“Berkeley schools are big but schools in China are bigger,” was the observation made by the delegation of 17 school principals from the TangGu district of Tianjin in China, who were visiting Berkeley High School on Wednesday. 

The visit, a collaboration between the China American Business and Education Center (CABEC) of Cal State East Bay and the Educational Bureau Office of TangGu, TianJin, was organized to observe the differences between the Chinese and the American education systems, and to see how schools are administered in the United States. 

“The center has been doing training programs for Chinese government officers for quite some time now,” said Nancy Mangold of the CABEC, who was hosting the delegation. “We usually work with bankers, business and other government officials. Principals from elementary, middle and high schools in China are visiting us for the first time. We are interested to see their reactions.” 

The delegation was given the same tour prospective BHS parents are given. Berkeley High parents Vicky Elliot and Toby Kahn took the Chinese principals around the new administrative building, the career center, library, swimming pool, classrooms and the other areas of the campus. 

The principals said they were impressed by the school cafeteria and listened intently as BUSD spokesperson Mark Coplan talked about the new school nutrition program. 

“We put a lot of effort into school nutrition as well,” said Xing Zhibai, vice director of the TanGu TianJin Educational Bureau.  

“We have a dietitian who specializes in nutrition,” he said. “Children are given a rice, a vegetable, a meat and a dairy meal. Noodles and steamed buns are also very popular. No junk food is allowed into the schools. Chinese food is traditionally very well balanced and we try to stick to the old ways. Therefore children grow up thinner than most kids in the U.S.” 

At the career counseling center, headmaster Guo Qingwen of the No. 1 Secondary Specialized School in TangGu asked about the percentage of students who went on to college. Qingwen said there is immense competition among students in China to get into the best colleges. 

According to Mangold, the education system in China is more rigid. 

“It is all about getting into a good college,” she said. “Students are mainly taught to pass tests. The focus is on academics and there is a lack of extracurricular like art and music. The visiting principals want to take a look at extracurricular in the U.S. school system and get some ideas from there. Berkeley High is known for its arts, drama and sports programs. However, how much of all this they will be able to implement we will know once they return to China.” 

The principals pointed out that education in China was also carried out at a much larger scale.  

“We have a large population, therefore the population in schools is also larger. Middle and high schools have more than 5,500 children at times,” said Lieu Yin, director of the Education Bureau. “The behavior of the kids when classes get over is however pretty much the same,” he added smiling as a group of seniors passed him talking loudly. 

The delegation also visited Berkeley High’s Chinese Mandarin language class, which was introduced this school year, and asked the students questions in Mandarin. 

Other than the Mandarin class, Mangold translated for the principals during their tour. “Because of the presence of the communist government in China they had to learn Chinese and Russian at that time,” Mangold explained. “Students however learn English in schools now.”

They came, they watched, they listened, they noshed, and for the most part, they liked. 

The occasion was the beginning of what promises to be a full-court press by UC officials and boosters as they seek funds and approval for “a place where ideas run free and wild,” a $120 million complex in the heart of downtown Berkeley. 

The place so described by trustee Jane Metcalfe is the new home of the Berkeley Art Museum and the Pacific Film Archive (BAM/PFA), which if all goes as planned, will begin rising in the eastern half of one city block between Center and Addison Streets and Shattuck Avenue and Oxford Street. 

If all goes as planned, the new facility will open its doors in five years. 

The architect picked to design the new structure is Toyo Ito of Tokyo, chosen from among the 140 applicants who responded from six continents, said Director Kevin E. Consey. 

Known for his highly conceptual and often whimsical designs, Ito “is a world class architect known for his sensitive environmentally conscious designs” that incorporate innovative technology, said Noel Nellis, president of the BAM/PFA Board of Trustees. 

Ito’s designs, featured on the Internet at www.c-channel.com/c00088/index_en.html, are anything but conventional and would create a radical departure from the otherwise relatively sedate character of downtown Berkeley. 

His design, Nellis said, “will indeed transform the museum and the community in the process.” 

“I am hoping the citizens of Berkeley will be so excited you will open up your wallets and help it out, because it’s going to do a lot of good for your community,” said Barclay Simpson, the 85-year-old Orinda manufacturer who has the deepest pockets of the museum’s financial angels. 

Chair of the board of trustees, Simpson said “this is one project that it is going to be very difficult for Berkleyans to object to.” Laughter followed. 

Praises sung 

Tuesday’s meeting was the first of many planned to win over the hearts, minds and wallets of Berkeley residents. 

And there were, indeed, few discouraging words to be heard Tuesday. 

“Without seeing the details, I’d say it looks like it would be a fabulous addition to the downtown,” said Mayor Tom Bates, who arrived late for the meeting. 

“This is a great project,” said real estate broker and developer John Gordon. “I was in a focus group on the project three years ago, and I like it.” 

“I hope it will do for downtown Berkeley what Frank Gehry’s museum did for Bilbao,” said developer Patrick Kennedy, referring to the celebrated design for the Guggenheim Museum in that Spanish city—a strikingly modern metal-clad structure that has become a major tourist attraction. 

Tuesday morning’s meeting included a video tour of one of his structures, the Mediatheque in Sendai, Japan. 

The only sour note was sounded by Becky O’Malley, executive editor of the Daily Planet, who mused at the meeting that Ito’s “trendy high concept style” could grow old fast. 

The 65-year-old Ito “is far from a trendy type of person,” Consey said, adding that Ito was known for creating sustainable designs. 

O’Malley also asked why the existing landmarked UC Press building couldn’t be retrofitted and used for the museum and archive. Consey said the costs of retrofits were “25 percent to 50 percent more expensive than new construction.” 

Global search 

Tuesday’s meeting was a critical moment in a lengthy development process, Consey said. 

“We have had a long and continuing dialog with interest groups that began three years ago,” he said. “We have had 45 focus groups, including citizens of Berkeley, people from the university and other groups.” 

The result was a detailed program statement that was used as the basis for recruiting an architect. 

That process began with solicitations for suggestions to about 100 art museum directors, symphony directors and cultural leaders around the country. Then letters were sent to architects to see if they wanted to compete, drawing more than 140 responses, Consey said. 

Two committees winnowed the candidates down to an eventual five, four of them from Japan. Committee members visited each of the five in their studios and toured some of their buildings. 

Then a final three were summoned for final interviews and “forced to walk around downtown Berkeley,” Consey said, drawing laughter from the audience. 

With Ito’s selection, museum officials are now choosing a licensed California architect, as required by state law, who will serve as Ito’s technical supervisor. During the application period which closed Monday, 25 Bay Area firms submitted letters of intent, and the final choice will be made at the end of October. 

Consey said Ito likes to work by walking the streets of the communities where his designs will be built. 

“We imagine there will be periods of time where we see him sitting in the Bank of America parking lot, or sitting in a restaurant across the street from the site, thinking about how the building will relate to its surroundings,” he said. 

Seismic, green issues 

The primary impetus for the new structure was a campus seismic survey that determined the existing museum and PFA complex on Bancroft was unsafe and “will probably collapse like Legos falling apart” in the event of a major quake, Metcalfe said. 

The widely lauded design, created by Bay Area architect Mario Ciampi, is featured in many texts. 

Ito is familiar with seismic issues in part because Japan is one of the world’s most seismically active nations, Consey said. 

He is also a specialist in sustainable, green buildings—structures that incorporate environmentally friendly materials and embody energy conserving materials and principles. 

One possible obstacle that may prevent the structure from winning the highest level of environmental certification under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is the need for energy intensive climate controls essential for preserving the delicate artwork and films the complex will house, Consey said. 

Still, Consey promised, the new complex “will be the greenest art museum and film archive in the United States.” 

Heavy hitters 

The BAM/PFA board includes some of the Bay Area’s financially heavier hitters, a critical fact given that all funds for the project must come from private donors and grants. 

To date, the board has raised about $40 million. 

Metcalfe is co-founder—with partner Louis Rossetto—of Wired magazine and now heads with Rossetto a Berkeley-based investment firm specializing in real estate, media and technology. 

Nellis is a partner in Orrick, an international law firm based in San Francisco that specializes in arranging the finances of global real estate deals. He also serves as an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at UCB’s Haas School of Business. 

Board President Simpson is chair and 10 percent owner of Simpson Manufacturing, a Dublin-based international firm which netted $846 million in sales last year. He also owns an art gallery and is a major patron of arts schools and student scholarships.

In an 8-1 vote, Berkeley city councilmembers voted Tuesday to hire a lawyer to prepare for legal action challenging UC Berkeley’s massive stadium area expansion plans. 

The lawsuit would target the environmental impact report (EIR) on the project, which the university plans to release 10 days before the Nov. 15-16 meeting of the UC Board of Regents. 

The city contends that the document fails to adequately address project impacts, fails to offer critical mitigations, and was prepared without offering the city and public critical information that the university had failed to disclose. 

A victory in court “could kill the project,” said Mayor Tom Bates after the closed-door session in a sixth-floor conference room in City Hall, “but it’s a crap shoot.” 

Bates said the cost of legal counsel could run more than $250,000. 

The mayor contrasted the litigation to last year’s litigation challenging details of the university’s Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) through 2020. 

“Unlike that suit, this one could stop the stadium projects,” said Bates. 

Because the EIR is slated for consideration and probable adoption at the Nov. 15-16 meeting of the UC Board of Regents in Los Angeles, the council needed to act quickly, said City Manager Phil Kamlarz. 

Should the regents vote to accept the controversial document, the city would be forced to file a legal challenge within 30 days. 

“Conceivably the university could break ground right after it’s adopted, so it was critical to act,” said Bates. 

UC Berkeley Director of Community Relations Irene Hegarty said she wasn’t surprised at the council’s decision. 

“We understood that the city has some strong concerns,” she said. 

Should the city sue, Hegarty said the response will be determined by the UC Office of the President. “Sometimes they use our own attorneys, and sometimes they hire outside counsel who are environmental specialists,” she said. 

Lone dissent 

The council’s action carried on an 8-1 vote, with Kriss Worthington in opposition. 

The dissenting councilmember said he was unwilling to vote to hire a lawyer and incur the additional expenses for taxpayers when nothing in existing city ordinances blocked a possible secret settlement agreement. 

