Penn, a neighbor. “They have a non-existent drainage system, improper waste management and lack sustainable solutions. Milo speaks of how much of a good neighbor it wants to be but in reality it hardly makes any effort to listen to the neighbor’s problems.” 

Jeremy Franklin, a resident of Peralta Avenue, said that if the business continued to grow it would impact the neighborhood negatively and proposed that the business be moved to a different location. 

“Why are we even discussing mitigation when we have an out of control operation here?” asked board member Bob Allen. “Milo continues to ignore the neighbors, ignore the health risks and ignore the hours of operation in their use permit. ... I am appalled that we have dogs and cats crapping on driveways. This operation should be closed.” 

Board member Jesse Aragon objected to Allen’s characterization. 

“Milo is making a good effort,” he said. “If they reduce the number of dogs, work on drainage, install soundproofing and provide emergency contact numbers to neighbors then the majority of the problems would be significantly reduced.” 

Board member Sara Shumer described Milo as a community asset. 

“Nothing seems to be out of control,” she said. “There are also neighbors who don’t find feces on their sidewalk, who are not disturbed by the noise. I think educating volunteers and mitigating at the location would certainly help the situation.” 

Raudel Wilson asked the Milo Foundation to come back to the ZAB with some concrete details about how long it would take to complete the project and how they were going to finance it. 

“Solano is a funny neighborhood to have a thing like the Milo Foundation in it, but where else in Berkeley can we put it?” asked board member Rick Judd. 

Judd suggested ordering a professional noise analysis and considering possibilities such as having the dogs walked at a different location and overnighting them somewhere else. 

 

Other matters 

The request to allow the expansion of the South Berkeley Police Substation on 3192 Adeline St. for employee lockers and vehicle storage was continued to ZAB’s Sept. 26 meeting. 

The request by the City of Berkeley Public Works Department, Engineering Division, to change a required condition of approval and mitigation measure to allow emergency-activated flashing yellow warning beacons in front of the Hills Fire Station instead of a required traffic signal was also carried over.


O’Connell Kept Oakland Schools Official in the Dark

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday September 19, 2006

The appearance of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell in Oakland on Friday morning to announce the selection of a new state administrator for the Oakland Unified School District shows how far OUSD School Board members are being kept out of the loop in the running of Oakland’s schools. 

O’Connell announced the appointment of Kimberly Statham to the post vacated by former administrator Randolph Ward at a press conference held at the new ACORN Woodland/EnCompass school campus on 81st Avenue in East Oakland. Statham, who previously served as OUSD academic chief under Ward, has been serving as interim state administrator since Ward’s departure in August. 

A Friday afternoon press release from the OUSD public information office said the press conference “was attended by Board of Education members Alice Spearman, Kerry Hamill and Gary Yee, Teachers Union President Betty Olson-Jones, Oakland Unified administrators and community leaders.” 

But while representatives of the news media were sent an e-mail announcement of the 11 a.m. Friday press conference on Thursday evening and then a follow-up announcement on Friday morning, members of the School Board said they were not notified of the press conference until shortly before it was scheduled to take place. 

Spearman said she received a call about about 9:30 a.m. and Board President David Kakishiba, who did not attend the press conference, said he only learned of it “about an hour before the event.” Both said they were notified by Statham’s office. 

Following Ward’s resignation, several board members had complained publicly that they were being kept in the dark by O’Connell’s office about who was being considered for Ward’s replacement. 

Meanwhile, in an impromptu question-and-answer session with community members and some press representatives following the formal press conference, O’Connell said that he expected a state administrator to be in place in Oakland “for at least five years,” according to local education activist Henry Hitz. 

“That was something of a shock,” Hitz said. “We have all been expecting that state control would end somewhat sooner.” 

Hitz, who said he managed to make it to the press conference after hearing about it only ten minutes in advance through a board member, said that during a brief discussion with a handful of gatherers following the press conference, O’Connell promised an “open process” in his upcoming decision over the controversial proposed sale of downtown OUSD properties, adding that “the process will be very inclusive.” 

According to Hitz, O’Connell told the group that he had “been in touch with the incoming mayor about the proposed sale.” 

Mayor-elect Ron Dellums, who takes office in January, has not yet taken a public position on the proposed sale. All eight members of the Oakland City Council have gone on record opposing the sale until local control is returned. Both the Oakland School Board and the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees have passed resolutions opposing the sale. 

OUSD Board members have complained that O’Connell has failed to keep them informed about the ongoing negotiations with the east coast developer team of TerraMark/UrbanAmerica over the proposed sale. 

Hitz, coordinator for the Oakland Parents Together community group and one of the leaders of the Ad Hoc Committee seeking to restore local control to the Oakland public schools, said he and Ad Hoc Committee member Pamela Drake followed O’Connell to his car following the press conference, asking the superintendent questions along the way. 

“I asked him why he didn’t use the opportunity of the appointment to move towards local control,” Hitz said. “He told us that he’d already answered that question. He said that you’ve run up a $100 million debt, and you’ve got to take some responsibility for that. He was kind of huffy about it. I had to remind him that Oakland Unified only ran up a $65 million debt, and that the remaining $35 million was borrowed by the state administrator.” 

Drake added that O’Connell also indicated in his discussion that the final decision of the OUSD property sale would be “up to the Oakland City Council. I’m not sure what he meant by that.” 

While any proposed development of the OUSD property would have to come before the Oakland City Council for approval, the council has no legal say over the actual sale itself. 

Meanwhile, both school board members David Kakishiba and Alice Spearman said they were pleased by Statham’s appointment. 

“My reaction is good,” Kakishiba said. “I’m glad he made that decision. A big part of my concern is that this district needs continuity. We don’t need upheaval in our leadership. This appointment provides a leader from within the district. We expect a collaboration between the board and her.” 

“Her focus is going to far different from Randy Ward’s,” said Spearman.” Ward had to come in and put his foot down and stop a lot of the past practices of the district. He had to take some risks.” 

Under Statham, she said, she expected that the district “is going to do some assessments of what has taken place under the three years of state control. Our enrollment is down 2,000 students again this year, but we are still creating small schools, which means more drain on the budget. We’ve had significant gains in test scores, but we were far below basic to begin with, so that’s just been a move from the sub-basement to the first floor.”  

In his Friday press statement, O’Connell said, “Dr. Statham offers significant expertise and stability to the district, and also brings a collaborative, cooperative spirit to the crucial effort to improve Oakland schools.” 

Hitz was more guarded. 

“I’m withholding judgment on the appointment,” Hitz said. 

He added, however, that he has “been noticing already that there seems to be a more open attitude since her appointment as interim administrator. Two principals and some other employees have been speaking out publicly about problems in the district who wouldn’t normally have spoken out under Ward’s sometimes intimidating regime. So that’s a good thing.” 

 


Oakland Grapples with Measure Y Police Deployments

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday September 19, 2006

With growing community concerns over what some local media outlets are calling the “shocking escalation” in Oakland’s murder rates, Oakland officials are trying to settle a simmering dispute between the city’s two major citizen law enforcement advisory groups and its police department over the allocation of scarce police resources. 

On one side of the dispute is the 15-member Community Policing Advisory Board (CPAB), formed by the City Council in 1998 “for overseeing, monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the city’s community policing policy.” 

On the other side is the 11-member Violence Prevention and Public Safety Oversight Committee, formed to monitor implementation of Oakland’s 2004 Measure Y anti-violence ordinance. 

In addition, Oakland Police Department officials form a third faction in the dispute. 

At issue is how the police department will allocate the 63 additional police officers authorized and funded by Measure Y. 

On Saturday, the advisory board and the oversight committee held a joint retreat at Niles Hall in Preservation Park to try to iron out some of the differences. Also attending were several representatives of the Oakland Police Department, including Chief Wayne Tucker. 

Under Measure Y, the 63 new “community policing” officers were to be divided between Oakland’s 57 community policing of beats, with one neighborhood beat officer assigned to each beat, with the remaining officers assigned to school safety, OPD’s crime reduction team, and domestic violence and child abuse intervention. 

Former Oakland City Councilmember Danny Wan, who drafted the language that eventually became Measure Y, said that the number of new officers funded in the measure was taken by subtracting the 14 police officers assigned to a specific police beat in 2004 from Oakland’s 57 police beats. 

“That meant we needed a minimum of 43 additional officers in order to completely staff all of the beats,” he said. “We figured that 20 officers over that figure would meet the other needs called for in the measure.” 

But Oakland police, trying to spread an understaffed department over a city that is erupting in murderous violence, are chafing at the restrictions in Measure Y that officially restrict the community policing officers to each of the 57 beats “assigned solely to serve the residents of that beat to provide consistent contact and familiarity between residents and officers, continuity in problem solving and basic availability of police response in each neighborhood.” 

One police sergeant told Saturday’s retreat participants that the one officer per beat rule is unrealistic. 

“The reality is, every call must be done in two’s,” the sergeant said. “That’s how our officers are trained; that’s how they operate for safety purposes in order to secure a scene. A beat officer can answer telephone calls and do paperwork, but doing effective work in their beat requires bringing in another patrol officer from somewhere.” 

OPD Captain Dave Kozicki said that meant that the police department “needs some flexibility in our deployment of officers, which we don’t presently have.” 

Last June, in explaining the position of the CPAB on community policing in a local blog, CPAB Vice Chair Colleen Brown wrote that “the CPAB understands that the police department is understaffed and may need to have focused enforcement or assignments to patrol. However, don’t call it community policing and/or have Measure Y funds pay for it. Patrol needs to be paid for out of general funds. PSOs [Problem Solving Officers, the official name of the Measure Y officers] are working where OPD wants them, not necessarily the community. Finally, OPD should not be able to change the definition of community policing or the roles and responsibilities of PSOs as defined in Council Resolution 72727 [the 1998 resolution originally defining community policing] at will or without negotiating with the larger community. The current staffing situation is short term but once OPD is allowed to change the definitions, roles, or responsibilities, community policing will be lost.“ 

Meanwhile, members of the Violence Preventation and Public Safety Oversight Committee say that while they also support flexibility, they are charged with making sure the city and the police department implement the terms and language of the measure as it was passed by the voters. That language, they said, sometimes brings them into conflict with the wishes of community members or police officials who may want the police deployed in a manner different from what committee members believe is called for in the measure. 

Saturday’s retreat was not intended to reach a resolution of the conflict but, according to retreat organizers, was to bring the various sides together “as a first step.” Among other things, members of the two oversight committees and representatives of the police department suggested regular meetings in the future to try to resolve the differences. 

 


Chief Suspends 2 Berkeley Cops

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday September 19, 2006

Berkeley Police Chief Douglas Hambleton announced Monday that he has suspended two of his officers pending the outcome of internal investigations. 

While no one in the department was available for comment on the nature of the Internal Affairs Division probes late Monday, the Daily Planet has reported that one officer is under investigation about complaints of stolen funds. 

In a press release issued Monday afternoon, Hambleton said the two cases are not related to each other, or to “any misconduct by other current and former employees.” 

That remark apparently alludes to the case of former BPD Sgt. Cary Kent, who was sentenced July 27 to a year of home detention after his guilty plea to charges stemming from the theft of drugs from the department’s drug vault. 

Kent was allowed to resign from the department before his plea. 


Back from Summer Recess, Council Faces Full Agenda

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday September 19, 2006

Fresh from summer break, the Berkeley City Council will jump into the fray with a public hearing tonight (Tuesday) on a controversial five-story project proposed for the corner parcel at Harrison Street and San Pablo Avenue. 

Neighbors are appealing the Zoning Adjustments Board approval of the Harrison and San Pablo project proposed for 30 units, including six units of affordable housing, five commercial units and 38 commercial spaces. 

Neighbors appealing the project, say it is too high and situated too close to residences.  

 

Beefing up street sweeping 

A decade ago the City Council decided to mandate street sweeping across the city, but has failed to follow through. A staff report from Jeffrey Egeberg, the secretary of the Public Works Commission, asks how to move forward on this question. 

Some neighborhoods once permitted to “opt out” of the program don’t want to be forced to participate. “Only a portion of the city is bearing the total obligation to meet regulatory requirements,” according to Egeberg’s report. 

Also, it will be difficult to expand the program due to a lack of funding needed for staff and equipment, as well as the additional cost of signage and a public notification program. 

Adding back neighborhoods that have “opted out” of the street sweeping program would reduce debris that clogs the storm drain system, reduce toxic pollutants that go into the bay and more.  

“There are blocks that opted out a few years ago,” said Ken Emeziem, supervising civil engineer in the Public Works Department. “The whole idea is to phase them into the program.” 

 

Also on the agenda 

The council will also be asked to approve a resolution to support Lt. Ehren Watada, who faces a court marshal because he has refused to fight in Iraq.  

Also on the council agenda are two separate items related to building height and density issues. Staff reports for both items were unavailable by press time. 

The City Council meeting is scheduled to open with the pledge of allegiance, which the council recites once a year, having dispensed with saying the pledge at every meeting a number of years ago. 

 

New Housing Authority governance 

The Berkeley Housing Authority (BHA), made up of the City Council plus two public housing residents, is currently deemed a “troubled” agency by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The BHA is exploring various forms of governance, such as becoming a commission appointed by the council or mayor.  

The Housing Authority meets at 6:20 p.m. and the Council meets at 7 p.m. at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The meetings are video-streamed at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/video, broadcast on KPFB, 89.3-FM and available on Cable B-TV, Channel 33, which rebroadcasts the meetings Wednesday at 9 a.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m. 

 

 

 

 


Planners Hear Mixed Pleas On Density Bonus Issues

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday September 15, 2006

On Wednesday the Planning Commission grappled with diverse recommendations on mixed-use and multi-family residential projects in Berkeley’s commercial districts from the city staff and the Joint Subcommittee on Density Bonus. The commission ultimately voted 5-4 to urge the City Council to take no action on any of the recommendations at this time. 

City staff and the subcommittee had agreed on five of the seven recommendations they passed along to the Planning Commission, but remained divided on the other two issues. They disagreed about the location of required open space and whether or not the construction of a fourth story on buildings in the San Pablo commercial district should require a use permit. 

While city staff agreed with standard planning guidelines and suggested that San Pablo would benefit from having high-density housing, the joint subcommittee argued that building high-density four-story buildings in an underdeveloped area like San Pablo, full of single-story buildings, would not be in keeping with the neighborhood’s character.  

Board member Susan Wengraf said she wanted to correct the misconception that the joint subcommittee had put forward these recommendations only in response to Proposition 90, the state measure on the November ballot that seeks to limit municipalities’ power to use eminent domain and limit development. 

“The City Council had asked the subcommittee to work on this a long time before we found out about Proposition 90 in August,” she said. “You can say that it is because of Proposition 90 that these recommendations are moving forward so fast.” 

Developers at the meeting vociferously defended their right to build high-density housing along San Pablo. The residential community was not well represented at the meeting. 

Laura Billings, a developer with a green condominium project on San Pablo, urged the commission not to pass the proposals because they would severely impact development in Berkeley.  

“Downzoning from five to four stories would complicate development and discourage developers from Berkeley,” she said. “It would also affect affordable units that are included in these buildings. We need to create some areas in Berkeley where high density housing is encouraged. We are excited about density. We are excited that we are able to create meaningful residences for young homeowners.” 

Bob Allen, a member of the Joint Density Subcommittee, said that the State Density Bonus Law had hijacked ZAB’s ability to enforce zoning laws in Berkeley. “The State Density Bonus Law allows the development community to ask for any modification on our zoning code as long as they can prove that it is required to make the project feasible. It is very poorly written,” he said.  

Chris Hudson, a developer, commented that it was not the state law but the city that was causing the problem. 

“Berkeley likes to control every aspect of everything that’s happening in the city,” he said. “Soon we will be talking about not just a 30 percent reduction in mixed housing but a 100 percent reduction. I have two pieces of land on San Pablo and I think it will be very unfair if the city starts exempting projects that are in the process. I have a project coming up at 1915 MLK and I don’t think we would have a project at all without the density bonus.” 

Charles Krenz, owner of 750 and 800 Potter street, the sites of Weatherford BMW and The Berkeley Iron Works, urged the board to reject the changes to the San Pablo zoning rules or to carve his property out of it. 

“I can see the city’s point that it might not feel right to have a 50-foot building adjacent to much smaller structures along San Pablo, but this is not the case between Ashby and Potter streets down near the freeway,” he said. “I am next to a 75-foot-tall existing structure. Other buildings in the area are typically greater than 50,000 square feet in area. In short our scale is already big, it should be allowed to stay that way.” 

Dana Ellsworth, who spoke on behalf of commercial property owners, also expressed concern at the fact that the entire process was being rushed. 

“If the subcommittee was working on this for so long, why weren’t commercial property owners notified about this before?” she asked. “It is important to listen to developers. We want to develop. We want to be in Berkeley and bring in more people to live, work and shop here.” 

Alexander Quinn, a resident of Sacramento Street, said that by decreasing housing units, people who wanted to buy homes in Berkeley were being pushed out to places such as Tracy and Vacaville. 

“If we are adding housing, we are encouraging people to live in Berkeley,” he said. “Let’s be a progressive leader and encourage housing on the transit corridor.” 

Jesse Arreguin, ZAB board member, said the Housing Advisory Committee had agreed with the joint subcommittee’s recommendations. 

“We need to look beyond the rhetoric of downsizing,” he said. “The subcommittee spent many months working on these recommendations and they are in the best interest of the city. These recommendations will allow both the ZAB and the City Council to have more discretion.” 

Board member Susan Wengraf said that while the city wanted to encourage development along its major transit corridors, it also wanted to protect its neighborhoods.  

Board member David Stoloff said that it was important to get feedback from the 3,500 residential property owners who were being affected by the downsizing.  

“It is unfortunate that the community is not being involved. It is very un-Berkeley,” he said. 

Helen Burke, chair of the Planning Commission, warned that if Prop. 90 passes, only the option of upzoning to allow for increased development would remain. “This is the last opportunity for the city to look at possible downzoning,” she said. “The city needs to retain its flexibility in this area.”


George Beier Addresses Reporting Delinquencies

By Judith Scherr
Friday September 15, 2006

California law requires candidates periodically to report in detail where they get their campaign cash and what debts they’ve incurred. And Berkeley election law says candidates must make public copies of all election materials sent by mail to more than 200 Berkeley residents. 

District 7 candidate George Beier has been delinquent on both counts, a fact he now acknowledges. 

In June, Beier had an opinion poll conducted, but no record of the poll showed up on Beier’s Jan. 1-June 30 expenditure statement, filed, as required, on July 31. While he has acknowledged the oversight, Beier has not yet filed an addendum to his July 31 statement. 

And Beier mailed out three different campaign pieces to more than 200 people —one on crime issues, an invitation to a fundraiser and a post card directed to people in the Bateman neighborhood. The candidate filed copies of these mailings with the city clerk only after the Daily Planet raised the issue with him. 

The Berkeley Elections Reform Act defines a mass mailing as “two hundred or more identical or nearly identical pieces of mail” and says: “A copy of every mass mailing in support of or in opposition to a candidate or measure shall be sent to the (Fair Political Campaign Practices) commission. Such copies sent to the commission shall be public record.” 

“In my mind, a ‘mass mailing’ is a bulk mailing—I didn’t equate (mass mailing) with an invitation to a party,” Beier told the Planet. 

While he has run for office before and Beier said that although City Clerk Sherry Kelly must have explained the regulations, her counsel “went in one ear and out the other.”  

While declining to comment on the specific case, Pat O’Donnell, who serves on the city’s Fair Campaign Practices Commission, spoke to the need for campaign disclosure regulations. If they know where candidates get and spend their campaign funds, “voters are better informed and make better decisions,” he said. 

Addressing the question of unpaid bills, California Fair Political Practices Commission spokesperson Whitney Barazoto said, “If goods or services are received by a committee, they should be reported.” 

Not wanting to comment on a specific case, Barazoto referred the Planet to Chapter 7 of the FPPC’s Campaign Manual 1 which says: “An expenditure is ‘made’ on the date the payment is made or the date the committee receives the goods or services, whichever is earlier.”  

Beier was apologetic, but downplayed the importance of the lapses. “I think that rather than dotting every ‘i’ and crossing every ‘t,’ it is more important to come in with ideas on what to do with the district,” he said.  

Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who is being challenged by Beier for his council seat, said he has no plans to file a complaint with the city’s Fair Campaign Practices Commission or with the state over the matter. 

“I’m simply pointing out that these are illustrations of the kind of candidate he is, playing fast and loose with the rules, and the kind of councilmember he would make,” Worthington said. 

Candidates’ mass mailing filings and expenditure forms are posted on the city clerk’s web site at: www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/elections/ 

 


UC Custodians Call for Greater Pay Equity

By Judith Scherr
Friday September 15, 2006
By Judith Scherr:  
              UC Berkeley custodians march to the chancellor’s office Thursday with their applications for the new vice chancellor position.
By Judith Scherr: UC Berkeley custodians march to the chancellor’s office Thursday with their applications for the new vice chancellor position.

Some 60 UC Berkeley custodians and their supporters marched through campus Thursday afternoon to the chancellor’s office to present their applications for the newly created $282,000 per year post of Vice Chancellor of Equity and Inclusion.  

The goal of the action of the members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 was to point out to the university administration that they could not afford to live on the pay they earn at the university. 

Alicia Cesigui has worked at the university for 13 years and is at the top of the pay scale, earning $15.58 per hour, or $31,160 per year. A single mom who commutes to Berkeley from Pittsburg daily, she says she also cleans houses and does catering through her church to make ends meet. 

“Worst of all is after 20 years of service my wages have increased only $6 per hour,” added Carmen Aguilar, her sister, who has worked as a UC Berkeley custodian for 20 years and earns the same as Cesigui. 

The sisters were among the 10 or so custodians who filled out applications for the $282,000 job, which pays more than 9 times what Cesigui and Aguilar make. Applications were collected outside the chancellor’s office by Human Relations Director Debra Harrington. 

Paul Schwartz, UC spokesperson, said talking about the pay of custodians and the new vice chancellor post was like “comparing apples to oranges.” It’s about competition for talent, he said, referring to the $282,000 post. 

Aguilar disagreed: “It’s about making sure there is equality for all workers, not just those at the top,” she said.


Council Candidates Push Student District

By Judith Scherr
Friday September 15, 2006

As part of his effort to wrest the District 7 City Council seat from Councilmember Kriss Worthington, challenger George Beier has pledged his efforts to create a student-controlled council district.  

A large map depicting the proposal decorates the Telegraph Avenue door of the campaign office Beier shares with District 8 Councilmember Gordon Wozniak, who is running for re-election. It includes comments suggesting that the current district lines have deliberately disenfranchised students. 

“The students have no voice,” Beier told the Planet. “If that were any other minority in town, we would be taking steps to correct that problem.”  

However creating a new district would require citizens passing an initiative that would mandate a City Charter change. Such a change could not be made until the decennial redistricting process in 2011. 

While Worthington acknowledged that student representation in city government is important, he characterized Beier’s plan as a campaign stunt.  

The complex nature of carving out a student district was expressed in an Aug. 16, 2001 memo written by City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque in response to a similarly radically redrawn district proposed by students in 2001. 

“The City Charter requires that the council districts be as nearly equal in population as possible, and that any redistricting ‘shall preserve, to the extent possible, the council districts originally established herein,’” she wrote, indicating that the 2001 effort to significantly redraw the boundaries by ordinance was illegal.  

Beier’s proposal, which would seek a City Charter amendment rather than an ordinance, would redraw council districts 7 and 8, both of which are long, narrow strips, each with an approximate 50 percent student population. His proposal would radically change the configuration of both districts. 

District 7 stretches from slightly north of campus south to the Oakland border. The district is bordered roughly on the west by Ellsworth Street and on the east by Benvenue Avenue. District 8, where Counclmember Gordon Wozniak faces a challenge from student and Rent Board Commissioner Jason Overman, comprises a similar long, narrow strip, running east of District 7. 

This configuration doesn’t make sense to Beier. 

“The southern end of the district doesn’t necessarily have any concern for the northern end because they are completely different in character,” he said. “The neighbors in the southern end of the district have more clout that the students in the northern end of the district.”  

Beier’s proposal is based on his belief that a mostly-student district will bring more students into the local political arena. “The reason students aren’t involved in city politics is that they have no power,” Beier said.  

The proposal would take the population comprised mostly of students that live above College Avenue and north of Dwight Way out of District 8 and place them in District 7, leaving District 8 as a mostly long-term resident district and District 7 a mostly student district. 

Crediting Beier for the plan, which he calls a “good idea,” District 8 Councilmember Gordon Wozniak says it will benefit District 8 by creating a district in which the population is more homogenous by age, eliminating a large percentage of the students and gaining more long-term residents. Wozniak won his council seat four years ago in a run-off with then-student Andy Katz, who garnered 41 percent of the vote. 

Wozniak challenger Overman says he doesn’t “know anyone against the creation of a district that would have student representation.” 

He rejected Beier’s proposal and Wozniak’s support of it, however, as a campaign maneuver. “After three and one-half years of neglect, now (Wozniak) is making an attempt to appear appealing to the student community,” he said. 

Similarly, Worthington called the proposal an “unlikely trick to get a lot of students voting for (Beier).” Still, Worthington said if the students showed through the initiative process that they wanted a student district, he would support it, adding that the creation of a student district should be up to the students.  

Worthington pointed out that students have been voted into office as Rent Stabilization Board members and that he has appointed numerous students to commissions. He says he supports other ways of giving students more power in the electoral realm such as instant runoff voting: the clout of less-frequent voters, such as students, will grow under IRV, because they do not have to show up at the polls for a run off. 

Further, the incumbent said he thinks a student can win in a non-student district. “A hardworking student can appeal to tenants and homeowners and get elected,” he said. 

Rent Board member and student Jesse Arreguin opposes the creation of a student district, which he calls a “student ghetto.” The district could allow the other councilmembers to get away with ignoring student needs by saying the representative of the student district would take care of them, he said. 

 


City-School Meeting Focuses On Youth Safety, Teen Center

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday September 15, 2006

Youth safety issues, diversion programs and a possible teen center on Center Street were some of the issues discussed at Tuesday’s meeting between officials from the city and the school board. 

The 2x2 Committee, comprised of two members of the school board and two members of the City Council, discussed youth safety in the community and how the city and school district can better work together.  

Laura Menard, a parent of a 15-year-old at Berkeley High School, said the district and city should do more to stop assaults by groups of teenagers in the city. 

“Schools and communities should start dealing with rat pack assaults by reporting them,” she said. “ Berkeley first needs to acknowledge that we have a problem with gang-related hate crime. Reporting them is the next important step.” 

Berkeley Chief of Police Doug Hambleton agreed with Menard and said reporting needs to be stepped up. “We need to work on increasing reporting because we do have a problem with it,” he said.  

Julie Sinai, senior aide to Mayor Tom Bates, spoke about revisiting the idea of distributing brochures or letters in Berkeley High School and the Alternative High School that would highlight incident reporting procedures.  

Detective Sergeant David White, who oversees the Berkeley police youth services department, agreed to work with the city and the school district on developing the concept. He also spoke about diversion programs. 

“Our philosophy is to divert as many kids away from the juvenile jail system as possible,” White said. “First time offenders are especially diverted. We also have youth courts where kids go and judge themselves. Sentences could vary from writing a letter of apology to community services. It’s pretty powerful because you are judging your peers.” 

Communication between the Berkeley school district and the Berkeley police was the key to ensuring safety for the students, White added. 

“We have a new school resource officer in Berkeley High School who provides mentoring to students if they need it and he is very approachable,” he said.  

White also told the Planet that rat pack assaults were usually reported to the police. “Even if it’s not the kid who’s reporting the incident, we do get to know about the fight from somebody,” he said. 

Discussions about a proposed teen center on Center Street drew interest at the meeting, but no plans have been agreed upon. If built, the center would be a partnership between PG&E and the Berkeley-Albany YMCA to transform PG&E’s vacant building on the corner of Center Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way into a place for teenagers. 

The PG&E Board of Directors are in the final stages of deciding whether to agree to the partnership with the YMCA for the center. If approved, the YMCA would own the building and partner with city programs and other community organizations to operate it.


Final Plan for Bateman Mall Restoration Released

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday September 15, 2006

The Bateman Mall restoration group met with city officials on Tuesday to discuss a final restoration plan. Public Works engineer Lorin Jensen presented the group with a rough draft of the mall restoration design. 

Alta Bates Hospital will start the restoration of the grassy mall as soon as the current hospital construction is completed and two-way traffic is opened on Colby Street.  

Both city officials and the hospital are hoping to start construction between Oct. 1 and Oct. 15 at the latest and complete it within two weeks. 

The city’s associate traffic engineer, Peter Eakland, told the group that the encroachment permit for the closure of Colby Street for construction through Nov. 1 would be reissued on Wednesday. The permit is subject to the following conditions: 

• The contractor shall install a 10 mph speed limit zone at the Colby section leading southbound to the medical office parking lot driveway from Webster and a diamond-shaped sign with the legend “Traffic Fines Doubled in Work Area.” These signs are in addition to the “No Outlet” Sign that already exists. 

• Alta Bates shall provide weekly updates on construction to key persons in the adjacent area as identified by the city. 

• Alta Bates shall install at two clearly visible locations a notice providing both city and Alta Bates daytime and emergency telephone numbers for each of the following issue areas: noise, traffic, drainage, and general work site conditions and operations. 

• Alta Bates agrees that Colby Street will be open to two-way traffic, 24 hours a day, south of Webster Street no later than Oct. 15. 

• Restoration of Bateman Mall will begin as soon as two-way traffic begins on Colby Street no later than Oct. and be completed within two weeks from the start of construction. 

• The encroachment permit will be extended to Nov. 1, as work will be required within the city right-of-way not required for opening of two-way traffic.


Laney Community Presses to Reopen Child Care Center

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday September 15, 2006

With the Laney College Children’s Center infant and toddler program closed for the 2006-07 school year, at least, Laney students and faculty continue to press Peralta Community College District officials to get it re-opened. 

Last May, the Planet reported that Peralta was closing the Laney infant and toddler child care program due to budget problems, with the pre-school portion of the children’s center program remaining intact. 

While housed at Laney, the program is run by the Peralta district office. At the time of the announcement, the Laney College Children’s Center was serving 48 children between 3- and 5-years-old, 16 toddlers between 2- and 3-years old, and 11 infants under 2-years-old. While the parents of many of those children were Laney College students, the center was open to the general public for enrollment. 

Since that time, however, Peralta has instituted a program to give priority placement at the center to children of Laney students. 

Tuesday night at the Peralta Community College District Trustee meeting, Mahasin Moon, a San Francisco State student whose children began attending the children’s center while Moon was attending Laney College, turned in the latest of more than 1,100 petition signatures asking Peralta to reinstate the infant and toddler’s program. 

The petitions say, in part, that Peralta made the decision to close the program “without proper consultation with the students, faculty, administrators and classified staff of Laney College. 

It also noted that “access to convenient, affordable, quality child care (such as that provided by the Laney Children’s Center) allows students who are parents to attend Laney College and succeed with their educational and career goals.” 

The petitions are being circulated by the Laney Task Force to Save the Laney Children’s Center, the Laney College Faculty Senate, Laney College Classified Senate and Associated Students of Laney College. 

Following a July trustee meeting in which faculty, students and staff spoke up for the day care program and the first of the petitions were turned over to trustees, Peralta Chancellor Elihu Harris set up a District Task Force on Childcare, headed by Peralta Vice Chancellor Margaret Haig and Harris special assistant Alton Jelks. 

Haig said on Tuesday that the task force has met twice over the summer “with the goal of trying to make the availability of child care accessible for all of the district students. However,” she added, “we have had somewhat limited success with the population we were trying to attract.” 

Calling the program closure an “atrocity” in her remarks to the trustees prior to Haig’s report, Moon criticized the fact that Peralta was opening an infant and toddler program at Merritt College at the same time it was closing the one at Laney. “We need our center open,” she said. “This is affecting the college and professors as well as the students. Some students are being forced to bring their children to class with them because they have no other place to put them.” 

Merritt’s infant and toddler day care program opened this year as part of the college’s child care teacher training curriculum, with students providing the teaching staff for the children participating in the program. Peralta officials say they plan to expand the curriculum to Laney sometime in the future, if possible, allowing the Laney infant and toddler program to reopen. 

In addressing the proposed program closure last spring, Vice Chancellor Haig told trustees that the closures were necessary because of mounting deficits of Peralta’s three children’s centers, including Laney, College of Alameda, and Merritt College. Haig said that the centers lost $100,000 in fiscal year 2003, $200,000 in fiscal year 2004, and were projecting a $400,000 deficit in the current fiscal year. 

Following this week’s board meeting, Laney Faculty Senate President Evelyn Lord said that “our shared governance community has not given up on reopening these programs this year,” adding that the coalition is seeking alternate funding for the program. 

She promised in an email to day care program supporters last summer that the coalition “will continue our petition drive until we have a firm commitment from the district to find the money and keep the Laney Children’s Center infant, toddler and pre-school programs open.”


Peralta Board Adds Opposition to OUSD Land Sale

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday September 15, 2006

The Peralta Community College Board of Trustees and the presumed incoming California assemblymember representing Oakland have joined the growing chorus of public officials calling for a halt to the proposed sale of the Oakland Unified School District downtown properties. 

California Superintendent for Public Instruction Jack O’Connell is currently negotiating with the East Coast development team of TerraMark/UrbanAmerica for the proposed sale of 8.25 acres of OUSD property bordering the Lake Merritt Channel. 

The property contains the district administration building, three schools and two early education institutions. O’Connell has authority to sell the property under the 2003 state legislation that authorized the state takeover of the Oakland Unified School District. 

On Tuesday night, Peralta trustees voted 6-0, with one abstention, to support trustee Nicky Gonzalez Yuen’s resolution condemning the sale until local control is restored to the Oakland schools. 

Among other things, the resolution indicated that “the proposed development will likely have considerable negative impacts on the quality of life at Laney College and the surrounding greenbelt spaces being improved by Measure DD funds.” 

Laney College, which is administered by the Peralta district, borders on the proposed OUSD sale lands. Measure DD was the 2002 bond measure passed by Oakland voters that will, in part, fund the opening up of the public land bordering the Lake Merritt Channel. 

The Peralta resolution said that “as long as the OUSD is governed by a temporary state administrator, there is no consistent and reliable system of governance that can take long-term responsibility for the project, … nor is there a way to create the systems of feedback and accountability that will insure that this project does not become [a] boondoggle that benefits private interests and leaves the public stripped of even more resources than it started with.” 

In addition, the resolution said that “when OUSD went into receivership, the goal was not that the people of Oakland would be stripped of their democratic rights inherent to them as citizens of the United States.” 

Trustee Alona Clifton abstained on the resolution, stating afterwards that “there is some disagreement over this issue on the Oakland Unified School District Board.” 

Clifton added that she only received a revised version of the resolution shortly before Tuesday’s trustee meeting and said she would have wanted to check the language with OUSD Board members—particularly Greg Hodge—before voting on it. 

Meanwhile, interviewed at a downtown political event later in the week, District 16 California Assembly nominee Sandré Swanson said, “I’m going with the school board on this one. The sale ought not to go through until there is a return to local control.” 

Swanson also said that the district should not spend the remainder of the $100 million state line-of-credit until the school board resumes its full powers. In his last days in office earlier this summer, former OUSD state administrator Randy Ward transferred the final $35 million of that $100 million line-of-credit to OUSD’s account. 

Swanson, who won the Democratic primary in June for the heavily-Democratic 16th Assembly District seat, has only token opposition in the November general election. 

Meanwhile, state politics could play a factor in state Superintendent O’Connell’s decision on the proposed land sale, with a Southern California political columnist reporting this week that the politically ambitious O’Connell is already making plans for a run for the California governor’s office in 2010 should current Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger win re-election in November for his second and final term. 

“Jack O’Connell intends to be a candidate for governor in 2010,” if Democratic challenger Phil Angelides loses to Schwarzenegger, Ventura County Star Timm Herdt wrote on Wednesday of this week. “‘That’s where my interest is,’ O’Connell told me. ‘There’s still a lot of things I want to do, and the best way to do them is as governor.’” 

O’Connell’s long term gubernatorial ambitions have come under attack in recent week by Oakland activists opposed to the land sale. At last week’s hearing in which the OUSD board went on record opposing the sale, Henry Hitz, one of the leaders of the Ad Hoc Committee seeking to restore local control to the Oakland schools, reminded O’Connell, “If you want to be governor, you need to listen to Oakland. We are saying no to any development of school district property without input from the citizens of Oakland. The road to the governor’s office does not lead through a rebellion in Oakland.” 

School Board trustee Greg Hodge, said flatly that O’Connell would not get Oakland votes “if the superintendent goes through with the sale.” O’Connell was not present at the school board hearing.


Ten Questions for Councilmember Olds

By Jonathan Wafer
Friday September 15, 2006

By Jonathan Wafer 

Special to the Planet  

 

1. Where were you born and where did you grow up, and how does that affect to how you regard the issues in Berkeley and in your district? 

I grew up on a farm in Missouri. I was born in 1920 and I lived through the Great Depression. It’s made me pretty conservative from the standpoint of expenditures. I grew up in a small community and went to a school of 5 students. My high school had only 42 students. So I wasn’t exposed to the big world until I went off to college at the age of 16. 

 

2. What is your educational background, and how did that help prepare you for being a council member? 

In the day that I was ready for college most woman took home economics. It never occured to women that they could take all these other things. So we were really kind of stuck with that. My mother was one of the first college graduates in her class at Kansas State College. So I went there and took home economics and my twin brother started at the University of Missouri. And my mother asked me to transfer there which I did. Then I learned at that school that the outstanding school for home economics was Iowa State. So I transferred there for my last two years and graduated in 1941. 

 

3. What are the top three most pressing issues facing your district?  

Fire safety is a very important one. Because we live right next to Tilden Park; and the history has been that if there’s a terrible fire it will probably come out of the park. So we’re very concerned with fire stations and fireman and keeping brush cleared back. 

The second issue, probably, is crime. We’re very fortunate that we don’t have really bad crime in our district. We do have a lot of home break-ins and car break-ins and car thefts. People, like they are everywhere, don’t know how terrible it can be so they’re very concerned about what we do have. It’s hard to convince people that they need to lock their cars because the police are not going to be driving up the hill and see somebody in the process of stealing cars. 

The third issue is parking. Many of the hill streets are narrow and there is parking on one side. So we do have parking laws or wars at times, but not often. Since there are no sidewalks, that also means that we can’t have the streets swept. So we do have a problem with a lot of debris on streets such as dust and leaves. 

4. Do you agree with the direction the city is heading in? Why or why not?  

Mostly I agree with it. I’m very concerned about the fact that we’re making the city so dense. And I think it’s time for us to stop and realize that not everybody who wants to live in Berkeley can live here. 

The very things that have attracted people to Berkeley are going to be lost in the process of building up all the blocks with housing, so that the problem of cars, transportation and just the density of the city increasing at such a rate, to me, is not a good thing. 

 

5. What is your opinion of the proposal to develop a new downtown plan and the settlement with the University of California over its LRDP? 

Well, I don’t think we will settle the downtown problem until we have something downtown for people to come to. When we first moved to Berkeley, and we’ve lived here for 53 years now, we had Hinks, which was a huge department store. And if they didn’t have it at Hinks they had it at a department store nearby. So we don’t have any of that now. 

There’s really nothing downtown that I can think of except the library. And the parking is so difficult that I wouldn’t dream of going to the main library. I go out to the North Berkeley Branch library. 

So there are two problems. The first problem is there is a perceived lack of parking. And I think that it’s a very real problem. Until they solve that, the kind of businesses I think we need to create a good downtown are not going to come. 

6. How do you think the mayor is doing at his position? Are you considering running for mayor, and if so, what changes would you try to make?  

Hardly, at age 85. I think he’s trying to do, as all mayors do, a good job. Mostly he is. I certainly support him in most of his endeavors. It’s a pretty thankless job. Every mayor needs the support of his council and he is really fortunate that he has it because some don’t. 

 

7. Has Berkeley’s recent development boom been beneficial for the city? What new direction, if any, should the city’s development take over the next decade?  

I think we need to slow down on housing. Nobody else agrees with me. I think that you can get to the point of no return. I’m not going to name any particular projects because they’re still in the works and it would not be fair to them. But we need to think very seriously about how crowded we want the city to be. 

 

8. How would you characterize the political climate in Berkeley these days?  

It’s just like it always was. It’s contentious. It’s always been that way and it always will be. I think it’s a good thing that the citizens are so concerned about their city. It’s certainly not true of a lot of places. I am bothered by the fact that so many of the homes that are sold now are sold for such a high price that the husband and wife have to have jobs away from home. So when people come home so worn out and tired, going to a city council meeting is pretty low on their list of things to do. So I’m wondering if people will show less interest in city politics. Then we will have a changed climate. I doubt it because taxes are extremely high and most people try and protect themselves from having their taxes increased. We will see. 

 

9. What is your favorite thing about Berkeley? 

I think my favorite thing about Berkeley is just the way people are in Berkeley and what our values are. The university, of course, is important even though it’s a problem. I live in the hills and I love the views of the Bay and the terrain. It’s wonderful. I think Berkeley has some of the best people I’ve ever met. 

 

10. What is your least favorite thing about Berkeley? 

Again, the fact that we’re trying to make it so dense it’s not going to be livable.


Opinion

Editorials

Downtown Plan Panel To Set Parking Policy

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday September 19, 2006

The Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee (DAPAC) will take up the price of parking when they meet Wednesday. 

The group is charged with advising city staff in preparing the document that will guide the growth of the expanded downtown area mandated in the agreement. Committee members are scheduled to arrive at a policy on parking prices in the downtown. 

The goal is setting a pricing structure designed to regulate access to parking and encourage downtown visitors and workers to use alternative means of transit, including buses, BART and bikes. 

City staff under the direction of Matt Taecker, hired by the city to help in drafting the plan, will present a draft synopsis of members concerns and themes to be developed in the new plan. 

Finally, staff will report on the progress of the joint DAPAC-Landmarks Preservation Commission subcommittee formed to explore issues involving historic structures in the city center. 

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. at Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 


Editorial: Kids Don’t Need Gourmet Groceries to be Healthy

By Becky O’Malley
Friday September 15, 2006

Most of the publications I read regularly (the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Nation) have had back-to-school stories carrying on at length about a perceived crisis in childhood nutrition. This year’s version is anxiety about obesity in children—a few years ago the same kinds of articles were being written about anorexia and bulimia, but this year it’s obesity. I’ll leave it to Malcolm Gladwell and Michael Pollan to determine if the epidemiology justifies the perception of crisis, but I can’t help being bemused by the discussions of remedies in these articles, all written for the consumption of the chattering classes, though coming from various points in the left-right spectrum. 

Berkeley figures largely in these stories. The world outside the Berkeley Bubble is mightily impressed that a foundation started by local hashslinger Alice Waters is paying the tab to hire a gourmet chef for our school lunch program, who commutes every day all the way from Half Moon Bay just to minister to the benighted babes of Berkeley. It’s of course seriously unfair to comment on the success of the program without sitting in on a few school lunchrooms myself, but I’m going to do it anyway.  

As a grandmother, I’m far away from the time when school lunches were something I had to face every day. When my kids were little, the school lunch program was in its infancy, if it existed at all. It wasn’t an option for most kids, which is why the biggest success the Black Panthers ever had was their program of serving breakfasts for hungry students.  

Most kids brought their own lunches in brown paper bags. Shocking as it may seem in these food fetishist days, my kids had (and wanted) the same thing almost every day. To be completely truthful, I must confess that their father made most of the school lunches for years. As a scientist and engineer, he didn’t mess around with unnecessary frills. This is what he did: He took a loaf of sliced commercial whole wheat bread and laid it out in rows. He spread peanut butter on half the slices, jelly on the other half, stuck the two halves together, put each sandwich in a baggie and stuck the lot in the freezer. Then each day he put one frozen sandwich in each paper bag, including one to take to his lab for himself, and added fruit in season, usually an orange or an apple from the A&P. The kids bought subsidized milk in cartons at school (no soft drinks, however). That’s it. We got our green vegetables at dinner.  

And the kids turned out fine, healthy even. One’s a bit of a non-fanatical foodie, one’s a save-the-planet vegetarian, and one’s an omnivorous musician who has a cheese sandwich for lunch every single day in order to have more time for practicing.  

All the carrying on about gourmet cooking in order to tempt the precious tiny appetites seems more than a bit silly to me. I sometimes cook for my grandkids now, and I can report that children’s tastes haven’t changed much. They still want simple familiar foods cooked plainly, and not mixed together at all. Every parent has seen at least one child who can’t stand even letting different foods touch on the plate. It’s an enormous waste of time to think that spicing up the offering will make children like nutritious food better. Maybe today’s students who come from spicier cultures might like more seasoning that the mostly European-and-African-American kids who were in school with our kids, but salsa and hot sauce on the table can do a lot. 

I’m amazed that the celebrity chefs featured in the articles (one was in New Jersey, I think) weren’t briefed before they were hired on the politics of the commodity program. It’s a huge problem for school lunches: The government buys up farm surplus food and re-sells it cheap to bulk up school lunches, largely for the benefit of agribusiness. But it’s by no means a new problem. “Should the government continue to support farm prices?” was my high school debate topic in the fifties. No amount of clever cuisine can disguise that rubberized cheese which was created to support dairy farmers. 

The place the Berkeley schools ought to look for pointers on cooking nutritious food for groups on a budget are the programs in town that have been doing it successfully for years. We had dinner on Sunday with the Berkeley Food and Housing Project’s quarter meal program, which feeds the homeless on a regular basis, and the cooks, Jamie Boreen and Todd Fortune, served a simple but delicious dinner featuring a big helping of fresh green beans, a small piece of nicely cooked tender chicken, rough-mashed potatoes and both green and fruit salads. Granted, it was a company meal, and daily fare may not be as fancy, but any child I’ve ever known could relate to that kind of cooking. The meals served at the New Light Senior Lunches are another example, with menus, standards and recipes meticulously conceived by former Councilmember Maudelle Shirek and now executed under the supervision of long-time community activist Jacqueline DeBose.  

Produce which is both delicious and organic (though expensive) is widely available in Berkeley, and should be used for school lunches when possible. But there’s a truism I remember from the software development world that should be considered: “The Best is the enemy of the Good.” Insisting on offering ideal food to kids means missing opportunities simply to improve what they eat. Supermarket house-brand frozen green beans, if the price is right and the kids will eat them, might be better than arugula pizza with balsamic vinegar, which is more expensive, has fewer vitamins and is often left on the plate.  

Once I overheard a couple of junior high girls at the Farmer’s Market talking longingly about a pile of rosy pears which were $3 a pound, or about 75 cents each. “They’re organic, and I know they’re really good,” one girl said, “but I only have 35 cents left today.” I didn’t push my way into their conversation to tell her that she could buy very nice pears at the supermarket for $1.50 a pound, but I wish I had. Eating a well-washed non-organic pear is better than not eating a pear at all, a point for the Berkeley Unified School District and the Chez Panisse Foundation to ponder.  

—Becky O’Malley


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Tuesday September 19, 2006

ANTI-SENSUALIST 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Regarding Becky O’Malley’s Sept. 15 editorial on Berkeley’s efforts to improve the quality of food in our schools: I’m uncomfortable with the anti-sensualist strain in her words. As if the general dumbing down/de-sensitization of our palates is a good thing. Her argument sounds oddly akin to those in favor of spanking children (and, yes, I know she is not). The age of the blunt instrument is behind us. 

And, since I’ve got pen in hand, to Mr. David Baggins: Can you understand that a patronizing tone with parents will not endear you to them? 

Pamela Satterwhite 

 

• 

THE WONDERS OF  

WONDER BREAD 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I was heartened that Becky O’Malley champions the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I do have one disagreement with her husband’s recipe. Whole wheat bread is out! Machine-sliced white Wonder Bread is imperative. The Virginia Bakery white loaf is a good substitute. It has the pillow-soft texture of Wonder Bread but lacks the exquisite silkiness. I have never frozen a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I’m afraid it might destroy the delicacy of Wonder Bread. In my mature years I have been converted to Acme bread by various hashslingers at Chez Panisse. 

I think Chez Panisse food is home cooking as it ideally should be. The simplicity of the dishes is one of the appealing qualities at Chez Panisse. When I went to my pen pal party at King School I was served strawberries on warm shortcake right from the oven made from scratch by the students in the Alice Waters-inspired kitchen. 

Sam Craig 

 

• 

TAXES FOR SCHOOLS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

There has been some public questions regarding exactly how much are Berkeley’s property taxes for schools. One letter to the editor opined that the average property taxes for the schools in Berkeley came to about $222 a year. This really piqued my interest. After considerable rummaging around, I found my 2005-06 tax bill. On my tax bills there are actually four separate taxes for Berkeley public schools. 

The left-hand column lists one tax which says “School Unified,” and the right-hand column lists three more called “Berkeley Schl Tax”; “School Maintenance,” and “School 2004 Meas BB.” The grand total on my bill is: $1,440.50, which is a very hefty amount. If Berkeley’s school taxes are not the highest in the state, then they must be close to the top. The school district has also written their new tax Measure A to be a 10-year tax so voters don’t get to have a say for 10 years. BeSMaart recommends the normal four-year term for this tax with some way for us to know whether the money reached the children in the classroom. Vote no on Measure A in November. Ask the School District to write a better measure. 

Stevie Corcos 

 

• 

GENEVA CONVENTIONS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

President Bush, noted for his eloquence and command of the English language, favors modifying the Geneva Convention Treaty, thus easing the ban on torture of prisoners. What next? A re-write of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights?  

Dorothy Snodgrass 

 

• 

CAMPAIGN  

ENDORSEMENTS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I’m a bit surprised you have not covered the latest endorsements in the Berkeley mayor’s race. As you may know, Zelda Bronstein has been on the Board of the National Women’s Political Caucus (Alameda North) and the Coordinating Committee of the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club. Yet both organizations have now declined to endorse her for mayor. The NWPC (which cannot endorse men under it’s rules) voted no endorsement; and the Wellstone Club (home of local progressives) voted overwhelmingly to endorse Tom Bates for re-election. Draw your own conclusions. 

Mal Burnstein 

 

• 

SUPPORT KRIS  

FOR THE REAL THING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Kriss Worthington has served the Southside neighborhood actively and honestly, representing the interests of students and neighbors alike. He busily attends meetings and gatherings and has an open ear. Unlike George, his challenger, who smiles pretty as your words go right through his head, Kriss is attentive and concerned and willing to get involved in real issues. 

George Beier is running on a platform trying to stir up antagonism over People’s Park. He advertises the park as a haven for drug users and dealers and then brags about working with UC to hire consultants to redesign People’s Park. Anybody with any sense of history of this neighborhood would know that such an approach is completely unworkable and will only lead to conflict over an issue that has been gradually healing and improving. Any redesigning of People’s Park must come from the community; from the students, neighbors, and people in the park. A democratic and participatory process is required in order to avoid the horrible conflicts we lived through when UC implemented volleyball courts in the early 1990’s. The Southside needs someone who is willing to protect the neighborhood from UC’s encroachment, not invite them in. 

George wants more cops, spy cameras and less parties. Don’t fall for the smile that hides the knife. Kriss is about finding the right solutions with the community. Re-elect Kriss, a rare honest politician. 

Cynthia Johnson 

 

• 

THE MAYORAL RACE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thanks to Randy Shaw for cutting through the spin to the dismal reality of Tom Bates’ mayoral administration (“Berkeley Mayor’s Race Reflects a City in Twilight,” Sept. 6). 

Actually, it’s even worse than Shaw says. Bates has not “had to pull back in response to community resistance” to the high-density, market-rate housing he’d like to build at the Ashby BART station. Despite eight months of intense grass-roots protest, he continues to ram this controversial project through south Berkeley. In July he got the council to approve $40,000 to fund a task force that was selected under secretive conditions by a private corporation. Shaw calls Bates “a strong housing advocate.” Make that high-end housing. The incumbent has repeatedly tried to weaken Berkeley’s affordable housing laws. In January 2004 he told the Council: “I don’t like those kind of constraints. I’m sorry. Maybe I’m a free market person.” 

Still, I wish Shaw had given my mayoral campaign as discerning a treatment as he gave the current administration. After noting that I am “Bates’ chief opponent” in the November election, he writes: “Bronstein has scored points against Bates’ record on land use and economic development issues, but is perceived by some as anti-business.” Perceived by some? How about the reality? 

The reality is that the “some” who see me otherwise are the very people Shaw assails—the big developers and their friends in City Hall. My “Pro-Business, Pro-Berkeley Agenda,” posted on my campaign website, www.zeldaformayor.com., is filled with proposals for supporting the sort of businesses that make Berkeley Berkeley—independent, locally owned and operated enterprise, artists and artisans, and light industry. As a planning commissioner, I drafted the Economic Development Element of the city’s new General Plan. I also helped convene and then served on the UC Hotel/Conference Center Citizen’s Advisory Group, whose recommendations have been praised by the project developer. By drawing customers who are now staying in Emeryville and Oakland, the hotel will bring the city much-needed revenue and stimulate downtown commerce. As a journalist, I have written many articles promoting Berkeley business, including an admiring profile of the director of the Berkeley Visitors and Convention Bureau (tourism brings bucks to Berkeley). I’ve even written a few Berkeley Christmas shopping pieces. 

Also needing correction is Shaw’s portrait of a community totally sunk in political apathy. My endorsers include leaders of almost every major neighborhood association in town. It’s the neighborhoods who have put up the resistance to the developer-driven machine, and it’s neighborhood activists who are going to spur Berkeley’s next political renewal. My campaign for mayor is the start. 

Zelda Bronstein 

 

• 

PARKING IN  

DOWNTOWN BERKELEY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Mary Oram claims, in her Sept. 15 letter to the editor, that Donald Shoup’s plan for pricing parking cannot work in downtown Berkeley, because most customers come by car and will stop coming if we raise parking prices. 

Ms. Oram apparently is unaware of the facts about how customers get to downtown. The best figures we have are from a survey of downtown Berkeley shoppers directed by Elizabeth Deakin of the UC Berkeley Institute of Transportation Studies, which found that only 20 percent drove to their shopping destination, 28 percent took public transportation, and 42 percent walked to their shopping destination (many walking from work or school). 

Ms. Oram apparently is also unaware of the details of Donald Shoup’s proposal. Shoup says we should raise parking-meter prices to the point where some on-street parking spaces are available, and we should use most of the extra revenue for improvements to the shopping district that attract more customers. This has been tried in Old Pasadena: it has made it easier for shoppers to find short-term metered parking, it has reduced the congestion caused by people cruising around looking for cheap on-street parking, and it has increased business because the improvements have drawn many new customers. 

Finally, Ms. Oram apparently is unaware that automobiles are the number-one source of greenhouse-gas emissions in California. Imagine what the global environment will be like at the end of this century if the rapidly growing middle-classes of India, China and the rest of the world follow her advice and drive their cars every time they go shopping! 

If Ms. Oram does not care about whether we leave a livable world to our children and grandchildren, then she should keep driving to shop amid the ugliness of Emeryville. 

Charles Siegel 

 

• 

CARE FOR THE  

ELDERLY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs) and nursing homes around the country are in desperate need of assistance. Aides and nurses, even LVNs and RNs, are paid far below their colleagues in hospitals. Even at Salem Lutheran Home, the certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and registered nurses (RNs) do not make the wages quoted in Carol Polsgrove’s otherwise excellent article in the Aug. 4 edition of the Daily Planet. The patient and painstaking care these assistants provide is even more remarkable considering there are no nursing ratios. CNAs must respond to emergency calls, reassure anxious residents and tend to numerous other demands while assisting with scheduled baths and medications. Assignments may include 12-20 residents, depending on intensity of care needed.  

Volunteers are needed to help provide care for this vulnerable population. Simply walking with a resident can promote well-being and protect him or her against a fall. Many residents need someone to sit and chat with them. All staff members spend time with residents, but often more urgent duties call them away. 

Residential care facilities for the elderly are regulated by the Department of Social Services. Rules meant to protect residents sometimes conflict with the resident’s right to independence and autonomy. For example, RCFEs need written medical orders for provision of all over-the-counter medications, and specific instructions to allow residents to keep them at bedside or in the room. Removing such controlled items as multivitamins and Eucerin cream takes away yet another thing that the individual did for his or herself and may increase the sense of loss and helplessness. Staff need the understanding and assistance of medical professionals to obtain orders that will recognize the individuals emotional needs while promoting his or her well-being.  

Families are also an important part of the older adult’s support system. Providing shoes with good soles, taking the individual shopping, and respecting the individuality of the older adult aids him or her in coping with decreased abilities and ongoing losses. Family and friends provide a link to the world and greatly affect one’s mental well-being. A huge thank you to all the caregivers that help to make the older years truly golden. May we all work together to make the older years truly enjoyable ones. 

Petrice P. Kam, RN, GNP 

 

• 

SIERRA CLUB IS NOT ALWAYS RELIABLE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Some have been saying that the Sierra Club is a “special interest group,” especially when it comes to the Albany waterfront. That point is well-illustrated by an article in the current issue of the Sierra Club Yodeler. The article reports on the court’s action taking the waterfront initiative off the ballot. It also contains a number of misstatements, probably specifically crafted to misinform its members/readers. However, many members have actually read both the initiative and the court’s judgment, and they know better. 

In the first place, the ruling was based on an accurate reading of State law, which was apparently beyond the faculties of the initiative’s sponsors. They themselves are responsible for failing in their promise to signers to get their initiative on the ballot because of the way they chose to publicize it. The real reason that “the voice of more than 25 percent of Albany voters” was “silenced” was that the sponsors didn’t want to make the text of the initiative properly available, as State law requires, for all to read and understand.  

Another striking misstatement in the article is the claim that one of the “major goals of the initiative” was to have an “open planning process” for the future of the Albany waterfront. On the contrary, it was designed to take over the planning process, cut the City Council, commissions and committees out of the process, and give total control and “final” decision-making to a “task force” that would not be accountable to Albany voters. 

Most of those who signed the initiative did so because of the reputation of the Sierra Club. They didn’t question whether they were getting the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when they were urged to sign, because the Sierra Club is reputed to be a leading environmental protector.  

It is now obvious that the club is not worthy of our unqualified trust. Neither their leadership nor their local representatives took the trouble to examine the content of the initiative nor the impact it would have on our community as a whole, let alone taking the trouble to read State law. Let’s not be so easily swayed next time and show some skepticism when the Sierra Club asks for our signatures or our votes. 

Jean Safir 

Albany resident and Sierra Club member 

 

• 

SOUTH BERKELEY POLICE SUBSTATION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The Berkeley Police Department Traffic Office is proposing to renovate and expand their office at 3192 Adeline St., the commercial street in South Berkeley’s historic Lorin District. A year or so ago the meter officers (aka parking enforcement officers) wanted their own designated and prime parking spots around the 3100 block of Adeline. Public opposition by neighbors and merchants got them to back off. The meter officers complained they didn’t want to park their cars on side streets because of a high number of auto break-ins in our neighborhood. In the end, a compromise plan gave the parking officers parking spots across the street near the Adeline post office a while back.  

Some neighbors feel that since crime around the so-called “police substation” is ignored by parking enforcement officers, this encourages a “free zone” for crime which exacerbates problems. The area around the substation is the worst for loitering, dumping and littering, apparent drug dealing and public drinking in the area. Police officers on Harleys and meter officers go in and out of the parking lot seemingly oblivious to what is going on under their noses. The parking officers have said publicly that they don’t want to report crime taking place around them. A surveillance camera is close by, but aimed at red light runners to earn revenue and enhance traffic safety, not deter other types of crime nearby.  

Now, the substation has an even more ambitious plan to expand and take over most of the 3100 block of Adeline for the traffic substation. An expansion of the use permit was discussed at a recent Zoning Adjustments Board meeting. Local merchants spoke up in opposition, and ZAB proposed police should work out concerns with neighborhood members who were present at the ZAB meeting. Two meetings were held but the police department had to cancel on short notice. Now a larger presentation is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21 at the South Berkeley Senior Center.  

With an AC Transit bus stop in front of the substation, two short blocks walk from BART to the substation and designated parking across the street, why should parking enforcement take up a good portion of a commercial block on Adeline? Our neighborhood area has great potential with historic buildings, cafes, antiques, and arts and may be on the verge of a renaissance. Let them move the substation to an industrial area of Berkeley. The exercise averse parking enforcement employees could have plenty of parking if they don’t want to use public transit. They should not be allowed to take more space and hamper the rebirth of our commercial historic district. They wouldn’t even try this in other commercial areas of Berkeley. Is it any wonder sales tax revenue is down in Berkeley? Is this a wise use of our commercial district?  

The Lorin District already houses a large number of social services and low income housing. Let us have a chance for a healthy commercial district that can provide jobs, sales tax revenue and a pleasant atmosphere. We have a voice in South Berkeley if we will make it heard.  

Robin Wright 

 

• 

THANKS TO 

JOHN SANTORO 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am a member of the staff of the Pre-K Early Child Care Development Department in BUSD, for which I have worked in since 1980. During these 26 years it has been a great privilege to work with and for first head teacher, and later as principal, Mr. John Santoro, until his leaving our beloved department for a less stressful environment in the Oakland School District; we have lost a sincerely dedicated principal, co-worker, and friend. In our line of work, where we are the first to introduce children and parents into the school environment we teach many things more than just ABC, 123. We teach manners, communication vs. hitting, laughing rather than crying, along with the required state mandates and testing we partake in—and we teach these things to not only the children, but to some of the parents as well through example. We as staff learned this from our principal, John Santoro. You do not find people of his caliber in many places anymore. He is missed. Perhaps the next administrator will not have to do the job of three people as Mr. Santoro had to. As he told us at his Sept. 13 goodbye party, “You do the most important job there is, and you do it with dedication and love....You’re the best.” Needless to say, there were a few teary eyes that evening, and rightly so. I hope BUSD finds the next qualified administrator to lead this department with a sincere motto that “kids come first, all else second”—for that is truly how we feel in this school and in this department. Thank you, John. 

Mark K. Bayless


Commentary: Out-of-District Children Benefit Berkeley Schools

By Terry Fletcher
Tuesday September 19, 2006

As a Berkeley teacher, I have followed the recent discussion about out-of-district students with interest. 

As the students in question use false addresses, it would seem that no one knows exactly how many there are, where they live, or what their test scores are, even Mr. Baggins, though he claims without evidence that these students are responsible for our achievement gap. 

The following are some of my observations about out-of-district students, based on my 12 years of teaching in BUSD: 

• Many of our students do live in other cities. While they come in all races and classes, the majority of them are people of color whose families have lower incomes than many Berkeley families. 

• Most of our out-of-district children have a strong connection to Berkeley. Many of them and their families used to live in Berkeley, some for generations, and have been forced out by high housing prices. The students quite often have extended family (e.g. grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) in Berkeley and are often cared for by these extended family members after school.  

• It is impossible to generalize about Berkeley residents or out-of-district students when it comes to behavior or achievement. There are white, middle class Berkeley residents who are violent, disruptive and chronically tardy, and out-of-district, high-achieving African-American and Latino students who come to class every day on time with their homework complete and whose behavior is exemplary. 

Like undocumented workers in the US, our non-Berkeley resident students contribute a lot to our schools. Aside from many of these students’ great attitudes and diverse perspectives on life, BUSD receives state money for every student attending our schools; in fact, I read in the Daily Planet a few years ago that at the elementary and middle school level these students represent a net gain in funding for BUSD. 

Furthermore, our excellent cooking and gardening programs (in place at all Berkeley elementary and middle schools) are funded by a grant which depends on each school having a certain percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. Without our lower income out-of-district students, I suspect that BUSD would have to drop these programs. 

Those who are arguing for getting rid of out-of-district kids should be aware of the other consequences that this will bring: 

• Our schools will be significantly less diverse racially and economically, thereby impoverishing the educational experience for all of our students. 

• Our popular Spanish Immersion programs may have trouble finding enough native Spanish speakers to continue functioning. 

• Fewer students will mean less funding, possibly leading to lay-offs, program cut-backs and even the closure of schools, as has happened in Oakland and San Francisco. 

Besides being a teacher, I am a Berkeley homeowner who willingly pays the extra taxes to keep our schools strong. Were I to worry about my tax dollars being misspent, I would be much more concerned about the billions of dollars that are being used to occupy Iraq and Afghanistan and enrich the executives at Halliburton and Bechtel than I would be about the few dollars I may pay to enhance the education of kids whose families can no longer afford to live in Berkeley, if indeed these students represent a financial burden to the district, which I doubt. 

At my school’s fifth grade graduation ceremony two years ago, each student shared a dream for their future. Many shared dreams of becoming athletes, veterinarians or video-game designers. Out of over 60 graduates, only one student shared a dream that explicitly involved making the world a better place for everyone: He was a quiet, studious, well-behaved boy from Oakland (whether attending my school “legally” or “illegally,” I don’t know.) But as far as I’m concerned, we could use a little more of his spirit of selflessness and generosity here in Berkeley. 

 

Terry Fletcher is a teacher in the Berkeley public schools.


Commentary: What the Pope Should Have Said to the Islamic World

By Rosemary Radford Ruether
Tuesday September 19, 2006

On Sept. 12 Pope Benedict XVI aroused the fury of the Islamic world with a speech given at the University of Regensburg in which he assailed the Muslim concept of holy war as a violation of God’s will and nature. The pope quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologus, who derided Islam and the Prophet Muhammad for introducing “things only inhuman and evil,” such as spreading the faith by the sword. The pope held up (Catholic) Christianity, by contrast, as a model religion that promoted a “profound encounter of faith and reason.”  

From many parts of the Islamic world there were angry reactions to the pope’s words, reminding the pope of the evil history of Christian crusades. Although Western Christians may think the crusades are ancient history, these medieval wars in which Christian crusaders slaughtered Muslims and established crusader states in Palestine are vivid memories for Muslims. Current Western threats against Islam and invasions of Islamic countries, such as Iraq, are seen as a continuation of the crusades. The United States and other Western nations who promote such wars are regularly referred to as “crusaders” in the Muslim press.  

The pope’s words condemning Islam and the Prophet for holy war, while holding up Christianity as innocent of any such warlike tendencies, has infuriated Muslims and deeply damaged Catholic-Muslim relations. In using a Byzantine emperor to assail Islam, the pope also failed to reckon with the fact that the Fourth Crusade (1201-4), called by Pope Innocent III, was diverted into an assault on the capital of the Byzantine empire, Constantinople. The Crusaders pillaged and occupied the city, leading to a weakening of the Byzantine world and its eventual fall to the Muslims 

Although the Vatican has not invited me to be a papal speech writer, I would like to suggest what the pope should have said about holy war that would have won Muslim good will and opened up new dialogue between these embattled worlds. The pope might have opened with some generalities deploring the current state of war and violence in the world. Then he would remark that such tendencies to war are deeply aggravated when religion and the name of God are wrongly used to foment violence and hatred between peoples. God desires peace and love, not war, he might have said.  

The pope would then turn to the history of the crusades and acknowledge with sorrow that Christianity has often been wrongly used to promote hatred and violence against others, perhaps quoting some pithy statements of popes who called for crusades against Islam. He would then declare that Christians must repent of such religiously inspired war-making. He would ask for forgiveness from “our Muslim brothers and sisters” for having wronged them in the past by calling for crusades against them. He would end with a call for all peoples to unite to overcome war and violence, and to reject any use of religion to promote violence.  

This speech, I suggest, would have won the hearts of Muslims around the world and would have made the pope welcome in Turkey for his planned visit there on Nov. 28 of this year rather than putting this trip into jeopardy. Catholic-Muslim dialogue would have been put on a new and positive footing by having the “leading cleric” of the Western world publicly repent of the errors of the crusades. It would also have put Christians in the United States and elsewhere on notice that the language of promoting Western “anti-terrorist” wars against the Muslim world in the name of a “crusade” (the term George W. Bush actually proposed for his wars against Afghanistan and Iraq) is not acceptable.  

Some more historically aware advisors of the Bush administration realized the volatile nature of this term and warned him against his use of it. But Christians need to do more than not use the term “crusade,” while continuing the reality of such war and warlike God-talk. We need to confront the questionable history of such wars against the Muslim world and the use of Christianity to promote such wars.  

Is it too late? Although my influence in Vatican circles is limited, there is no reason why other Christian bodies, Catholic and Protestant, might not come together to publicly issue an apology to the Muslim world for the crusades and to call for a rejection of militarist responses to terrorism and the use of religious language to justify such militarism. 

 

Rosemary Radford Ruether is a renowned Christian feminist theologian.


Commentary: Aid, Sanctuary for War Resisters Could Be Political Asset for Mayoral Candidates

By George Coates
Tuesday September 19, 2006

When Tom Bates ran for mayor of Berkeley four years ago my daughter Gracie and I occasionally volunteered at the Bates campaign office to work the phones. It was tedious work but Bates was running for mayor on a promise to improve education and Gracie would be attending Berkeley High School soon so it seemed like a good way to introduce a 12-year-old to local politics and civic affairs. 