The city’s last suit against the university—the LRDP litigation—was resolved by a settlement approved by the council in a closed session before the terms were shown to the public. 

“I don’t want to repeat that ever again,” Worthington said. 

He said that he would like to see language included in the sunshine ordinance scheduled to be presented to the council at their next meeting that would mandate presenting all proposed settlements to the public at least 10 days before council action. 

Worthington said he had proposed similar language in 2001 when the council voted to ask the city attorney and city manager to draft an ordinance for council consideration. 

“It’s a principle of good government to let the public know,” Worthington said, “and right now there’s nothing that would prevent another secret settlement.” 

The fault issue 

In addition to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which mandates the EIR process, the city is also considering filing under the Alquist-Priolo Act, which governs construction on or adjacent to active earthquake faults. 

“There are not that many cases that have been filed under the law, so we don’t know what our chances are,” Bates said. “Part of the problem is that the law is pretty vague.” 

The Alquist-Priolo Act governs structures built within 50 feet of active faults, and bars construction of new facilities that are occupied 2,000 or more hours a year. 

Among the significant unavoidable impacts cited in the draft EIR released in May is the “risk of loss, injury or death resulting from rupture of a known earthquake fault” and similar dangers resulting from “strong seismic ground shaking” even if the fault were not ruptured. 

No mitigations could eliminate the danger, the report stated. 

In addition to a major seismic retrofit and refurbishing of Memorial Stadium itself, the Southeast Campus Integrated Projects (SCIP) addressed in the EIR include a proposed multi-level parking structure immediately adjacent that would house at 911 vehicles and a 132,500-square-foot Student Athlete High Performance Center planned adjacent to the stadium’s western wall. 

While the center itself—scheduled for use throughout most of the day—would be more than 50 feet from the fault, the structure would be physically connected to the stadium itself, raising questions about whether or not it would be impacted by the law. 

Other impacts 

The EIR covers projects totaling more than $250 million, including the stadium retrofit, the training center, the parking garage, an office and meeting complex joining function of the university’s law and business schools. 

The report included a 15-page section listing potentially adverse impacts, many affecting surrounding residential neighborhoods and other parts of the city as well as the campus itself. 

Among impacts cited are: 

• Increased demands on the city’s wastewater collection and treatment systems. 

• An increase in noise and traffic for nearby residents caused by the addition of seven more events a year held at the stadium. 

• Demolition of two historic landmarks, the alteration of a third, the stadium itself, and the demolition of a fourth potential landmark, the Calvin Laboratory. 

• Significant adverse change to the landmarked Gayley Road streetscape. 

City Planning and Development Director Dan Marks drafted two blistering critiques of the EIR and its precursor documents. Both were adopted by the City Council.  

The EIR was drafted by Design Community & Environment, the Berkeley consulting firm that drafted the controversial LRDP. 

United stand 

During the brief public comment period before the doors closed on the council discussion, councilmembers were presented with a letter endorsing action submitted by a coalition of community and neighborhood groups. 

Presented by Joanna Dwyer, the letter bore signatures of representatives of the Sierra Club, Urban Creeks Council, Berkeleyans for a Livable University, the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association, United We Stand & Deliver, Council of Neighborhood Association and the Claremont-Elmwood, Dwight-Hillside, Daley’s Scenic Park and Panoramic Hill neighborhood associations. 

“That includes all the neighborhood associations for the impacted areas,” said Dwyer. 

Dwyer is also active on another stadium issue: preservation of the stand of native California coast live oaks that would be hacked down to make way for the training center near the western stadium wall. 

“We’ve been handing out leaflets at all the home football games,” she said. 

Save the Oaks at the Stadium (SOS) has enlisted the support of the Sierra Club, the California Native Plant Society and environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill. 

They have a web site at www.saveoaks.com.

Upstart UC Berkeley student Jason Overman, 21, catapulted late into the District 8 race by announcing his decision to run only last month. Campaigning with the vigor of a youthful attack dog, the Washington, D.C., transplant has picked up a fistful of endorsements. 

The race is a study in contrasts. Incumbent City Councilmember Gordon Wozniak, 62, a retired research scientist and adminisrator at Lawrence Berkeley Labs, has a history of 35 years in Berkeley. In contrast to Overman, though winning few of the prized organizational endorsements, Wozniak is piling up contributions to support his race. 

The mandatory July 31 campaign finance report, which covers the first six months of 2006, showed that Wozniak netted $24,000, while Overman hadn’t collected any campaign funds at all. Wozniak spent $72,000 in his successful 2002 race.  

While Wozniak seems to have Overman beat on the money side—new campaign finance statements come out next week—the organizational endorsements often bring with them troops on the ground to staff phone banks or knock on doors. 

Overman’s endorsements include the Alameda County AFL-CIO Central Labor Council, the Alameda County Democratic Party Central Committee, and all the local Democratic clubs except the Berkeley Democratic Club. Overman is also supported by councilmembers Dona Spring, Kriss Worthington and Max Anderson and 18 senators of the Associated Students of the University of California. 

While Wozniak has picked up the endorsements of only the Firefighters Association and the “moderate” Berkeley Democratic Club, he’s captured the support of some high-ranking public officials, including state Sen. Don Perata and Assemblymember Loni Hancock. He has the local endorsements of Mayor Tom Bates, former mayor Shirley Dean and councilmembers Laurie Capitelli and Betty Olds.  

On the campaign trail, Overman, elected to the Rent Stabilization Board in 2004, speaks more about what he characterizes as his opponent’s failures than his own achievements or plans.  

Wozniak says of Overman: “He’s young, he’s bright, he’s articulate—it’s good to have a challenger. It makes you work harder.” 

In separate interviews, the Daily Planet queried the candidates about their accomplishments and positions on specific issues.  

Asked what he sees as one of his most outstanding achievements during his four-year term, Wozniak points to his efforts to attack the high rate of work-related injuries among city employees.  

Wozniak asked the city manager for quarterly reports on the question to focus attention on it. “It was a joint effort,” he said. Supervisors were trained and management paid more attention to the issue. Injuries have gone down by about a third and city savings this year are around $500,000 to $1 million, he said.  

As his major accomplishment during his tenure on the Rent Stabilization Board, Overman points to his efforts helping to craft the city’s Condominium Conversion Ordinance, a law that limits conversion of rental apartments to condos to 100 each year and provides tenant protections. 

Housing issues 

Overman is a fierce opponent of Measure I, a ballot measure that would replace the new condominium ordinance he helped to write; up to 500 units each year could be converted.  

“That would have a devastating effect,” Overman said, arguing that only about 15 percent of sitting tenants would be able to purchase the units they live in.  

“It’s creating homeowner opportunities for a limited number of people on the backs of tenants” (whose rents would likely rise due to limited supply), he said, criticizing Wozniak for refusing to oppose the measure. 

Wozniak said he likes neither the existing condominium law—he voted against it when it came to the City Council—nor Measure I.  

The existing law went overboard on tenants’ rights, he said. “I didn’t like the idea of a lifetime tenancy. I thought it was too sweeping.”  

On the other hand, he said, Measure I goes too far in the other direction. He said he doesn’t like the fact that the measure would eliminate all tenant protections.  

There are elements in the measure that Wozniak said he likes, especially the 5 percent given to the tenants for the down payment. He thinks the measure could go further. “I think the city should match that,” he said. 

And rather than allowing for 500 conversions annually, Wozniak said he thinks conversion of 200 to 250 would be better. 

Helping low income people get housing is important, Wozniak said, but middle class people also have unmet housing needs. New UC staff and faculty cannot afford homes in Berkeley. 

“We have the jobs here, but not the housing,” he said, adding that if they could live in Berkeley, that would cut down on traffic.  

Criticizing Wozniak for not fully supporting low-income housing, Overman points to two developments Wozniak voted against which Overman said he would have supported. 

Wozniak explained his vote against the downtown Oxford Plaza. The units were too expensive, costing $350,000 each to build, he said. Despite the cost, Wozniak said he had voted to approve early funding of the project, but when the developer asked the council to forgive property taxes for seven years, he could no longer support the mounting costs. 

Wozniak said his opposition to the senior housing at Sacramento and Blake streets was because the project will house people with Section 8 (federal) vouchers. This will not have house new people, but transfer the locations where they live, Wozniak said. 

“I don’t think that’s a good bang for your buck,” he said.  

Overman said he understands Wozniak’s concerns, however, “He didn’t provide a creative alternative. I would have said: ‘If there’s a way to make it more cost efficient—absolutely.’” 

Settlement agreement with the university 

Wozniak voted to sue the university over its development plan and fees paid to the city which the city deemed insufficient, but he also voted to approve a closed-door settlement agreement.  

“We got the best deal we could,” Wozniak said, contending that to continue with the lawsuit would have cost the city at least $500,000. The agreement gave the city “substantially more than we had got in the past” and opened the door to working together on a downtown plan, he said. 

Moreover, “To fight the university on everything and never compromise is not a good strategy,” Wozniak said, arguing that the state should give the city funds to compensate any detriment the university brings. 

In contrast, Overman said he would have voted against the settlement, holding out for a better deal. And he would have strongly protested settling the suit behind closed doors.  

“It shut out the community from the development process,” Overman said. “We need to let the sunshine in. If this city values open government and transparency, it was wrong for the city attorney to keep the public and council away from the bargaining table.” 

Wozniak agreed that the process should have been more open. 

“This was an oversight on our part,” he said. “Our attorney’s office basically asked the university that neither side would disclose the terms of the settlement.” 

Later, the city said it changed its mind about disclosing the agreement, but the university refused the request. 

Clean money and IRV 

The candidates see the mechanics of getting public financing of elections in Berkeley differently, though both say they support it. Overman said he would have voted to put a measure on the Berkeley ballot to let the voters decide; Wozniak voted against it. 

“People are desperate to live in a country where elections will no longer be bought or sold,” Overman said.  

Wozniak said he supported Berkeley’s clean money initiative two years ago, which lost by a wide margin. The proposed ballot measure was substantially the same, he said, arguing that it was too soon to go back to the voters with the same plan.  

Similarly, Overman said he is a strong advocate for Instant Runoff Voting and Wozniak has questions about the way it is practiced in San Francisco—and could be practiced in Berkeley—with people limited to ranking three choices, rather than having to rank all the candidates. 