Now Bates is up for re-election at a time when many high school-age students are learning that the U.S. military is monitoring their MySpace pages and targeting potential recruits. The plight of soldiers like Lt. Erhen Watada, the first commissioned officer to go AWOL from duty in Iraq, has also triggered fears that a national draft could be reinstated if the number of volunteer enlistments continue to decline as the war threatens to widen. 

Progressive Berkeley City Councilmember Dona Spring’s effort to pass a resolution in support of Lt. Watada is important because if it succeeds the city will have deepened its stance against the war and candidates for mayor will have heard the message: Sanctuary for war resisters is a local issue that no serious candidate for mayor can evade.  

But how do the four candidates running for the mayor’s office differ in terms of what each promises to do to aid Berkeley residents who find themselves in a situation like Lt. Watada who is facing the possibility of a seven-year prison term for refusing to serve in Iraq? 

In the mid 1960s, long-shot progressive candidates running for local office discovered they could defeat entrenched incumbents by linking their campaigns to the growing anti-Vietnam war movement. The three challengers trying to unseat Tom Bates fit the description of long-shot candidates, at the moment, but any one of them could leap frog ahead of the pack to win the race by generating a plan to aid resident war resisters. The massive amount of negative press likely to follow in the conservative mainstream media will win the candidate precious name recognition and the respect and trust of Berkeley voters eager to register their dissent for the war. 

All candidates running for local office should be developing plans to help our local war resisters. Zelda Bronstein said she would consider it and Bates said he could think of at least three churches in Berkeley that might offer sanctuary for draft resisters. 

After the Watada resolution is passed it will be interesting to see how the contending candidates for mayor propose to demonstrate their resolve. If Bronstein’s sanctuary plan implies that it is a soldier’s duty to disobey an illegal order, Fox News will be quick to demonize her as a traitor worse than Cindy Sheehan. If Zachary RunningWolf’s policy requires the police to arrest military recruiters it will enflame the right wing spin machine into branding him more treasonous than Ward Churchill. If Christian Pecaut advances an ordinance banning the ROTC from teaching students how to commit war crimes, Bret Hume will report the story as a fifth column attack inspired by Michael Moore. Worse things can happen to a candidate for mayor of Berkeley than to be compared to Cindy Sheehan, Ward Churchill or Michael Moore on network TV. Wouldn’t Cindy Sheehan be the next mayor of Berkeley were her name on the ballot? 

If Tom Bates sits still for too long on this issue a relatively unknown candidate, willing to be cursed as an enemy combatant on major network television, could very quickly overtake the incumbent mayor in name recognition in his own home town. 

But Bates can preempt his opponents by directing the city attorney to assist in the legal defense of any Berkeley High graduates in the military who choose to go AWOL. He can direct the city manager to help arrange sanctuary for residents who may need it. Bates can borrow the UC Greek Theater for a candidates debate to consider contending plans for helping Berkeley residents honorably refusing to serve in an illegal war. 

If the mayor moves quickly to identify his candidacy with a courageous grassroots movement to refuse local participation in an illegal war, Tom Bates can earn much more than a second term. He can also earn our respect for restoring a long and honorable reputation for acting locally to change the world. 

 

Berkeley resident George Coates blogs at www.betterbadnews.com.


Letters to the Editor

Friday September 15, 2006

A CORRECTION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am writing in response to your editorial “Unlearning anti-Semitism.” First of all, I want to thank you for distinguishing between Israelis, Jews and Zionists and pointing out that there are many Jews, indeed many Israeli Jews, who don’t consider themselves Zionist and that there are those that do consider themselves Zionist (Jews or non Jews) who resist the policies of the Israeli government. These are distinctions that are often blurred and I was grateful you addressed them. 

However, I want to point out a factual error in your editorial. You wrote, “The very term ‘Jews/Zionists’ is an insult to the memory of Rachel Corrie, who was a Jew and perhaps even a believer in the existence of the State of Israel in some form, yet opposed the current policies of the current government of Israel.” 

Rachel Corrie was many things; a daughter, a sister, a human rights activist, a writer, an artist, but she was not, actually, Jewish. She was raised by her parents, Cindy and Craig Corrie, with a great awareness of and sensitivity to historical suffering of Jewish people and this, I believe, might have helped to shape her belief about the necessity of resisting oppression and violence in all its different forms. In fact, in My Name is Rachel Corrie (a play culled by Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner from her diaries and e-mails growing up), there is a passage she wrote describing her fear as a non-Jew engaging in activism around Palestinian human rights that she would be labeled anti-Semitic. 

I thank you for wanting to honor the memory of Rachel Corrie. As someone who worked to allow her words and writings to be heard in the United States at a time when they were threatened with being silenced, I strongly believe that her memory and legacy should be treasured. But not for religious belief, or because of what she may or may not have believed about the existence of the state of Israel. Rachel should be honored and remembered as a compassionate human being; one who questioned the use and abuse of power in many forms, one who stood (literally) to protect the lives of vulnerable human beings, and one who had an incredible gift of writing, which she used to ponder the deeper questions of existence as well as using it to describe the horrible violations of human rights that she was witnessing in Palestine. 

Jen Marlowe 

 

EDITOR’S NOTE: More letters on the Middle East can be found on our website: www.berkeleydailyplanet.com. 

• 

THE POLICY WE DARE NOT MENTION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I enjoyed the commentary titled “The Policy We Dare Not Mention” and agree that a gas tax is an effective way to reduce congestion and address a raft of other issues. However, one of your assertions about raising the gas tax, that it will economically benefit most low-income people, is not necessarily true. Whether we like it or not. The structure of our communities make many places inaccessible by transit. Many of these places inaccessible to transit are also where good jobs are. By pricing lower income people out of cars, you essentially stratify the job market and restrict the access to goods and services. Lower fuel prices benefit mostly the poor by increasing their mobility. A gas tax is therefore a regressive tax. There are ways to address this, but the statement by the Daily Planet is misleading. Having said that, I do agree that increasing the price of fuel is the most efficient way to reduce congestion and pollution. The economic benefits are less clear for lower income people. 

Another statement is also misleading: 

Why not look to the future and embrace the “hydrogen highway”? Fuel cell vehicles cost $250,000 and up, 30 percent of the hydrogen leaks out of current generation tanks while they are sitting in the garage, the hydrogen fueling stations don’t exist, and the best current hydrogen source is natural gas. So let’s look to the future, but in the meantime.... 

Thirty percent of the gas does not leak out. This is grossly misleading and the way you phrase it makes it seem like it is leaking into your garage. This is definitely not the case. Perhaps for liquid hydrogen there would be leakage outside the garage, but not many companies are seriously considering liquid because of the planned leakage. Most companies are considering only compressed gas. In that case, the gas stays right in the tank until you use it. 

Michael Nicholas 

 

• 

TWO THINGS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

There are two things this week I would like to comment on. 

Brit Harvey would like there to be a federal policy change, what he calls a “tax shift,” that he claims would have multiple nation and world-wide benefits. Brit cites several needed changes that this tax measure would potentially help to make. Among others, the stand-outs were reduced smog, traffic congestion, oil dependency, suburban sprawl, national debt, and foreign oil dependency. 

This tax shift is describes as increasing the state gas tax by X amount and reducing other taxes to match. How this policy change was described as “Federal” in the beginning of the piece, and “State” at the end, I don’t know. In this case I will assume it to be a state tax measure. My only question is, once there are more hybrids on the road, more EVs, less oil consumption, and hence less tax revenue as a result of this policy change... What then? A large decrease in state tax revenue would damage infrastructure. Do you think that Californians would really approve a huge non-gasoline tax cut one year, and then the Newtonian (equal and opposite reaction, I mean) tax increase a few years following? 

Secondly, Richard Brenneman’s recent article on Prop. 90 was more op-ed piece than article. I agree with him that voting no on prop 90 would be the way to go. However, the article was so biased I had to laugh. The attempted smear of Prop. 90 proponents, casting them as money grubbing bourgeoisie. The portrayal of the opposition as benevolent yet downtrodden environmental heroes. The implication that the evil greedy developers were only able to raise more money than the “NO” organizations by soliciting right-to-lifers and other right wing zealots. Oh the poor, poor proletariat that is the Sierra Club and the League of California Cities! 

Come on Mr. Brenneman. I understand your passion, I do. But please make an effort to keep it a little more news stand and a little less soap box. 

Matthew Mitschang 

South Berkeley 

 

• 

PARKING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

If the Sharon Hudson and Brit Harvey positions can’t be realized, the banning of overnight street parking would tend to limit the auto and improve livability. 

Robert C. Chioino 

 

• 

AN OPEN EXCHANGE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Despite the fact I disagree with about half of the letters published in the Daily Planet, and am annoyed by 99 percent of Becky O’Malley’s editorials, I continue to be a loyal reader. The letters pages are a refreshing dose of Berkeley’s diverse points of view. They are entertaining to read, and it’s just the kind of open exchange our community needs. Keep up the good work. 

Dave Fogarty 

 

• 

UC TREES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It is with great sorrow that I have learned that the University of California is planning to cut down the oak grove at the stadium as part of the ill-conceived stadium building project. These trees are irreplaceable treasures. They should be protected, preserved and enjoyed by generations to come. As a child, I walked beneath these trees many times. As a student at Cal, I came home by way of the path that skirts them and enjoyed their shade. As a 68-year-old woman, I still enjoy walking beneath them. As the open spaces on the campus are steadily being filled, this has remained a quiet shady place. How can the University be so short sighted and arrogant as to believe that one football coach is worth breaking the law and sacrificing these ancient trees. This is the final straw in a really inappropriate plan to upgrade the existing stadium. A new site should be found that does not sit on an earthquake fault, where there is more space, where it does not so negatively impact the surrounding residential neighborhood, where it is more accessible to people who are driving or riding public transportation and where an ancient grove of California oaks is not thriving. The coach in question will probably get a better offer and leave before the stadium project is done anyway.  

Lucy Ratcliff Pope 

 

• 

BACK IN THE MIX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I must admit that I took a break from local news and the Daily Planet this summer—so much passion, so much detail, so many people venting at each other in the letters columns. Overwhelmed, I disconnected from my community. 

Alerted by a friend as to the controversy around the Planet and the Chronicle hit piece and curious about the Cody’s story, I picked up the Sept. 8-11 edition and felt as if I had rejoined the world, or at least my part of it. The local news and local activism were presented clearly and compassionately, the cartoon was great and the letters lively, and Becky O’Malley’s editorial “Singing the Blues About Cal Dems” and Zoia Horn’s op-ed “Sunshine is the Best Antidote for Bigotry” were outstanding. 

Thank you for a local treasure, a paper dedicated to free speech, social justice, and a good life for everyone in the Berkeley-Oakland-Albany area. 

I would love to see an article about the why our majestic native sycamore trees have been slowly dying for several years and what, if anything, can be done to save them. To put it anthropomorphically, they look like they are writhing in agony and flayed alive, with all the torments of Job and then some, and mirror the tortured unraveling of our social, political, and environmental fabric. The lack of concern for them (we are all too preoccupied to mention them, we see them suffering on our streets, no one speaks up for them publicly) bespeaks a resignation to the collapse of yet another species, a resignation that is close to despair . . . or indifference, which is even worse. 

Jeanie Shaterian 

 

• 

TELEGRAPH AVENUE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I was born and raised in Berkeley and would like to try and tell the story of what the reality of the Cody’s situation and “The Ave.” in general. It all started in the 1960s as is well chronicled. I remember all the happy hippies running around without a care in the world. Then time past and the happy hippy began to get into the highs too much. Then the hippies got to smelling badly for lack of a care in the world. Then came the realization that the hippy ideas sounded great (still do), but, are not livable in reality. 

The ACLU and other off-shoots were all about letting mental patients to have freedom as long as they were not going to injure themselves or others. Boy how great it would be for these people who are unable to care for themselves or do anything without proper supervision and medication to run around freely. The ACLU sure did win a big one there! 

So the owner of Cody’s is at fault? So he hoses people sleeping (as well as lord knows what else) to remove them/there mess from in front of his business? Who is really at fault here? 

It all goes back to the idea of some kind of Utopia existing in Berkeley. To think that Berkeley cannot live by what every other city does to remain viable still is not working. The only thing that I really miss about Berkeley and Telegraph is the bubble lady. The rest of the hangers on need to try and become more real than fantasy. 

Chris Fuller 

 

• 

BACK IN THE MIX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I have lived in District 7 for seven years. I love my neighborhood and my neighbors, but unfortunately I have seen the quality of our lives deteriorate over the past seven years. Our neighborhood has the highest crime rate in the city, businesses along the once proud Telegraph Avenue are closing down and moving out, and homelessness has increased significantly. Our police and city staff have performed admirably, but the problems stem from a lack of leadership at the elected level. We need leaders with a vision for a safe and prosperous District 7, leaders who can conceive of and implement solutions to the problems we face. As president of the Willard Neighborhood Association, George Beier has demonstrated that he has the vision, the experience, and the character to improve the quality of our lives in District 7. Berkeley is changing rapidly. Let’s make sure it changes for the best. I support George Beier for City Council. 

Rich Walkling 

 

• 

INANE COMMENT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Only in Berkeley would a columnist offer the inane comment, as Bob Burnett did, that “where al Qaeda has a long history of terrorist attacks, Hezbollah does not....” 

According to the BBC, Hezbollah has been “synonymous with terror, suicide bombings and kidnappings.” Wikipedia notes that Hezbollah’s acts have included multiple kidnappings, murders, hijackings, and bombings.” 

Of course, mostly Hezbollah just kills Jews, and for many Berkeley lefties that is quite acceptable. 

Mark Johnson 

 

• 

THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The New Light Senior Center wishes to thank those of you who were so generous and helpful in our struggle to remain open. Your gifts and donations for our lunch program for at risk seniors made it possible that on three days each week we can serve and deliver hot nutritious meals. The New light Staff, Board members, Volunteers and lunch buddies want to say thanks a million for caring and sharing. 

Jacqueline DeBose 

Executive Director, 

New Light Senior Center 

 

• 

COOPERATIVE GROCERY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In response to Rev. Pondurenga Das’ Sept. 12 letter to the editor, we would like to clarify some key points under which the newly forming Berkeley Cooperative Grocery is operating. If readers will visit our website, they will discover that we are interested in offering only organic, sustainable, and whenever possible, local products for sale at the CoG. We believe, as Rev. Das observes, sustainability is a crucial element for the success of our communities, both large and small.  

As a non-profit, we do not intend to “compete” with either Berkeley Bowl or local Farmer’s Markets. Indeed, many farmers who sell here have contacted us, eager to be able to distribute their goods through a small, cooperative setting. For those of you who shop at Farmer’s Markets, you might agree that saving money is not the primary motivator for shopping there. It is, rather, the sense of community that permeates the market that is so satisfying. Berkeley Bowl (as well as Monterey Market and Berkeley Natural Grocery, for that matter) are all lovely, family-run or worker-owned Berkeley institutions at which many of us regularly shop. The Cog will be a true alternative to all of these. By opening a non profit, working member co-op, we will be offering a way for members to save money on the organic and sustainable products they purchase by offering their labor to the cooperative. By saving on labor, we will be able to lower the markup that many stores must add.  

As we mentioned in the article, for many people, time is something they have less of than money, and the cooperative model will simply not work for them. But for many others in this area, trading labor for less expensive organic and sustainable products is something that might make it possible to be able to purchase those products in the first place. That’s precisely our main goal: to provide access to what are typically regarded as elitist products to more members of our community, and at the same time, build community. The CoG will belong to its members. Indeed, the fact that nearly 300 members have joined in the first month of going public truly speaks to how ready the East Bay is for this kind of endeavor.  

Serving “high-end consumers” we will leave to others; the CoG will be for ordinary folk who are looking for a way to participate cooperatively, make more sustainable purchasing choices, and save some money doing it. We invite you to learn more about us. Please visit our website at www.berkeleycog.org. 

Julia Carpenter 

 

• 

FLAWED HEADLINE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Regarding last week’s headline, “Hawk Habitat Destroyed,” you completely missed the boat on the power and importance of this story. The City of Berkeley waited six months to take down a dead tree in order to give a family of Cooper’s hawks a chance to fledge their young. That’s the story! And for a supposedly environmentally conscientious community and newspaper, what a story to be proud of. 

As it was written, the headline is a slap in the face of city workers, particularly Jerry Koch, who has been deeply and personally committed to preserving opportunities for nesting hawks in our city. Even the article’s writer, David Gelles, e-mailed an apology for the flawed headline. 

In addition, I was misrepresented as saying that acacia is an ideal habitat for Cooper’s hawks. Acacia is a tree, not a habitat. For the record, Berkeley Cooper’s hawks seem to be able to use many species of native and non-native trees, none obviously better than another. For more info on Berkeley’s Cooper’s hawks, visit www.ggro.org/CHINSforWeb.pdf. 

Allen Fish 

 

• 

DOWNTOWN PARKING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

This letter is in response to Phyllis Orrick’s Sept. 12 letter to the editor. In it she states that Donald Shoup who spoke at the DAPAC/Transportation Commission meeting thought that making parking in downtown Berkeley more expensive would help solve the parking problem. (I was not at the meeting so am relying on the letter writer’s summary.) If this is an accurate summary of his message, it sounds to me like Mr. Shoup doesn’t understand the point of having parking available.  

Most people who patronize businesses downtown get there by automobile and therefore need a place to park. They occupy their parking spaces for only as long as it takes to do their business whether it is to eat a meal, watch a movie, shop, or visit a city office. No one occupies a parking space longer than he or she needs to just because it is not that expensive. People factor the cost of parking and the convenience of finding a parking place near their destination into their decision where to take their business. As the cost of parking downtown and the difficulty in finding a place to park increase, people will go where they can do the same thing with less inconvenience and cost. 

Our family used to go to the movies in downtown Berkeley. But now that a number of the parking lots have disappeared, in particular the Hink’s garage (where parking cost more than on the street but it was always available), we drive to Emeryville where parking is either free or at most $1 and available near the theaters when we want to see a movie. As a matter of fact I do find that the lack of parking in downtown Berkeley has made it inhospitable and inconvenient.  

Mary Oram 

 

• 

PRISON POLICY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Come on now—that was surely meant in jest only. The same for the quote: “It’s a struggle, and I hope the Legislature will reconsider and help us find some immediate relief." Reconsider what? Building more prison beds when it is very obvious that more county jail beds, not prison beds, are needed? 

I guess he must be new to Corrections. Everyone who has been involved with corrections anywhere for more than 10 minutes knows that all Correctional agencies routinely deal with overcrowding by tinkering with inmate length of stay (LOS) so you have sufficient capacity to meet inflow. If the Department of Corrections (DC&R) had not implemented the Good Time Credits system to reduce LOS there would probably be a prison population of 250,000 or more. Counties release about 20,000 inmates monthly to make room for incoming inmates. Reagan simply ordered the release of all inmates a little early. Why would anyone ever consider closing prisons to new commitments and risk creating real crises?  

The DC&R is supposed to tell the Governor and Legislature what minor law change is needed to reduce inmate LOS so that capacity matches inflow. Its not complicated.  

Rich McKone 

Lincoln, Calif.  

 

• 

MLK WAY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

P.M. Price got it almost right in her Sept. 8 “View from Here” column. 

Shrinking MLK back to what it was when the streetcars took up the middle is a fine idea, but don’t stop at Dwight! Take it six blocks or so farther north—to Center, say, or Allston. I live on MLK opposite BHS, between Bancroft and Allston, and we’ve got all those same auto-related miseries up at this end, too. I regularly walk my bicycle to one end of the block because the traffic past my house is so heavy and freeway-like that I can’t ride out of my own driveway. I quit smoking in 1965, but when I look at the grime on the curtains, or anything kept outdoors, and realize that I’m breathing in that same stuff, I sometimes wonder why I bothered. MLK needs traffic calming big time, and it needs it now! 

David Coolidge 

 

• 

THE GREEN MACHINE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The Green Machine has certainly made a difference, and I think there are way fewer aphids dropping goo. (I’m a street craftsperson and have been for —whoa!—30 years, so I’m under the trees.) I hope they keep after the aphids. 

I have a suggestion about the parking problem that does not involve any construction or destruction. The yellow zones are posted “Loading Zone at all times.” The look on the faces of people who get a ticket on Sunday or after 6 p.m. says, “I’ll never shop there again.” Not much is being loaded anyway. My suggestion is at least to make the hours of enforcement like those for yellow zones everywhere else. Better yet would be to paint them green and make them 30-minute areas so people could grab a pizza or do quick errands without the worry of a ticket. The current bizarre and erratic enforcement is more like harassment than law enforcement and serves mainly to alienate people. 

Ruth Bird 

 

• 

CODY’S AND TELEGRAPH 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thanks for running Carol Denney’s commentary on Cody’s. Carol, thanks for telling it like it is. The homeless are the last group that it seems to be OK to trash in our politically correct city—it’s all their fault, seems to be the story, and besides, they’re responsible for their sorry situation. Try substituting African Americans in that argument— are you still PC? 

Oddly enough, crowds of people from Orinda and Lafayette and Walnut Creek and points east and south still crowd Telegraph on the weekends. They don’t seem to be scared to come here, and they come for the stuff they can’t get at malls: atmosphere, street vendors, specialty stores. Maybe Cody’s didn’t do well for the more obvious reasons—the convenience and deep discounts of Internet bookstores, the parking (yes, parking) and amenities at chains such as Barnes & Noble and Borders, changes in the interests and activities of students. Cody’s always had that “we’re an icon we don’t have to be friendly” vibe—it was often difficult to catch a staffer’s eye at the customer service counter. It would also not have killed Andy Ross to provide a few chairs among the shelves (no one is asking for syrupy coffee drinks here!)—sitting on the floor to read a book isn’t fun even when you’re young, and a whole lot less fun when you’re old and creaky. Small independents usually make up for higher prices and smaller inventory by being extra service-oriented—try Analog Books on Northside to see what I mean. Not so with Cody’s. 

So, as the PR (sorry, Green) Machines scoot unnecessarily down the sidewalks of Telegraph at taxpayer expense, Cody’s has been sold to a Japanese company, but no, it’s not returning to Berkeley—crocodile tears all around, even by the new owner. Don’t blame the homeless, blame greed. 

Aija Kanbergs


Will Be Ombudsman for Falafel: My Mideast Peace Plan

By MICHAEL KATZ
Friday September 15, 2006

As a sometime contributor to the Daily Planet who knows its executive editor and publisher pretty well, I’m perplexed by the recent fireworks on these pages over the paper’s own past Middle East commentary. 

I was as surprised as anyone by the Aug. 8 material that kicked off this controversy. But I’m floored by some people’s baseless inferences about the editor’s motives, and by absurd suggestions that the hotbed of raging tolerance currently in your hands (or browser) is some eager accessory to bigotry. 

I’m also mystified by how so many far-flung people find so much time for extended, and often factually flawed, dissection of a community paper’s public and private communications. To the exclusion, mind you, even of the underlying Mideast issues. If we’re going to leave any ink in the wells for our grandchildren—let alone achieve world peace—we all need to draw some lessons from this episode and move on to more substantive things. 

First, the Planet’s Aug. 8 commentary page had more than one problem. As the paper has already admitted, Howard Glickman’s commentary was mistakenly given an inflammatory headline that didn’t reflect its contents. And agree or disagree with Mr. Glickman’s own arguments, he’s a strong debater and a Berkeley resident. 

Kurosh Arianpour’s adjacent commentary, however, rapidly degenerated into a repellent anti-Jewish screed that was entirely disproportionate (a word I’ll revisit) to Mr. Glickman’s piece. And what really baffled me was its basic “standing” to appear in the Planet. Mr. Arianpour was credited as an Iranian student studying in India. 

Such remote outsourcing raises the question: Couldn’t the Planet find an anti-Semitic rant from a Berkeley resident? As a Jewish guy, I guess I should welcome the possibility that local anti-Semites aren’t teaching their goon squads to write (entirely likely), or literate locals aren’t anti-Semitic (ditto), or maybe there aren’t many local anti-Semites at all (fine by me). 

Still, I worry that offshoring anti-Semitic rants to low-wage countries might inflame the very resentments that provoke bigots. (And please tell me that Mr. Arianpour isn’t an illegal immigrant anywhere—that really sets off the Yahoos.) This being Berkeley, I hope the Planet will ensure that any future anti-Semitic rants imported from offshore are Fair Trade-certified. 

Second, I’m amazed that anyone has inferred that Mr. Arianpour’s piece reflected the leanings of Becky O’Malley, or anyone else at the Planet. Anyone who knows Becky knows she’s an extremist—but only about free speech. 

Long before she and her husband Mike resurrected this newspaper, Becky regularly surprised some of us squeaky wheels by putting us directly in contact with people we had bad-mouthed. Her philosophy was that direct, unmediated discussion was the best way to resolve festering resentments. Like it or not, she’s run the Planet’s opinion pages on a “common-carrier” basis that’s entirely consistent with how she’s always run Berkeley’s most interesting e-mail relay. 

Furthermore, some of Becky’s best friends are...free-speech fundamentalists who make her look moderate by comparison. These are people who fought good fights in the ’60s, prospered in the technology industry, and today have gray ponytails of wisdom, plus the time and financial security to take highly principled stands. 

I remember one of Becky’s friends denouncing activists whose promised demonstrations had provoked Henry Kissinger and Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel local speeches. I’d thought the old warlords were just chicken, but he made a strong case that they were actually the victims in that episode. 

And in fact, anyone who’s attended any of the O’Malleys’ frequent salons knows that they’re at least as happy hanging out with Jewish people as with anyone else. That’s true of a lot of gentiles, of course—and at the risk of overgeneralizing, I think it reflects well on us as well as them. We tend to be just a little bit more fun than your average bear. 

And not just Jews, but non-Jews with roots in Middle Eastern cultures. When we’re not killing each other with ordnance, we’re often killing each other (or you) with warmth and kindness. 

Get us out of the Middle East itself—a place with too little land, water, and shade, and too much history—and all of this flowers. Like a lot of Jewish Bay Area residents, I buy my bagels at a Palestinian-owned coffeehouse, and often pick up late-night groceries at an Arab-owned corner liquor store. All pleasantly contradictory, and that’s the way it should be. Salaam alechem, l’chaim, and who doesn’t like falafel? 

Which brings me to my last point: Berkeley is the last place I expect to find people digging themselves into sterile, old blood-based divides. This is a city of bridge-builders. Tikkun, Women in Black, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Jewish/Muslim dialogue efforts you’ve never heard of—all have roots or a strong presence here. 

If enduring peace ever comes to the Mideast, Berkeley will ultimately get credit for helping lead the way. Sure, it may take another 3,000 years to undo ancient rivalries; but circa 5,000 A.D., they’ll put a floating plaque beside the ruins of the Gaia Building’s elevator tower. 

This is why it’s so ironic that Berkeley’s little community paper long ago became a lightning rod closely monitored by certain people, throughout the Greater Berkeley diaspora, who are obsessed with cleansing any discussion—anywhere—of the Israel/ Palestine controversy. 

Today, while we’re spilling gallons of ink over Talmudic debates about who allegedly and unverifiably said what to whom, too damn much blood has been spilled in Lebanon and Israel. And there’s the threat of more bloodletting to come. Iran wants to be the Mideast’s big gun, and Israel and the U.S. have each shot themselves in the foot. 

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad really said last October that Israel should be “wiped off the map.” He really has called the Holocaust “a myth.” Iran really is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. And if none of that worries you, former Iranian defense minister Ali Shamkhani really did describe American forces in Iraq as Iran’s “hostage.” 

America’s march into Saddam’s quagmire destroyed our country’s image, goodwill, and leverage in much of the Islamic world. And with Iran pulling the strings in an Iraq that’s now dominated by Shiites, the U.S. troops there are less hegemon than captive. 

So much for the U.S. neocons’ triumphant “transformation of the Middle East.” And Israel’s U.S.-supplied attempt to transform Iran-supplied Hezbollah  

didn’t work out any better. 

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have each accused Israel of war crimes for its conduct in Lebanon. And if you don’t like those messengers, any  

8-year-old watching TV news could have told you the same thing. 

Killing hundreds of Lebanese civilians, and displacing a quarter of that nation’s residents, was a massively disproportionate response to...what? Essentially, Hezbollah’s kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers—a non-lethal assault on a military target. 

Now spare me the old blood libel that anyone criticizing the worst outrages of the worst Likud-spawned thugs is “anti-Israel,” let alone “anti-Semitic.” Published debate among Israeli Jews regularly makes anything that appears in this newspaper look tame. 

Redestroying southern Beirut and much of southern Lebanon was a desperate attempt by a weak Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, to save his own political skin. He’s one particularly chicken warlord. Who gambled wrong. Even if you’re inclined to defend the Lebanon invasion on moral grounds—a sucker’s bet—there’s broad consensus that it was a catastrophe in pragmatic terms. Israel has shattered its own vaunted deterrent: its image of military invincibility. And it has dramatically strengthened Hezbollah’s military reputation, legitimacy, and popular allegiance. 

Those grisly images of Lebanese civilian deaths, which horrified even American children, got replayed over and over on satellite TV throughout the Muslim world. This was a diplomatic and public-relations disaster for Israel and the United States alike. 

And disaster is cheap in the Middle East. Has anyone got a solution for that sad region’s underlying problems? If so, inquiring minds want to know about that—not about yellowing old opinion pages. 

Here’s my tiny contribution: Maybe we should all take a lesson from the rock-star PR success that Hezbollah’s and Hamas’ social-service arms have brought their parent corporations. Provide food and shelter to desperate people, instead of blockading and displacing them. Who doesn’t like falafel? 

Last year, I was delighted to make two modest donations for Pakistan earthquake relief through American Jewish World Service. I know the money wasn’t siphoned off to Al Qaeda. And with my Palestinian neighbors maintaining a bagel supply for folks like me, I liked the idea of Muslims receiving care packages through a Jewish charity. 

So where do I donate to rebuild Lebanon or feed Gaza? 

Let’s keep our eyes on the prize: Let’s export world peace from Berkeley. Let’s not import fossilized animosities. Remember, around 5,000 A.D., our great-great-great-great-grandrobots will thank us. 

 

Michael Katz is a Berkeley resident. 


More Questions To Ask Pac Steel

By ANDREW GALPERN
Friday September 15, 2006

The Daily Planet’s Sept. 12 article, “Pacific Steel Emission Reports Turned Over to Air District,” was missing several important facts. If you take a look at the article, PSC’s public relations firm is the most common source for information (and reminds us all of the questionable and sad transformation from public servant to public relations consultant for Dion Aroner and company) 

Here is what’s missing: 

1. There has been no comprehensive off-site testing of the air AND the particulate matter in the neighborhood surrounding PSC, even though the community has made requests to PSC, BAAQMD, and the city for years. 

2. There has been no study of the health impacts of living with such poor quality air in West Berkeley. No testing of workers. No testing of residents. No community survey. No data collection regarding birth defects, reproductive disorders, cancer rates, asthma, breathing disorders, immune disorders, etc. 

3. PSC continues to pump known carcinogens, heavy metals, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter into the air, unfiltered, untreated, and deadly, every single day they operate. Deadly! 

4. PSC has withheld data from BAAQMD and the public that would allow the community to measure the health risks of living near the factory. 

5. PSC would NEVER be allowed to operate the kind of dirty business they operate if they moved to the neighborhood today. Why should they be grandfathered in? 

Here is what the article got wrong. 

1. Public relations PSC spokesperson Jewel states “In reality, if you are driving a car you are emitting the same amount of these toxic substances.” That’s just bad science, wrong, and terribly misleading. Bad science, but very good PR. No normal car produces the same kinds and amounts of the toxic substances produced by PSC. If HER car is producing that stuff in those amounts, I hope she is using public transportation to shuttle back and forth to and from PSC. 

2. “When we first came up with the idea of the carbon absorption unit, we were not even aware that we were required to have a building permit for it. So we were not expecting any delays,” she said. That’s just plain goofy. Of course you need a permit to make a major change in the physical structure of your facility. PSC had added this equipment before, although it has been unsuccessful at eliminating the terrible odors. 

Here is what’s missing. 

1. When is PSC or their consultants going to admit that the air is terrible in the neighborhood, that PSC is a huge source of the problem, and that PSC will stop poisoning the air? 

2. When will BAAQMD or the city of Berkeley step up and begin to protect the residents and workers who have lived with this notorious pollution for decades? Is it because the neighborhood is relatively poor, or doesn’t “look” like the kind of people who matter? 

3. PSC has generated hundreds of air quality complaints from the community, but so little has been done to stop them? Who’s in bed with whom? Why are the people who can do something about it so afraid to speak up! Good jobs are important. Safe air is a matter of life and death. It is wrong to pretend we have to decide between them. Our community wants them both. 

 

Andrew Galpern is a Berkeley resident. 


Berkeley Mayor’s Race Reflects a City in Twilight

By RANDY SHAW
Friday September 15, 2006

Berkeley, California has long been America’s leading municipal incubator of progressive social change. Berkeley was the home of the nation’s first alternative, listener-sponsored radio show (Pacifica), and was the first city to ban Styrofoam and disinvest from South Africa. Berkeley was the first city west of New York to enact rent control (in 1973), it is the home of the visionary and politically powerful MoveOn.org, had the first gourmet coffeehouse in Peets, and its Chez Panisse invented what became known nationally as “California cuisine.” The Berkeley Free Speech movement in 1964 legitimized campus protests across America, and Berkeley’s congressmembers have been the leading opponents of America’s military industrial complex. Yet Berkeley has become so desirable that those who made it an activist stronghold can no longer afford to live there. There is no better evidence of Berkeley’s political decline than the current mayor’s race, where incumbent Tom Bates is assured of re-election despite maintaining a record that would have him on the political ropes elsewhere.  

Berkeley politics has long been divided between conservative-moderates in the Berkeley Democratic Club (BDC) and progressive-leftists in Berkeley Citizens Action (BCA). Current Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates was strongly identified with BCA throughout his long state Assembly career, and was the group’s choice in his successful 2002 mayoral race against longtime BDC favorite, incumbent Shirley Dean.  

But in a signal of where Berkeley politics now stands, Bates overwhelmingly won the endorsement of the BDC, the city’s most anti-rent control and politically conservative club. Bates, the husband of Assemblymember and former Berkeley Mayor Loni Hancock, is also expected to get BCA’s endorsement.  

If Bates had done a great job during his first term as mayor, such broad support would be understandable. But Berkeley’s downtown and Telegraph Avenue have greatly deteriorated in the past four years, and Bates is so out of touch that he recently stated that he “loved” the idea of a Walgreens opening on Telegraph.  

A mayor that sees Walgreens as a great economic development opportunity fits the stereotype of Walnut Creek, not Berkeley. And since Bates took office the most recognizable name in the city is that of “Gordon”—the real estate company whose signs fill the vacant storefronts that dominate downtown Berkeley and much of the rest of the city.  

Bates also failed to address the never-ending expansion plans of the University of California. Bates vowed to strongly protect the city’s interests against the school’s unceasing lust for land, but once elected became a pushover.  

Early in his term the university unveiled its latest “Big Idea”: the construction of an upscale hotel in downtown Berkeley that would take up a block where the Bank of America plaza now sits at Center and Shattuck. The project had no educational purpose and clearly had to comply with the city’s planning code. It also would directly compete with existing hotels in the area. Nevertheless, Bates enthusiastically embraced the hotel, sending a clear signal that he would ensure its approval.  

When the university refused to discuss how it would fairly compensate the city for massive development projects associated with its Long Range Development Plan, Bates and the City Council sued the university over this non-disclosure. Unfortunately, the former Cal football star turned mayor then punted rather than try to score a touchdown. He engineered a secret deal with the university that ended up putting the city in a worse position than if the suit had not been filed. This bizarre action led many to wonder which team Berkeley’s mayor is playing on.  

Bates’ chief problem is that he is not a proactive mayor. Rather, any development scheme, no matter how ill conceived, attracts his attention. He gave initial support for a plan to build primarily market-rate housing on the Ashby BART station, and then had to pull back in response to community resistance. Nor does he try to galvanize public support for innovative land use or economic development plans, which would at least get people believing that Berkeley would not simply continue to be a victim of corporate economic decisions.  

Bates is a “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” kind of mayor. When the Clif energy bar company announced it was leaving for Alameda, Bates said this was understandable, as Berkeley was a “ business incubator” city. So much for fighting to keep the tax revenue that Berkeley’s social service agencies so desperately need.  

Despite the historic contentiousness of Berkeley politics, there were no protests in the streets over Bates’ lack of leadership. Few Berkeleyans are politically involved in the city, and few of those active are under 40. Until recently, Berkeley had more City Council members over 80 than under 40, and had only one under 50 years of age among the Council’s nine members.  

What happened to Berkeley’s young activists? Two things. First, they have been priced out of the Berkeley housing market. While San Francisco’s real estate boom for the past decade got most of the attention, Berkeley’s single-family home prices rose to the stratosphere.  

Berkeley’s progressive policies created such a great quality of life that apolitical types who once feared the community are eager to move there for the great views, restaurants, book stores, and its classic brown shingle and Mediterranean-style homes. Once affordable homes in West Berkeley now sell for over $500,000, and there is almost no neighborhood remaining that is affordable to the working-class homeowners who once forged a critical part of the city’s activist base.  

Second, as was commented upon when Cody’s on Telegraph closed in July after 50 years, Cal’s student population has changed dramatically since Prop 209 abolished affirmative action. UC Berkeley is no longer an activist campus, and it does not produce many students who stay involved politically in the city after graduation.  

Bates has been helped by the lack of organized opposition. Because he is a strong housing advocate, some progressives are loath to criticize him for fear of empowering the city’s outspoken anti-housing constituency. Criticizing Bates also risks jeopardizing relations with his Assemblymember wife, and if you want something done locally or through the state Legislature alienating both officials is not a good idea.  

Bates’ chief opponent is former Planning Commission Chair Zelda Bronstein, who has never held elected office. Bronstein has scored points against Bates’ record on land use and economic development issues, but is perceived by some as anti-business.  

Bates has already locked up the endorsements of nearly all the council, and will also win the support of his longtime allies in labor and the environmental community. So there is really no space for Bronstein to break through to win an electoral majority.  

This mayoral election is only for a two- year term, and many believe Bates will join Hancock in political retirement. Whether the prospect of an open mayor’s seat can revive Berkeley’s local political life is unclear, but if declining tax revenue leaves the city unable to maintain services, residents may again mobilize.  

 

Randy Shaw is a Berkeley resident and the editor of BeyondChron.org, where this first appeared.


Developers Trampled Planning Commissioners

By JOAN STRAND
Friday September 15, 2006

The Planning Commission caved to a posse of developers Wednesday evening: They left the meeting jubilantly. The commission voted to make no recommendation to the city council on the subcommittee’s recommendations on density bonus. The most important stakeholders in this issue, the homeowners and tenants whose homes are directly affected, were not notified that the issue was coming up. The one citizen who spoke against the developers and in favor of the recommendations said she was there only because she always comes to these meetings. She characterized the developments that have proliferated in Berkeley as providing substandard housing, impinging on neighbors’ light and air, and being ugly; “looks like a prison,” she said of one building. 

The commission seemed to head in the right direction, to implement the recommendations with a “sunset” clause, to revisit the issue after the fate of Proposition 90 is known. Then someone worried about the developers’ projects, which would be put on hold for a few months, one developer shouted “Moratorium” and that was the end of it. If the developers weren’t making money, there wouldn’t be so many of them. 

If the people who oppose the densification of Berkeley as well as its unfettered growth UP had been notified of this “public” hearing, they might have been there. There was a lone, articulate voice. I was there, with my husband, to support the second action item, the recommendations for amendments to major residential additions: another issue where the interests of property owners, many who have lived in Berkeley for many years and appreciate its texture, seem vulnerable to the interests of those who would allow unlimited, unregulated growth. One self-identified architect announced that Berkeley must grow up, because it has nowhere else to go. Do Palo Alto, Mill Valley, even San Francisco subscribe to this notion? Why does Berkeley HAVE to grow? Another homeowner argued that he and all the people he knows at Totland should be allowed to expand their two bedroom, one bath bungalows in any direction they want, because today’s families need more space. I know where they can find it, in San Ramon and similar communities. Some of us treasure our little craftsman bungalows and work to preserve them, from the ravages of time and poorly-intentioned remodelling, as well as from the encroachment of “stucco warts” and view, light, and air blocking additions. On our block, I can point to two well designed, architecturally pleasing second story additions, and two box-on-top-of a box second story additions with no architectural merit. One of these, next door to our house, blocked our views and the more stunning views of at least two other neighbors. Those people wanted to build up, because they wanted the view, while stealing views from other people. As another speaker on this item pointed out, this sets neighbor against neighbor and damages the fabric of our community. 

 

Joan Strand is a Berkeley resident.


Too Much Density Too Fast Worries Residents

By STEVE MEYERS
Friday September 15, 2006

Concerning the debate about land use and density in Berkeley, I believe it is helpful to keep in mind the strong link between housing supply and the price of housing. Most of us who have lived in Berkeley for a few decades (I arrived in 1979 for grad school) long for the days when it didn’t take being a millionaire to buy a modest home in a nice neighborhood close to shops. What has happened, simply put, is that the available stock of single-family homes has barely changed since 1980, while the demand to live in Berkeley (which we all agree is one of the best places to live in America) has soared. Combined with historic low mortgage rates, this has lead to a situation where even homes in “less desirable” neighborhoods go for half a million or more. 

On the rental side, the situation is rather different. While historically rent control was an important factor in keeping rents low, in the past decade most rents in Berkeley have come close to market levels. Yet rents have been fairly stable in recent years, especially compared to the price of single-family homes. Various factors account for this divergence, but one of them is that the supply of rental housing has expanded significantly in the past five years. 

Given the coming growth in northern California’s population, the scarcity of attractive places to live, and the vibrancy of the Bay Area, increasing demand for housing in Berkeley is pretty inescapable. It’s hard to see how the number of single-family homes in Berkeley could increase very much, at least not until after the big earthquake provides an opportunity for a new approach (such as co-housing “villages”). On the rental and condo side, however, the existing plan for new development along key transit corridors (University, Shattuck, and San Pablo) and in the downtown is a sensible way to provide more housing. If well-designed, such development can enhance the living quality of the surrounding neighborhood rather than detract from it. Here we run into the problem I raised in an earlier letter: the combination of current city and state policies, along with ill-conceived design of some developments, results in buildings that are too bulky and in site plans lacking in any amenities that would serve the neighborhood.  

Current efforts to reconsider the density bonuses awarded developers are a much-needed step in the right direction. Changes in the state law regarding density bonuses would be even more helpful. In addition, I believe the current city policy of requiring developers to include below-market units, while well-intended, has had negative effects that more than outweigh the meager benefits of having a few more ‘cheap’ apartments and condo units. Finally, we need to give some thought to the pace of residential and commercial development, including that of the university. “Too much too fast” makes many long-time residents (myself included) uneasy, and it strains the ability of the city government and its citizens to provide the oversight needed if new development is to enhance the quality of our community. 

 

Steve Meyers is a Berkeley resident.


More Letters to the Editor: Mideast

Friday September 15, 2006

The following are letters to the editor commenting on the Middle East and the Arianpour commentary that we haven’t yet had space to publish. Some of them may yet appear in our print edition. 

 

By now many people have written to object to Kurosh Arianapour’s Aug. 8 commentary, “Zionist Crimes in Lebanon.” It’s a poorly reasoned piece of hate speech that spreads no light on the subject of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and stops less than a inch short of condoning all the various slaughters of Jews since 539BC. The fact that the Daily Planet elevated the letter to a commentary leaves some question as to whether the paper considers this a legitimate opinion.  

Becky O’Malley’s editorial defending the piece as a Free Speech issue is a red herring. It’s really a just a case of sloppy editing. There are lots of ways to stimulate dialog that would have been more likely to illuminate the issues surrounding this ugly war. At the very least, an introduction explaining the papers purpose in publishing the piece would have been in order. Or a Jewish leaders could have had a chance to rebut the piece in the same issue. 

It appears to me that the O’Malley is confusing Free Speech with sloppy editing. I don’t think many readers will view this episode as enhancing the paper’s credibility and I don’t think it will extend the reach of the paper. Which is unfortunate, as I support O’Malley’s call for a open and vigorous discussion of the issues, and I fear a world where only Rubert Murdoch and his ilk have a voice. But I think that every publication that calls itself a newspaper has an obligation to present opinions in a responsible manner.  

I read the Daily Planet to get local news, and sometimes to get a local slant on World news. So what most offends me, as both a reader, and an advertisier, is that the DP chose to publish Arianapour, a Iranian student studying in India. Why Arianapour? We don’t get the benefit of a informed writer who lives in the region that is at war, nor do we have a writer that is a member of the local community. Wasn’t the Palestinian Ambassador to the UN in town during the first week of August? And there must be many Palestinian and Iranian students right here in Berkeley willing to talk about the conflict. 

Please don’t publish any more hate rants from outside of our community. 

Bruce Kaplan 

Looking Glass Photo 

 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am amazed at the considered response of the Jewish community to the anti-Semitic diatribe that you published. Many of us in the Jewish Community were against the Lebanon invasion. Our synagogue sponsored a talk by the PLO ambassador. Reconciliation is, admittedly, a long hard road. But it get longer and harder with such hateful tripe like the article you published. The only difference between you and Mel Gibson is that he was drunk. It’s time you stopped lying to yourselves that you are “peace advocates.” Such a belief has as much validity as Bush’s “No Child Left Behind.” 

Albert Greenberg 

Oakland 

 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Even for a precious PC Berkeley left-lib you outdid yourself in sheer intellectual gooniness today, Becky. 

First, since all Arabs are semites while many Jews are not, the very term “anti-semitism” is questionable. 

Second, it is the organized Jewish community, the ADL, AIPAC, AJC, JDL, etc., that have repeatedly made Israel and Zionism synonymous with being Jewish. If Arianpour doesn’t understand this distinction he’s got plenty of company. 

Third, most Jews are not religious in the US and do not follow Judaism. Most Jews I know regard themselves as part of a distinct ethnic group. 

Fourth, how can Israel be a “Jewish State” when 25 percent of its citizens are non-Jews?  

Fifth, American Jews are NOT famous for great division of opinion on Israel. There are dissenters like Alfred Lilienthal, Noam Chomsky and others but this is very much a minority viewpoint among Jews. 

Sixth, Israelis should be held responsible for the actions of their government as we urge Americans to be responsible for our particular political criminals. To the extent that many, yes, many American Jews give a blank check to Israel they should be held responsible too. 

Seventh, let’s deal with this issue of blanket characterizations. Funny, I’ve noticed that when people praise whole groups of people, say Jews or Blacks or anyone but whites, no one objects to that kind of racism. So if airport security profiles Saudis more closely than Swedes that would be a rational decision based on past history. Very recent past history at that. 

So in fact we all deal in blanket assertions every day and as long as we recognize that not every member of a particular group is the same it is totally defensible. 

Eighth, spare us the self-serving crap about the free press here. It is free if you happen to own one and I think that’s okay. If everyone really had an obligation to make sure that what they wrote was factually accurate most of the media here would be out of business. 

Ninth, maybe Arianpour did meet a number of Jews while at UCB and that is the source of his anti-Jewish feelings. Reiterating that old hippy dippy Berkeley Let’s all love one another line doesn’t cut in 2006 America. 

Time to turn off KPFA, cancel The Nation sub and grow up, Becky ! 

Michael Hardesty 

Oakland 

 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a graduate of Stanford’s M.A. program in Communication, I wish journalism schools everywhere had access to your Sept. 12 editorial as an example of how to get several important things right. 

Foremost, perhaps, is the editorial’s recognition that the Daily Planet is a force for influencing thought and action, not merely an unfiltered channel for ill-thought-out prejudices masquerading as free debate. 

Thank you for sparing all of us a second helping of the views of Kurosh Arianpour. Those of us who ingested the first serving trust your summary of the latest one. 

Thank you expressly saying what many progressives seem oblivious to, “that blind hatred of all Jews...is the wrong response to disliking Israel’s policies.” 

Thank you for having the courage and integrity to use words like “wrong” and “never” with regard to name-calling and hatefully fuzzy word usage. 

Thank you for describing me accurately as a Jew. I am also a Zionist, and while I recognize that Israel’s leaders are human and flawed, when I recognize Israel is reacting to 80 years of homicidal hate I compare Israel’s critics to Gov. Gray Davis when he denied parole to a woman who killed her husband in self-defense. 

Thank you especially for noting there’s no such thing as a group being guilty of anything. This is particularly healing in contrast to an anonymous piece you published years back asserting the Jews were “not impeccable” in Pilate’s decision to execute Jesus. 

Thank you for the call to “spend more time studying history.” We are all young enough to benefit from that. 

Thank you for acknowledging Israel’s freedom of the press. The heat of some of Jerusalem journalists’’ anti-government rhetoric would amaze even Arianpour. 

Many practicing Jews believe in a concept that in Hebrew is called “teshuvah". Usually translated as “repentance", it is more accurately “return to the healing and spiritual path". Many of us believe that every moment is an opportunity to act in partnership with God to help improve the world (which I DON’T think gives me license to tell you or anyone else what to do). 

Thich Nhat Hanh, in his remarkable book Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames, teaches that the excrement of life can be transformed into fertilizer. 

The unrepentant racist and imperialist fanatic Woodrow WIlson once noted that an educated person strives to add light, rather than heat, to a discussion. 

Thank you for using Kurosh as fuel for all of us to grow better. 

Namaste. 

David Altschul 

 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I applaud your decision to publish Mr. Arianpour’s commentary and the letters of readers who disagree with him. Throughout this whole debacle, I’ve found your recent editorial “Unlearning Anti-Semitism: A Few Pointers” to be most disturbing for the following reasons. First of all, you and published letter addressed Krisha in an editorial, editorials are normally addressed to all readers of the newspaper, so its hard to imagine that this is for another use besides putting Mr. Arianpour on the spot, in other words, to point out his mistakes in such a way to leave an emotional impact on him. Further evidence for this is provided by your use of condescending terms to address Mr. Arionpour. For example, you say “if you are really a physics student, you should be too smart to make that mistake". Physics students whether they are “smart” ones or not, do make mistakes, and I can not imagine how his generalization about Jews throughout history has to do with physics. Second of all, you seem to use your editorial space to criticize a letter that the public has not seen. You claim that Mr. Arianpour uses the term “Jews/Zionists", I have scoured the commentary of his that you did publish (“Zionist Crimes in Lebanon”) and cannot find one instance of the term “Jews/Zionists.” In fact, his statement “Even some Jews are condemning the atrocities of the Zionist regime” makes a clear distinction between Jews and Zionists, suggesting that he may in fact agree with you, maybe there is a more clear-cut confounding of the two terms in the second letter that the readers have not seen. 

After reading your article, I’ve seen that you made sure the public now knows that Mr. Arianpour is not a master of the English language, he is young, he has things to learn that you are trying to teach him, and that he might not be the brightest person to write to your paper. One of the greatest things a newspaper can do is to point out mistakes for all to see, I only wish you could have explicitly addressed his mistakes to us, instead of making it personal, and provided more substantiation for your claims that he made factual errors.  

Saul Crypps 

 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thanks for Becky O’Malley’s piece “Unlearning Anti-Semitism: A Few Pointers.” 

It is sad that people still have to write such explanations, but clear that they do, and good that Becky O’Malley did so, and so very well. On the other hand, such articles (and presumably the letter which motivated it) take up space on paper and in people’s minds which might better be used to analyze the problems that, presumably, motivated the original writer, Kurosh (Cyrus) Arianpour. 

The United States and Israel have (as we used to say in another context) “given themselves permission” to destroy water delivery systems, electricity generating and delivery systems, bridges, and, of course lots and lots of people, all in the name of national defense. This seems excessive to some, and “disproportional” in a legal sense (that is, such destruction, being disproportional to the things [claimed] to be being responded to, constitute, so it is reasonably claimed, war crimes). 

We’ve gone beyond mere “might makes right” (already a noxious doctrine) to a new doctrine that “possession of military might allows, perhaps even requires, the most outrageously destructive exercise of that military might.” ("If you’ve got it, flaunt it” is all very well in its place, but really.) 

And, of course, we’ve learned that the Bush administration had planned to attack Iraq long before 9/11, and Israel had planned to crush Lebanon long before Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers. So these “responses” are not only not proportional to the claimed provocations, they are not even responses to the claimed provocations. 

So, O’Malley is right. Enough of name calling. Let’s look at the realities and call them by their names. 

Peter Belmont 

Brooklyn 

(Born in Berkeley, resident from 1938-1945) 

 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Becky O’Malley: Well now, you’re a person of integrity and fair ply as well as nerve. So you would have no problem, in fact I guess you would jump at the chance, publishing an article about the crimes against civilians that radical Islam has committed over the generations. Am I right?? The content of “Zionist Crimes in Lebanon” strays far from its promise, wouldn’t you say? So Becky, this URL might be a good place to start (www.hvk.org/letters/let2.html); however, really all you have to do is google muslim crimes or Islam crimes and you will find an abundance of articles that should fulfill your penchant for this sort of honest, in-depth, provocative publishing Looking forward to the next Daily Planet. My guess is you don’t have the cajones because you know what will happen.  

Tom Bray 

 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Kurosh Arianpour’s letter from India in the Berkeley Daily Planet which rants about why Jews should be exterminated is fascinating.  

Among other things, Arianpour wants the reader to ignore the fact that (a) his country, Iran, is currently at the top of the pariah list in the world, even using the United Nations as a reference point; (b) his national leader has repeatedly called for the destruction of a whole country; (c) a majority of his fellow countrymen are utterly incapable of choosing leaders who actually represent them; and (d) thousands of years of Persian splendor has resulted in an oil-rich nation led by a bunch of twisted 7th Century minds and soon, nuclear weapons. 

What’s wrong with this picture? Nothing except that it’s much too easy to blame the Jews for everything, including anti-Semitism, than to employ rational analysis. 

If Arianpour really wants to torment people in the West, many Jews included, he should become a Dell support technician while living in India. Then he can do some real damage. 

Desmond Tuck 

San Mateo 

 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Editor and owner Ms. O’Malley seems to be catching on to the good old American way of promulgating her newspaper: ie, “push hot buttons.” Example, the “free-speech” publication of “Jews have always been the problem,” and most recently entering the “keep the BUSD free from foreign interlopers.” What next, Becky, “create a war” a la W.R Hearst?  

Robert Blau  

 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

On the issue of the anti-Semitic commentary: I would have had no problem if you published it as a letter to the editor. That seems to be a section where you are willing to have anything expressed—as if it were a posting on a message board. But you put the text on the Commentary page, which I have always assumed carries more significance, credibility, and substance. Maybe it would be helpful if you could explain the difference between letters and commentaries. 

Regarding your use of the term refugees in the story about Katrina: I am amazed that you do not understand the implied racism of that word. More than enough media attention has been given to Rev. Jesse Jackson and others to this issue. It is well covered in Spike Lee’s recent documentary on HBO. I can only assume you reject the argument that the term is racist because I just cannot believe you are not aware of the issue around the use of the word.  

Elevating the status of hate-speech and using racist terms are not what I’d expect of a progressive paper. 

Steven Robbins 

San Francisco  

 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Is the question anti-Semitism or is the question free speech or is it perhaps a question not yet addressed? Following contemporary guidelines for what is called “full disclosure” (another analogue for “fair and balanced” which is mostly an analogue for passing the buck when it does not rise to the level of “what me worry?") let me note at the outset that I am a middle-aged white male. Further I am an American and I am Jewish. I don’t believe in god, God, Allah, Yehova, Krishna, Jesus, or that Mormon guy from my natal state of Illinois. But I do believe in anti-Semitism, for the simple reason that there is good historical proof aplenty. 

Unlike many dead historically documented events and facts, anti-Semitism is--alas--alive and sick in India, in Britain, in Russia, in France, in Senegal, and hey, space is expensive and you can go Google every damn country and don’t forget, right here in River City. This is not news, this is not shocking, and according to more than one opinion, anti-Semitism is alive and well in the person of one Becky O’Malley, the editor who prints “a diversity of ideas” according to Chip Johnson of the Chron. Well don’t count me in the line forming to make that accusation. (Which is not to say that I might not if I knew more about her opinions, but I don’t and I won’t). 

I will however take an early ticket and bring my sleeping bag so that I can be near the front of the line of those who think Ms. O’Malley has the editorial intelligence and judgment of what is mostly known as a horse’s ass. In the lingo or my native city and perhaps yours, she “don’t know expletive deleted from Shinola.” According to that usually careful reporter, Chip Johnson, Ms. O’Malley’s reasons for publishing Kurosh Aranapour’s street stupid anti-Semitic and pointedly racist, hateful, anti-Jewish diatribe, was because it (again, according to Johnson) “was representative of a lot of people around the world......I want to hear everyone’s voice. It makes for a more interesting paper and a more social dialogue.” Becky O’Malley has the Constitutional right and I might add the moral and intellectual right to publish whatever she damn well pleases including this. However, rights are not a substitute for judgment. Simply because Mr. Aranapour’s (poor Aryan anybody?) vulgar and crude racism reflects what “people say and think” (show me documentation please) is not, I would suggest, a reason for publication. There are racist newsletters and newspapers aplenty, not to mention their exponentially exploded numbers on the web who might well be happy to spread more anti-Semitic Kudzu. Here in beautiful Berkeley, home to a great University, many people believe in astrology, in having their Chakra’s re-aligned, in Bessarabian herbal therapy, and in every and any manner of nareshkeit (silliness) and mishegas (tom foolery). Belief is beautiful, but only for the believer. 

For the rest of us swimming in the uncertainty of principle, discourse is hard enough without what once was the legitimacy print offered being given to cranks who had pamphlets (or the pulpit) and now have the web. One more thing, Ms. O’Malley: what prey tell--in English--is “social dialogue"? 

Richard Gordon 

 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I’m a Jew, and here’s what I find offensive about the Aug. 8 regarding Zionist: 

1. Anti-Israel “pundits” everywhere will use the term “Zionist Regime,” “Zionist Entity” etc. rather then using the word Israel. Translation: Israel does not have a right to exist.  

a. "All around the world, there have been demonstrations and protests against the genocide of civilians and children in the hands of Israeli forces.” – All over the world? I must have missed it.  

b. “Genocide of civilians” - Israel announces where it is fighting, drops leaflets, and avoids civilians. Their enemy targets civilians.  

2. “Have you not seen the photos coming from Lebanon?”—The “news agencies” in the Middle East will show photos over and over again. Especially if they can get a shot of innocent civilians. While it is an unfortunate tragedy that civilians are hit, it is unavoidable. Need the author be reminded that Hezballah began this conflict by breaching a recognized border and attacking soldiers? What the author fails to point out is the celebrations and cheers that are shown when they show shots of Israeli civilians being hit. After all, that is Hezballahs stated goal.  

3. “Some 800 Lebanese, mostly civilians and children, have been killed, compared to 80 Israelis” - that is only because Hezballah missed. But I wonder, does the author think Hezballah committed any crimes?  

4. “You mostly find irrelevant stories, such as same-sex marriage, drunken Mel Gibson, etc., in the U.S. media”—I would like anyone, Arab, Jew, American—read any Arab paper. You will have a hard time finding a SINGLE Arab paper that does not mention Israel or the Jews on the first page, and often several times. THEY ARE OBSESSED WITH US. The Arab world is over a billion people – you have to wonder why they think about a few million Jews so much? You also have to wonder how many of them ever met a Jew.  

5. The author wants to blame the Jews for their own hardships (Babylonia, Egypt, Germany, etc)—What is his opinion of the Palestinians? I’d guess he’d blame the “Zionist Entity” for their woes (I won’t even talk about the millions of Palestinians in “camps” in Arab countries!). And what about hate crimes against such as the murder of someone because of their race or religion—were they “asking for it” too?  

6. The author cites Hugo Chavez as if he were an “expert” on human rights and world politics—why not cite Merkel from Germany, Chirac from France? You can’t just pick and choose you’re experts because they agree with you.  

7. “The Middle Easterners believe that the U.S. brand of democracy is nothing but, hegemony, oppression, murder, destruction, and rape.”—While a true democracy is not perfect, it is the best system around. You’ll never know how much murder or rape is committed in the Arab Middle East because you’re newspaper are so obsessed with Israel and the United States they don’t have time to report it. There is a reason wealthy Arab’s send their children to the west for education, medical operations, etc, isn’t there? 

My advice to the student author—issue have at least two sides, don’t be afraid to look at them.  

Robby Brodsky 

San Jose 

 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Hallinan bandies the word, “illusion,” all over the place as a rhetorical weapon in his most recent article, “The Aftermath of Lebanon: Myths and Dark Plans." This one word must substitute for serious analysis. One core “illusion,” according to Hallinan, is that Hizbollah is a front for Syria or Iran. Say it ain’t so. Then where did all those Syrian, Iranian, and Russian missiles come from, jihadi Paradise? And what about motive? Syria is aggrieved at Israel for holding on to the Golan Heights and Iran is aggrieved at Israel for simply existing. According to the millennial views of Iran’s president and many of the mullahs, the 12th Imam (messiah) will not come until Israel is destroyed. If Hizbollah were acting on behalf of Lebanon it would not have attacked Israel, since it has no separate beef. After all, Israel did not occupy one square inch of Lebanon. In fact, Israel occupied Southern Lebanon until 1990 precisely because of its fear that Hizbollah would threaten its peaceful northern border if it left. It took a courageous gamble on the part of then prime minister, Ehud Barak, to leave Southern Lebanon. I supported him at the time. However, as many warned, Hizbollah immediately moved into the vacuum, built a hardened military infrastructure under the very noses of a token and impotent UN force, and in the fullness of time, launched attacks on Israel, making the most recent war an inevitability. If that weren’t bad enough, the Palestinians used Hizbollah’s “success” as a model for their violent second intifada. In short, Barak’s gambit failed miserably.  

Hallinan suffers from chronic illusions himself. Take for example his claim that Hizbollah remains intact. Errant nonsense. Hizbollah’s entire infrastructure in Southern Lebanon was overrun and destroyed. It lost most of its long range missiles and hundreds of its best fighters. Its headquarters and bunkers in the Shiite suburbs of Beirut lay in ruins. Much of their leadership is dead, and their supreme leader, Hassan Nazrallah, is hiding more deeply than Osama Bib Laden (my guess is that he is in the basement of the Iranian Embassy in Beirut). I doubt he will dare come out to the light of day any time soon. If the Israelis don’t whack him, Lebanon’s own people will. Hizbollah, is now vastly unpopular in Lebanon, and is desperately trying to buy back its lost influence with the help of Iranian cash. If that’s “intact” I have a broken record I would like to sell Hallinan. 

Speaking of broken records, what happened to Becky O’Malley’s recent pledge to leave the Middle East alone? She is like an addict who swears the substance off every Tuesday only to relapse by Friday. 

John Gertz 

Berkeley 

 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Any credibility that Conn Hallian may have once had was eviscerated by the years he spent as a stooge for the Communist Party when editing its newspaper. Alas, the old lefty still can’t eschew fabrication, as witness his columns in general and his mindboggling recent delusional rant that Hezbollah is neither a creation of Iran nor beholden to weaponry and monies allocated by the theocracy in Teheran. 

From where, pray tell, does Hallinan think the thousands of rockets Hezbollah used in its war against Israel came from? Perhaps he believes that Allah delivered them so that these fine Islamofacists could smite the scourge of Zionism. 

As for his regular appearance in the Daily Planet, it’s an embarrassment to see Hallinan’s nonsense appear in our so-called community newspaper. Or maybe not, for the Daily Planet is, in itself, as much as an embarrassment to Berkeley as is Radio Jihad, KPFA, our local disinformation station. 

Chip Johnson in Friday’s Chronicle put it well in his column wondering why owner/editor Becky O’Malley would publish such missives of hate and fabrication when she decided to print the Iranian’s anti-Semitic tract. I would say the same to O’Malley for her continual need to demonize Israel either by proxy via Hallinan, merchants of hate such as Arianapour, or her own absurd editorials. 

In sum, considering the above, I would apply to O’Malley the words the great defense attorney Joseph Welch directed to Joseph McCarthy: “At long last, Ms. O’Malley, have you no sense of shame?” 

Dan Spitzer 

Kensington 

 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I Live In The USA but I have a Palestinian neighbor. 

I needed room for my swimming pool so I went over to my Palestinian neighbor’s house and killed his entire family, I bulldozed his house and put in my pool. Ah ! So nice and cool! 

I was arrested and brought to court but the Judge threw the case out of court because it is perfectly legal in the USA, Ah ! So nice and cool ! Shortly afterwards some of my previous Palestinian neighbors relatives and friends started to terrorize the courthouse and killed the Judge. I built a 50 foot wall around my house for protection but the rockets could enter over the top. 

So I placed a cement cieling over my entire house and pool. I now live in a coffin ! 

Greg Smith 

 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Hi Becky O’Malley: I’m not enough of a student of world history to know if the Jews have had more problems getting along with other tribes, or whether they’re “no different from the rest of humanity in that regard.” Certainly, humanity in general doesn’t have much in the way of bragging rights in the “getting along” department. That said, considering the Jews “long and often tragic history”: The Jews have been kicked out of Palestine, kicked out of Egypt, kicked out of Spain, kicked out of England, kicked out of France, kicked out of Germany, as well as suffering countless pogroms and persecutions in many other burgs they’ve inhabited. Considering what a small tribe the Jews are—they really make up a minuscule fraction of the world’s population—they have certainly had their fair of problems as actors on the world stage. At the very least, no tribe in history has gotten more mileage out of PUBLICIZING their problems with other tribes. In fact, as far as I know, its unprecedented that they’ve coined a specific term—“anti-Semitism”—just to define all the problems that other people have had with relating to them. Its also worth noting, too, that they’ve had a remarkable, and possibly unprecedented history of successes on the world stage also. And one only has to consider names such as Jesus, Einstein, Marx, Freud, Hollywood, etc. to realize the strong impact the Jews have had on so many facets of world history. 

At any rate, keep up the great work with the DAILY PLANET. It is truly a fiesty li’l zine.  

Peter Labriola 

 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In this era of continuing disharmony over wars, elections, free speech, and local development, I find myself longing for the type of letter that once graced the pages of the London Times. 

In that spirit, I submit the following: As summer draws to a close, my stately backyard plum tree has yielded exactly 7,363 small, sloppy, inedible plums. My grateful thanks to Diane Davenport, Eli Joyce, and Jean Haseltine for both maintaining meticulous statistics and for their season-long efforts at ground clearance. 

Your obedient servant (another Times memory), 

Sayre Van Young 

 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Look, the reactionaries in the American and Israeli spy-agencies worked together to plan, execute, and sell the killings of Sept. 11, 2001. Since then, top Democrats in the United States have had a gun to their head to stay silent about the whole affair. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people tortured to death in the global War of Terror has blackmailed them into going along ever worse and more proudly broadcast atrocities. 

That’s the straight truth, and now is it’s moment, for Mayor Bates, Gavin Newsom, Phil Angelides, Barbara Lee, and every other high-level Democrat in the country. The stakes are the highest, and responsibility is everywhere, especially in the more powerful. 

Lies kill, the everyday social lies, and the high level lies, kill, big time, just as sure as gas and bullets. In fact, it is lies and lying that drive the bullets. It also drives 95% of teenage suicide. A lie, ANY lie about anything, is, quite literally, THE social nazification procedure. And those who most heavily promote those patterns in others, are the deadliest nazification militants of all. 

Which brings me to UC Berkeley. There will be no principled protest coming from the students there. That “university” turned Nazi-Republican once Schwarzenegger was made president of the UC Regents by Stanford’s Hoover Institution three years ago. Just sit in a student café around Berkeley and hear for yourself: “biology” and “public health” means pharmaceutical and biological warfare research, “environmental design” means high-profit development scams, and “history” means getting forced to lie about how current society is the only way people ever have or ever will live. 

Thank you, Daily Planet, for again accurately reporting the high-level principles of the Paradigm from California, www.imaginenine.com. You neglected to mention, however, that Bill and Hillary Clinton are the exclusive owners of the copyrights to all the charts and writings therein contained. And yes, indeed, it is the only cure for the human-harming human problem ever devised—and thereby, the only way out of this escalating, worldwide, and final Holocaust. To reduce the solution to one rule: One should encourage and enable others to accurately figure out whether or not any person is deliberately and consciously misreporting their own perceptions. (By the way, the main writer was Jewish, and you can read and hear his views on the Israeli State at www.BerkeleyMayor.org, in the paper “Accuracy-Based Politics") 

Christian Pecaut 

 


OFFER TO MEET IS STILL OPEN — WITH NO RESPONSE YET

Friday September 15, 2006

OFFER TO MEET IS STILL OPEN — WITH NO RESPONSE YET 

There’s still no response to our ongoing offer to meet with Jewish leaders and local politicians who criticized the Planet’s publication of an opinion piece from a reader which many considered anti-Semitic. The offer has continued to be open since we first made it public in our Aug. 11 issue and we have repeated it several times thereafter. Our advertisers are still being contacted by persons who urge them to boycott the paper because of this controversy, and several have cancelled their ads. If you’ve been out of town, you can find a summary with links to the articles and letters in question at berkeleydailyplanet.com/controversy.