Campaign information is at: www.Wozniakforcouncil.com and www.jasonoverman.com

Ward Street neighbors flocked to the City Council meeting Tuesday night to oppose plans for 18 antennas atop the UC Storage building at Ward and Shattuck Avenue.  

But other concerns with the building owned by developer Patrick Kennedy—questions of parking and loading docks—as well as concerns about the antennas caused city staff to recommend, and council to agree, that the entire project go back to the Zoning Adjustments Board for review. 

At the meeting, the council also considered funding a neighborhood crime watch program near UC Berkeley, and gave approval after the fact for an inadvertent partial demolition of a historic building, as well as delaying a decision on a controversial commercial-residential project at San Pablo Avenue and Harrison Street. 

UC Storage 

In the end, it wasn’t the Ward Street neighbors’ objections to the cell phone antennas that got planning staff attention. 

“We need to straighten out parking and loading issues,” Planning Manager Mark Rhoades told the council, calling for concerns associated with the building to be sorted by the Zoning Adjustments Commission. 

“It’s an old legal non-conforming building,” he said. 

Asked to explain the issues, Rhoades told the Daily Planet there was a question of how many parking spaces and loading doors can be situated on Ward Street. The cell phone antennas issue will continue to be on the table, he said. 

Ward Street neighbors had other questions as well, which ZAB may consider. Writing to the council, Suzanne Masuret and Jim Hultman said they are concerned with double parking on Ward Street, placement of a “giant” billboard atop the building, the use of a large, noisy generator as early as 6 a.m. and continuing, at times, all night and “non-stop” work going on in the building, without the neighbors having been alerted. 

During the time set aside for public comment at the meeting—and before staff asked to remand the project to ZAB—nearby neighbors spoke against installation of the 18 cell phone antennas.  

“South Berkeley is a neighborhood,” said Ellen McGovern, who lives close to the building. 

She said that when ZAB made its decision to approve the project, the board considered the antennas as if they were not intended for a residential neighborhood. She argued that there has been no seismic review of the building and no independent third-party assessment of “need” for the antennas. 

Nextel and Verizon, the two carriers proposing the project, argued in letters to ZAB that the companies needed the antennas in order to fill “holes” in their system. 

Bo Schonberger, also a UC Storage neighbor, contended: “City staff failed to verify the need. They accepted the (Nextel and Verizon) information at face value.” 

He described a study he had done independently, making 150 calls with Nextel phones and 150 with Verizon from “all over Berkeley.” 

“There’s not one area with no service,” he said.  

Harrison Street and San Pablo ruling delayed 

Neighbors of a proposed project at Harrison Street and San Pablo Avenue have been before the City Council a few times before, arguing that the project is too high and too dense to fit into the adjoining neighborhood. 

Developers had proposed modified plans at the Sept. 19 council meeting and made further changes before the Tuesday meeting, causing the council to vote 7-1-1 to hold review of the project over until Oct. 10, with Councilmember Betty Olds in opposition and Councilmember Gordon Wozniak abstaining. 

Campus watch considered 

A campus neighborhood watch program, to target the high rate of property crime in the campus area, proposed by Councilmember Kriss Worthington at a cost of $7,500, will come back to the council at its Oct. 10 meeting. 

The program, which would include students and permanent residents, will have a trash pick-up component to address the annual dumping of mattresses and other belongings as students move out of their temporary homes.  

Councilmember Betty Olds pointed out that the other neighborhood watch groups operate without city funding. “It’s done by volunteers,” she said. “That’s what’s good about it.”  

Pointing to a preliminary budget offered by students from the ASUC that included $1,600 for refreshments, Olds advised: “Just bake brownies.” 

UC Berkeley students who had come to the council to pitch the program said the ASUC would put $6,000 into the program, which would include 15-20 blocks, much larger than a normal residential crime watch program. It would also offer classes in self-defense and emergency preparedness. 

The 8-1 vote, with Olds dissenting, approved a resolution calling on the city manager to meet with the students to help refine their budget and to look at what in-kind assistance the city could offer. Mayor Tom Bates will write a letter to UC Berkeley asking for matching funds.  

Sixth Street project gets OK 

Neighbors of a condominium project at 2104 Sixth St. did not get the council to agree on a complete environmental review of the project, as they had hoped. 

The owner, Gary Feiner, and his representatives, along with the handful of neighbors that came to the Tuesday evening public hearing, said that removal of a roof and trimming of a historic building at 2104 Sixth St. had been a mistake. 

“This is the 23rd public hearing on the matter,” said the owner’s attorney John Gutierrez. Feiner had agreed to replace what had been removed with similar materials and needed the council nod to finish work on the project. 

Speaking for the appellants, Jano Bogg, who lives next door to the site, called unsuccessfully for a complete environmental review that would have included addressing problems with backyard parking, a fence that had been destroyed, raising the level of the backyard and questions around how the development—two renovated homes that would probably be sold as four condominiums—fits into the Oceanview-Sisterna Historical District. 

In the end the council voted 8-3 to reject the neighbors’ appeal and to allow the project to move forward. Councilmembers Darryl Moore, Kriss Worthington and Linda Maio voted in opposition.

Traditionally, on the first Tuesday in November on even-numbered years, voters head to the polls. 

But with the increasing popularity  

of absentee and early voting, that has changed. 

According to Acting Alameda County Registrar of Voters Dave Macdonald, 42 percent of the voters in Alameda County are registered as permanent absentee voters and in the June election more than 50 percent of the county voters cast their votes absentee.  

In Berkeley, about 40 percent of the voters are registered as permanent absentee voters. 

“The county has been vigorously promoting absentee voting for the last five years,” said Guy Ashley, spokesperson for the county registrar’s office. 

In addition to voting absentee—which one can do for the upcoming election beginning Oct. 9—the county sets up early voting stations. These stations have been less successful than absentee voting in attracting voters, Macdonald said. 

In June, only about 1,500 people voted at these polls, located at city halls, and so the county is trying to set up additional sites for future elections.  

“The whole idea is getting as many people to vote as possible,” Macdonald said. 

In Berkeley, early voting sites are clustered in the downtown-Telegraph area: 

• Oct. 16 to Nov. 7, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., City Clerk Office, 2180 Milvia St. 

• Sat., Oct. 21, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Berkeley Main Library Community Room. 

• Wed., Oct. 18, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Center for Independent Living, 2539 Telegraph Ave. 

• Thurs., Nov. 1, Nov. 2, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ASUC Student Union Building, on UC Berkeley campus. 

Both Councilmembers Max Anderson and Darryl Moore said they have concerns about where the early voting is slated to take place. 

“We should increase the turnout in all the districts in the city,” said Anderson, who represents South Berkeley. 

Similarly, Moore, who represents southwest Berkeley, said he would have liked the county to find early voting locations in that quadrant of the city. 

Asked why the early voting stations were not spread around the city, Macdonald responded: “There’s no science to doing this. If somebody has a suggestion for additional sites, it’s not too late,” he said. 

District 7 Councilmember Kriss Worthington said his campaign is encouraging people to vote early on campus and to vote by mail. His campaign is trying to get people not to call the process “absentee” voting, which Worthington said makes people think that one has to be out-of-town to vote by mail. 

“Vote-by-mail is more cost-effective,” Worthington said, “and there’s a clean paper trail.” 

Worthington’s challenger George Beier declined to address the subject, saying it is proprietary campaign information.  

While early voting is an opportunity to increase the vote, it can be challenging for some. 

“We’re facing the dilemma of getting our materials out,” said Sherry Smith, former president of the Berkeley-Albany-Emeryville chapter of the League of Women Voters.  

To vote in the Nov. 7 election, one must register by 5 p.m. Oct. 23. Oct. 31 is the last day to request absentee ballots. To request an absentee ballot online, go to www. acgov.org/rov/absentee.pdf or write to PO Box 24224, Oakland CA 94623, stating the address to which the ballot must be mailed and include a signature. Requests can be faxed to 272-6982.

The Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees confirmed Judy Walters as the first head of Berkeley City College Tuesday night, but not without some contention and controversy. 

Following an extended closed session that delayed the normal 7 p.m. meeting opening time by an hour, trustees announced that Walters had been selected for the position by a narrow 4-3 vote. 

There was no indication of which board members voted for Walters’ hiring and which board members voted against it. 

And unlike in other personnel hiring announcements, trustees did not immediately disclose Walters’ salary. When Service Employees International Union Local 790 chief steward Greg Marro later asked in the board’s public comment section why the salaries of two other hired employees had been announced that evening but not Walters’, Peralta Board Chair Linda Handy ruled that the board could not reply to questions asked at public comment. 

Peralta Director of Communications Jeff Heyman said by telephone later this week that Walters had been hired at a salary of $152,010, the same salary for which she had been working on an interim basis. Heyman said that because the salary did not change, Walters’ exact salary schedule information was not in front of Peralta Chief Financial Officer Tom Smith at the time of the board announcement, and so, Heyman said, Smith chose not to reveal anything rather than give out an incorrect amount. 

“Our salaries are all public information,” Heyman said. “There’s nothing to hide, here.”  

Following the meeting, Walters said that she was “thrilled to be the first president of Berkeley City College. I’m really thankful for all of the support I’ve gotten from the faculty, staff, and students and from the Berkeley community.” 

Walters served for the past two years as interim president of the former Vista College, which changed its name to Berkeley City College in connection with this summer’s move into its newly constructed campus on Center Street in downtown Berkeley. 

During Tuesday night’s trustee meeting, Board President Handy apologized to the meeting audience for having to wait an hour for the meeting to begin, saying only that trustees had a “full agenda.” By California’s open meeting law, public bodies must provide an agenda for any items to be discussed in closed session, but are only required to report on actions taken. 

Aside from labor negotiations and a long list of pending court cases—which normally appear on every Peralta Trustee closed session agenda—also listed on the closed session agenda for Tuesday night’s meeting were the appointments of three employee positions, including Walters’, and evaluation and contract extensions for Chancellor Elihu Harris and Inspector General Gail Waiters. No announcement was made of any action taken on either Harris or Waiters. 