Columns

Column: The Public Eye: The Sweet 16 Congressional Races, 2006

By Bob Burnett
Tuesday September 19, 2006

Democrats continue to gain momentum in their bid to wrest control of the House of Representatives from the Republicans. According to veteran DC prognosticator, Charlie Cook, there are now 46 House seats in play. In order to prevail, the Democrats will have to win 15 of the 36 tenuous GOP seats. And hold onto 10 shaky Democratic seats. 

Here’s the latest look at 16 races where Democrats have good shot at taking a Republican Congressional seat: 

Arizona 8th district: Republican Jim Kolbe is retiring. The Sept. 12 primary determined that conservative Republican Randy Graf will battle Democrat Gabrielle Giffords. She’s favored. 

California 11th: Democrat Jerry McNerney is running for the congressional seat occupied by arch-conservative Republican Richard Pombo. The district leans Republican, but there is great dissatisfaction with Pombo; the most recent poll shows him trailing his opponent by several percentage points. This promises to be the most expensive California Congressional contest. Pombo has a 4:1 advantage in terms of “cash-on-hand.” 

Colorado 7th: Republican incumbent Bob Beauprez is running for Governor. Democrat Ed Perlmutter won the Aug. 8 primary and will run against Republican Rick O’Donnell. Perlmutter trails O’Donnell in the money race. 

In Connecticut two Republican Congressman are vulnerable in districts that have traditionally voted Democrat. In the 2nd district, incumbent Rob Simmons is getting stiff opposition from Democrat Joe Courtney. In the 4th district, incumbent Chris Shays is having trouble with Diane Farrell. So far, both Democratic challengers are keeping pace with the incumbents in terms of fundraising. Some experts say that these races will be affected by the turnout for the Lamont-Lieberman Senatorial contest: Republicans may go to the polls for Lieberman. Who wins will depend upon which party turns out their vote. 

Florida 22th: Incumbent Republican Clay Shaw will face Democrat Ron Klein. This promises to be a very expensive race. 

Illinois 6th: Republican Henry Hyde is retiring. The contest will pit Republican Peter Roskam versus Tammy Duckworth, a retired Army pilot who lost both legs when her helicopter was shot down in Iraq. While this is a slightly Republican district, Duckworth has run a strong campaign. The race continues to be even. 

It’s an indication of the trouble the GOP is having that three of their Indiana seats are vulnerable. In the 2nd district challenger Joe Donnelly is neck and neck with incumbent Chris Chocola. In the 8th district, incumbent John Hostettler is getting the race of his life from County Sheriff Brad Ellsworth. In the 9th district, incumbent Mike Sodrel is having a tough time with Democrat Baron Hill. Ellsworth has raised much more money than his opponent. Hill is holding his own. Donnelly is behind. The Dems might pick up two here. 

Iowa 1st: Republican Jim Nussle is retiring to run for Governor. Democrat Bruce Braley will face Republican Mike Whalen in a district that leans Democrat. This is another close race that the Dems may win. 

Kentucky 4th: Republican Geoff Davis is facing stiff competition from the former Democratic incumbent Ken Lucas. Although this district has traditionally voted Republican, the last poll showed Lucas ahead. Davis has a 2:1 money advantage. 

New Mexico 1st: Republican Heather Wilson is facing stiff competition from New Mexico Attorney General Patsy Madrid. Polls show that this interesting race is a dead heat. Wilson has had fundraisers with Bush and Cheney. Nonetheless, Madrid remains close in “cash-on-hand.” 

New York 24th: Republican incumbent Sherwood Bohelert is retiring. Democrat Michael Arcuri has run a strong campaign against Republican Ray Meier. 

North Carolina 11th: Former pro-football quarterback Heath Shuler is challenging Republican Charles Taylor. Shuler has the lead in both money and the polls. 

There’s a lot going on in Ohio in this election. In the 18th district, incumbent Republican Bob Ney unexpectedly abandoned his reelection bid because of persistent rumors about his relationship with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. While Republicans fumble to find a replacement for Ney, Democratic challenger Zack Space is running an unexpectedly strong race. 

Pennsylvania 6th: Republican Jim Gerlach appears to be falling behind Democratic challenger Lois Murphy. So far, she’s raised more money than he has. 

Texas 22nd: Republican Tom Delay resigned, or so he thought. However, the courts determined that his name must stay on the ballot. The big winner will be former Democratic Congressman Nick Lampson. 

Virginia 2nd: Republican incumbent Thelma Drake is running a terrible campaign. She may lose to Democratic challenger Phil Kellam even though she’s raised more money. 

The eight Democratic Congressional incumbents who face tight races are: Jim Marshall (Ga.-8), John Barrow (Ga.-12), Melissa Bean (Ill.-8), Leonard Boswell (Ia.-3), Charles Melancon (La.-3), John Spratt (S.C.-5), Chet Edwards (Texas-17), and Alan Mollohan (W.V.-1). In Ohio 6th, Charlie Wilson is ahead in the competition to keep a Democratic seat. In Vermont, Democrat Peter Welch leads the race to keep the seat being vacated by Bernie Sanders. 

It seems to be a foregone conclusion that the Democrats will pick up seats. Whether they will win enough to wrest control from the GOP is likely to come down to two things: money and national security. Republicans will spend lots of money to retain the seats where their incumbents are threatened. 

Polls show that President Bush’s only strength is national security: the perception that he is “strong on terrorism.” Could it be that Osama bin Laden will step forward to help Dubya at the last moment? 

 

Bob Burnett is a Berkeley writer. He can be reached at bobburnett@comcast.net 

 

 


Column: Surviving (or Not) on Dover St.

By Susan Parker
Tuesday September 19, 2006

On Thursday I bought three pints of Haagen-Dazs ice cream for Ralph, Andrea, and me. We were planning on watching “Survivor” together. It was the 188th episode, the beginning of the most controversial season yet. Real life-like explosive racial stereotyping, the news reports said.  

But that afternoon real life got in the way. Our dog Whiskers became ill. She was weak, lethargic. There was blood in her mouth and under her fur. I rushed her to the VCA Animal Hospital on Shattuck Avenue. 

“We’ll do some tests,” said the veterinarian, taking Whiskers from my arms. “Come back after 6.” 

I went home, straightened up the house, paid an overdue bill, prepared dinner.  

That evening I returned to VCA. “Something is very wrong,” said the doctor. “Whiskers’ blood isn’t clotting. You need to take her to the emergency pet clinic on University Avenue. I’ve contacted them and they’re expecting you.”  

I called Andrea and told her she’d have to give Ralph dinner. I was going to miss “Survivor.”  

“Do what you have to do,” said Andrea. “Me and Ralph’ll be just fine.”  

At the clinic someone whisked Whiskers away. While I waited in an outer room a woman came by and picked up two rabbits. A man left with a meowing cat. A couple sat quietly in plastic chairs holding between them a sad little Chihuahua. 

“Whiskers has lost a lot of blood,” said a new doctor. “We need to give her a transfusion immediately.” 

“Okay,” I said. Carefully I added, “No heroic efforts.” I had been rehearsing those words for the last half hour. “She’s almost 14 years old,” I said. “I know she can’t survive forever.” 

“Yes,” said the vet, “but let’s see how she responds. We’ll keep her overnight and run more tests. You can pick her up tomorrow morning.” 

In a flash, my false bravado abandoned me. “I can’t take her home? She’s my best friend. She’s—” 

“She’s too sick to go home with you,” interrupted the doctor. “She could bleed to death.” 

I left Whiskers there. I didn’t want to be one of those people who fell apart when their dog dies. But at the thought of Whiskers’ death, I had to pull into a gas station on MLK and wait until my vision cleared.  

It was dark and quiet at home. Ralph’s oxygen machine hissed. Andrea’s bedroom door was closed. I did a crossword puzzle. I read an article about Snakes on a Plane. 

In the morning I drove to the clinic. The transfusion wasn’t finished and it hadn’t gone well. Whiskers and I returned to VCA with a plastic bag full of dark red blood and a large brown envelope containing her x-rays. A technician told me to come back at 6 p.m.  

I kept myself busy at home. I made an appointment for Ralph. I called the wheelchair people to find out why they hadn’t fixed Ralph’s chair. I went to the pharmacy to get Ralph’s medications. I watered the garden. I wrote a letter for Andrea’s sister, Noonie, demanding that her ex-landlord return her furniture. I tried to ignore Whiskers’ food and water bowls.  

At 6 I went to VCA. Whiskers was better. I carried her, ensconced in thick pink gauze, to the car. At 8 we rushed back. The dressing was drenched in blood. At 9 we went home again. Whiskers was now wrapped in thicker bandages.  

During the night, I heard Whiskers wander through the house. At 7 a.m. I scrubbed blood from the living room, dining room, kitchen, and bedroom floors. At 7:45 we waited for the front doors of VCA to open. At 9 I held Whiskers in my arms as the doctor gave her a final injection and put her to sleep. 

I went home and got into bed. For the first time in almost 13 years I tried to fall asleep without a miniature Schnauzer wrapped, like earmuffs, around my head. 

On Sunday I ate two pints of Haagen-Dazs and Andrea ate one. We realized we didn’t know what had happened on “Survivor.” We didn’t bother to find out.  

 


Storied American Elms Vanish from Field and City

By Ron Sullivan, Special to the Planet
Tuesday September 19, 2006

By Ron Sullivan 

Special to the Planet 

 

A reader wrote to ask me to discuss the sad state of the elm species. Since threatened trees are much in the news locally, and have deserved even more attention than they’ve had, I’m glad (for fairly scratchy values of “glad”) to mention this, one of the native American marvels whose destruction has been so thorough and so forgotten that we’re generally oblivious to our own impoverishment.  

The first species to die off in such devastating fashion was the American chestnut. That was a keystone species of the eastern forests, and when chestnut blight did it in so completely, the whole flora and fauna changed. Oaks took over the niche, but acorns and chestnuts aren’t quite the same, and dependent populations shifted or vanished in the interim between die-off and replacement.  

The blight that struck American elms, starting around the 1930s, had had as much effect on the ecology of cities as on forests.  

Elms, particularly Ulnus americana, had long been the mark and pride of civilization. Their great size in maturity and their regal vase-like form made them logical as landmarks and meeting places long before streets and buildings cluttered up the early transit hubs—river fords, trail crossings, routes between settlements—and newcomers followed the examples of the first residents in revering the tree. It was a short step between founding a town around a distinctive tree and planting the town’s streets and squares with its descendents and brethren.  

One of my favorite tree plantings ever was a great double row of elms on Market Street, one of the main thoroughfares of Harrisburg, Pa. It was a sylvan feeling, indeed, that the great trees conferred on the street—three broad traffic lanes plus parking, roughly as broad as Berkeley’s University Avenue—as they arched almost all the way across the pavement, up the hill past my high school. They were especially breathtaking in autumn, when they turned brilliant gold. 

It’s been decades since I saw the elms last—most of my family moved to Florida, so we meet there—and I haven’t had the heart to ask if they’re still alive. Certainly they were senior trees when I left, 33 years ago.  

Dutch elm disease is a fungus, variously called Ceratocystis ulmi or Ophiostoma novo-ulmi or Ophiostoma ulmi, that clogs the tree’s vascular system; the leaves wilt and die because the water from the roots can’t get to them, and the whole tree follows. The fungus evidently got here from Europe, where it was ravaging elms, in a shipment of veneer lumber. It’s spread by two beetle species, the native bark beetle Hylurgopinus rufipes and the European elm bark beetle, Scolytus multistriatus, and directly from tree to tree when roots meet and “graft” to each other, as many kinds of tree roots commonly do.  

One thing that accelerated the epidemic in cities was precisely the strategem that planners and landscapers had used to get that stately allee effect: effectively, they’d planted a monoculture. Individual elms and regional varieties might have more resistance to the fungus, but all these close cousins—even seed-grown trees in the nurseries were likely to be from seeds of one or a few selected handsome or historic trees—didn’t stand a chance.  

American elms were even less resistant to the new fungus than European elms had been; no surprise, in a completely unexposed population. Humans have experienced similar disasters.  

Arboreta and laboratories have been working for decades to breed fungus-proof American-type elms, using parents from different populations or hybridizing American elms with Siberian elms and other related species. 

We have quite a few Chinese elms, Ulmus parvifolia, also used in this effort, as street trees in Berkeley. I like those; they’re graceful and have interesting bark patterns (“lacebark elm” is an alternate name) and are easier to prune than you might suppose if you look just at some of our more grotesquely handled specimens.  

But they’re not the same sort of tree as American elm. (Not to be all parochial about it: Other North American elms like the wahoo and the slippery elm, while also nifty in their own right, aren’t in the same league either.)  

Replacement plantings have carried their own problems; many, like fruitless mulberry, are ridiculously allergenic. None has quite the place in history as American elm, and we’re poorer for having lost so much of the species.  

 

Photograph by Ron Sullivan.  

This Chinese elm is a bit mopheaded; careful thinning would improve its looks. The species resists Dutch elm disease, but doesn’t fill the grand-old-tree niche of American elm.


Dispatches from The Edge: Israel: Bright Moments Amid the Guns

By Conn Hallinan
Friday September 15, 2006

The images most Americans have of the recent war in Lebanon are of shattered cities, dead civilians, and terrified people bunkered down in basements or picking their way through blasted streets. The carnage of modern war draws the media as ancient battles called forth the Valkyries.  

But there are other images—and voices—that most of us do not see or hear on the six o’clock news or read in our newspapers. 

Like the following: 

Yonaton Shapiro, a former Blackhawk pilot and co-founder of Combatants for Peace, telling the Aug. 6 Observer that in his conversations with Israeli Air Force F-16 pilots: “Some told me they have shot at the side of targets because they are afraid people will be there, and they don’t trust any more those who give them the coordinates and the targets.” He said he urged the pilots to refuse to fly, “in order to save our country from self-destruction.” 

Uri Avnery, founder of Gush Shalom (Peace Bloc) addressing 5,000 people packed into Magen David Square Aug. 5: “We are the few facing the masses that thirst for war, but next month, or next year, every one of us will proudly proclaim: I was here! I called for a stop to this accursed war. And thousands who are cursing us now, next month, next year, will claim that they, too, were here.” 

Yana Knopova, a Ukrainian immigrant, and Khulood Badawi, an Israeli Arab, at an Aug. 11 rally in Tel Aviv leading anti-war chants in three languages, Arabic, Russian and Hebrew: “Salaam Na’ami! Kharb La! (Peace ye, war no) Voine Nyet! (No war)” 

The 34-day war did more than smash up infrastructure, it blew up a lot of assumptions and accepted truths as well: the invincibility of the Israeli Army; the illusion that wars can be controlled—Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah now admits he would never have captured the two soldiers if he had known how Israel would respond. 

It has also reinvigorated the Israeli peace movement with some very new elements. 

The names “Konpova” and “Badawi” are a case in point. 

Yana Knopova, age 25, left the Ukraine in 1995 as a young Zionist. She is currently a psychology major at Haifa University and the coordinator of the Coalition of Women for Peace. Badawi, age 30, is the former chair of the Association of Arab University Students in Israel, who now works for a civil rights group. 

In an interview with Lily Galili in the Aug. 10 Ha’aretz, the two talked about what motivates them to try to stop the war, and how feminism influences their views. 

“The police see Khulood as a natural enemy,” says Konpova, “while in the exact same situation, the police refuse to see me as an enemy. They also live with the stereotype that there are no Russians in the left. Khulood is always dangerous, I am never dangerous; Khulood is a demographic time bomb, I am a demographic hope. This is an approach that regards the wombs of us both in the service of the state, and we will not give them this pleasure.” 

According to Galili the traditional peace movement was dominated by Ashkenazi men [Central and Eastern European Jews], but that the current anti-war protests are largely being led by women. 

“All the elements of this war bring the issues together,” says Knopova, “feminism, social justice, class distinctions, the environment and the occupation. Women make this connection” 

And as the chants suggest, more and more Russian immigrants—normally associated with the hard right—are involved in the peace movement. 

What is also different is that Arab citizens of Israel have shown up in Tel Aviv in large numbers. Badawi sees this participation as a way of healing the deep wound of October 2000, when Israeli police opened fire on peaceful Arab demonstrators and killed 13 of them. After the massacre, Arab-Israelis stayed away from peace protests in Tel Aviv. 

“The age is over when we would accept Jewish partnership at any price,” she says. “Today the connection is genuine, with Jewish activists paying the price of their participation by demonstrations against the wall in Bil’in, refusal to serve in the military, and activism at checkpoints. We have a common fate, but it is different than in the past. These demonstrations can help us out of the severed relations of October 2000. Now the Arab-Jewish partnership is egalitarian.” 

Badawi told Ha’aretz, “When we speak from the stage—Yana in Russian, I in Arabic—that in itself is a political message. It also conveys to the Arab world that the claims by Israel and the U.S. that Jews and Arabs cannot live together is a false message.”  

There is also a growing movement among soldiers—particularly reservists—who refuse to serve in the occupied territories or take part in the invasion of Lebanon. 

The oldest of these organizations is Yesh Gvul, formed in 1982 during the first Lebanon invasion. But it has now been joined by a number of new organizations, like Combatants for Peace, all tied together by the Refuser Solidarity Network. Their slogan is “You can’t have a war if the soldiers stay home.” 

Yesh Gvel organizers say they have been contracted by dozens of officers and solders who say they will refuse service in Lebanon. Among them is Reserve Captain Amir Paster, sentenced to 28 days for refusing to serve in Lebanon, and Staff Sargent Itzik Shabbat, who refused to serve in the occupied territories because it would free up regular solders to fight in Lebanon. 

While new groups are springing up, Gush Shalom is still the activist backbone of the Israeli peace movement. Formed in 1993, it calls for returning all the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, a right of return for Palestinians “without undermining the foundations of Israel,” and mutual security between Israel and Palestine. 

The organization has no paid staff and no funding to speak of, and an “in your face” street theater edge to it. It rebuilds houses destroyed by Israeli occupation forces, fills in trenches dug by the army to isolate Arab villages, break through closure barriers, and harvests olives for Palestinians barred from their land by the army or settlers. 

Gush Shalom was the principle organizer of the Megan David Square rally that also drew the Coalition of Women for Peace, Ta’ayush (an organization that fights to release the more than 10,000 Palestinian detainees), Yesh Gvul, the Israeli-Palestinian Forum of Bereaved Families, Anarchists Against Walls, plus political parties like Hadash, Balad, and the United Arab List. 

Conspicuously missing was any formal representation from the leftist Meretz Party, which splintered over support for the war. However, many Meretz members marched, including former Knesset members Naomi Hazen and Ya’el Dayan. And while 5,000 seems small, a comparable demonstration in the U.S. would number 200,000. 

In his closing remarks, Avnery talked about the bright potential that smashing “accepted truths” can create: “When this madness is finally over, we shall struggle together—Israelis and Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese, Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel—so that we can live a normal life, each in his free state, side by side, in peace.” 

 

Readers might want to check out the following websites. This is not an exhaustive list: http://gush-shalom.org; www.refusersolidarity.net; http// coalitionofwomen.org; www. jewishvoiceforpeace.org www.peace-now.org; www.taayush.org; www.yeshgvul.org.


Undercurrents of the East Bay: Did Police Action Lead to Sideshow Shooting?

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday September 15, 2006

Sometime around 10 o’clock in the evening on June 25, 2005, an Oakland police officer pulled over a van near the corner of Havenscourt and Bancroft, in the heart of the city’s so-called “sideshow zone.” Telling the van’s African-American driver and two passengers that the stop was part of a “sideshow sweep” that night, the officer did a search of the car and its contents, including the backpacks of the two passengers. The officer then announced that he was citing the driver for a sideshow violation and having the van towed under Oakland’s sideshow abatement ordinance. Unwilling to wait for the tow truck, however, the officer eventually got into the van and drove off, leaving the driver and the two passengers standing on the sidewalk, trying to figure out how they were going to get home. 

That in itself ought to have constituted a violation of several constitutional clauses, city ordinances, and common sense. The details make it even worse. 

As we have spoken about in this column before, Oakland’s “sideshow zones” are loosely defined designated geographical areas in the East Oakland flatlands between High Street and the San Leandro border where Oakland police use “focused” or “increased” traffic enforcement in ways that are not used in other parts of the city. Officially called STOP (Special Traffic Offender Program), the practice was explained in a Jan. 10, 2006, OPD report presented to the Public Safety Committee of Oakland City Council: 

“The STOP program was re-established in April 2005, to address public safety problems resulting from reckless driving and exhibitions of speed, as well as unlicensed and impaired motor vehicle operation,” the police department reported to the City Administrator and Councilmembers. “STOP derives funding from an increase in administrative release fees paid for vehicles towed under authority of the program … The program mandates that fees collected are returned to the Police Department to fund overtime STOP operations. … A majority of the funds will be used to offset overtime costs associated with the Department's effort to address the reckless driving, exhibitions of speed, unlicensed and impaired vehicle operations, such as the ‘Sideshow.’ The Department will also conduct STOP operations in other parts of the City where traffic safety is an issue.” 

Under this East Oakland-based police enforcement program, a “sideshow”—even under the city’s loose definitions of the events—does not have to be taking place for cars to be cited under this program. Officers from the Special Operations Division Traffic Section make a sweep of the areas they call “sideshow zones” (places where they say sideshows are “likely” to take place) using a checklist to see if a driver can be cited for participating in “sideshow-related activities. Among these offenses are the playing of loud music. As we said, no actual sideshow has to be taking place. But under the STOP program, the cars can be towed at the officers’ discretion, with a mandatory $250 fee to get it returned from A&B Auto over on G Street. 

A careful reading of the Jan. 10, 2006 report shows that the STOP program is operated on an overtime basis, with the overtime fees paid for by the fines levied from the tows. The more cars that are towed, therefore, the more money that is available for overtime. What officer would not want to make a little (more) overtime giving out traffic tickets? This is a prescription for abuse, and in the June 25, 2005 stop on Havenscourt and Bancroft, there was clearly abuse of the officer’s discretion. 

The driver of the van, it turns out, was not anyone remotely resembling a sideshow participant. Instead, he was 41-year-old African-American Oakland resident Eugene Davis, coach of a local basketball team, who had been driving two of his players home from a game in Berkeley. The officer, Mr. Davis said, trailed him from Havenscourt and Foothill, finally stopping him at Havenscourt and Bancroft and telling him that his music was too loud, “which the officer said was an offense under Oakland’s sideshow ordinance.” After being left out on the street, Mr. Davis was able to get his van returned the next day, but only after paying a $250 release fee, $145 for the traffic ticket, and $126 to A&B Tow.  

“Basically,” he said, “I got jacked for $500.” 

“You don’t have to be doing anything, you just have to be there,” Mr. Davis explained. “It’s like martial law. People are afraid to come out.” Mr. Davis, a resident of the Laurel district in the Oakland foothills just north of the “sideshow zones,” said “I don’t come out in East Oakland any more, and that shouldn’t have to be.” 

Mr. Davis decided to protest and publicize the incident, eventually getting the attention of Oakland’s PUEBLO organization, which monitors the Oakland Police Department and advocates for police reform. PUEBLO helped Mr. Davis get a meeting with OPD Chief Wayne Tucker, who agreed that a wrong had been done, and helped Mr. Davis get part of his money back, and publicly admitted at a March 4 PUEBLO police forum that “we have made a number of mistakes in the STOP program. Some people who are getting caught up in it should not have gotten caught up in it,” and promised a full review of the program itself. 

One of the results of that review was an issuance of Special Order 8098 on police towing procedures by Chief Tucker in December 2005, specifically designed to address the issue of police leaving drivers and passengers out on the street after an auto tow. “When towing a vehicle,” the chief ordered, “an officer shall be mindful of the occupant(s)’s safety. The officer shall not expose such persons to an unreasonable risk of harm when determining whether to leave the vehicle’s occupant(s) at the area of the tow without a means of transportation. If the officer determines leaving the occupants in the area of the tow is unsafe, the officer shall assist the occupant(s) in relocating to a safe location…” 

Is that new policy now being followed by the Oakland Police Department? You be the judge.  

If the Oakland Tribune is to be taken at its word in a Sept. 11 article entitled “Two Shot During Sideshow In Oakland,” this is what happened to five Sacramento Latino teenagers in East Oakland early last Sunday morning. “The car they were in was towed by police shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday,” the Tribune reported, “after it was seen doing ‘doughnuts’ in a sideshow near Havenscourt and Foothill boulevards. Dozens of police were in the area writing tickets, towing cars and making arrests. After their car was towed, the five were walking west in the 5800 block of Foothill when they passed a parked sport utility vehicle with several men inside. Police said the women in the group were wearing Norteño attire, but the men were not. …[S]omeone inside the SUV asked them where they were from… [P]olice suspect the men in the SUV were either Sureños or Border Brothers, both deadly rivals of Norteños. When someone in the group responded ‘West Sac,’ someone inside the SUV got out and began shooting at them. Someone inside the SUV also fired at them, police said.” 

Three of the Sacramento teenagers were hit with the spray of bullets. One of them, a 16-year-old from Elk Grove, was shot three times and was in critical condition in a local hospital as of the Tribune report. Because of their age, none of the teenagers were identified by the paper. 

Significantly, the five Sacramento teenagers were cited at exactly the same location—Havenscourt and Bancroft—where Coach Eugene Davis’ van was originally followed by the Oakland police a year before. 

We don’t know exactly what the Sacramento teenagers were doing before their car was towed by Oakland police. We only have the OPD statements to the Tribune as to what happened, so there is no way, yet, to make an independent judgment. But whatever it was they may have been doing, was our city made safer by dumping out-of-city teenagers out on Oakland streets at 3 in the morning? Did their offense—whatever it may have been—justify the danger they were put in by Oakland police? Did Oakland police actions lead directly to an Oakland shooting and, if it did, will any of the officers suffer consequences, and will city policy be actually changed? Did the dump-and-tow of the teenagers’ car directly violate Chief Tucker’s December 2005 Order? Or is the Tribune article wrong, and the circumstances different from what was reported? 

We wait, patiently, for answers from Chief Tucker, the representatives of Oakland City Council, and Mayor Jerry Brown, wherever around the state he may be campaigning these days on his platform of law … and order(s). 


Butterfly Exhibit at Golden Gate Park Landmark

By STEVEN FINACOM
Friday September 15, 2006

If one were to choose a building most likely to survive the ages in San Francisco—or any other place, for that matter—it would seem unlikely that a structure made primarily of glass and fragile wood could top the list. 

But there it is, in the green heart of Golden Gate Park—the Conservatory of Flowers, now some 127 years old and well prepared for the 21st century. 

This time of year seems an especially good time to visit. Not only is there a butterfly exhibit through Oct. 29, but the vicinity is sparkling with seasonal outdoor Victorian horticultural displays.  

Built in 1878-79 of materials purchased by civic-minded San Franciscans from the estate of James Lick, the conservatory has recovered from fires, a boiler explosion, earthquake, storms, and periodic closings. 

General deterioration and wind damage in 1995 forced closure for several years of multi-million dollar reconstruction. It reopened in 2003 with new features and plantings well integrated with the old. 

The Conservatory of Flowers—essentially a huge, ornate, public greenhouse—is a singular survivor of the dozens of similar structures that populated California’s public spaces and private estates in the 19th century. 

19th century conservatories housed rare botanical specimens, particularly tropical and subtropical plants “discovered” in and brought back from the increasingly explored and colonized Third World, as well as seasonal displays of tender plants.  

There were once local conservatories built to house orchid collections, ferns, begonias, palms, camellias, gardenias, and practically anything else living that might need to permanently or temporarily shelter under glass in the periodically chilly Bay Area. 

These were truly unusual and exotic places in an era before central heating allowed anyone with a sunny windowsill to successfully grow tender tropicals indoors. 

The Conservatory of Flowers is zoned into five sections, each with its own climate and character. 

Enter through the central, high-domed, Lowland Tropics exhibit, complete with palms and exuberant undergrowth, but also featuring an enormous philodendron, well over a century old, that twines its way nearly to the roof.  

The walls have small, bright, stained glass inserts that cast changing rainbows of color across the foliage. A small, rocky, waterfall chatters away. 

Turn right (east) and you’re in a cooler room with plants from the highland tropics.  

Two ornate wooden and wire cases contain a changing array of rare orchids in bloom. Look down into the central planter area for the red, pink, or orange blooms of vireyas, tropical rhododendrons. 

Beyond, in the aquatic plant room, two large pools form a figure-8, linked by a glass bridge across the narrow neck. The upper pool is slightly raised and has a curved glass side at child’s-eye level where one can see directly into the greenish underwater depths.  

Water cascades over a glass lip to the lower pool. Tropical water lilies with dazzling flowers share surface space with the enormous ribbed pads of the Giant Waterlily, Victoria amazonica, first displayed here in the 1880s. 

Around the pool perimeter are potted and hanging plants, including large carnivorous species. There’s a bench in one bright corner, often occupied by book-reading visitors. 

After soaking in the atmosphere, head back through the Palm House and west into a room decorated with a wooden Japanesque gazebo, beautiful planters, and perfect display specimens of tropical and semi-tropical plants in pots. 

Beyond is a room for changing exhibits. It currently features “The Butterfly Zone: Plants and Pollinators”, with butterflies in two stages of life. 

When we last visited, the species included black and white striped Zebra butterflies, fawn brown California Buckeyes, translucent White Peacocks, vibrant Orange Julias, and Queens.  

You’re asked not to touch the butterflies, but you can watch and photograph them up close, from inches away, as they flutter around you, nectar on flowers or bask on leaves or the conservatory glass. 

There’s a central display where the chrysalides of butterflies are hung in rows and you can observe the adults emerging from their hard cases and spreading their wings.  

Docents in the room answer questions and point out special features. 

This is a striking place to see butterflies, but I’m always a bit ambivalent about this particular approach.  

Since these species aren’t allowed to reproduce in the exhibit, there are no “host plants” for caterpillars. Thus, the egg-laden females in the exhibit seek in vain for a place to safely deposit the next generation. 

Also, while some of the species—particularly the tropicals—seem content to lazily flutter about the room, others just want to escape. The clear glass of the south facing emergency doors is patterned with butterflies trying to get into the open world beyond, and butterfly bodies litter the floor beside the doors. 

Throughout the conservatory, informational panels augment the botanical displays.  

You’ll also find some small exhibits on the history of the building and on the methods and motivations of 19th century botanical collecting that brought unusual treasures to places like the conservatory.  

Admission tickets and souvenirs are sold in two small, contextual, kiosks flanking the main entrance.  

Elaborate, patterned, displays of bedding plants—currently blue, orange, and red—look like gigantic carpets spread on the pristine lawns in front of the Conservatory.  

East of the conservatory and down a set of steps is a large, oval, dahlia garden maintained by volunteers, that can be a blaze of colorful, bowl-sized, blossoms.


The Women of Gee’s Bend and Their Quilts

By Marta Yamamoto, Special to the Planet
Friday September 15, 2006

“We never wasted anything. We worked hard, had a starvation life. We didn’t have much but we enjoyed life. How did we quilt? We cut blocks. Put the blocks together. Think in your mind, um, I can do it. We sew the blocks together.” 

—Nettie Young 

 

These simple words document a life of hardship and joy and the simple formula for making a quilt. Four generations of the women from Gee’s Bend and their extraordinary collection of quilts is the subject of the fine exhibit at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. 

While the quilts are expertly hung in all their artistic and functional glory, it is the 42 women that remind us of the strength of the human spirit. Through the black and white portraits, faces’ reflecting joy and hardship; personal narratives and gospel music, the viewer is invited into a living history sharing in their families, religion and feelings about their art. 

The story begins in Gee’s Bend, Alabama, land formed by a loop in the Alabama River, described as “home to the richest soil and the poorest people” in the United States. The isolation caused by geography, poverty and indifference also gave rise to cultural and artistic continuity, as evidenced by the body of work produced by the women of this town. 

As early as the 1800’s slave women of the Pettway plantation began the process of “piecing up,” using rags to create bedspreads. In the early 1900s slavery had been abolished but quilting continued by necessity as a means of providing warmth in drafty wood houses. Nothing was wasted or thrown out—worn work clothes, shirt and dress tails, out grown garments, fabric from the clothing of loved ones. Cotton sheeting, denim, flour and sugar sacks and later, double knits and corduroy—all found second and third lives as quilts. 

On display are no ordinary, strictly utilitarian quilts; they’re artistic expressions in the fullest. Vibrant with life and energy, the bold geometric shapes are arranged in small and large scale resembling a finely tuned yet free-wheeling improvisation. The unusual patterns, colors and textures hold your eye and draw you in.  

Using basic patterns as a springboard, each quilter proceeds to piece her quilt “My Way”, developing her own style. Regardless of age, she lays out her pieces in a way to express her own personality. What made these elders so wise as to recognize the importance of promoting creativity within the safety of a supportive community? Their motto of “Piece by yourself, quilt together” speaks volumes. 

The earliest Work Clothes Quilts take the viewer back to the 1930s, the apex of poverty in America. Lucy Mooney’s Blocks and Strips presents large pieces in faded lavender, peach, tan, black and blue with flowing lines of curved stitching flowing across. Missouri Pettway constructed a quilt from her deceased husband’s old torn up work clothes, holding his memory in the warmth the quilt provided. Both are still-life portraits of hard, yet joyful lives. 

During the video, The Quilts of Gee’s Bend, we meet Loretta Pettway, a woman whose character is etched in her face and words. She describes her hard life—in the field all day, then home to do the chores for her family. Only then does she turn to quilting, staying up until 2 or 3 a.m. She quilts out of necessity, rather than desire, yet her artistry is striking. A color photograph shows Loretta framed in the window of her house. The lovely colors of turquoise and tan from the wood planks and window trim are repeated in her expressive Housetop Quilts, where somber strips are added around a solid central block. 

The Housetop pattern is repeated often in the exhibit. One of the oldest quilts shown is that of Rachel Carey George. Old dress fabric and printed feed sacks are arranged in concentric strips. In Rachel’s narrative we learn how every scrap was used and reused no matter how faded or worn. Lillie Mae Pettway’s Housetop sports vibrant colors that jump out in spirited celebration. 