The only hint of what may have occurred in closed session Tuesday night came from one trustee who emerged from the meeting to discover that the air conditioning had accidentally come on in the main meeting room because of a faulty thermostat. While others in the meeting room were complaining that it was suddenly too cold, the trustee remarked, “It feels good,” and, then, gesturing back toward the lounge where the closed session had just broken up, “It was pretty hot back there.” 

In other action at Tuesday’s meeting, trustees unanimously adopted a $98.9 million final budget for the 2006-07 fiscal year that raised salaries by more than $2 million, cut benefit costs by $3.5 million, left $5.2 million unallocated, and a reserve fund a half a percentage point over the state-required 5 percent. 

In remarks to the board explaining the budget, Peralta Chief Financial Officer Tom Smith called last year “a remarkable year,” noting that enrollment in the four college districts grew slightly, “while many other community college districts in the state had declines.” 

Other highlights of the year, Smith said, included an agreement reached with the Alameda County Medical Center and Merritt College for nurse training for Highland Hospital, the issuance of bonds to fund employee health benefits in the district “while other districts are shifting those costs over to their employees,” and the opening late this summer of both the new Berkeley City College campus and the new Laney art building.

The revitalized Ashby BART Task Force, charged with planning development on the transit station’s western parking lot, meets Tuesday night to draft a statement for an application to seek state funding. 

A similar application was rejected earlier this year by the California Department of Transportation after a storm of controversy erupted over the proposal. 

In July, the Berkeley City Council then awarded its own funds to the task force, mandating that the group should lay the groundwork for a new Caltrans grant application next October. 

Under the new work plan, the panel will conduct a series of public workshops and public meetings through the end of February, along with what is described as “a public visioning exercise.” 

A preliminary report is scheduled to be completed by the end of March, with a final recommendation slated to go to the City Council’s first meeting in May. 

BART will participate in preparing the final application. 

Tuesday night’s meeting will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Community Room of St. Paul’s A.M.E. Church, 2024 Ashby Ave. 

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission announced Wednesday that it is awarding $2 million for creation of pedestrian access enhancements for the Ed Roberts Center. 

That center, which will provide a home for offices and programs serving the needs of the disabled community, is to be built on the BART station’s eastern parking lot, immediately across Adeline Street from the site under consideration by the task force.

As the long-running battle over the future of Berkeley’s Creeks Ordinance nears a climax, tensions remain high—evidenced by Wednesday night’s Planning Commission meeting. 

Questions were flying and tempers rising, at one point stirring a mild rebuke from commissioner Mike Sheen, who cautioned his colleagues about raising their voices. 

At issue is a council-mandated revision of the city ordinances governing building on Berkeley’s many miles of creeks both on the surface and buried underground as they flow from the hills to the bay. 

Wednesday’s meeting featured discussions both of the proposed ordinance—drafted by a task force appointed by the City Council—and of proposed changes in the city’s zoning ordinance needed to implement the changes spelled out in the draft. 

Planning Commission Chair Helen Burke handed the gavel over to colleague David Stoloff for the discussion, since she also serves as chair of the Creeks Task Force. 

It was an interruption by Burke, an environmentalist who belongs to the Sierra Club, that prompted the raised voice of colleague Harry Pollack, followed minutes later by Sheen’s mild rebuke, which, in turn, elicited a grimace from Pollack. 

City councilmembers are scheduled to vote on both pieces of legislation on Nov. 14, preceded by Planning Commission action on Oct. 11, though some members wanted to reserve the right to hold a final vote over until Oct. 25. 

On hand for the meeting were Deputy Planning Director Wendy Cosin and Betsy Strauss, an environmental attorney hired by the city as a special consultant on the project. 

Critics 

The meeting began with public comments from several members of Neighbors on Urban Creeks (NUC), a property owners’ group, which has been highly critical of the existing ordinance and of the proposed revisions as well as the city’s handling of public notice to the more than 2,000 property owners potentially affected by the measures. 

“The Creeks Ordinance does not reflect what the City Council asked for,” said Barbara Allen. “Please take some time and make some sense out of it.” 

Martha Jones said she was especially concerned about potential effects on neighborhoods, given that the city “has no accurate map of creeks and the properties affected,” a point the city concedes. 

One of the major problems is that no one knows exactly where many of creeks flow, those specifically buried in concrete-enclosed culverts as the city developed. Many property owners have structures built over and near creeks and don’t know it, she said. 

“Culverted creeks are as much storm drains as they are creeks, but the vast majority of owners with culverts on their property were unaware of them when they bought, yet they bear the entire responsibility for upkeep expenses,” said former mayor Shirley Dean. 

Mischa Lorraine, a member of the task force and of NUC, said the city attorney’s office and the task force have inserted language that is “increasingly restrictive to property owners,” creating unacceptable pressures. 

NUC members said they are particularly concerned with provisions governing rebuilding of homes destroyed by natural disasters, including fire, flood and earthquakes. 

Less restrictive? 

But the proposed ordinance is actually less restrictive, Cosin said. Under the existing ordinance, a structure can be rebuilt as it was before the disaster only if less than half the structure was demolished. Anything more, and the building must follow new building and zoning codes. 

The proposed revisions would allow for full reconstruction of structures of three residential units or less. 

Similarly, when it comes to additions or new construction, the proposed revisions would allow owners to breach mandated setbacks for height, side and front yards in exchange for keeping construction away from mandated setbacks from waterways with the grant of a use permit rather than a most costly and time-consuming zoning variance. 

Planning Commissioner Gene Poschman said the city should approach the ordinances with great care. 

“My nightmare is what happened after the Oakland Hills fire,” he said, referring to the 1991 firestorm that demolished 2,886 homes and apartment buildings. “There were two disasters. One was the fire and the other was the rebuilding. The hills vanished in a wave of mansionization.” 

Commissioner Susan Wengraf said her main concern was the lack of notice to property owners of the upcoming commission meeting where a vote on the ordinance was scheduled. Cosin agreed to send notice to the 2,000 or so owners of the city’s list of affected properties. 

Whether or not the City Council intended the new regulations to cover buried creeks was another sore point with Wengraf, who said she believed they did not. 

Telegraph Avenue 

The commission voted unanimously to set an Oct. 11 public hearing on the Telegraph Avenue Economic Development Assistance Package, legislation sponsored by City Councilmembers Kriss Worthington and Gordon Wozniak designed to spur a revitalization of business along the troubled thoroughfare. 

Principal Planner Allan Gatzke said the draft ordinance includes provisions to ease the establishment or change of business use at commercial locations and simplify the process of winning of approval for subdividing larger spaces to allow for more and smaller business. 

Mike Sheen, Worthington’s appointee to the commission, said the measure had as part of its goal promoting small and locally owned business, one of the key reasons for permitting the conversion of larger spaces into multiple smaller ones. 

The proposal would also ease the process for winning permits to open restaurants, commercial classes and training, gyms and health clubs, fast food service, and amusement machines. 

Poschman said he was skeptical of enacting changes without any hard figures on vacancies, rents and existing tenants along the avenue, as well as of loosening the existing business quota system. 

“We have become not just the planning commission but essentially the commission on economic development,” he said. “What bothers me is acting without any data.” 

While Several UC Berkeley students had addressed the commission complaining that the ordinance would force earlier closing hours, Gatzke said they had misread the ordinance, which actually makes it easier for business to remain open later.

An alert Berkeley Police officer caught a rapist in the act Wednesday afternoon, leading to a chase and manhunt that ended with the suspect’s arrest. 

Officer Katie Smith was patrolling the Santa Fe Railroad tracks about 3:30 p.m., responding to citizen complaints of homeless encampments in the area, said department spokesperson Officer Ed Galvan. 

Smith was walking just north of the Addison Street crossing when she saw a man atop a struggling woman. Spotting the officer, the rapist got to his feet and began running with Smith in pursuit. 

The officer radioed for assistance and about 20 officers responded, sealing off the surrounding area as they began a manhunt. 

The suspect was finally located hiding under a car near a grocery outlet near University Avenue, said Officer Galvan. 

“The suspect refused to identify himself,” said Galvan. Another officer involved in the pursuit described him as extremely combative. 

The struggles continued after the man was driven to the county jail at Santa Rita. 

Police obtained a warrant to search his clothing and body for evidence that could link him to the victim, described as a Berkeley woman about 40 years old. 

“It took about five or six officers to hold him down,” said one officer who asked not to be named. Galvan confirmed that account. 

“We still don’t have his ID,” the police spokesperson said Thursday afternoon. 

Both Galvan and the unnamed patrol officer praised Smith for her alertness. 

“It was a one-in-a-million thing, catching a rape in progress,” Galvan said. 

“It was a great job of police work,” said the patrol officer. 

The suspect has been booked on suspicion of rape. 

Galvan said the tracks are usually patrolled by the railroad, which has its own private police force. Citizen complaints resulted in the foot patrol assignment that brought Officer Smith to the tracks Wednesday and led to the arrest.

A blaze triggered by a faulty water heater demolished a $1.3 million home in the Berkeley Hills early Tuesday morning, reports Deputy Fire Chief David P. Orth. 

“The building was completely destroyed,” he said, and the loss of contents added another $150,000 to the cost of the fire, first reported at 3:30 a.m. 

When firefighters arrived at the home at 98 Avenida just below Grizzly Peak Boulevard, the whole structure was ablaze. 

“The owner said he tried to call three times on his cell phone, but the call was dropped each time,” Orth said. “The house is located in a very bad area for cell phone coverage.” 

By the time another caller got through, flames had spread throughout the structure. 

About 25 firefighters using five engines and two trucks battled the flames, but they were unable to save the residence. 

“It was very impressive fire,” Orth said. “There was a lot of fire and a lot of fuel. The upper two floors collapsed into the basement, and all that’s left are parts of a couple of walls.” 

While the flames ignited some of the surrounding vegetation, the trees surrounding the home were redwoods and didn’t catch. 

Unlike pines, which often “flash” in moments into flames which engulf all of the needles, redwoods are much harder to ignite, he said. 

The fire did minor damage to a deck and hot tub of the neighboring home at 100 Avenida, he said. 

There were no injuries.

At least two elementary schools in Berkeley have stopped hiring physical education teachers through their discretionary funds and are using the money for other programs, leading some parents to question whether their children are receiving adequate exercise. 