More recent works continue the “nothing goes to waste” philosophy. When sent a supply of double knit leisure suits that residents were too savvy to wear, Mary Lee Bendolph transformed them into vibrant quilts. In the 1970s Sears contracted with the women to make corduroy pillow shams. The scraps from this new medium, soft, hefty and reflective, were not wasted. Arcola Pettway’s Lazy Gal Bars displays full width strips in bold earth tones, exuding warmth and comfort. 

Mary Lee Bendolph, the elder, loves what she makes, the women with which she quilts and the gospels they sing. Her age entitles her to only do what she wants, and she chooses to quilt. Her daughter, Essie Bendolph Pettway, makes quilts as a way of getting old clothes out of the house. In the video she muses on the good feeling she gets from hanging her quilts on the fence along the highway, their colors taking her attention from everything else. She expresses pride that someone would want to purchase one and hang it on the wall.  

There is no pretension to these women. Annie Mae Young puts their artlessness into perspective. “You just put the pieces together like a puzzle, nothing fancy. What’s it called? Quilt.” She doesn’t want to do anything else. At the entrance to the exhibit hangs her Center Medallion, a center of bright orange, yellow and brown strips surrounded by bands of blues in varying hues. Big pieces and long strips, pulsating with energy yet so deeply moving that you’ll want to take the image home. 

World events may cause us to despair, as countries struggle and acts of violence never seem to abate. Gasoline prices soar while we melt the ice caps and destroy habitat. Spending an hour with the women of Gee’s Bend and their artistic expressions won’t alter the state of the world, but will rejuvenate your spirit. Their lives were harder than most of us can ever imagine, but they were able to find joy and fulfillment expressing themselves in their quilts. Their strength is contagious and heart warming. Stare into their faces, read their words, rejoice in their work.


Garden Variety: A Slice of Life on Marin’s Redwood Highway

By Ron Sullivan
Friday September 15, 2006

I’ve passed Green Jeans at about 65 mph dozens of times, and never stopped to have a look until this month. For a plant lover who had a secret girlhood crush on Mister Green Jeans, Captain Kangaroo’s gardening neighbor, this is an inexplicable lapse. 

Perhaps I’m still in subconscious shock from the day I read the credits and discovered the guy’s name was really “Lumpy” Brannum, which may or may not have also been the first time I saw him take off his hat.  

Or perhaps I’m merely eyes-front on that rather busy bit of 101 in Mill Valley. But if you’re there, just north of all that bridge-and-tunnel stuff and the hill around Sausalito, take a jog off the Seminary Drive exit and along the frontage road on the inland side. 

You’re halfway past Green Jeans’ parking lot entrance before you spot it, but there’s plenty of streetside parking. 

Aside from the usual entertaining nursery assortment—quirky geraniums, grasses, annual color, stuff with interesting red or gold or chartreuse foliage—Green Jeans has rather a lot of tropical stuff. Bamboos, including big timber types, occupy one corner patch by the parking lot; there are more gingers, cannas, ornamental taro, and the like up against the hill that borders the narrow lot.  

The best is behind a fence that’s almost right against the hill. There’s a hidden entrance to this space, near the office/houseplant shop. Most of it is shaded by a grand live oak whose trunk is festooned with strings of tiny lights, and the theme is definitely Understory Wonderland. Ferns, including what’s labeled as “Hawaiian tree fern”—something unusual; the Aussie and New Zealand tree ferns are much more common, including (unfortunately) in Hawaii.  

There’s an appropriate mushroom motif here, including an impressive metal morel sculpture and a wooden table and stools with a toadstool look. There’s also a bit of Lost World going on; one amusing if impractical set of cast cement steppingstones resembles the tracks of a Malagasy elephant-bird—or a mid-sized therapod. Maybe they work for people with good balance or very small feet. I’ve neither, but I coveted them all the same. 

Plants aside, the place has some striking outdoor art. A local artist makes the giant arthropods—ants, a spider, a marvelous stained-glass dragonfly perched on a ten-foot cattail, yard-wide butterflies, at least one of them a solar-powered battery lamp whose colors shine after dusk. It’s a trick to pull off something this unabashedly colorful without being tacky, but go see ‘em.  

Stainless steel hori-hori “mushroom knives” and Felcos, including replacement parts; greenmanure seeds and soil amendments by the scoop as well as the bag; seeds by the teaspoon in an antique wall cabinet. Check it out. 

In the middle of the spaghetti-farm lot is a little hut, Kelly’s Edge Sharpening, where the affable Mr. Kelly can hone your kitchen and garden tools (including flat powermower, but not reel mower, blades) and even hairdressing shears. You’ll be greeted by his equally affable dog. The dog’s name is Rexie or maybe Rexy; alas, in my extensive interview with Rexi I failed to ascertain the spelling.  


About the House: House Sewer Piping with Trenchless Technology

By Matt Cantor
Friday September 15, 2006

I am not a high tech guy. Ask anyone who knows me. I like technology. I respect modern whiz-bang innovation but, personally, I’m very slow to adopt anything newer than about 1965. In many ways I’m slower to adopt anything newer than the 18th century. I was listening to Linda Ronstadt interviewed on the radio the other day and she said that she really liked 19th century songs and that after about 1910 they just lose her. I’m like that. One reason is that Old is time tested; crushed, run over and aged some more. If it still works, well then you’ve got something. So when I say that there is a new technology that’s worth looking at (here it comes) I do it with some impunity. So here’s what’s new. Ready. Sewer pipes. Bet I surprised you. 

Sewers in our old housing stock are about as advanced as the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse. No moving parts and almost nothing you couldn’t make with a bunch of Hittites and a mud oven.  

The sewer pipes that run from our houses out to the street have largely been made, during the last century of clay, simple terra cotta. In fact they look just like the tiles on our roofs except that they’re tubular rather than hemi-cylindrical. These pipes, buried between the house and street are usually fitted “bell and spigot” lengths, packed at the joints with mortar. 

Bell and spigot fittings are ones where one end swells to be able to accept the insertion of the small end of another. This is what most cast-iron piping has looked like over the last century as well, although cast-iron bell and spigot was packed with a fibrous material called oakum as a backing and then filled with molten lead (leading to the slow death of many a plumber. Thank goodness we stopped doing that). 

The part of your waste water system that we’re talking about here is distinct from the DWV (Drain, Waste and Vent) piping inside your house (including the basement or crawlspace). It’s the part that’s outside the house and runs from the house (usually along the side) out to the street. The rules for these have long differed from the inside part and it is here that we experience the most serious problems. Some of these come from the primitive manner of construction but there are an attendant array of nasty failings that can descend upon thy pipes as well. They include root intrusion, breakage and dislocation as well as the usual blockages. 

Plants like to be watered and roots follow the water just as surely as Woodward and Bernstein follow the money. Roots have a wonderful methodology for destroying clay pipe. They enter at cracks or loose joints as tiny tendrils looking for a drink (lots of nutrients there too) and slowly grow bigger and bigger, thus cracking and splitting the pipes. 

They can also fill the interior of a pipe so densely that the flow of solids becomes nearly impossible. For nearly a hundred years, we’ve been using metal “snakes” with bladed heads to help cut these out but the roots keep coming back. 

Cracks in the piping can come from soil movement or pressure applied to piping near the surface. A truck backing up over your driveway can do this so try to keep the big trucks off your property. Locally, we have quite a bit of soils migration and hillside creep (not me). 

Both of these things can crack, dislocate and separate old clay (as well as newer cast iron) pipes. Therefore, I give special attention to these “sewer laterals” when looking at steep lots, wet lots or ones that show other evidence of soils movement or settlement. If the foundation is cracked and settled, I assume, generally, that the shallowly buried sewer can’t be very different, especially if it’s clay. 

Now, other materials have been used in the last 50 years or so (although clay is still used to some degree to my head-shaking amazement) and these others are far preferable but the failings I’ve noted can still occur, especially when soils movement is prevalent. 

The difficulty with this array of possible defects is that they’re so hard to diagnose, or, at least, have been for most of my life as a result of the inaccessibility of the buried pipe. In the past, we could only respond to clogs or obvious leaks (Eeeeeeewww) by calling someone to either snake out the pipe or dig it up. This might mean the replacement of a concrete pathway, sidewalk or driveway. 

A backhoe might be digging a swath through the narcissus and overall, these repairs were ungainly, expensive and destructive, but Technology is here to save the day (and a whole lotta money). We’re really lucky because we have two technologies here and they work together beautifully. The first is diagnostic and the second is surgical.  

There is no way that one can avoid comparing a sewer video camera with a colonoscopy (for o’ so many reasons) but that’s basically what it is. The system has, just as in the O.R., a camera mounted on the end of a long snake-like semi-rigid cable and a TV at the other end. There are also some cool features with some of these like the ability to “right” the image, since they tend to put you upside down as you’re watching. A flush of the toilet cleans the lens (Eeeeewwww) and you can then see all the cracks, bellies (where the water sits) and offsets (where the pipes don’t meet straight in line). 

You can also easily see the roots and other clogs prior to taking any action. Information is power and this thing leaves you without any question, so it is a very powerful tool. 

Most operators will give you a video copy of the inspection as a part of the inspection and you can expect to pay anywhere from $50-$250 for the service. But if you consider the cost of digging up a pipe, just to examine it, it’s an incredible bargain. The devices also come with a locator system that allows a break in a pipe to be pinpointed with great accuracy (depth too). 

Be sure to pop that video in at your next dinner party just before the appetizers (Eeeeewwww). 

The surgical technology that marries with the previous one so nicely is also nothing less than astounding and I mean that in a very fundamental sense since it changes the way we not only look at these system but removes a great body of distress that was formerly common to any work on these systems. 

It is a system that replaces buried pipe without trenching. Holes do need to be made where the pipe replacement begins and ends but no other digging is usually needed (though sometimes, thing don’t work out so well, right). 

A cable is run through the old broken piping from one hole to the other and a powerful winch is set down inside one hole. A heat-fused, continuous length of polyethylene piping is then pulled from one end to the other. 

It is not pulled through the piping, rather it replaces the former by “bursting” or splitting the old pipe out of the way, as the new one is pulled along. A bullet-shaped device with a cutting fin is pulled by the cable and the new pipe is fused to the back end. 

This means that a 4” pipe can be replaced with a 4” pipe and since the new pipe has no tiny breaks, roots can’t start to grow at all. Furthermore the very thing we hate about plastic, the fact that it doesn’t biodegrade, is precisely what we can love about it in this situation. This is what plastics are good for. Lastly, the piping is flexible and can stretch and bend as the earth moves and in my never humble opinion, I would guess that these laterals will outlast almost all the houses they’re installed at.  

This technology makes the work so much faster and easier than the old trenched jobs that the cost of a replacement has dropped by at least 100 percent since they’ve come along. If you were formerly looking at replacing a driveway to repair the sewer, you could be saving 300-500 percent. 

In real dollars I used to see (this is 1980’s dollars) $5,000-$15,000 on lots of these jobs and now we’re usually looking at $1,000-$4,000, so it’s time to stop paying the rooter guy to come every six month for ever (say it like a teenaged girl. I am soooo sure). 

Now here’s the part you need to pay attention to and I apologize for putting it at the end but I felt it was important to lay the groundwork, as it were, in advance. 

If you live in many of our east bay cities and you’re getting ready to sell your house, you’re going to need to have an inspection of your system done. In Alameda, you’ll have to do a wet test in which your entire system (up to the top of the foundation) is filled with water and shows almost no leakage in a 15 minute period. This may involve putting in a special fitting at the sidewalk which can be blocked by a plug. 

If you’re in Albany, Richmond, El Cerrito, Kensington and parts of West CoCo County you’ll need to complete a video camera inspection prior to transfer of the property. Almost any sign of failure in this examination will require a repair of the affected area. If your lateral is clay, you’ll almost certainly be required to replace all of it (and good riddance, I say). 

As of Oct. 1, Berkeley joins this club, so those of you now looking to buy or sell here should be prepared to get the test and negotiate the results. I believe Oakland will follow suit in the near future and eventually, I’d guess that this will come to all sewer districts. 

I’d like to thank my buddy Paul at Central Plumbing and Rooter in Alameda for taking time away from the kiddies to answer so many of my questions. 

Nobody likes to go to the doctor but we all go because we’re rather face the news sooner and have the time to take action. Now, take a deep breath. This won’t hurt a bit.


Quake Tip of the Week

By LARRY GUILLOT
Friday September 15, 2006

Retrofits – A Deep, Dark Secret? 

 

Are you one of those folks who think that a retrofit is this huge, complicated project which involves re-building your foundation and making major structural changes under your house?  

If so, think again. In the majority of cases, a retrofit is really a pretty simple process that involves three basic stages:  

1) The bracing of the cripple walls with plywood. 

2) The bolting of the braced cripple walls to the foundation. 

3) The attachment of the floor of the house to the braced cripple walls. 

All three of these must be done properly for the retrofit to be effective in a serious quake.  

To learn more about the terminology and the steps involved, go to the best website I’ve ever seen on retrofits: www.bayarearetrofit.com 

Remember, when the Hayward fault ruptures, there will be around 150,000 homes which will be uninhabitable. Don’t let yours be one of them. 

 

 

Larry Guillot is the owner of QuakePrepare, an earthquake consulting, securing and kit supply service. Contact him at 558-3299 or see www.quakeprepare.com to receive semi-monthly e-mails and safety reports.  


Arts & Events

Arts Calendar

Tuesday September 19, 2006

TUESDAY, SEPT. 19 

FILM 

Global Lens Film Festival “Thirst” at 7 p.m. at “Stolen Life” at 9:30 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. www.globalfilm.org 

Alternative Visions “Landscape Suicide” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Aging Artfully” with Amy Gorman at 1:15 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst. 981-5190. 

Michael Zielenziger speaks on “Shutting Out the Sun: How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation” at 5 p.m. in the Women’s Faculty Club Lounge, UC Campus. 642-2809. 

Jeffrey Meyers on “Modigliani: A Life” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Kelly Link describes “Magic for Beginners” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Bruce and Lloyd’s Tri Tip Trio at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Ellen Hoffman and Singers’ Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Kelly Joe Phelps at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Different Strokes at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Eldar, jazz pianist, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Jazzschool Tuesdays at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 20 

EXHIBITIONS 

East Bay Women Artists “On the Move” Paintings by Nancy Pollack, Paula Powers and Rita Sklar. Reception at 4 p.m. at the LunchStop Cafe, Joseph P. Bort Metro Center, 101 Eighth St., Oakland. Hours 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays to Nov. 30.  

FILM 

Palermo Hollywood: A Tale from Buenos Aires at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $6. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Global Lens Film Festival “Max and Mona” at 7 p.m. at “The Night of Truth” at 9:30 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. www.globalfilm.org 

Pirates and Piracy “Anne of the Indies” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

T Cooper and Adam Mansbach read from their new anthology, “A Fictional History of the United States with Huge Chunks Missing” at 7 p.m. at Diesel Bookstore, 5433 College Ave. 

“Strange Travel Suggestions” tales by Jeff Greenwald at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Philip Jenkins discusses “The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, with vocal music by African-American composers at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Whiskey Brothers Old Time and Bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Calvin Keys Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Zealous at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

La Verdad at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Salsa lessons at 8 p.m. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Hip Bones at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Eldar, jazz pianist, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, SEPT. 21 

FILM 

Flamenco Film “Rito y Geografía del Cante” at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

The Road to Damascus: Discovering Syrian Cinema “Everyday Life in a Syrian Village” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Dr. Louann Brizendine talks about “the Female Brain” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Philip Jenkins examines “The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South” at 7:30 p.m. in the Large Assembly Room, First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way at Dana. Donation $10. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

The Fareed Haque Group, raga inspired jam jazz at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Workshop at 7 p.m. Cost is $12-$20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Kiri Te Kanawa and Frederica von Stade at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $48-$110. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Harry Manx, folk, world, blues guitarist, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Terry Rodriguez Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

5 Cent Coffee, Hollertown at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Karrin Allyson at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

FRIDAY, SEPT. 22 

THEATER 

Altarena Playhouse “The Foreigner” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at 1409 High St, Alameda, through Oct. 1. Cost is $12-$15. 523-1553. www.altarena.org 

California Shakespeare Theater “As You Like It” at the Bruns Amphitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., Orinda. Tues.-Thurs., 7:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 4 p.m. through Oct. 15. Tickets are $15 and up. 548-9666. www.calshakes.org 

“Church House, Dope House, Dream House” a one-woman show by Yehmanja, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. at the Thrust Satge, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $25. www.churhchousedopehousedreamhose.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theater, “The Orchid Sandwich” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. through Oct. 21. at 951 Pomona Ave. El Cerrito. Tickets are $11-$18. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Impact Theatre “Colorado” A dark comedy about celebrity worship, Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave. Tickets are $10-$15. Runs through Oct. 28. 464-4468. www.impacttheatre.com 

Masquers Playhouse “Diary of a Scoundrel” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 2:30 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond across from the Hotel Mac. Through Sept. 30. Tickets are $15. 232-4031. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Looking for Hope” Photograhs by Matt O’Brien with text by students in the Oakland Public Schools opens at the Peralta Hacienda Historical Park Museum Gallery, 2465 34th Ave. Gallery open Thurs.-Fri. 4 to 6 p.m. and Sun. noon to 4 p.m. 532-9142. www.peraltahacienda.org 

FILM 

The Cinema of Jea-Pierre and Luc Dardenne “La promesse” at 7 p.m. and “Je pense a vous” at 9 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Oakland S.O.U.P.: Sing, Open Up, and Poetize, with Jan Steckel at 6:30 p.m. at Temescal Café. 4920 Telegraph Ave. selene@matchlessgoddess.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Deep Roots Dance “Envoi” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Eighth Street Studio Theater, 2525 8th St. Cost is $10-$15.  

Toshi Reagon at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Savion Glover, tap dancer, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $28-$68. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Tom Peron/Bud Spangler Interplay Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Pele Juju with the Shelley Doy Extet at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15-$17. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Amy Meyers and Judea Eden at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Storyhill, contemporary folk duo, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Matt Renzie Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Johnny Reyes and Amy Obenski at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. 

Guerilla Hi-Fi, Double Stroke, Myles Boisen’s Past-Present-Future at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

Allegiance, Ceremony, Acts of Sedition, benefit for the American Cancer Society, at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

Native Elements, live roots reggae, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $7-$9. 548-1159.  

San Pablo Project at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Lava Nights, One in the Chamber at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $8. 451-8100.  

Karrin Allyson at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, SEPT. 23 

EXHIBITIONS 

“The Face of Poetry” Photographs by Margaretta Mitchell. Artist talk at 3 p.m. in the Community Room 3rd Flr., Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St., through Oct. 30. 981-6100. 

“Flowers and Foliage” watercolors by Joanna Katz. Reception at 3 p.m. at Back in Action Chiropractic Center, 2500 Martin Luther King Jr Way. 

“Symbols and Myths” Chinese Hill Tribe Batiks and Embroideries. Reception at 5 p.m. at Ethic Arts and Red Gingko, 1314 10th St. 527-5270. 

FILM 

The Cinema of Jea-Pierre and Luc Dardenne “Rosetta” at 6:30 p.m. and “Falsch” at 8:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Peter Phillips, Dennis Loo and others talk about “Impeach the President: The Case Against Bush and Cheney” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Robert Harris describes “Imperium” the story of Marcus Cicero’s rise to power, at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Brian Daffern introduces his new fantasy-adventure “The Ambient Knight” at 2 p.m. at the ASUC Bookstore, Bancroft and Telegraph.  

Rhythm & Muse features Upsurge! with jazz poets Zigi Lowenberg and Raymond Nat Turner, at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., between Eunice & Rose Sts. 644-6893.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Trinity Chamber Concerts presents Stephen Sondheim’s “Company” at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St., between Durant and Bancroft. Tickets are $8-$12. For reservations call 549-3864. www.trinitychamberconcerts.com 

One Soul Sounding Concert and Ritual Autumn Equinox Celebration at 7:30 p.m. at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, 1330 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $15-$22. www.lisarafel.com  

Bryan Baker, piano and Rod Lowe, tenor, at 8 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensingon. Tickets are $15-$50. 525-0302. 

“A Walk by the Sea” World dance and music performance by Mahealani Uchiyama and guests, at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Cost is $20. 845-2605. www.mahea.com 

“Movements of Bliss” Sacred dance of India by the Odissi Vilas Dance Company at 7 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $12-$15. 415-456-2799. 

Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $22-$42. 642-9988.  

Los Boleros at 9:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568.  

Rhonda Benin & Soulful Strut at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skilet Lickers at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Cyndi Harvey and Johnny Mac at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

David Jacobs-Strain, progressive roots and blues, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Mimi Fox, solo guitar, at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15-$18. 845-5373. 

Ken Berman Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Living Remix at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $8. 451-8100.  

The Ravines at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

KC Booker & Big Soul, Rock ‘n’ Roll Adventure Kids, Little Boy Blue, at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. All ages show. Cost is $7. 841-2082.  

Matt Morrish & Trinket Lover at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Tinkture, Toast Machine at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, SEPT. 24 

THEATER 

African-American Shakespeare Company “Taming of the Shrew” at 4 p.m. at Woodminster Amphitheatr, 3300 Joaquin Miller Rd. Oakland. 238-7275.  

EXHIBITIONS  

“The Whole World is Watching” Peace and Social Justice movements of the 1960’s & 1970’s documentary photographs. Reception at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 644-6893.  

Judith Corning “Parklands” Reception with the artist at 2 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Trent Burkett “New Work in Salt and Wood” at Trax Ceramics Gallery, 1812 Fifth St. Exhibition runs to Oct. 15. 540-8729. www.traxgallery.com 

“Measure of Time” Guided tour at 2 p.m. lecture by Linda Dalrymple Henderson at 3 p.m at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. 

FILM 

The Mechanical Age “Sherlock Jr.” at 4 p.m. and “The Man with a Movie Camera” at 5:20 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Annual Grito de Lares Celebration from 4 to 7:30 p.m. p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$15. 849-2568.  

“9/11 & American Empire: Intellectuals Speak Out” at 7 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. School. Tickets are $15 in advance. 486-0698.  

Murray Silverstein reads “Any Old Wolf” and “Patterns of Home” at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Benefit Classical and Jazz Concert to restore the 1909 Steinway at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Hall, from 2 to 6 p.m. at 1924 Cedar. Donation $5. 841-4824. 

Rolando Villazón, tenor, at 3 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $68. 642-9988.  

Tilden Trio at 7 p.m. at The Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Cost ia $10-$15. 845-1350. 

Opera at the Chimes: Scenes from Carmen at 2 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $18-$22, includes reception. 836-6772. 

Sundays at Four Concert with oboist Laura Reynolds, clarinetist Bruce Foster, and the Sor Ensemble Series at 4 p.m. at Crowden Music Center, 1475 Rose St. Tickets are $18, children under 18 free. 559-2941.  

Crosspulse Rhythm Duo at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $7.50-$12.50. 925-798-1300. 

Vern Williams Memorial Concert at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761.  

Brazilian Soul Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Americana Unplugged: The Whiskey Brothers at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 655-5715. 

Kenny Werner Trio at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $18. 845-5373. 

Nate Lopez at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. 

Zoe Ellis Group at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

MONDAY, SEPT. 25 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Ayun Halliday reads from “Dirty Sugar Cookies” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

“The Myths and Reality of the Near-Death Experience” with author PMH Atwater at 7 p.m. at Unity, 2075 Eunice St. Donation $10. 523-4376. 

Poetry Express theme night on favorite poems at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Khalil Shaheed, all ages jam, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ.  

Musica ha Disconnesso at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Sarah Manning at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $6-$12. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com


Historical Society Hosts Fall Walking Tours

By Steven Finacom, Special to the Planet
Tuesday September 19, 2006

From ancient geological ages through the present, plus selected eras in between, the heritage of Berkeley is on display this fall in six walking tours. 

Local rocks, robbers and the history of radiation highlight some of the two-hour strolls through Berkeley’s past, organized by the Berkeley Historical Society (BHS), from this Saturday, Sept. 23, through Saturday, Dec. 2. 

The series begins Saturday with “Old and New in the North Shattuck Neighborhood” led by Robert Johnson, current chair of the Berkeley Landmark’s Preservation Commission. 

Participants “will explore some of the historic resources of the North Shattuck area and how new development can fit into the historic neighborhood.”  

The second tour, on Saturday, Oct. 7, reaches further into the local past than any previous BHS event. Veteran BHS volunteer and community historian Paul Grunland will guide tourgoers on a unique walk of “The Rocks of Thousand Oaks.”  

Enormous, picturesque rocks dot much of hillside Berkeley, and the Thousand Oaks neighborhood in particular. 

Generally called Northbrae Rhyolite, these outcroppings and boulders are volcanic in origin, thrust to the surface and shifted about the East Bay landscape for millennia by tectonic forces. 

When development began to spread into the Berkeley Hills, many of the rocks were incorporated into the streetscape and built landscape. The tour will include the opportunity to “view rocks usually unknown and unseen in the yards of private homes.” 

Tour number three on Saturday, Oct. 21, is titled “The Peraltas of Codornices Creek”, and promises tales of “Evictions! Foreclosures! Fraud! Murder! Ruin! Lawsuits! Thievery! Speculators!”  

Fortunately most if not all of these episodes took place long ago in 19th century Berkeley as Spanish/Mexican and American eras collided. 

Led by Dale Smith and Carole Bennett-Simmons, the tour wends through Berkeley’s Westbrae district, the northwest quadrant of town that was the site of the homestead of Domingo Peralta, whose ranch encompassed most of today’s cities of Berkeley and Albany. 

As Gold Rush settlers, squatters, and speculators spilled into the East Bay in the 1850s the Peraltas had the worst of it, eventually losing their expansive holdings.  

The tour will revisit their time, as well as later developments including the Peralta Community Gardens, the Ohlone Greenway, and what the tour leaders are calling it Berkeley’s “Other Gourmet Ghetto,” the shopping district grouped around such local institutions as Monterey Market, Lalime’s restaurant, and Berkeley Horticultural Nursery. The fifth and sixth tours focus on a pivotal time in the University of California’s past—75 years ago.  

In 1931 the University’s Radiation Laboratory—now the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)—was founded on the Berkeley campus by the brilliant experimental physicist who later earned the first Nobel Prize to honor a UC faculty member. 

From that date, and through World War II and the Cold War, the “Rad Lab” burgeoned into a massive science research complex, leading the world in high-energy physics and encompassing 76 buildings and 183 acres on the slopes of Strawberry Canyon.  

Terry Powell from LBNL will lead a Friday, Nov. 10, tour by bus through the laboratory, visiting a selection of buildings and research facilities. 

The next UC-themed tour is a week later on Sunday, Nov. 19. The author will lead a walk through the main Berkeley campus, discussing the late 1920s and early 1930s when, despite the financial and economic impact of the Great Depression, the University of California experienced one of the most interesting and energetic eras in its history. 

Participants will see several campus buildings completed and opened about 75 years ago to provide facilities for new or expanded UC programs, from agricultural economics, to the life sciences, student activities, housing, and intercollegiate sports.  

During this period the architecture of the campus became exuberantly eclectic, departing from formal Beaux Arts classicism and instead drawing inspiration from Tudor manors, Spanish Missions, Art Deco, and perhaps even Hollywood. 

The last tour of the season is free and reserved for participants who have purchased tickets for at least three of the other tours. It takes in the landmark Claremont Hotel and its gardens on Saturday, Dec. 2. 

 

 

 

BERKELEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY WALKING TOURS 

All the tours start at 10 a.m. and end around noon and should take place rain, shine, or Berkeley fog. Two walks, “Rocks of Thousand Oaks” and the Claremont Hotel tour, are not wheelchair accessible.  

Attendance is limited to 30 per tour and most BHS tours do sell out. Individual tickets: $10 per tour for the general public, $8 for members of BHS. A season ticket for members only is $30. You can join BHS for $20/individual, $25 family. 

For reservations call 848-0181, or send a check and a list of the tours you wish to attend to BHS at P.O. Box 1190, Berkeley, 94701-1190, or visit the BHS at 1931 Center St. in the Veterans Memorial Building on most Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. Add your phone number (essential) and e-mail address (if you have one) to your ticket order. Attendees will be notified of gathering points for each tour. 

 

Photograph By Steven Finacom 

Both the towering building and gardens of the historic Claremont Hotel can be visited on one of this season’s Berkeley Historical Society walking tours.


20 Artists Under One Tent at The Marsh

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Tuesday September 19, 2006

“Both the theater and the circus are places where imagination thrives, springs up and flies high,” says Ismail Azeem, coproducer with Lisa Marie Rollins of The Secret Circus, to be presented by The Marsh Berkeley on Wednesdays and Thursdays from Sept. 20 to Oct. 19. “So to take all kinds of artists and put them together under one tent—it’s genius and magic all at once.” 

The tent is The Marsh’s theater in the Gaia Building just off Shattuck on Allston, where over 20 artists will collaborate in shows that will change weekly, to open “a futuristic window where solo theater, spoken word and live music join and implode.” 

The producers envision a space where artists who’d otherwise never work together will collaborate on new creations, as well as challenge themselves to do something different. 

This week, the first show of the series will feature poetry by James Cagney, “The Takeover” by Jasper (Jsun), Azeem’s “Rude Boy” and music by Soul Cat. In “Rude Boy,” directed by David Ford, Azeem plays Jamerican (Jamaican-American) Johnny Burke, in a struggle both comic and tragic that moves toward a shocking end. Azeem has performed the piece at New York’s Lincoln Center and The Redline in Chicago, as well as hip-hop festivals in the Bay Area. 

Next week will feature EyeCue’s “Uncle Sam’s Dark Side”; a film short by Gene Hwang, “Kick Bush”; poetry by Gabriela Erandi Rico and Lisa Marie Rollins; “Don’t Let Go of the Potato” by Todd Lejeune (“a Cajun boy’s memoir of coming of age in a Louisiana bayou ... tipping over porta-potties and visiting the trailer of his true love”); “f-stop” by DJ Watson and Reg E. Gaines; and Soul Cat’s music.  

Oct. 4 and 5 will see Julia Jackson’s “Turbulence” under the tent (“Introspection runs amok during a cross-country flight ... Sex, drugs, alcohol and movies are all fair game in this exploration of the nature of denial”)—with “Where My Girls Are At,” Micia Moseley’s comedic look at “the issues that connect and separate the myriad Black women’s communities in the Bay Area, and challenges the notion that there’s only one way to be Black or Queer in the 21st century.” 

The fourth week of The Secret Circus will feature a film short by Norm Maxwell, “The Osiris Project”; Chela Simons’ “First Degree Codependency;” poetry by Augustin Palacios; and “Hard Evidence of Existence, A Black Gay Sex (& Love) Show,” based on the writings of Bay Area authors Ranekon O’Arwisters, Stewart Shaw and Zakee McGill as adapted and staged by Cedric Brown, performed by Dr. Marlon Bailey, Robert Hampton and Da’Mon Vann. 

The Secret Circus folds its tent following the shows on Oct. 18-19, featuring coproducer Lisa Marie Rollins’ “Ungrateful Daughter,” a solo performance by James Cagney, a one-act by Agustin Palacios, and more music by Soul Cat. 

 


Storied American Elms Vanish from Field and City

By Ron Sullivan, Special to the Planet
Tuesday September 19, 2006

By Ron Sullivan 

Special to the Planet 

 

A reader wrote to ask me to discuss the sad state of the elm species. Since threatened trees are much in the news locally, and have deserved even more attention than they’ve had, I’m glad (for fairly scratchy values of “glad”) to mention this, one of the native American marvels whose destruction has been so thorough and so forgotten that we’re generally oblivious to our own impoverishment.  

The first species to die off in such devastating fashion was the American chestnut. That was a keystone species of the eastern forests, and when chestnut blight did it in so completely, the whole flora and fauna changed. Oaks took over the niche, but acorns and chestnuts aren’t quite the same, and dependent populations shifted or vanished in the interim between die-off and replacement.  

The blight that struck American elms, starting around the 1930s, had had as much effect on the ecology of cities as on forests.  

Elms, particularly Ulnus americana, had long been the mark and pride of civilization. Their great size in maturity and their regal vase-like form made them logical as landmarks and meeting places long before streets and buildings cluttered up the early transit hubs—river fords, trail crossings, routes between settlements—and newcomers followed the examples of the first residents in revering the tree. It was a short step between founding a town around a distinctive tree and planting the town’s streets and squares with its descendents and brethren.  

One of my favorite tree plantings ever was a great double row of elms on Market Street, one of the main thoroughfares of Harrisburg, Pa. It was a sylvan feeling, indeed, that the great trees conferred on the street—three broad traffic lanes plus parking, roughly as broad as Berkeley’s University Avenue—as they arched almost all the way across the pavement, up the hill past my high school. They were especially breathtaking in autumn, when they turned brilliant gold. 

It’s been decades since I saw the elms last—most of my family moved to Florida, so we meet there—and I haven’t had the heart to ask if they’re still alive. Certainly they were senior trees when I left, 33 years ago.  

Dutch elm disease is a fungus, variously called Ceratocystis ulmi or Ophiostoma novo-ulmi or Ophiostoma ulmi, that clogs the tree’s vascular system; the leaves wilt and die because the water from the roots can’t get to them, and the whole tree follows. The fungus evidently got here from Europe, where it was ravaging elms, in a shipment of veneer lumber. It’s spread by two beetle species, the native bark beetle Hylurgopinus rufipes and the European elm bark beetle, Scolytus multistriatus, and directly from tree to tree when roots meet and “graft” to each other, as many kinds of tree roots commonly do.  

One thing that accelerated the epidemic in cities was precisely the strategem that planners and landscapers had used to get that stately allee effect: effectively, they’d planted a monoculture. Individual elms and regional varieties might have more resistance to the fungus, but all these close cousins—even seed-grown trees in the nurseries were likely to be from seeds of one or a few selected handsome or historic trees—didn’t stand a chance.  

American elms were even less resistant to the new fungus than European elms had been; no surprise, in a completely unexposed population. Humans have experienced similar disasters.  

Arboreta and laboratories have been working for decades to breed fungus-proof American-type elms, using parents from different populations or hybridizing American elms with Siberian elms and other related species. 

We have quite a few Chinese elms, Ulmus parvifolia, also used in this effort, as street trees in Berkeley. I like those; they’re graceful and have interesting bark patterns (“lacebark elm” is an alternate name) and are easier to prune than you might suppose if you look just at some of our more grotesquely handled specimens.  

But they’re not the same sort of tree as American elm. (Not to be all parochial about it: Other North American elms like the wahoo and the slippery elm, while also nifty in their own right, aren’t in the same league either.)  

Replacement plantings have carried their own problems; many, like fruitless mulberry, are ridiculously allergenic. None has quite the place in history as American elm, and we’re poorer for having lost so much of the species.  

 

Photograph by Ron Sullivan.  

This Chinese elm is a bit mopheaded; careful thinning would improve its looks. The species resists Dutch elm disease, but doesn’t fill the grand-old-tree niche of American elm.


Berkeley This Week

Tuesday September 19, 2006

TUESDAY, SEPT. 19 

Berkeley Garden Club “Dry Gardening” with Richard Ward, owner of The Dry Garden Nursery in Berkeley, at 2 p.m. at Epworth Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St. 524-7296. 

“Making a Difference in Africa” with environmental justice activist Frank Muramuzi on big dams in Africa at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2501 Harrison St., Oakland. Sponsored by the International Rivers Network, 848-1155. 

Strike at Half Dome with Bob Madgic, author of “Shattered Air: A True Account of Catastrophe and Courage on Yosemite’s Half Dome” at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

“Aging Artfully” with author Amy Gorman and music from Greg Young’s CD “Still Kicking” at 1:15 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst. 981-5190. 

WriterCoach Connection seeks volunteers to help students improve their writing and critical thinking skills. Training session from noon to 3 p.m. and also 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. For information call 524-2319. www.writercoachconnection.org  

Torture Teach-in and Vigil every Tues. at 12:30 p.m. at the fountain on UC Campus, Bancroft at College. 

American Red Cross Blood Services is holding a volunteer orientation in Oakland from 6 to 8 p.m. Various East Bay opportunities available. Advanced sign-up is required. 594-5165.  

Workshop on Wills for Parents with Paula Liebovitz, attorney and tax specialist at 7 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Limited, on-site child care available. 658-7353. www.bananasinc.org 

Discussion Salon on How to Stay Young at 7 p.m. at JCC, 1414 Walnut.  

Handbuilding Ceramics Class from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. John’s Senior Center, 2727 College Ave. Also Mon. from noon to 4 p.m. and Wed. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, Ashby at Ellis Sts. Free, except for materials and firing charges. For information call Diana Bohn, 525-5497. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your digital images, slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 20 

Walking Tour of Oakland Chinatown Meet at 10 a.m. at the courtyard fountain in the Pacific Renaissance Plaza at 388 Ninth St. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

“The Motherhood Manifesto” A documentary on the lack of support for families in the U.S. at 7:30 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Donation $5. Free for children. www.momsrising.org 

“Powerdown” a documentary on resource depletion and population pressures at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., between Broadway and Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. www.HumanistHall.net 

“When God is on Your Side” A film about the rise of the religious right at 7 p.m. at Berkeley-East Bay Gray Panthers, 1403 Addison St. 548-9696. 

Spirited Child Series Learn how temperament affects children’s behavior and how to best live and work with inborn traits at 7 p.m. at Bananas. To register call 752-6150. If you need child care, at $5 per child, call 658-7353.  

Prostate Cancer Screening from 7:45 -11:15 a.m. and Thurs. from 1:45 to 5:15 p.m. at Markstein Cancer Center, Peralta Pavilion, 450 30th St., Oakland. Free, but appointments required. 869-8833. 

New to DVD: “An Inconvenient Truth” at 7 p.m. at JCC, 1414 Walnut St. Cost is $3-$5. 848-0237. 

Current Events Discussion Group meets on Wed. at 7 p.m. at the Niebyl Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave. Oakland. 597-4972. 

“Believing the Bible in a Global Context” with Philip Kenkins at the GTU Convocation, at 3:30 p.m. at 1798 Scenic Ave. Reception to follow. 649-2440. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes. 548-9840. 

Fresh Produce Stand at San Pablo Park from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the Frances Albrier Community Center. Sponsored by the Ecology Center’s Farm Fresh Choice. 848-1704. www.ecologycenter.org 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil 6:30 p.m. at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. www.geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, SEPT. 21 

Berkeley Path Wanderers Berkeley After the “Big One” with local historian Richard Schwartz on how the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake changed Berkeley, at 7 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. 848-9358. www.berkeleypaths.org 

Solutions Salon on “Green-Collar Jobs” with Aya de Leon, Nancy Nadel, Van Jones, at 7 p.m. at Laney College Theater, 900 Fallon Street, Oakland. www.ellabakercenter.org 

“Maquilopolis” City of Factories A documentary by Vicky Funari and Sergio de La Torre at 7:30 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, Oakland. Benefit for the Wellstone Democratic Club and Global Exchange. Tickets are $10, available from 415-255-7296. 

LeConte Neighborhood Assn. meets at 7:30 p.m. in the LeConte School Cafeteria, Russell St. entrance. The agenda includes a candidates’ forum for District 7 between George Beier and Kriss Worthington, and other items on the Nov. 7 ballot. 843-2602. karlreeh@aol.com 

Diversity Films presents “Homeless in Paradise” at 7 p.m. at Ellen Driscoll Theater, Frank Havens School, 325 Highland Ave., Piedmont. Free. www.diversityworks.org 

“Ready or Not: The Consequences of a Pandemic Flu” with Dr. Arthur Reingold, M.D. and disaster planning expert, at 7:30 p.m. at The College Preparatory School, 6100 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $12.50-$15. www.college-prep.org/livetalk 

Community Peace Vigil on the United Nations International Day of Peace at 7 p.m. at Indian Statue Park in downtown Point Richmond. 236-0527. 

Poetry Workshop with Donna Davis from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Offered by the Berkeley Adult School. 644-6130. 

Stress Reduction for Health and Peace of Mind an 8-week course at 7 p.m. in Berkeley. For information call 524-8833. MindfulnessforHealth.com 

World of Plants Tours Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $5. 643-2755.  

FRIDAY, SEPT. 22 

Impeachment Banner Fridays at 6:45 to 8 a.m. on the Berkeley Pedestrian bridge between Seabreeze Market and the Berkeley Aquatic Park, ongoing on Fridays until impeachment is realized. www. Impeachbush-cheney.com 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with John Sutter on “What is New in the Regional Parks?” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $13.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 526-2925 or 665-9020.  

Declaration of Peace Benefit Dinner with panel discussion with Sarad Seed, Michael Eisenschauer, Magot Smith and Jim Haber at 6:30 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Hall, 1924 Cedar at Bonita. Donation $25, no one turned away. 495-5132. 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 548-6310, 845-1143. 

Kol Hadash Humanistic Rosh Hashanah Service at 7:30 p.m. at Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave. 428-1492. 

SATURDAY, SEPT. 23 

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour of Old and New in the North Shattuck Neighborhood, led by Robert Johnson, from 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $8-$10. To sign up and for meeting place call 848-0181. www.cityofberkeley 

.info/histsoc/  

Family Nature Hike to meet the creatures around Jewel Lake in Tilden Park. Meet at 10 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center. 525-2233. 

Farm Friends Meet the latest additions to the farm and say hello to the established residents on an interactive tour at 2 pm. at Tilden Little Farm, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Latino Art, Health and Community with vendors, support groups, social services and complementary treatments from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 5741 Telegraph Ave., OAkland. 420-7900. 

Banned Books Week Celebration with a community read-aloud, for all ages, of Alvin Schwartz’s “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” at 4 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6133. 

Poison Oak Learn to identify, prevent and heal poison oak at 11 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Walking Tour of Old Oakland Uptown to the Lake to discover Art Deco landmarks. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of the Paramount Theater at 2025 Broadway. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. 

Solo Sierrans Hike in Tilden Park Meet at 5 pm at Lone Oak picnic area for an hour hike through the woods. Optional dinner afterward. 234-8949. 

Autumnal Equinox Gathering Led by Rabbi David Cooper at 6:15 at the Interim Solar Calendar, in Cesar Chavez Park, Berkeley Marina. www.solarcalendar.org 

Free Market Day of Exchange from noon to 4 p.m. at People’s Park. Bring your extra things to give away, and find treasures from others. Everyone welcome. rachel@cathaus.org 

Know Your Rights Training and CopWatch Orientation from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. 548-0425. 

“The Fight for Immigrant Rights and Black Liberation” with Don Alexander, Spartacist League Central Committee, at 4 p.m. at the YWCA, 1515 Webster St., Oakland. 839-0851.  

Urban Releaf Tree Tour of Oakland and workshops in urban forestry that teach tree planting, maintenance, GIS/GPS systems, and community advocacy. For information call 601-9062.  

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. and Sun. at 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732.  

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755. 

Animal Healing Cicle, a guided meditation to send healing energy to pets at 5 p.m. at RabbitEars, 303 Arlington Ave. Suggested donation $5. 525-6155. 

Yoga for Peace at 9:30 a.m. at Ohlone Park, MLK at Hearst. Bring a yoga mat, warm blanket, and peace sign.  

Adult Fast Pitch Softball at noon. For location call 204-9500.  

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, SEPT. 24 

Farm Stories and Songs Come clap your hands or your paws and sing along at 11 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

“Bee Keeping in the City” A hands-on workshop from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Berkeley Eco-House, 1305 Hopkins St. Cost is $15 sliding scale, no one turned away. For information on what to bring call 547-8715. 

BCA Endorsement Meeting for candidates and ballot measures at 3 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 549-1208. 

Military Families & War Resisters Speak Out at 1 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, Oakland. Donation of $10 to $25 at the door, and $5 for students and seniors. 415-864-5153. 

“9/11 & American Empire: Intellectuals Speak Out” with David Ray Griffin, Peter Dale Scott, and Ray McGovern at 7 p.m. at Martin Luther King Middle School. Cost is $15-$20. Sponsored by KPFA. 848-5006. 

“Are We Still Dinosaurs? The Asteroid Test – Protecting the Earth from the Next Big Collision” at 4 p.m. at Chabot Space & Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd. Oakland. Tickets are $6-$8, seating is limited. 336-7373. 

Free Sailboat Rides from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Cal Sailing Club in the Berkeley Marina. Bring change of clothes, windbreaker, sneakers. For ages 5 and up. cal-sailing.org  

Free Hands-on Bicycle Clinic Learn how to repair flats from 10 to 11 a.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Bring your bike and tools. 527-4140. 

Community Peace Tashlick, the start of the Jewish New Year at 3 p.m. at the Emeryville Marina Follow Powell Street towards the bay past the Holiday Inn and Watergate apartment complex. The road curves to the right. Follow it to the end and park. The event is a short walk from the parking lot. www.bayareawomeninblack.org 

Berkeley City Club free tour from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tours are sponsored by the Berkeley City Club and the Landmark Heritage Foundation. Donations welcome. The Berkeley City Club is located at 2315 Durant Ave. For group reservations or more information, call 848-7800 or 883-9710. 

Balinese Dance Class with Tjokorda Istri Putra Padmini at 11 a.m. at Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Ave. 237-6849. 

Kickabout at Codornices Park Soccer for all, skill and talent not required. For more information contact cambour@hotmail.com  

Ancient Tools for Successful Living Workshops in Meditation, the I-Ching, and Qi Gong begin at 5272 Foothill Blvd. Oakland. Cost is $8 per class. 536-5934. 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

Tibetan Buddhism with Jack Petranker on “Awareness, Self-Healing and Meditation” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, SEPT. 25 

“Encounter Point” A documentary about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. www.encounterpoint.com 

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group for people aged 60 and over meets at 9:45 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. Donation $3. 524-9122. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

Lead Abatement Repairs Find out about funding for lead hazard repairs for rental properties with low-income tenants or vacant units in Oakland, Berkeley or Emeryville, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 2000 Embarcadero, #300, Oakland. Sponsored by Alameda County Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. 567-8280. 

TUESDAY, SEPT. 26 

Tuesday is for the Birds An early morning walk for birders through Bay Area parklands. Bring water, sunscreen, binoculars and a snack. This week we will visit Point Pinole. For meeting location or to borrow binoculars, call 525-2233.  

WriterCoach Connection seeks volunteers to help students improve their writing and critical thinking skills. Training from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. For information contact 524-2319. writercoachconnect@yahoo.com 

“Encounter Point” A documentary about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. Q & A with the filmaker after the 7:30 screening. www.encounterpoint.com 

Albany Library Homework Center is open from 3 to 5 p.m., Tues. and Thurs. for students in third through fifth grades. Emphasis is placed on math and writing skills. No registration is required. 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720 ext 17.  

Torture Teach-in and Vigil every Tues. at 12:30 p.m. at the fountain on UC Campus, Bancroft at College. 

“Older and Wiser: Basic Legal Knowledge for Seniors” Estate planning for seniors at 1:15 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 981-5190. 

Choosing Infant Care A workshop for parents at 7 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave., Oakland. 658-7353. www.bananasinc.org  

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. 215-7672, 524-9992. 

Handbuilding Ceramics Class from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. John’s Senior Center, 2727 College Ave. Also Mon. from noon to 4 p.m. and Wed. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, Ashby at Ellis Sts Free, except for materials and firing charges. 525-5497. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your digital images, slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

CITY MEETINGS 

City Council meets Tues., Sept. 19, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900.  

Berkeley Housing Authority meets Tues., Sept. 19, at 6:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers. 981-6900.  

Citizens Humane Commission meets Wed., Sept. 20, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6601.  

Downtown Area Plan Advisory Commission meets Wed., Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7487. 

Commission on Aging meets Wed., Sept. 20, at 1:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. William Rogers, 981-5344.  

Commission on Labor meets Wed., Sept. 20, at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7550.  

Human Welfare and Community Action Commission meets Wed. Sept. 20, at 7 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Kristen Lee, 981-5427. 

Library Board of Trustees postponed to Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. at North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6195.  

Berkeley Unified School District Board meets Wed. Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m., in the City Council Chambers. 644-6320. 

Design Review Committee meets Thurs., Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7415.  

Fair Campaign Practices Commission meets Thurs., Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6950.


Arts Calendar

Friday September 15, 2006

FRIDAY, SEPT. 15 

THEATER 

Altarena Playhouse “The Foreigner” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at 1409 High St, Alameda, through Oct. 1. Cost is $12-$15. 523-1553. www.altarena.org 

Aurora Theatre “Salome” at 8 p.m. at 2081 Addison St. and runs Wed. - Sun. through Oct. 1. Tickets are $38. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

Berkeley High “I Love You, Your’re Perfect, Now Change” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., through Sept. 16 at the Schwimley Little Theater, 1930 Allston Way. Tickets are $6-$20. 

California Shakespeare Theater “As You Like It” at the Bruns Amphitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., Orinda. Tues.-Thurs., 7:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 4 p.m. through Oct. 15. Tickets are $15 and up. 548-9666. www.calshakes.org 

Encore Theatre Company and Shotgun Players “The Typographer’s Dream” at 8 p.m. at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Sept. 17. Tickets are $15-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Masquers Playhouse “Diary of a Scoundrel” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. and Sun. at 2:30 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond across from the Hotel Mac. Through Sept. 30. Tickets are $15. 232-4031. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“The Face of Poetry” Photographs by Margaretta Mitchell on dispaly at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St., through Oct. 30. 981-6100. 

“Looking for Hope” Photograhs by Matt O’Brien with text by students in the Oakland Public Schools opens at the Peralta Hacienda Historical Park Museum Gallery, 2465 34th Ave. Artist talk at 6 p.m. Gallery open Thurs.-Fri. 4 to 6 p.m. and Sun. noon to 4 p.m. 532-9142. www.peraltahacienda.org 

“Textures of Space” new paintings by Michael Shemchuck and Mel Davis. Reception at 6 p.m. at Cecile Moochnek Gallery, 1809-D Fourth St. Exhibition runs through Oct. 29. 549-1018.  

“Educate to Liberate: A Retrospective of the Black Panther Community News Service” Exhibition in honor of the 4)th Anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party, on diplay in the Oakland History Room at the Oakland Main Library, 125 14th St. 238-3222. www.oaklandlibrary.org 

Trent Burkett “New Work in Salt and Wood” Opening reception at 5 p.m. at Trax Ceramics Gallery, 1812 Fifth St. Exhibition runs to Oct. 15. 540-8729. www.traxgallery.com 

“Horses in the Trees” works by Mark P. Fisher at Alta Galleria, 2980 College Ave. #4. Exhibition runs to Oct. 7. 421-1255. 

FILM 

Arab Film Festival with 45 films from 12 countries, through Sun. at the California Theater, 2113 Kittredge St.TIckets are $8-$10, festival pass $60-$100. 415-564-1100. www.aff.org 

Friends of African Film “One Evening in July” by Raja Amari, Tunisia, and “Riches” by Ingrid Sinclair, Zimbabwe, at 7:30 p.m. at 464 Van Buren, at Euclid. friendsofafricanfilm 

@yahoo.com 

Global Lens Film Festival “Stolen Life” at 7 p.m., “Thirst” at 9:30 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. www.globalfilm.org 

Ali Kazimi: A Commitment to Justice “Runaway Grooms” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Susan Page discusses “Why Talking is Not Enough: Eight Loving Actions That Will Transform Your Marriage” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Los Utrera in a celebration of Mexican Independence at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $13-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Suzhou Kun Opera Theater of Jiangsu “The Peony Pavilion” Fri,. and Sat. at 7 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $30-$86. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley Old Time Music Convention with new Lost City Ramblers, Stairwell Sisters at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Rep’s Thrust Stage. Cost is $25.50-$26.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Pigeon John, hip hop at noon at Lower Sproul Plaza, UC Campus. 

Upsurge Jazz & Poetry Sextet, in a benefit for library literacy programs, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Aphrodesia and guests from Ghana, Kusun Ensemble, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Dance workshop at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Tesse Loehwing, jazz, at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Ned Boynton Quintet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Jaia Suri and Fernando Tarango at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Sorrow Town Choir, Trailer Park Rangers, Lansdale Station at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082.  

Risky Business, Wake Up Call at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

Shotgun Wedding Quintet, Dynamic at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $7. 548-1159.  

Human No Longer at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Larry Harlow and the Latin Legends at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $20-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, SEPT. 16 

CHILDREN  

Madeline Dunphy introduces children to the planet’s major ecosystems and the interdependence of wildlife in her books, at 11 a.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“Chroma” works by artists of the Chroma Collective. Reception at 2 p.m. at the Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Exhibition runs to Oct. 1. 848-1228. 

“Gods and Aeroplanes” mixed media by Sally Rodriguez. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Float Art Gallery, 1091 Calcot Place, Unit # 116, in the front of the historic cotton mill studios, Oakland. 535-1702. www.thefloatcenter.com 

FILM 

Arab Film Festival with 45 films from 12 countries, through Sun. at the California Theater, 2113 Kittredge St. Tickets are $8-$10, festival pass $60-$100. 415-564-1100.  

Global Lens Film Festival “Almost Brothers” at 2 p.m., “The Night of Truth” at 7 p.m., “Stolen Life” at 9:30 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland.  

Ali Kazimi: A Commitment to Justice “Continuous Journey” at 6:30 p.m. and “Narmada: A Valley Rises” at 8:45 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“A Fictional History of the United States with Huge Chunks Missing” with Daniel Alarcón, Adam Mansbach and T Cooper at 2 p.m. at Oakland Public Library, 125 14th St. 238-3134.  

Tom Hartman introduces “Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class” at 6 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

“Aging Artfully” reading with Amy Gorman at 2 p.m. at Rockridge Library, 5366 College Ave. 527-4977. 

“Edge of Desire: Recent Art in India” Panel discussion at 3 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. Cost is $5-$8. 642-0808. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Benefit Concert to Restore the 1909 Steinway at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Hall, with rock and folk favorites at 6 p.m. at 1924 Cedar at Bonita. Donation $5. 841-4824. 

Zorina London, Huntley Brown and Heavenly Melody Choir at 7:30 p.m. at Black Repertory Theater, 3201 Adeline St. Tickets are $15. 562-2120. 

Araucaria, traditional Chilean music and dance, at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568.  

Robin Gregory and her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

Berkeley Old Time Music Convention Square Dance with Squirrelly String Band, Uncle Wiggley, Adam Rose Band, at 7 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $5-$15. 525-5054.  

John Richardson Band with Hudson Bunce and John Shinnick at 9 p.m. at the Circus Pub, 389 Colusa Ave, Kensington. 

Ellen Honert and TC at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Slapshaw’s Latin Tryout at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Neydavood Ensemble, classical Persian music, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761.  

The Sick, Insolence, Re Ignition at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886.  

Ben Goldberg Quartet at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. 

Josh Workman Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

George Cotsirilos Jazz Group at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

John Howland Trio, Peter Maybarduk, Steve Taylor at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082.  

Shinoubu, The Queers, Groovie Ghoulies at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, SEPT. 17 

EXHIBITIONS 

New Works by Kazuyo Sato-Leue, abstract expressionist. Reception at 2 p.m. at Westside Barkery Cafe, 250 Ninth St., and runs through Dec. 31. www.studiokazuyo.com 

“Edge of Desire: Recent Art in India” Guided tour at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. 

FILM 

Arab Film Festival with 45 films from 12 countries, at the California Theater, 2113 Kittredge St. Tickets are $8-$10, festival pass $60-$100. 415-564-1100. www.aff.org 

Global Lens Film Festival “Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures” at 2 p.m., “Global Shorts” at 7 p.m., “Stolen Life” at 9:30 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. www.globalfilm.org 

The Unsilent Film: “The Sentimaental Bloke” at 5 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Creative Aging Film Fest at 7 p.m. at JCC, 1414 Walnut St. Cost is $10. 848-0237. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Folk and Fine Arts Flux in India Today” Gallery talk with Joanna Williams at 3 p.m. at at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. Cost is $5-$8. 642-0808 

“Building a Jewish Collection” with Alla Efimova, Karen Levitov and George Krevsky at 2 p.m. at Magnes Museum, 2911 Russell St. Cost is $10-$12. 549-6950.  

S. Beth Atkin talks about “Gunstories: Life-Changing Experiences with Guns” at 4 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Robin Morgan and Helen Zia discuss “Fighting Words” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

The Novello Quartet performs works of Haydn and Mozart at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Cost is $9-$10. 644-6893.  

Jazz at the Chimes with Stephanie Bruce “Peace: An Invocation” at 2 p.m. at 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Cost is $10, includes reception. 288-3207.  

Zorina London, Huntley Brown and Heavenly Melody Choir at 4:30 p.m. at Black Repertory Theater, 3201 Adeline St. Tickets are $15. 562-2120. 

Bearfoot Bluegrass, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Nuccia Focile, soprano at 3 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $48. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Americana Unplugged: Old-Time Cabaret from 3 to 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 655-5715. 

Peter Apfelbaum, The New York Hieroglyphics and Abdoulaye Diabate at 8 and 10 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $18-$20. 849-2568.  

Ricardo Peixoto & Marcos Silva Duo, Brazilian classics, at 4:30 at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15-$18. 845-5373.  

Jason Armstrong & Joe Kenny at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Lethal Agression, Security Threat, Ill Content at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

MONDAY, SEPT. 18 

FILM 

Global Lens Film Festival “Stolen Life” at 7 p.m. at “In the Battlefields” at 9:30 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. www.globalfilm.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Sunnylyn Thibodeaux and Julien Poirier at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Brian Copeland presents the book version of the one-man show he took to Broadway “Not a Genuine Black Man” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Anthony Horowitz, children’s fiction author, at 4 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Poetry Express with Jannie Dresser at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

Mary Gaitskill reads from her new novel “Veronica” set in Paris and Manhattan in the 1980s at 7 p.m. at Cody’s on Fourth St.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Khalil Shaheed, all ages jam, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Trovatore, traditional Italian music, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Aaron Goldberg Trio at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$14. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com  

TUESDAY, SEPT. 19 

FILM 

Global Lens Film Festival “Thirst” at 7 p.m. at “Stolen Life” at 9:30 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. www.globalfilm.org 

Alternative Visions “Landscape Suicide” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Aging Artfully” with Amy Gorman at 1:15 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst. 981-5190. 

Michael Zielenziger speaks on “Shutting Out the Sun: How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation” at 5 p.m. in the Women’s Faculty Club Lounge, UC Campus. 642-2809. 

Jeffrey Meyers on “Modigliani: A Life” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Kelly Link describes “Magic for Beginners” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Bruce and Lloyd’s Tri Tip Trio at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Ellen Hoffman and Singers’ Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Kelly Joe Phelps at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Different Strokes at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Eldar, jazz pianist, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Jazzschool Tuesdays at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 20 

EXHIBITIONS 

East Bay Women Artists “On the Move” Paintings by Nancy Pollack, Paula Powers and Rita Sklar. Reception at 4 p.m. at the LunchStop Cafe, Joseph P. Bort Metro Center, 101 Eighth St., Oakland. Hours 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays to Nov. 30.  

FILM 

Palermo Hollywood: A Tale from Buenos Aires at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $6. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Global Lens Film Festival “Max and Mona” at 7 p.m. at “The Night of Truth” at 9:30 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. www.globalfilm.org 

Pirates and Piracy “Anne of the Indies” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

T Cooper and Adam Mansbach read from their new anthology, “A Fictional History of the United States with Huge Chunks Missing” at 7 p.m. at Diesel Bookstore, 5433 College Ave. 

“Strange Travel Suggestions” tales by Jeff Greenwald at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Philip Jenkins discusses “The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, with vocal music by African-American composers at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Whiskey Brothers Old Time and Bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Calvin Keys Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com


Moving Pictures: Arab Film Fest Blends the Personal and the Political

By Justin DeFreitas
Friday September 15, 2006

For most Americans, the impact of Washington politics and policy does not intrude much on everyday life. Unless you happen to be a member of a particularly demonized minority, or have a loved one on the front lines in Iraq or Afghanistan, it can be all too easy to go through life blithely unaware of the consequences of public policy and legislated morality.  

The tenth annual Arab Film Festival, which comes to Berkeley’s California Theater this weekend, presents portraits of people who do not have that luxury, people who live with the unavoidable consequences of conflicts, both political and moral, that leave a indelible mark on their everyday lives.  

Kiss Me Not on the Eyes (Sunday 4:15 p.m.) is the story of Dunia, a young student and bellydancer who walks a fine line in modern-day Cairo between the traditional notions of womanhood and her desire for love, beauty, sensuality and freedom. It is an engaging examination of the intersection between the personal and the political, putting a human face on the conflict between the individual and the mores of the society in which she lives.  

The film evinces much of what originally made motion pictures such a potent art form early in the last century: In the words of Sunset Boulevard’s Norma Desmond, “They had faces!” The first few minutes of the film—before the characters have been established, before the plot has been articulated—the beautiful and expressive face of Hanane Turk, as Dunia, hooks the viewer with its intelligence, sensitivity, sensuality and charm. Before she has danced a step, before she has revealed a single thought or emotion, her eyes communicate all we need to know to take an interest in her plight.  

Occupation 101: Voices of the Silenced Majority (Friday, 7 p.m.) takes a different approach to that intersection, exploring the Israel-Palestine conflict from a distinctly Palestinian perspective, one not often explored in American mainstream media.  

The film is something of a polemic along the lines of the rash of left-leaning documentaries to hit American theaters over the past few years in the wake of Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. It does not present a quiet, measured documentation of a debated topic, but rather a case for one side. It is a film that is more likely to reinforce the viewer’s opinions rather than alter them. 

Which is not to say the film doesn’t back up its case; the filmmakers have plenty of facts, statistics, anecdotes and analysis, and they make their arguments forcefully. But the overwrought tone of the film, with its dramatic cuts, gratuitous reverb effects and ubiquitous, ominous music, unfortunately undermines much of the film’s power.  

The same themes and perspectives are portrayed more artfully in another of the festival’s documentaries, Goal Dreams.  

Goal Dreams (Friday, 9 p.m.) follows the Palestinian national soccer team as they prepare for a qualifying match for the 2006 World Cup. In just one month they will play a decisive match against Uzbekistan; if they win, they will continue to fight another day, but if they lose or draw they will be eliminated. Along the way, the team faces myriad obstacles, setting up a series of metaphors by which to examine the theme of Palestinian identity. 

For instance, the coaches have difficulty selecting players because Palestine has no professional league from which to draw. They don’t even have a home field, but must instead travel to Egypt for a suitable facility. And the best Palestinian players are scattered across the globe, setting up barriers of playing style as well as language—a problem only exacerbated by the fact that the coach is Austrian.  

And this leads to the team’s most debilitating obstacle: Once the players have been selected it proves nearly impossible to assemble them, for half of the players come from the West Bank and Gaza and cannot make it to Egypt unless the Israeli military opens the border. Five times the players travel to the border and wait for hours, only to learn they will not be allowed to pass through after all. By the time they arrive the team has only about two weeks to prepare and train.  

When the team appeals to FIFA, the sport’s international governing body, asking that the match be postponed until they’ve had time to prepare, FIFA denies the request, preferring not to get involved in “political matters.” 

But this is a region where political matters are difficult to ignore. The film doesn’t dwell on the politics or the history of the situation, but merely provides a portrait of a unique group of men forced to struggle with its everyday consequences.  

The Austrian coach puts it best when he says that he came to Palestine simply to coach soccer and did not want to get involved with the political situation. “But once you are here,” he says, “you are automatically involved.”


BHS Drama Acts its Way to Edinburgh

By KEN BULLOCK
Friday September 15, 2006

Students of the Berkeley High School Drama Department have been invited to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland next summer and are staging a set of fundraiser performances this weekend to help get there. 

The benefit performances of the recent Broadway musical I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, will be staged at 8 p.m. tonight (Friday) and Saturday at the Schwimley Little Theater on campus. 

Tickets are $6 for students and seniors Friday, and on Saturday (a gala with food provided) $10 and $20. Information and reservations are available through Jordan Winer, head of the Drama Department, 332-1931.  

The students applied to the American High School Theatre Festival, part of the larger Edinburgh Fringe, last year, sending videos and photographs of productions. They received an invitation in April to participate and decided to produce Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation of The Arabian Nights. 

To defray expenses—about $4,500 per person—for the 24 students and three adults scheduled to go next August, the program has been putting on what Winer referred to as a “fundraising ballet,” with raffles of season tickets donated by local theater companies and the students rehearsing during their summer vacation to put on the musical comedy as a benefit. 

“Depending on family income, some parents are able to come up with all the expenses, some with half, some much less or none at all,” Winer said. “We’re allowed one free chaperone per 15 kids; I’m trying to recruit more adults. But there’s been great participation by the community, especially the local theater companies—Berkeley Rep, Shotgun Players, CalShakes, A.C.T.—in donating season tickets to raffle. And people preparing food for the Saturday night gala. We hope everybody can feed off the excitement.” 

Mark Coplan, Berkeley school district spokesperson, said the drama program deserved a spot in the prestigious international arts festival. 

“The difference between going to A.C.T. and seeing a show at Berkeley High is that these kids are the kids the people in A.C.T. were in high school,” he said. They’ve directed their own productions. They can do it all!” 


Butterfly Exhibit at Golden Gate Park Landmark

By STEVEN FINACOM
Friday September 15, 2006

If one were to choose a building most likely to survive the ages in San Francisco—or any other place, for that matter—it would seem unlikely that a structure made primarily of glass and fragile wood could top the list. 

But there it is, in the green heart of Golden Gate Park—the Conservatory of Flowers, now some 127 years old and well prepared for the 21st century. 

This time of year seems an especially good time to visit. Not only is there a butterfly exhibit through Oct. 29, but the vicinity is sparkling with seasonal outdoor Victorian horticultural displays.  

Built in 1878-79 of materials purchased by civic-minded San Franciscans from the estate of James Lick, the conservatory has recovered from fires, a boiler explosion, earthquake, storms, and periodic closings. 

General deterioration and wind damage in 1995 forced closure for several years of multi-million dollar reconstruction. It reopened in 2003 with new features and plantings well integrated with the old. 

The Conservatory of Flowers—essentially a huge, ornate, public greenhouse—is a singular survivor of the dozens of similar structures that populated California’s public spaces and private estates in the 19th century. 

19th century conservatories housed rare botanical specimens, particularly tropical and subtropical plants “discovered” in and brought back from the increasingly explored and colonized Third World, as well as seasonal displays of tender plants.  

There were once local conservatories built to house orchid collections, ferns, begonias, palms, camellias, gardenias, and practically anything else living that might need to permanently or temporarily shelter under glass in the periodically chilly Bay Area. 

These were truly unusual and exotic places in an era before central heating allowed anyone with a sunny windowsill to successfully grow tender tropicals indoors. 

The Conservatory of Flowers is zoned into five sections, each with its own climate and character. 

Enter through the central, high-domed, Lowland Tropics exhibit, complete with palms and exuberant undergrowth, but also featuring an enormous philodendron, well over a century old, that twines its way nearly to the roof.  

The walls have small, bright, stained glass inserts that cast changing rainbows of color across the foliage. A small, rocky, waterfall chatters away. 

Turn right (east) and you’re in a cooler room with plants from the highland tropics.  

Two ornate wooden and wire cases contain a changing array of rare orchids in bloom. Look down into the central planter area for the red, pink, or orange blooms of vireyas, tropical rhododendrons. 

Beyond, in the aquatic plant room, two large pools form a figure-8, linked by a glass bridge across the narrow neck. The upper pool is slightly raised and has a curved glass side at child’s-eye level where one can see directly into the greenish underwater depths.  

Water cascades over a glass lip to the lower pool. Tropical water lilies with dazzling flowers share surface space with the enormous ribbed pads of the Giant Waterlily, Victoria amazonica, first displayed here in the 1880s. 

Around the pool perimeter are potted and hanging plants, including large carnivorous species. There’s a bench in one bright corner, often occupied by book-reading visitors. 

After soaking in the atmosphere, head back through the Palm House and west into a room decorated with a wooden Japanesque gazebo, beautiful planters, and perfect display specimens of tropical and semi-tropical plants in pots. 

Beyond is a room for changing exhibits. It currently features “The Butterfly Zone: Plants and Pollinators”, with butterflies in two stages of life. 

When we last visited, the species included black and white striped Zebra butterflies, fawn brown California Buckeyes, translucent White Peacocks, vibrant Orange Julias, and Queens.  

You’re asked not to touch the butterflies, but you can watch and photograph them up close, from inches away, as they flutter around you, nectar on flowers or bask on leaves or the conservatory glass. 

There’s a central display where the chrysalides of butterflies are hung in rows and you can observe the adults emerging from their hard cases and spreading their wings.  

Docents in the room answer questions and point out special features. 

This is a striking place to see butterflies, but I’m always a bit ambivalent about this particular approach.  

Since these species aren’t allowed to reproduce in the exhibit, there are no “host plants” for caterpillars. Thus, the egg-laden females in the exhibit seek in vain for a place to safely deposit the next generation. 

Also, while some of the species—particularly the tropicals—seem content to lazily flutter about the room, others just want to escape. The clear glass of the south facing emergency doors is patterned with butterflies trying to get into the open world beyond, and butterfly bodies litter the floor beside the doors. 