The California Department of Education (CDE) recently released a report indicating that the Berkeley Unified School District was among more than half of school districts in the state which failed to meet the mandated elementary school P.E. requirement for the past two school years. The state requires 200 minutes of P.E instruction every ten days. 

However, BUSD officials say the state report is wrong. 

“[The CDE] picked one elementary school in Berkeley—Le Conte. They found that the supplementary P.E. instruction at Le Conte in the form of Sports for Kids was not addressing California standards for P.E. education,” said BUSD Deputy Superintendent Neil Smith. “The kids at Berkeley elementary schools are getting 200 minutes of P.E. every two weeks.” 

According to state law, P.E. is part of the elementary school curriculum and should be taught primarily by the classroom teachers who are certified in it.  

Supplementary P.E. instructors, who do not need P.E. certification from the state, have been hired out of the elementary schools’ discretionary funds, said BUSD spokesperson Mark Coplan. These supplementary instructors work with children in the presence of the classroom teacher. 

Jefferson Elementary and Berkeley Arts Magnet (BAM) elementary school recently stopped using supplementary P.E. teachers and are using their site funds on other programs. 

“My child is getting restless in class,” said Laurie Young, a Jefferson parent. “Judy Doyle used to do P.E. with the kids at Jefferson but they don’t have her anymore.” 

According to Coplan, Jefferson was unable to find someone to fill the P.E. spot after Doyle left and decided to use the funds for a science program instead.  

“The principals in these schools don’t think this is a really big issue as the kids are running around and getting exercise, even with these supplementary P.E. teachers gone,” he said. 

Barbara Steuart, whose children attend BAM, said she was upset by the loss of their P.E. instructor, Joe Phillips. 

“I regret that we don’t have Joe, our enthusiastic, energetic and playful P.E. teacher, anymore,” said Steuart. “I am concerned that parents were not informed that there would be no replacement for Joe. I had to go online and get it from the grapevine.” 

Calls to BAM and Jefferson from the Daily Planet for comment on this issue were not returned. 

The California Center of Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA), who released the CDE report (and are behind the banning of junk food from public school premises starting July 2007) also found that school districts did not receive any penalty for lack of compliance of state guidelines. 

BUSD president Terry Doran told the Planet that elementary school physical education had not come up at board meetings recently and therefore he would not be able to comment on the matter. 

“Coach Don Burl is the P.E. teacher for K–5 at John Muir and we use different budgets to make that possible,” said Principal Gregory John of John Muir Elementary School. “Every school has some amount of discretionary funding through which certain things are made possible. Cragmont has dance, we have a fitness program and Coach Don is just fantastic with the kids.”  

Burl, who works two days full-time and two days part-time every week at John Muir, is also the P.E. teacher for Washington Elementary. 

Octavio Hernandez, one of the intra-mural coaches at Malcolm X, was busy organizing a relay race for the third graders during recess last week. 

“I work with kids from each class for 20-25 minutes during their respective lunch recesses,” he said. “We play Dodge Ball, Ga Ga Ball and other games.” 

Although most elementary schools have games such as kick ball, dodge ball, four square, and tetherball during lunch recess or P.E., these activities are not considered appropriate P.E. activities under the state guidelines. 

The CCPHA report includes national recommendations which suggest that “school-age youth should participate daily in 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity that is developmentally appropriate, enjoyable, and involves a variety of activities.” 

The report further states that federal initiatives such as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 is a threat to the amount of time available for P.E. as it focuses on student achievement in defined core academic subjects, making P.E. a low priority. 

Rosa Parks also has a Sports for Kids program, through which funds from the PTA and the BSEP brings in Darryl Jones to help teach P.E. to the students. 

“Sports for Kids is a non-profit which provides schools with site co-ordinators like myself to help out during recess,” Jones said. “The program mostly caters to schools which do not have P.E. coaches. Our main goals is to keep the kids active.”  

Although Jones is not certified in P.E. he said he receives training from his supervisors every year. 

Tracy Hollander, current PTA president at Rosa Parks said she would like it if each class got to work with Jones more than twice every month, but acknowledged that lack of funds was always an issue. 

“It’s a shame that without the Sports for Kids program my son would hardly get any P.E. at all,” said Ben Piper, whose son Zane plays after school soccer through the Sports for Kids program at Rosa Parks. 

“There is increasing evidence that kids are suffering from obesity” he said. “They need at least an hour’s vigorous exercise everyday, not just 15 minutes of running around.” 

East Bay Area neighborhood watchdog groups, environmentalists and community members got together on Wednesday to form the first Pacific Steel Protest Committee to heat up efforts to stop the west Berkeley-based steel foundry from emitting noxious fumes. 

“We formed the committee to rally folks who want to deliver a direct and loud message to PSC,” said Willi Paul, director of Cleanaircoalition.net. “We hope to enlist the old guard and new activists in the fight to clean up the factory and our communitites. There are many groups in this struggle; some are pursuing a diplomatic approach, while a third group is working the courts.” 

A federal court in San Francisco recently denied Oakland-based environmental nonprofit Communities for a Better Environment’s (CBE) request for a preliminary injunction against Berkeley-based Pacific Steel Casting. But CBE is hopeful that it will go on to win the actual trial, said staff attorney Philip Huang. 

The CBE lawsuit alleges that west Berkeley-based PSC violated the air district’s permit with respect to the amount  

of emissions from the steel foundry in  

Berkeley.

Local museum enthusiasts—particularly the impoverished, the penurious, or the simply thrifty—have a welcome opportunity this Saturday to visit several local scientific and cultural venues without paying regular admission. 

Museums around the country are participating in a one-day free “Museum Day” program, previously available only to Smithsonian Magazine subscribers. 

Most of the top-tier culture and art museums in the Bay Area are not participants, but there are several good museums in the program within reasonable day-tripping distance of Berkeley. 

These include: the California Academy of Sciences, the Exploratorium, and the Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco; the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley and the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland; the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose; the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas; and the Blackhawk Museum in Danville. 

All are waiving admission on Saturday for those presenting a “Museum Day Admission Card” which you may obtain online from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ museumday/articles/what-is.php 

The Cantor Museum at Stanford is also participating. Admission is regularly free there, but for the day they’re offering some special discounts to Museum Day participants in their bookstore. 

The purpose of most of the museums listed above should be obvious from their names. If you’re not familiar with them, the Museum Day website offers thumbnail descriptions and links to websites. 

The Blackhawk Museum is, for instance, featuring some 90 “historically significant and artistically inspired automobiles from the very earliest to the contemporary.”  

There’s a free tour at 2 p.m. on weekends and a visiting exhibit, “Industrial Drawings from the Smithsonian” that looks more interesting in images than it sounds. 

If you want to travel further afield, the Point Arena Lighthouse and Museum on the Mendocino coast is also a participant, along with numerous museums in Southern California, including the Bunny Museum in Pasadena, with “over 21,000 unique bunny items,” plus some live lapins.  

Once you open the website, click on “Download the Museum Day Card.” Print out the form that looks like one of those subscription cards that always fall out of magazines. 

Click on “Participating Venues” and go to “California” to see the list that includes the Bay Area participants. 

The Museum Card gives admission for two people to one participating museum. Print out extra cards if you want to go to more than one place or if your party numbers more than two. 

The card looks like it should be filled out with your contact information, but if you read the fine print, you can decline; present the card, blank, for admission and save yourself from going on more mailing lists. 

Although the card gets you in the door, you have to pay for any inside extras like special exhibits and films. 

Still, if you have time on Saturday, it’s a deal worth taking, and worth thanking the always-free Smithsonian for thinking up.

A blaze triggered by a faulty water heater demolished a $1.3 million home in the Berkeley Hills early Tuesday morning, reports Deputy Fire Chief David P. Orth. 

"The building was completely destroyed," he said, and the loss of contents added another $150,000 to the cost of the fire, first reported at 3:30 a.m. 

When firefighters arrived at the home at 98 Avenida just below Grizzly Peak Boulevard, the whole structure was ablaze. 

"The owner said he tried to call three times on his cell phone, but the call was dropped each time," Orth said. "The house is located in a very bad area for cell phone coverage." 

By the time another caller got through, the flames had spread throughout the structure. 

About 25 firefighters using five engines and two trucks battled the flames, but they were unable to save the residence. 

"It was very impressive fire," Orth said. "There was a lot of fire and a lot of fuel. The upper two floors collapsed into the basement, and all that’s left are parts of a couple of walls." 

While the flames ignited some of the surrounding vegetation, the trees surrounding the home were redwoods and didn’t catch. 

Unlike pines, which often "flash" in moments into flames which engulf all of the needles, redwoods are much are harder to ignite, he said. 

The fire did minor damage to a deck and hot tub of the neighboring home at 100 Avenida, he said. 

There were no injuries. 

Photograph by Berkeley Firefighters Association.

A developer unveiled Friday plans for a 5.5-acre, two-block corporate, retail, condo and artists’ development for West Berkeley. 

The project, which could take 30 years to complete, was presented to an unusual afternoon meeting of the Civic Arts Commission held at the old Peerless Lighting plant at 2246 Fifth St., the project’s hub. 

The plans unveiled by development consultant Darrell de Tienne and property owner Doug Herst, the former Peerless owner, were far more expansive, calling for condos, a “signature biotech building,” ”incubator buildings” for new businesses, as well as live/work units for artists that could feature a storefront gallery space and workshops. 

“The idea is to turn this part of Berkeley into a new type of artists’ community,” said de Tienne, who said city Housing Director Steve Barton had given the proposal an enthusiastic reception. 

Reactions 

“This is a great opportunity,” said Civic Arts Commission chair David Snippen. 

“The Civic Arts Commission is really excited,” said commissioner Jos Sances, a sculptor. “We’ve been looking at artists’ spaces in West Berkeley for several years.” 

“This project linking the arts with economic development and housing is really compelling,” said Michael Caplan, City Manager Phil Kamlarz’s Neighborhood Services Liaison for West Berkeley. 

But the co-chair of a West Berkeley organization deeply involved in land use issue remains skeptical. 

“I won’t automatically say it’s a bad thing, but I want to see exactly what they’re proposing,” said John Curl, co-chair of West Berkeley Artists and Industrial Companies (WEBAIC). “The bigger issue is whether they want to use the project to change zoning in West Berkeley in ways that have much larger implications.” 

The project would call for rezoning of the property, for lifting height requirements and reducing minimum property sizes—each requiring variances from current zoning and the West Berkeley Plan. 

The project would also require changing the definition of the arts embodied in the plan and in city code. 

As envisioned by Herst and de Tienne, much of the project would consist of buildings with four floors built over a ground level podium that could include parking and other uses. 

The total of five stories would require a height greater than the 45 feet now allowed in West Berkeley, de Tienne said, because ceiling heights in residential buildings would be 11 feet, and 16 feet in studio spaces. 

But Curl said he is worried that the project could be used to push far-reaching zoning changes which, at their worst, “could gentrify West Berkeley overnight. 

“There are those who want to develop all of West Berkeley and who attempt to use a particular site like the Berkeley Bowl to change zoning in a way that will have much broader implications,” Curl said. “That’s the issue that concerns me.” 

Whatever happens, Curl said, he would like to see the site developed for industrial uses. Live/work spaces are allowed in one of the two zones that divide the property, but not in the other—and a change in zoning that allowed housing in both zones, if applied to all of West Berkeley, would have profound consequences, he said. 

As a tradeoff for the code, zoning and plan changes, de Tienne said, the project would include guaranteed “inclusionary” live/work spaces for artists earning well below the area median income. 

Sances said most of the existing live/work spaces in West Berkeley were created out of similar arrangements. 

Project site 

The project would include most of the two blocks between Fifth Street on the east and the Union Pacific tracks on the west between Allston and Bancroft ways. 

More than half the property is currently unoccupied or covered by parking lots. 

The impetus for the project came in January, when Peerless Lighting closed down its manufacturing operations in Berkeley and relocated to in January to Mexico and Indiana. 

“The company looked at the financials and plant costs in Berkeley and moved everything out because costs here were 50 percent higher” than in the new locations, Herst said. 

As projected in the new development plans, the Peerless plant would be expanded into a five-story laboratory and manufacturing facility for a new tenant. 

Peerless had been founded in Chicago in 1892 by three brothers, one of them Herst’s grandfather. 

He sold the privately held company, while retaining ownership of the property, and in 1999 the firm became part of Acuity Lighting Group. Herst remained with the new firm as vice president and general manager of the company’s Peerless division. 

The developer said his company’s philosophy had always been “to really make it beautiful, to marry art and design with optics and energy, creating lighting that is efficient and beautiful.” 

His own love of the arts is evident in walking through the Peerless building, where sculptures and graphics abound, a legacy in part of the art courses he took as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley. 

Incubator spaces 

In looking for new uses for his property, Herst said he began looking at the notion of creating so-called incubator spaces for businesses in the early stages of development. 

“Across the street there are the large buildings that under the current zoning you can’t cut up, but I started thinking about using them for incubator spaces,” he said. 

An incubator space is housing for a new business in its development stages, typically before it begins to turn a profit and start generating tax revenues. 

“The idea is to change over time, creating spaces of 4,500 square feet, 2,000 and 1,000,” Herst said. “And what if an artist could live on this side of the street and have a studio on the other side? And what if you had spaces for sculpture, for a yoga studio, and things that are connected back and forth, some retail and food? You could have one side where people could work all night and live on the other side of the block.” 

But to make it work, de Tienne said, the city would have to change the definition of the arts. Under the current regime, a photographer who uses film is an artist, but a photographer who uses digital cameras isn’t. 

Similarly, he said, artists who create their graphics with computers don’t qualify—and the definition should be changed to allow software companies, he said. 

Rob Reiter, a photographer who has his studio just across Fifth Street from the former Peerless plant, hailed the project. 

“I came up through the live/work venue standard with a darkroom in my basement,” he said. “I’ve been in live/work space for 20 years. Incubator spaces with lower rents really work, and what I hear sounds just great. I would like to see inclusion of an actual gallery with display space.” 

“It has to be a place with rotating exhibits, a shared exhibition space,” said artist Jerry Landis, who urged the city to rethink the existing West Berkeley zoning, which is primarily reserved to industrial and light manufacturing. 

Unlisted meeting 

The meeting was not posted in the calendar listings on the city’s website nor on the commission’s own web page. A faxed copy of the agenda received by the Daily Planet simply listed the meeting’s topic as live/work space for artists in West Berkeley. 

Berkeley officials are planning another lawsuit against UC Berkeley’s development plans—this time challenging the quarter-billion-dollar complex planned for the Memorial Stadium area. 

City councilmembers will meet behind closed doors with representatives of the city attorney’s office to discuss the a legal challenge to what the university has called the Southeast Campus Integrated Projects—or SCIP for short.  

“Because it’s a legal issue, we can’t talk a lot until after meeting,” said Cisco DeVries, chief of staff to Mayor Tom Bates. “But I think it’s pretty clear: If the city wants to reserve its rights to challenge the projects, it needs to move fairly early to bring the issues into the open.” 

The council will consider the issue when its closed session begins at 5 p.m. today (Tuesday) in the 6th floor conference room at City Hall, 2180 Milvia St. 

UC Berkeley Director of Community Relations Irene Hegarty said the final environmental impact report (EIR) on the projects will be released at least 10 days before the Nov. 15-16 meeting of the UC Board of Regents, at which the document will be presented for certification. 

Once the EIR is certified, Hegarty said, the city has 30 days to file a challenge. “That’s when the city would make its decision whether or not to sue,” she said. 

Grounds for action 

According to the agenda, grounds for legal action could include violations of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Alquist-Priolo Act—which governs building on sites near seismic faults—“and other laws.”  

Planning Director Dan Marks has taken the lead in the city’s criticism of the university’s handling of the project’s state-mandated environmental review, carried out under the provisions of CEQA. 

In two blistering letters, one written as the university was gathering comments to be addressed in preparing an EIR on the project and the second after the draft EIR had been submitted, Marks laid into the university. 

Marks sent the first letter last December, totaling 19 pages, to Jennifer Lawrence (now McDougall), the university’s Principal Planner for Capital Projects/Facilities Services. 

His target was the Notice of Preparation (NOP) issued by the university a month earlier, a document which he said “offers vague descriptions of the projects the EIR will evaluate and their potential environmental impacts, raising serious questions about the adequacy of the assessment to follow.” 

Because the NOP lacked “even conceptual plans for the proposed projects, is unclear about the key aspects of several of the projects, and provides little or no detail as to the specific scope of the development,” and failed to supply adequate details typically supplied in an NOP, preparing comments was extremely difficult. 

He then cited a long list of specific failings covering a broad range of issues, ranging from construction and traffic impacts to effects that redound through nearby neighborhoods. 

When the university released the draft EIR in July, Marks fired back with a 54-page critique, describing a university so eager to raise funds that it was willing to ignore serious risks to the lives of students, parents and others who attend events in a stadium directly located atop a major seismic fault. 

Charging that the university displayed “a dismissive attitude toward the City of Berkeley and its citizens,” Marks said the EIR was a flawed document, filled with factual errors. 

“It appears that the university has prepared a DEIR that seeks to justify actions it had already determined to take before the DEIR was prepared, without sufficient (regard to) environmental effects or alternatives,” Marks wrote. 

Hegarty said the final EIR will highlight changes made from the draft document and include a numbered list of responses to the criticisms and questions raised about the draft. 

Massive project 

The addition of more than 300,000 square feet of classroom, office and athletic training space, plus a 325-000-square foot multi-level underground parking lot, pose major environmental impacts both on and off campus during and after construction, Marks charged. 

Of particular concern is the fact that Memorial Stadium sits directly astride the Hayward Fault, the fissure federal geologists declare is the most likely to produce a major temblor during the immediate decades ahead. 

Another structure which could be at issue is the 132,500-square-foot Student Athlete High Performance Center, projected as a heavily used facility immediately adjacent to the stadium’s western wall. 

The underground lot is directly adjacent to the fault, and both structures could be subject to the provisions of the Alquist-Priolo Special Studies Zone Act. 

That law was enacted in 1972, 13 months after a devastating earthquake that caused 65 deaths and leveled a Veterans Administration hospital in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. 

The law bans developments and structures that are occupied more than 2,000 hours a year within 50 feet of active faults. 

Another issue raised by Marks is the failure of the document and the SCIP project to include another major project tentatively planned immediately north of the project zone. 

Also missing from the DEIR were the potential cumulative impacts from the planned demolition of the Bevatron at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory—a project that could burden city streets with debris-laden trucks at the same time heavy truck traffic is being generated by the SCIP projects. 

Earlier suit  

If a suit is filed, it would be the city’s second in recent years challenging university development plans. 

The first suit, filed in February 2005, challenged the university’s Long Range Development Plan outlining proposed new projects through the year 2020. 

A controversial settlement, reached three months later, produced yet other lawsuits, including one still pending that was filed by Daily Planet Arts and Calendar Editor Anne Wagley and other residents. 

Aimee Allison is hoping that the third time is the charm. Pat Kernighan is hoping that history keeps repeating itself. 

For the third time in a little over a year, the two women are squaring off against each other for the right to represent Oakland’s Council District Two. 

The district surrounds Lake Merritt to the north, east, and south almost like a cupped hand, taking in the Grand Avenue/Lakeshore communities, Trestle Glen, Park Boulevard up to MacArthur, Foothill and International almost to Fruitvale, and the Chinatown section. 

With large white, African-American, Latino, Chinese-American, and Southeast Asian-American communities, it is arguably the most diverse district of one of the most diverse cities in the country, with some of Oakland’s most moderate-to-conservative as well as progressive-liberal pockets. 

The last two councilmembers to represent that district, Danny Wan and John Russo, now Oakland City Attorney, were both able to win by crafting coalitions that bridged the gap between both sides. 

The race has taken on added citywide significance with the election last June of Ron Dellums as mayor of Oakland over the current City Council president, Ignacio De La Fuente. Dellums is scheduled to take office in January, along with whoever wins the District Two council race. 

Under Oakland’s strong mayor form of government, the mayor is the chief executive officer of the city, with enormous influence over the direction of city policy. But city policy itself—as well as city ordinance-writing and control over the budget—is in the hands of the City Council, and a City Council either in open opposition to Dellums or in an intense rivalry could significantly change or outright prevent many of Dellums’ proposals. 