Throughout the conservatory, informational panels augment the botanical displays.  

You’ll also find some small exhibits on the history of the building and on the methods and motivations of 19th century botanical collecting that brought unusual treasures to places like the conservatory.  

Admission tickets and souvenirs are sold in two small, contextual, kiosks flanking the main entrance.  

Elaborate, patterned, displays of bedding plants—currently blue, orange, and red—look like gigantic carpets spread on the pristine lawns in front of the Conservatory.  

East of the conservatory and down a set of steps is a large, oval, dahlia garden maintained by volunteers, that can be a blaze of colorful, bowl-sized, blossoms.


The Women of Gee’s Bend and Their Quilts

By Marta Yamamoto, Special to the Planet
Friday September 15, 2006

“We never wasted anything. We worked hard, had a starvation life. We didn’t have much but we enjoyed life. How did we quilt? We cut blocks. Put the blocks together. Think in your mind, um, I can do it. We sew the blocks together.” 

—Nettie Young 

 

These simple words document a life of hardship and joy and the simple formula for making a quilt. Four generations of the women from Gee’s Bend and their extraordinary collection of quilts is the subject of the fine exhibit at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. 

While the quilts are expertly hung in all their artistic and functional glory, it is the 42 women that remind us of the strength of the human spirit. Through the black and white portraits, faces’ reflecting joy and hardship; personal narratives and gospel music, the viewer is invited into a living history sharing in their families, religion and feelings about their art. 

The story begins in Gee’s Bend, Alabama, land formed by a loop in the Alabama River, described as “home to the richest soil and the poorest people” in the United States. The isolation caused by geography, poverty and indifference also gave rise to cultural and artistic continuity, as evidenced by the body of work produced by the women of this town. 

As early as the 1800’s slave women of the Pettway plantation began the process of “piecing up,” using rags to create bedspreads. In the early 1900s slavery had been abolished but quilting continued by necessity as a means of providing warmth in drafty wood houses. Nothing was wasted or thrown out—worn work clothes, shirt and dress tails, out grown garments, fabric from the clothing of loved ones. Cotton sheeting, denim, flour and sugar sacks and later, double knits and corduroy—all found second and third lives as quilts. 

On display are no ordinary, strictly utilitarian quilts; they’re artistic expressions in the fullest. Vibrant with life and energy, the bold geometric shapes are arranged in small and large scale resembling a finely tuned yet free-wheeling improvisation. The unusual patterns, colors and textures hold your eye and draw you in.  

Using basic patterns as a springboard, each quilter proceeds to piece her quilt “My Way”, developing her own style. Regardless of age, she lays out her pieces in a way to express her own personality. What made these elders so wise as to recognize the importance of promoting creativity within the safety of a supportive community? Their motto of “Piece by yourself, quilt together” speaks volumes. 

The earliest Work Clothes Quilts take the viewer back to the 1930s, the apex of poverty in America. Lucy Mooney’s Blocks and Strips presents large pieces in faded lavender, peach, tan, black and blue with flowing lines of curved stitching flowing across. Missouri Pettway constructed a quilt from her deceased husband’s old torn up work clothes, holding his memory in the warmth the quilt provided. Both are still-life portraits of hard, yet joyful lives. 

During the video, The Quilts of Gee’s Bend, we meet Loretta Pettway, a woman whose character is etched in her face and words. She describes her hard life—in the field all day, then home to do the chores for her family. Only then does she turn to quilting, staying up until 2 or 3 a.m. She quilts out of necessity, rather than desire, yet her artistry is striking. A color photograph shows Loretta framed in the window of her house. The lovely colors of turquoise and tan from the wood planks and window trim are repeated in her expressive Housetop Quilts, where somber strips are added around a solid central block. 

The Housetop pattern is repeated often in the exhibit. One of the oldest quilts shown is that of Rachel Carey George. Old dress fabric and printed feed sacks are arranged in concentric strips. In Rachel’s narrative we learn how every scrap was used and reused no matter how faded or worn. Lillie Mae Pettway’s Housetop sports vibrant colors that jump out in spirited celebration. 

More recent works continue the “nothing goes to waste” philosophy. When sent a supply of double knit leisure suits that residents were too savvy to wear, Mary Lee Bendolph transformed them into vibrant quilts. In the 1970s Sears contracted with the women to make corduroy pillow shams. The scraps from this new medium, soft, hefty and reflective, were not wasted. Arcola Pettway’s Lazy Gal Bars displays full width strips in bold earth tones, exuding warmth and comfort. 

Mary Lee Bendolph, the elder, loves what she makes, the women with which she quilts and the gospels they sing. Her age entitles her to only do what she wants, and she chooses to quilt. Her daughter, Essie Bendolph Pettway, makes quilts as a way of getting old clothes out of the house. In the video she muses on the good feeling she gets from hanging her quilts on the fence along the highway, their colors taking her attention from everything else. She expresses pride that someone would want to purchase one and hang it on the wall.  

There is no pretension to these women. Annie Mae Young puts their artlessness into perspective. “You just put the pieces together like a puzzle, nothing fancy. What’s it called? Quilt.” She doesn’t want to do anything else. At the entrance to the exhibit hangs her Center Medallion, a center of bright orange, yellow and brown strips surrounded by bands of blues in varying hues. Big pieces and long strips, pulsating with energy yet so deeply moving that you’ll want to take the image home. 

World events may cause us to despair, as countries struggle and acts of violence never seem to abate. Gasoline prices soar while we melt the ice caps and destroy habitat. Spending an hour with the women of Gee’s Bend and their artistic expressions won’t alter the state of the world, but will rejuvenate your spirit. Their lives were harder than most of us can ever imagine, but they were able to find joy and fulfillment expressing themselves in their quilts. Their strength is contagious and heart warming. Stare into their faces, read their words, rejoice in their work.


Garden Variety: A Slice of Life on Marin’s Redwood Highway

By Ron Sullivan
Friday September 15, 2006

I’ve passed Green Jeans at about 65 mph dozens of times, and never stopped to have a look until this month. For a plant lover who had a secret girlhood crush on Mister Green Jeans, Captain Kangaroo’s gardening neighbor, this is an inexplicable lapse. 

Perhaps I’m still in subconscious shock from the day I read the credits and discovered the guy’s name was really “Lumpy” Brannum, which may or may not have also been the first time I saw him take off his hat.  

Or perhaps I’m merely eyes-front on that rather busy bit of 101 in Mill Valley. But if you’re there, just north of all that bridge-and-tunnel stuff and the hill around Sausalito, take a jog off the Seminary Drive exit and along the frontage road on the inland side. 

You’re halfway past Green Jeans’ parking lot entrance before you spot it, but there’s plenty of streetside parking. 

Aside from the usual entertaining nursery assortment—quirky geraniums, grasses, annual color, stuff with interesting red or gold or chartreuse foliage—Green Jeans has rather a lot of tropical stuff. Bamboos, including big timber types, occupy one corner patch by the parking lot; there are more gingers, cannas, ornamental taro, and the like up against the hill that borders the narrow lot.  

The best is behind a fence that’s almost right against the hill. There’s a hidden entrance to this space, near the office/houseplant shop. Most of it is shaded by a grand live oak whose trunk is festooned with strings of tiny lights, and the theme is definitely Understory Wonderland. Ferns, including what’s labeled as “Hawaiian tree fern”—something unusual; the Aussie and New Zealand tree ferns are much more common, including (unfortunately) in Hawaii.  

There’s an appropriate mushroom motif here, including an impressive metal morel sculpture and a wooden table and stools with a toadstool look. There’s also a bit of Lost World going on; one amusing if impractical set of cast cement steppingstones resembles the tracks of a Malagasy elephant-bird—or a mid-sized therapod. Maybe they work for people with good balance or very small feet. I’ve neither, but I coveted them all the same. 

Plants aside, the place has some striking outdoor art. A local artist makes the giant arthropods—ants, a spider, a marvelous stained-glass dragonfly perched on a ten-foot cattail, yard-wide butterflies, at least one of them a solar-powered battery lamp whose colors shine after dusk. It’s a trick to pull off something this unabashedly colorful without being tacky, but go see ‘em.  

Stainless steel hori-hori “mushroom knives” and Felcos, including replacement parts; greenmanure seeds and soil amendments by the scoop as well as the bag; seeds by the teaspoon in an antique wall cabinet. Check it out. 

In the middle of the spaghetti-farm lot is a little hut, Kelly’s Edge Sharpening, where the affable Mr. Kelly can hone your kitchen and garden tools (including flat powermower, but not reel mower, blades) and even hairdressing shears. You’ll be greeted by his equally affable dog. The dog’s name is Rexie or maybe Rexy; alas, in my extensive interview with Rexi I failed to ascertain the spelling.  


About the House: House Sewer Piping with Trenchless Technology

By Matt Cantor
Friday September 15, 2006

I am not a high tech guy. Ask anyone who knows me. I like technology. I respect modern whiz-bang innovation but, personally, I’m very slow to adopt anything newer than about 1965. In many ways I’m slower to adopt anything newer than the 18th century. I was listening to Linda Ronstadt interviewed on the radio the other day and she said that she really liked 19th century songs and that after about 1910 they just lose her. I’m like that. One reason is that Old is time tested; crushed, run over and aged some more. If it still works, well then you’ve got something. So when I say that there is a new technology that’s worth looking at (here it comes) I do it with some impunity. So here’s what’s new. Ready. Sewer pipes. Bet I surprised you. 

Sewers in our old housing stock are about as advanced as the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse. No moving parts and almost nothing you couldn’t make with a bunch of Hittites and a mud oven.  

The sewer pipes that run from our houses out to the street have largely been made, during the last century of clay, simple terra cotta. In fact they look just like the tiles on our roofs except that they’re tubular rather than hemi-cylindrical. These pipes, buried between the house and street are usually fitted “bell and spigot” lengths, packed at the joints with mortar. 

Bell and spigot fittings are ones where one end swells to be able to accept the insertion of the small end of another. This is what most cast-iron piping has looked like over the last century as well, although cast-iron bell and spigot was packed with a fibrous material called oakum as a backing and then filled with molten lead (leading to the slow death of many a plumber. Thank goodness we stopped doing that). 

The part of your waste water system that we’re talking about here is distinct from the DWV (Drain, Waste and Vent) piping inside your house (including the basement or crawlspace). It’s the part that’s outside the house and runs from the house (usually along the side) out to the street. The rules for these have long differed from the inside part and it is here that we experience the most serious problems. Some of these come from the primitive manner of construction but there are an attendant array of nasty failings that can descend upon thy pipes as well. They include root intrusion, breakage and dislocation as well as the usual blockages. 

Plants like to be watered and roots follow the water just as surely as Woodward and Bernstein follow the money. Roots have a wonderful methodology for destroying clay pipe. They enter at cracks or loose joints as tiny tendrils looking for a drink (lots of nutrients there too) and slowly grow bigger and bigger, thus cracking and splitting the pipes. 

They can also fill the interior of a pipe so densely that the flow of solids becomes nearly impossible. For nearly a hundred years, we’ve been using metal “snakes” with bladed heads to help cut these out but the roots keep coming back. 

Cracks in the piping can come from soil movement or pressure applied to piping near the surface. A truck backing up over your driveway can do this so try to keep the big trucks off your property. Locally, we have quite a bit of soils migration and hillside creep (not me). 

Both of these things can crack, dislocate and separate old clay (as well as newer cast iron) pipes. Therefore, I give special attention to these “sewer laterals” when looking at steep lots, wet lots or ones that show other evidence of soils movement or settlement. If the foundation is cracked and settled, I assume, generally, that the shallowly buried sewer can’t be very different, especially if it’s clay. 

Now, other materials have been used in the last 50 years or so (although clay is still used to some degree to my head-shaking amazement) and these others are far preferable but the failings I’ve noted can still occur, especially when soils movement is prevalent. 

The difficulty with this array of possible defects is that they’re so hard to diagnose, or, at least, have been for most of my life as a result of the inaccessibility of the buried pipe. In the past, we could only respond to clogs or obvious leaks (Eeeeeeewww) by calling someone to either snake out the pipe or dig it up. This might mean the replacement of a concrete pathway, sidewalk or driveway. 

A backhoe might be digging a swath through the narcissus and overall, these repairs were ungainly, expensive and destructive, but Technology is here to save the day (and a whole lotta money). We’re really lucky because we have two technologies here and they work together beautifully. The first is diagnostic and the second is surgical.  

There is no way that one can avoid comparing a sewer video camera with a colonoscopy (for o’ so many reasons) but that’s basically what it is. The system has, just as in the O.R., a camera mounted on the end of a long snake-like semi-rigid cable and a TV at the other end. There are also some cool features with some of these like the ability to “right” the image, since they tend to put you upside down as you’re watching. A flush of the toilet cleans the lens (Eeeeewwww) and you can then see all the cracks, bellies (where the water sits) and offsets (where the pipes don’t meet straight in line). 

You can also easily see the roots and other clogs prior to taking any action. Information is power and this thing leaves you without any question, so it is a very powerful tool. 

Most operators will give you a video copy of the inspection as a part of the inspection and you can expect to pay anywhere from $50-$250 for the service. But if you consider the cost of digging up a pipe, just to examine it, it’s an incredible bargain. The devices also come with a locator system that allows a break in a pipe to be pinpointed with great accuracy (depth too). 

Be sure to pop that video in at your next dinner party just before the appetizers (Eeeeewwww). 

The surgical technology that marries with the previous one so nicely is also nothing less than astounding and I mean that in a very fundamental sense since it changes the way we not only look at these system but removes a great body of distress that was formerly common to any work on these systems. 

It is a system that replaces buried pipe without trenching. Holes do need to be made where the pipe replacement begins and ends but no other digging is usually needed (though sometimes, thing don’t work out so well, right). 

A cable is run through the old broken piping from one hole to the other and a powerful winch is set down inside one hole. A heat-fused, continuous length of polyethylene piping is then pulled from one end to the other. 

It is not pulled through the piping, rather it replaces the former by “bursting” or splitting the old pipe out of the way, as the new one is pulled along. A bullet-shaped device with a cutting fin is pulled by the cable and the new pipe is fused to the back end. 

This means that a 4” pipe can be replaced with a 4” pipe and since the new pipe has no tiny breaks, roots can’t start to grow at all. Furthermore the very thing we hate about plastic, the fact that it doesn’t biodegrade, is precisely what we can love about it in this situation. This is what plastics are good for. Lastly, the piping is flexible and can stretch and bend as the earth moves and in my never humble opinion, I would guess that these laterals will outlast almost all the houses they’re installed at.  

This technology makes the work so much faster and easier than the old trenched jobs that the cost of a replacement has dropped by at least 100 percent since they’ve come along. If you were formerly looking at replacing a driveway to repair the sewer, you could be saving 300-500 percent. 

In real dollars I used to see (this is 1980’s dollars) $5,000-$15,000 on lots of these jobs and now we’re usually looking at $1,000-$4,000, so it’s time to stop paying the rooter guy to come every six month for ever (say it like a teenaged girl. I am soooo sure). 

Now here’s the part you need to pay attention to and I apologize for putting it at the end but I felt it was important to lay the groundwork, as it were, in advance. 

If you live in many of our east bay cities and you’re getting ready to sell your house, you’re going to need to have an inspection of your system done. In Alameda, you’ll have to do a wet test in which your entire system (up to the top of the foundation) is filled with water and shows almost no leakage in a 15 minute period. This may involve putting in a special fitting at the sidewalk which can be blocked by a plug. 

If you’re in Albany, Richmond, El Cerrito, Kensington and parts of West CoCo County you’ll need to complete a video camera inspection prior to transfer of the property. Almost any sign of failure in this examination will require a repair of the affected area. If your lateral is clay, you’ll almost certainly be required to replace all of it (and good riddance, I say). 

As of Oct. 1, Berkeley joins this club, so those of you now looking to buy or sell here should be prepared to get the test and negotiate the results. I believe Oakland will follow suit in the near future and eventually, I’d guess that this will come to all sewer districts. 

I’d like to thank my buddy Paul at Central Plumbing and Rooter in Alameda for taking time away from the kiddies to answer so many of my questions. 

Nobody likes to go to the doctor but we all go because we’re rather face the news sooner and have the time to take action. Now, take a deep breath. This won’t hurt a bit.


Quake Tip of the Week

By LARRY GUILLOT
Friday September 15, 2006

Retrofits – A Deep, Dark Secret? 

 

Are you one of those folks who think that a retrofit is this huge, complicated project which involves re-building your foundation and making major structural changes under your house?  

If so, think again. In the majority of cases, a retrofit is really a pretty simple process that involves three basic stages:  

1) The bracing of the cripple walls with plywood. 

2) The bolting of the braced cripple walls to the foundation. 

3) The attachment of the floor of the house to the braced cripple walls. 

All three of these must be done properly for the retrofit to be effective in a serious quake.  

To learn more about the terminology and the steps involved, go to the best website I’ve ever seen on retrofits: www.bayarearetrofit.com 

Remember, when the Hayward fault ruptures, there will be around 150,000 homes which will be uninhabitable. Don’t let yours be one of them. 

 

 

Larry Guillot is the owner of QuakePrepare, an earthquake consulting, securing and kit supply service. Contact him at 558-3299 or see www.quakeprepare.com to receive semi-monthly e-mails and safety reports.  


Berkeley This Week

Friday September 15, 2006

FRIDAY, SEPT. 15 

Gary Hart “The Courage of Our Convictions: A Manifesto for Democrats” at 12:30 p.m. at The African American Museum & Library at Oakland, 659 Fourteenth St. Free, but please RSVP to 637-0200.  

“Building Peace” A panel discussion with Blue Star Mom Laura Monroe, Brigadier General Ralph Marinaro, General Paul Monroe, Gold Star Mom Nadia McCaffrey and Peoples Lobby Executive Director Dwayne Hunn at 6 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St., at Bonita. $20 donation requested, students, low-income $5. 528-5403. 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Benjamin Griffin, Editor, The Mark Twain Collection. Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $13.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. 526-2925.  

“Berkeley in the 60s” film showing, with Liberation News Service shorts from the 1960s, followed by a discussion about Berkeley's radical history at 7:30 p.m. at Long Haul Infoshop, 3124 Shattuck Ave. 540-0751. www.thelonghaul.org 

Friends of African Film “One Evening in July” by Raja Amari, Tunisia, and “Riches” by Ingrid Sinclair, Zimbabwe, at 7:30 p.m. at 464 Van Buren, at Euclid, Oakland. friendsofafricanfilm@yahoo.com 

Movies that Matter “The Whale Rider” at 6:30 p.m., followed by discussion of the spiritual aspects of the film. Call for location 451-3009. 

Alexander Technique for Pain Relief and prevention at noon at the Herrick Campus of Alta Bates Hospital, 2001 Dwight Way, Berkeley, Maffly Auditorium. Free. 644-3273. 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 548-6310, 845-1143. 

SATURDAY, SEPT. 16 

Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day Meet at 9 a.m. behind the Seabreeze Market at the corner of University and Frontage Rd. to sign waivers, get trash/recycle bags, pencils, tally cards and a map of the areas we need to clean. 981-6720. 

The Natural History of Garbage Coastal Clean-up Day at Point Pinole from 9 a.m. to noon with Tara Reinertson, Naturalist. For information and meeting place call Tilden Nature Center, 525-2233. 

Creek to Bay Day in Oakland Volunteers needed at 9 a.m. at several creek sites to help remove litter and non-native invasive plants. Sites include Glen Echo Creek, Monta Vista Ave. at Piedmont Ave., Lake Merritt Boating Center, 568 Bellevue Ave., Oakland Estuary at Arrowhead Marsh, at the end of Swan Rd off Doolittle Rd., Temescal Creek at the Claremont DMV. For other locations call 238-7611. 

Richmond Coastal Cleanup Day Meet at 9 a.m. at Shimada Friendship Park, at the end of Marina Bay Pkwy. Free BBQ at noon. Sponsored by the Watershed Project. 665-3689. 

String Band Contest and Crafts Fair from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Center St. at MLK, Jr. Way. 548-3333. 

Kid’s Garden Club for ages 7-12 to explore the world of gardening, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8, registration required. 636-1684. 

“Megafollies: A Brief History of Bay Area HyperDevelop- 

ment Stopped by Citizen Activism” With Prof Gray Brechin, UCB, at 7 p.m. at the Home of Truth Center, 1300 Grand Street, Alameda. Sponsored by the Alameda Public Affairs Forum. www.alamedaforum.org  

Geology Rocks A short nature hike to discover the layers of our planet, for ages 9-12, at 10 a.m., at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $5-$7. 525-2233. 

Berkeley History Center Walking Tour “The New Berkeley City College” led by Charles Wollenberg and Shirley Fogarino at 10:30 a.m. Cost is $8-$10. for infromation call 848-0181. www.cityofberkeley.info/histsoc/  

Oakland Heritage Alliance Walking Tour of Mills College Campus Meet at 2 p.m. in front of Mills Hall. 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org 

Walking Tour of Old Oakland “New Era/New Politics” highlights African-American leaders who have made their mark on Oakland. Meet at 10 a.m. at the African American Museum and Library at 659 14th St. 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

Berkeley Progresssive Coalition Candidates Convention at 2 p.m. at Washington School Auditorium, Bancroft between MLK & McKinley. Vote for Mayor, City Council candidates and Berkeley Measures. 540-1975. 

Benefit for the Hillside Club with plein air paintings on sale from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 2286 Cedar St. Cost is $10. All sales will benefit local artists and the Hillside Club, which is making renovations.  

“A Union Man: The Life and Work of Julius Margolin” Film showing with folk music concert afterwards at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, Bonita at Cedar. Donation $5-$10.  

Vintage, Rare and Collectibles Book Sale, also record sets, comic books and a Silent Auction, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany, 526-3720. 

Friends of the El Cerrito Library Book Sale Books on all subjects, books for children and large collections of books about quilting and cooking, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sun. from noon to 5 p.m. in the El Cerrito Library parking lot and basement, 6510 Stockton Ave. El Cerrito. www.ccclib.org/libinfo/branch.html  

New Spirit Community Church 6th Anniversary Gala with auction, clowns and jugglers, buffet and a dance, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Parson’s Hall, 2450 LeConte Ave. Tickets are $36-$46. 704-7729. 

Vegetarian Cooking Class: Demystifying Tofu and Tempeh from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St. at Castro. Cost is $45 plus $5 food/materials fee. Registration required. 531-COOK.  

Ceremony for Healing & Peace at 7 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center, Yoga Room, 2640 College Ave. Cost is $25. Sponsored by the Hayehwatha Institute. 415-435-2255 

Gourd Crafting Techniques and Open House from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Caning Shop, 926 Gilman at 8th St. 1-800-544-3373.  

Painting Pots, a workshop with Keeyla Meadows at 3 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Piedmont Choir Placement Auditions New singers ages 6 to 10 welcome, no experience necessary. To schedule an appointment for Piedmont or Alameda call 547-4441.  

Chalk4Peace Global children’s art project from 10 am. to 2 p.m. at Cragmont Elementary School, Spruce and Marin. 526-5672.  

California Writers Club meets to discuss humor writing with Mary Hanna of the San Mateo County Times at 10 a.m. at Barnes & Noble, Jack London Square. 272-0120. 

Oakland Outdoor Cinema will screen “The Bourne Identity” at dusk on Ninth St., between Broadway and Washington. Limited seating, bring your own chair and blanket. 238-4734.  

Non-Anesthetic Teeth Cleaning for Pets from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at RabbitEars, 303 Arlington Ave. Call for appointment 525-6155.  

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

Produce Stand at Spiral Gardens Food Security Project from 1 to 6 p.m. at the corner of Sacramento and Oregon St. 

Urban Releaf Tree Tour of Oakland and workshops in urban forestry that teach tree planting, maintenance, GIS/GPS systems, and community advocacy. 601-9062.  

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. and Sun. at 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732.  

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755.  

Spiritwalking: Aqua Chi(TM) at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley High Warm Pool. Also Wed. at 3:30 p.m. Cost is $5.50, $3.50 seniors & disabled. Bring your own towels. 526-0312. 

Yoga for Peace at 9:30 a.m. at Ohlone Park, MLK at Hearst. Bring a yoga mat, warm blanket, and peace sign.  

Adult Fast Pitch Softball at noon. For location call 204-9500.  

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, SEPT. 17 

How Berkeley? Parade up University Ave. at 11 a.m. followed by festival in Civic Center Park to 5 p.m. 644-2204, ext. 12. www.howberkeleycanyoube.com 

Sunday Morning Meditation Walk at 9 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Third Annual Fr. Bill O’Donnell BOCA Benefit with guest of honor and recognition of immigration rights attorney Mark Silverman from noon to 4 p.m. at Saint Mary Magdalen Church, 2005 Berryman St. 665-5821. berkeleyboca.org  

Incorporating Carnivorous Plants into the Garden with Stephen Davis, president of the Bay Area Carnivorous Plant Society and Judith Finn, horticulturist from 10 a.m. to noon at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $25-$35, registration required 643-2755. 

Family Day at the Magnes to see the exhibition “My America” at 11 a.m. at Magnes Museum, 2911 Russell St. Cost is $6-$8. 549-6950.  

Bike Tour of Oakland Explore Oakland and learn about the incredible history of Oakland and its visionaries and scoundrels. Meet at 10 a.m. at the 10th St. entrace of the Oakland Museum of CA, 1000 Oak St., Oakland. Participants must be over twelve years old and provide their own bikes, helmets and repair kits. Free. 238-3514. www.museumca.org 

Solo Sierrans Emeryville to Berkeley Waterfront Bike Ride An easy 4 mile round trip with no car traffic. Meet at 4 p.m. in front of the Watergate Clipper Club, 6 Captain Drive, Emeryville. RSVP requested 923-1094. 

Community Labyrinth Peace Walk at 3 p.m. at Willard Middle School, Telegraph Ave. between Derby & Stuart. Everyone welcome. Wheelchair accessible. 526-7377. 

The Misty Redwood Run A 10 K fun run through the redwoods in Redwood Regional Park at 8:30 a.m. at Redwood Gate entrance, 7867 Redwood Rd., Oakland. Cost is $20-$25. Register online at www.theschedule.com/eventinfo.cfm?eventID+10675 

Spinning a Yarn Watch the spinning wheel turn, try your hand carding wool and learn how to use a drop spindle at 1:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

10-year Anniversary Party for the Westbrae Neighborhood Commons from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Peralta Community Garden, on Peralta between Hopkins St. and Gilman St.Food music, tile painting and more. Wheelchair accessible. 527-6443. 

“There’s No Place Like Home: Exploring Animal Habitats” Take a discovery hike through the Natural Sciences Gallery and learn how animals meet their needs for food, shelter, water, and protection. From 1 to 4 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of CA, 1000 Oak St., at 10th St., Oakland. Free with Admission. 238-2200.  

The Albany Library will be open on Sundays from 1-5 p.m. starting on Sept. 17 thanks to the successful passage of Measure G. Celebrate with a ribbon-cutting at 1 p.m. followed by music and refreshments, at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

Sycamore Japanese Church Bazaar from noon to 5 p.m. at 1111 Navellier St., El Cerrito. Japanese music, food, handcrafts and games for children. 525-0727. 

Mad Hatter Jam ‘n’ Tea Party from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kensington Farmers’ Market, 303 Arlington Ave. kensingtonfm@yahoo.com  

Queer Contra Dance with Mavis McGaugh calling to Band du Jour at 6 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Everyone welcome. Cost is $10 or pay what you can. 430-2833. 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

Ancient Tools for Successful Living Workshops in Meditation, the I-Ching, and Qi Gong begin at 5272 Foothill Blvd. Oakland. Cost is $8 per class. 536-5934. 

Kickabout at Codornices Park Soccer for all, skill and talent not required. For more information contact cambour@hotmail.com  

Balinese Dance Class with Tjokorda Istri Putra Padmini at 11 a.m. at Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Ave. 237-6849. 

Tibetan Buddhism with Ken McKeon and Tom Morse on “Freedom from Knowledge” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, SEPT. 18  

Lead Abatement Repairs Find out about funding for lead hazard repairs for rental properties with low-income tenants or vacant units in Oakland, Berkeley or Emeryville, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 2000 Embarcadero, #300, Oakland. Sponsored by Alameda County Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. 567-8280. 

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group for people aged 60 and over meets at 9:45 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. Donation $3. 524-9122. 

Zen Buddhist Meditation for Everyday Life An introduction at 6:45 p.m. at Bay Zen Center, 315 Alcatraz near College Ave. Suggested donation $10, no one turned away. Register in advance. 596-3087. www.bayzen.org 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

TUESDAY, SEPT. 19 

Berkeley Garden Club “Dry Gardening” with Richard Ward, owner of The Dry Garden Nursery in Berkeley, at 2 p.m. at Epworth Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St. 524-7296. 

“Making a Difference in Africa” with environmental justice activist Frank Muramuzi on big dams in Africa at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2501 Harrison St., Oakland. Sponsored by the International Rivers Network, 848-1155. 

Strike at Half Dome with Bob Madgic, author of “Shattered Air: A True Account of Catastrophe and Courage on Yosemite’s Half Dome” at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

“Aging Artfully” with author Amy Gorman and music from Greg Young’s CD “Still Kicking” at 1:15 p.m. at the North berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst. 981-5190. 

WriterCoach Connection seeks volunteers to help students improve their writing and critical thinking skills. Training session from noon to 3 p.m. and also 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. For information call 524-2319. www.writercoachconnection.org  

Torture Teach-in and Vigil every Tues. at 12:30 p.m. at the fountain on UC Campus, Bancroft at College. 

American Red Cross Blood Services is holding a volunteer orientation in Oakland from 6 to 8 p.m. Various East Bay opportunities available. Advanced sign-up is required. 594-5165.  

Workshop on Wills for Parents with Paula Liebovitz, attorney and tax specialist at 7 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Limited, on-site child care available. 658-7353. www.bananasinc.org 

Discussion Salon on How to Stay Young at 7 p.m. at JCC, 1414 Walnut.  

Handbuilding Ceramics Class from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. John’s Senior Center, 2727 College Ave. Also Mon. from noon to 4 p.m. and Wed. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, Ashby at Ellis Sts Free, except for materials and firing charges. For information call Diana Bohn, 525-5497. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your digital images, slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 20 

Walking Tour of Oakland Chinatown Meet at 10 a.m. at the courtyard fountain in the Pacific Renaissance Plaza at 388 Ninth St. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

“The Motherhood Manifesto” A documentary on the lack of support for families in the U.S. at 7:30 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Donation $5. Free for children. www.momsrising.org 

“Powerdown” a documentary on resource depletion and population pressures at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., between Broadway and Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. www.HumanistHall.net 

Spirited Child Series Learn how temperament affects children’s behavior and how to best live and work with inborn traits at 7 p.m. at Bananas. To register call 752-6150. If you need child care, at $5 per child, call 658-7353.  

Prostate Cancer Screening from 7:45 -11:15 a.m. and Thurs. from 1:45 to 5:15 p.m. at Markstein Cancer Center, Peralta Pavilion, 450 30th St., Oakland. Free, but appointments required. 869-8833. 

New to DVD: “An Inconvenient Truth” at 7 p.m. at JCC, 1414 Walnut St. Cost is $3-$5. 848-0237. 

Current Events Discussion Group meets on Wed. at 7 p.m. at the Niebyl Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave. Oakland. 597-4972. 

“Believing the Bible in a Global Context” with Philip Kenkins at the GTU Convocation, at 3:30 p.m. at 1798 Scenic Ave. Reception to follow. 649-2440. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes and a warm hat. 548-9840. 

Fresh Produce Stand at San Pablo Park from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the Frances Albrier Community Center. Sponsored by the Ecology Center’s Farm Fresh Choice. 848-1704. www.ecologycenter.org 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil 6:30 p.m. at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. www.geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, SEPT. 21 

Berkeley Path Wanderers Berkeley After the “Big One” with local historian Richard Schwartz speaks on how the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake changed Berkeley, at 7 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. 848-9358. www.berkeleypaths.org 

“Maquilopolis” City of Factories A documentary by Vicky Funari and Sergio de La Torre at 7:30 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, Oakland. Benefit for the Wellstone Democartic Club and Global Exchange. Tickets are $10, available from 415-255-7296. 

LeConte Neighborhood Assn. meets at 7:30 p.m. in the LeConte School Cafeteria, Russell St. entrance. The agenda includes a candidates’ forum for District 7 between George Beier and Kriss Worthington, and other items on the Nov. 7 ballot. 843-2602. karlreeh@aol.com 

Diversity Films presents “Homeless in Paradise” at 7 p.m. at Ellen Driscoll Theater, Frank Havens School, 325 Highland Ave., Piedmont. Free. www.diversityworks.org 

“Ready or Not: The Consequences of a Pandemic Flu” with Dr. Arthur Reingold, M.D. and disaster planning expert, at 7:30 p.m. at The College Preparatory School, 6100 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $12.50-$15. www.college-prep.org/livetalk 

Stress Reduction for Health and Peace of Mind an 8-week course at 7 p.m. in Berkeley. For information call 524-8833. MindfulnessforHealth.com.  

Community Peace Vigil on the United Nations International Day of Peace at 7 p.m. at Indian Statue Park in downtown Point Richmond. 236-0527. 

Poetry Workshop with Donna Davis from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Offered by the Berkeley Adult School. 644-6130. 

World of Plants Tours Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $5. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

CITY MEETINGS 

Creeks Task Force meets Mon. Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. the North Berkeley Senior Center. Erin Dando, 981-7410.  

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon. Sept. 18, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Mon. Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Pam Wyche, 644-6128 ext. 113.  

City Council meets Tues., Sept. 19, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900.  

Berkeley Housing Authority meets Tues., Sept. 19, at 6:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers. 981-6900.  

Citizens Humane Commission meets Wed., Sept. 20, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Katherine O’Connor, 981-6601.  

Downtown Area Plan Advisory Commission meets Wed., Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7487. 

Commission on Aging meets Wed., Sept. 20, at 1:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. William Rogers, 981-5344.  

Commission on Labor meets Wed., Sept. 20, at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Delfina M. Geiken, 981-7550.  

 

Human Welfare and Community Action Commission meets Wed. Sept. 20, at 7 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Kristen Lee, 981-5427. 

Library Board of Trustees meets Wed., Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. at South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6195.  

Berkeley Unified School District Board meets Wed. Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m., in the City Council Chambers. Mark Coplan 644-6320. 

Design Review Committee meets Thurs., Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Anne Burns, 981-7415.  

Fair Campaign Practices Commission meets Thurs., Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6950