Although Desley Brooks was the only Oakland City Councilmember to endorse Dellums’ candidacy, with several supporting their council colleague De La Fuente and one other councilmember, Nancy Nadel, running for mayor herself, at least some councilmembers are now expected to break off and form a pro-Dellums council coalition. 

That could mean everything from providing the new mayor with a working majority on the council against Council President De La Fuente to challenging De La Fuente for the council presidency itself. In those upcoming council battles, Kernighan is expected to support her main council backer—De La Fuente—while Allison would most likely be solidly in the Dellums camp. With several councilmembers reportedly on the fence between Dellums and De La Fuente, the outcome of the District Two council race could well determine which one of those two men runs Oakland in the next four years. 

Meanwhile, Kernighan and Allison are on familiar ground—running against each other. And while Kernighan has always been considered the front-runner in the races, Allison has gone from a virtual unknown in the spring of 2005 to a credible, serious challenger. 

In May 2005, Kernighan succeeded Danny Wan in the District Two seat, winning 28.8 percent of the vote over eight opponents in a special election called after Wan resigned his seat in mid-term. Allison came in fourth with 14.2 percent of the vote behind Oakland Unified School District President David Kakishiba and community activist Shirley Gee in that race. Because this was a special election, a majority of the votes was not needed, and no runoff was necessary.  

Because the 2005 special election was only for the final year of Wan’s four-year term, Kernighan had to immediately turn around and run for re-election in 2006.  

Last June, Kernighan beat Allison again in a three-person race, but this time by a much smaller margin, 46.1 percent to 39.3 percent. Gee came in a distant third. That set up the third election between Kernighan and Allison, a runoff on Nov. 7. 

Other than the fact that Kernighan is now the incumbent and Allison is no longer the unknown insurgent, this third race is essentially an extension of the first two, with Kernighan running as the nuts-and-bolts moderate insider, and Allison running as the progressive outsider. 

Kernighan, who served as Danny Wan’s chief of staff before the former councilmember’s resignation, lists three major issues as her re-election campaign platform: safety, children and parks, and neighborhood-serving retail. 

Allison, a Gulf War veteran who later became a conscientious objector and an outspoken antiwar advocate, lists several issues in her platform, including attacking the HIV/AIDS pandemic, support for Instant Runoff Voting, and supporting economic development, affordable housing and tenants rights, use of the port revenue for city purposes, advocacy for schools and youth, and fighting crime. 

The issue of safety is a growing concern in District Two with a series of street robberies and car burglaries and two well-publicized Grand Avenue murders last spring: the March 17 shooting death of Mark Kharmats in his insurance office and the April 24 robbery murder of Sonethavy Phomsouvandara at the Bangkok Palace Thai Restaurant. 

Both candidates take similar positions on the issue, with Kernighan calling for “increased police presence to deter street assaults and robberies in District Two neighborhoods” and filling the community policing positions mandated by Oakland’s anti-violence Measure Y, and Allison, in addition to calling for additional police, asking for more money in the city budget for crime prevention and intervention services. 

It is on development issues that the two candidates have clashed most sharply. Kernighan has been given credit for pulling together the compromise between developers and some environmentalist and affordable housing critics that led to the council’s passage last June and July of the massive and controversial Oak To Ninth development project. 

“We have arrived at a balance,” Kernighan said at the time of the council vote. “There are good things for everyone. Today, this site is a contaminated industrial site with no public access. What this project offers is to create a true regional waterfront attraction.” 

Allison opposed that compromise vote, telling councilmembers that night, “There are several excellent reasons not to rush forward. There is still time to change the project and support the Estuary Policy plan. [It’s] a vision that took five years of public input and resulted in a very balanced thoughtful plan ... I’m recommending that this council delay the final decision until some of the issues we heard tonight can be addressed.” 

There were no surprises at the Berkeley Citizens Action Endorsement convention Sunday afternoon, with the 30-year-old group that once was Berkeley’s progressive electoral powerhouse endorsing longtime members Mayor Tom Bates, and City Councilmembers Dona Spring, Kriss Worthington and Linda Maio. 

The club also chose UC Berkeley student Jason Overman for District 8 City Council, whom they supported in his successful Rent Board run in 2004, and endorsed School Board incumbent Nancy Riddle and candidate Karen Hemphill. 

Candidates needed 60 percent of the votes to snag the club endorsement, which carries with it newspaper advertising and a spot on the BCA doorhanger. 

More than 80 people came to the North Berkeley Senior Center event. Voters had to belong to BCA—this was in contrast to the previous week’s Progressive Coalition Convention, where any Berkeley resident attending could cast a ballot. Both conventions used instant runoff voting for races with more than two candidates. 

Mayor 

All four mayoral candidates spoke briefly. While Bates was clearly the favorite, BCA did not give him a free ride, finally recording him as getting 67 percent of the vote as determined by the instant runoff voting method, in which voters may list second and third choices for tabulation if their first choice loses.  

The IRV process itself, however, became a bone of contention. Some said that the procedure by which the IRV votes were counted—the way that “no endorsement” votes were considered—gave Bates an unfair advantage. 

“It wasn’t done properly,” Elliot Cohen, a BCA member, said, pointing out that the person who oversaw the vote, Rent Board Chair Howard Chong, is endorsing Bates. 

“I can understand there are some concerns and I am going to look into it,” said John Selawsky, a BCA member and Berkeley school board member. 

BCA Steering Committee member John Curl, who advocated no endorsement for the mayor’s race, said, however, that he accepted the way the vote was conducted. As the Daily Planet went to press, no candidate had contested the results. 

The mayor faced a barrage of criticism, both from challenger Zelda Bronstein and from BCA members. 

West Berkeley artisan Curl attacked Bates for his support of the West Berkeley Bowl project and other development. 

“Mayor Bates, how can you expect progressives to endorse you when you’ve made it a policy to promote gentrification, pushing people out of town?” he asked. “When you have stated that land use needs to be regulated on the free market, when you’ve been handing over the city to the university and private developers?” 

Bates responded that the West Berkeley Bowl would be “a great asset for our community,” slamming Curl and candidate Bronstein for their opposition, to which Bronstein, former Planning Commission chair, answered that she had not opposed the market, but supported a smaller version of it. 

Bates touted the transit village concept (housing at BART stations), and pointed out that the development he supports is on traffic corridors, “not in the neighborhoods.”  

The incumbent touted his endorsements—Rep. Barbara Lee, the Alameda County Central Democratic Committee, Ron Dellums and more—but Bronstein pointed out that 27 percent of his contributions (in the July reporting) came from developers. 

When Laurence Schechtman asked Bates about his endorsement of District 8 incumbent (and Overman’s opponent) Gordon Wozniak, given Wozniak’s refusal to endorse against Measure I, the condominium conversion measure, Bates responded that he clearly opposes Measure I but supports Wozniak, who has supported him on the council. 

Bronstein promised to build “real affordable housing,” to reopen negotiations with the university over fees it pays to the city for sewers and other services and to pass a sunshine ordinance. She said she strongly opposes the condominium conversion ordinance.  

Addressing a question about youth programs, Bronstein criticized Bates “for not knowing how the money (for youth programs) is being used.”  

Community activist Zachary Runningwolf, running for mayor, touted his support for small business and opposition to the city-university agreement. Responding to a question on mental health, Runningwolf criticized the policy that brings in the police as first responders to “5150” (mental health) calls.  

Recent Stanford graduate Christian Pecaut, also challenging Bates for mayor, addressed the need to know when people in power—locally and nationally—are lying. Pecaut, whose flyers say “Vote for the kid,” said that despite his age, he understands the answers to the city’s problems. 

City Council 

Candidates Spring, Worthington, Overman and Merrilie Mitchell spoke briefly and responded to questions. Their opponents had all called in “out of town.”  

Reminding the audience that she was a “strong voice for the anti-war movement,” and that “we still need social justice,” Spring addressed the need to save the warm water pool. She touted Measure J, the Landmarks Preservation ballot measure, contending it would prevent speculators from buying single-family houses “to develop three-plexes, lot line to lot line.” 

Worthington spoke of bringing police and social workers back to Telegraph Avenue and the need for truly affordable housing, for those who earn $20,000 or $30,000 per year. The homeless need housing and a network of services, he said.  

Overman echoed Worthington’s call for affordable housing and told the audience that he is “running to defend progressive values” with which the incumbent Wozniak is “out of step.”  

Mitchell called for prioritizing the retrofitting of “soft-story” apartment buildings and making Berkeley “a model green city.” 

School Board 

Although there are three seats open, the convention endorsed only Hemphill and Riddle for school board.  

From the audience, Councilmember Darryl Moore asked candidates about the Jefferson School name-change controversy: “Parents and teachers voted overwhelmingly to change the name, but the school board did not,” he said. 

“The board missed the point,” Hemphill responded. “The community at Jefferson banded together, reached out” and worked through the problem to come to a solution. “It was about empowering the community.” 

Incumbent Shirley Issel said the controversy was an “agonizing” two-year process. “I thought the learning environment at the school was eroded by this,” she said stressing the importance of learning form history, not “eradicating” it. 

David Baggins said he would have allowed the school to debate, then accept the vote of the school.  

The focus of Hemphill’s campaign is bridging the achievement gap between whites and minorities. “Berkeley is doing a worse job than the rest of the county,” she said.  

But Shirley Issel argued that schools can’t close the gap. Other jurisdictions should provide income assistance, child care and other services so that all children enter school at the same level, she said. 

On the achievement gap, Baggins asked “why do we look like Oakland rather than Berkeley?” and answered his question, saying it is because of illegal out-of-district students. 

Candidate Norma Harrison said both the state and schools should “wither away.” 

Oakland’s massive Oak-to-Ninth development project entered familiar territory this week with another citizen lawsuit filed in Superior Court against the controversial project. 

On Monday morning, members of the Oak-to-Ninth Referendum Committee filed a complaint with the Superior Court in Oakland challenging Oakland City Attorney John Russo’s Sept. 6 invalidation of the petitions that would have placed the development agreement before the voters. 

“After mounting an enormous and successful effort to alert the public and collect signatures, the Referendum Committee faces an impossible situation,” president of the League of Women Voters of Oakland Helen Hutchison said in a prepared statement announcing the lawsuit. “The city gave us the authorized documents several days into the brief 30-day signature gathering period. Then when we turned in the signatures, they said, ‘we supplied the wrong documents so the referendum petition is invalid.’ Invalidating our petition for this reason completely undermines the right to petition for referendum on a city action.” 

The Oakland League of Women Voters is one of several members of the Oak-to-Ninth Referendum Committee that turned in more than 25,000 signatures on petitions calling for a citizen referendum on the development project. 

The public information officer for the city attorney’s office, Erica Harrold, said in a telephone interview that while it was “unfortunate” that the referendum committee has “chosen to go this route with a lawsuit,” she sympathized with their position. 

“We’re up against a draconian state law,” Harrold said, that mandates that a petition for a referendum overturning a city ordinance must be turned in no later than 30 days after the final passage of the ordinance and must include that final version in the text of the signed petitions. State law, however, is silent on the availability of that final version of the law to the public. 

“We need to rework the state law so that the 30-day clock doesn’t start ticking until there is publicly available a stamped, final version of the ordinance,” Harrold said. 

Until that law is changed, Harrold added, “our hands are tied. What else can we do? The City Attorney’s Office believes we were on solid ground” in throwing out the petitions, she said. “State law is crystal clear on this.” 

Last July, Oakland City Council approved an agreement with developer Signature Properties for a 3,100-residential unit, 200,000-square-foot commercial space development on the 64-acre parcel of land on Oakland’s estuary south of Jack London Square. The property includes the historic Ninth Avenue Terminal building. 

The Oak-to-Ninth project has been the subject of considerable community opposition since it was first proposed. However, some of that community opposition ended when Oakland City Councilmember Pat Kernighan crafted a compromise between the developers and some members of the environmental and affordable housing communities. 

In its first vote on the project last June, the council approved the development agreement on a 6-0 vote, with Councilmember Jean Quan abstaining because the project lacked new school facilities, and Councilmember Desley Brooks abstaining because it did not provide enough open space. 

Following the final council vote in July, two lawsuits were immediately filed against the proposed project, one by Oakland environmental advocate Joyce Roy and the Coalition of Advocates for Lake Merritt (CALM) on grounds that the project violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and the second by the Oakland Heritage Alliance calling for the saving of the Ninth Avenue Terminal. Under the agreement, the terminal would be virtually destroyed. 

Last week, Roy and CALM amended their petition, adding a new cause of action calling for the invalidation of the council vote because the council may not have had the final version of the development agreement in front of it when it took its final vote. 

Oak-to-Ninth Referendum Committee member James Vann said in a prepared statement that in drafting its petition, “we used exactly what the Council adopted” on its final vote as the text of the ordinance. “If the agreement was substantially revised after the Council’s vote, then something fishy is going on and City Attorney Russo will have to explain it.”  

City attorney information officer Harrold said she had not yet seen a copy of the new lawsuit, and city attorney staff had not yet filed an answer on behalf of the city to the amended complaint in the Roy/CALM lawsuit. The city attorney’s office has 30 days to answer both the new lawsuit and the amended complaint. 

For neighbors of UC Storage at Ward Street and Shattuck Avenue, approval of placing 18 antennas atop the four-story building is the last straw. 

They say the business brings heavy traffic that clogs residential streets and blocks the sidewalks, and now it wants to add telecommunications devices which might affect the health of nearby neighbors. 

Tonight (Tuesday) the Berkeley City Council will address an appeal by the Ward Street Neighbors of the May Zoning Adjustments Board’s approval of the project at 2721 Shattuck Ave. 

The council will also look at an appeal of ZAB’s approval of a partial demolition at 2104 Sixth St. which neighbors have said is illegal, and will consider a request to fund a campus watch group. 

In addition to the 18 antennas, the ZAB approvals for UC Storage include an emergency backup generator and an air conditioner. There are two applicants for the antennas: Nextel and Verizon. 

Neighbors are calling for a public hearing to air the problem. 

“There’s no seismic analysis,” Ellen McGovern of Ward Street Neighbors told the Planet. “What if there’s an earthquake and an antenna falls off the roof?” 

And there’s been no study of the noise pollution it will generate, she said. 

Moreover, McGovern said, “They take Verizon’s and Nextel’s analysis of the ‘need’ to put the antennas up,” arguing that the city should hire an independent engineer to verify the need. 

Nextel, however, says the site fills a “hole” in its system. 

In a Sept. 18 response to McGovern’s request for review by a third party, Paul Albritton, attorney for Verizon, contends: “We do not believe the very high cost, estimated at approximately $7,000, of a third-party engineering review is supported under either the evidence presented, or under the code.” 

Further arguing in favor of the project, Albritton said in the Sept. 18 memo that Verizon had submitted coverage maps and reports “supporting the need for the improved coverage in the area surrounding the proposed site, for both business and home-coverage purposes.”  

He went on to point out the public benefit of the antennas, which he said would provide emergency 911 “pin-pointing” coverage for police and fire. 

The Federal Telecommunications Act precludes communities from using health concerns for turning down telecommunications devices. Still, at the May ZAB meeting, according to unofficial minutes, Pam Spike pointed to the “precautionary principle,” saying that if there’s the possibility that people can be harmed by the project, it should not be done.  

Councilmember Max Anderson, in whose district UC Storage sits, said this week that in such cases the precautionary principle should be applied. 

In addition to the antennas, Ward Street neighbors complain of trucks blocking the street and vehicles using the Ward Street entrance to the facility, adjacent to homes, rather than a Shattuck Avenue entrance on the commercial street. 

The council will also address: 

• An appeal of the Zoning Adjustments Board’s decision to accept a partial demolition of a historic building at 2104 Sixth St. The decision mandates that the remaining historic features of the building be preserved and that the historic features that the staff report says were “inadvertently removed” be reconstructed. 

• A request for $7,500 to add to the UC Berkeley fund for a Cal Campus Neighborhood Watch Program.  

• A request by Planning Department staff to send a project proposed for 2817 Eighth St. back to the Zoning Adjustments Board. In July ZAB approved a project that would demolish a single-family house and replace it with four condominiums, but did not address the requirement that the developer provide “inclusionary” (lower-income) units or an in-lieu fee. Staff wants the ZAB to reconsider the project in light of this requirement. 

Planning commissioners face two action items on the agenda Wednesday. 

First up will be a discussion of recommendations for revisions to the city’s Creeks Ordinance, with commissioners scheduled to decide on a public hearing date for a vote on amendments to provisions to allow rebuilding in the event of a fire or other disaster. 

The other item is a discussion of zoning changes proposed for the Telegraph Avenue Economic Development Assistance Package, with a continuance of the public hearing to the commission’s Oct. 11 meeting. 

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

Creation of a major new UC Berkeley museum complex on Center Street inched a step closer Monday with the close of applications for the position of project architect. 

Meanwhile, museum officials are scheduled to meet today (Tuesday) with a select group of community members, including representatives of the Downtown Berkeley Association (DBA). 

The meeting was scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. at the Jazz Cafe, 2087 Addison St. 

The university’s architectural and public relations moves come as a subcommittee of the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee (DAPAC) is studying the future of Center Street. The new DAPAC subcommittee will hold its first meeting Oct. 5 starting at 7 p.m. in the second floor of the North Berkeley Senior Center. 

Rob Wrenn, a former Planning Commission chair who now sits on the Transportation Commission, will serve as chair for the first meeting. 

The Center Street Subcommittee, formed at Planning Commission Chair Helen Burke’s urging over the objections of DAPAC Chair Will Travis, is also considering the impact of a second major university-backed development planned for the one block stretch of Center between Oxford Street and Shattuck Avenue. 

The project, commonly called the UC Hotel, was the subject of a lengthy study by a special city subcommittee appointed to consider the impact of the construction of a high-rise hotel at the northeast corner of the intersection of Center and Shattuck. 

The university has selected Boston-based developer Carpenter and Company, which presented a general project overview to DAPAC in June. 

It was after that meeting that Burke called for the creation of what is now known as the Center Street Subcommittee. DAPAC members voted overwhelmingly in support, with only Travis and former UC Berkeley administrator Dorothy Walker in opposition. 

The university’s plans for the hotel complex had earlier spurred the creation of the Hotel Task Force, created by the City Council in December 2003. Both Burke and Wrenn had served on the panel, with Burke then representing the Sierra Club. 

That panel, drawing from the Planning Commission, the Zoning Adjustments Board, the Design Review Committee, the Civic Arts Commission and a variety of community organizations, completed its study the following April. 

Among the panel’s recommendations was a call for closing Center Street to traffic between Oxford and Shattuck, transforming the streetscape into a pedestrian plaza—possibly including an excavated and daylighted Strawberry Creek. 

That waterway now flows through a buried culvert beneath the street. 

The museums would rise at the eastern end of Center Street on the sites now occupied by the landmarked University Press Building. 

The building, a 1939 New Deal Moderne structure where the original copies of the United Nations Charter were printed in 1945 for the signatures of delegates gathered in San Francisco for the U.N.’s founding, was declared a city landmark in June 2004. 

That structure would be demolished to make way for the complex, which will house the Berkeley Art Museum, the Pacific Film Archive, the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology and exhibits from the Berkeley Natural History Museums. 

Plans call for a total of 71,650 square feet of gallery, theater, classroom and other display areas, according to the Request for Proposals issued by the university. 

Burke said she had heard that museum officials are accompanying their presentations on the projects with solicitations of funds. As with most of the university’s new building programs, most if not all of the funding is expected to come from private and corporate donors.

Two 19-year-old men were convicted today of second-degree murder for beating and kicking a 100-pound homeless woman to death in Berkeley last year. 

Jurors deliberated for parts of three days before delivering their verdict against Jarrell Maurice Johnson of San Leandro and Derrell Lamont Morgan of Berkeley for the attack on 49-year-old Maria King on Feb. 8, 2005. 

King died at a hospital 12 days after a confrontation with the men behind a second-hand clothing store near University Avenue and California Street. 

Johnson and Morgan are scheduled to be sentenced by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Horner on Nov. 17. They each face 15 years to life in state prison. 

In his closing argument last week, Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Ben Beltramo said Johnson and Morgan both should be convicted of first-degree murder because they knew that King was vulnerable and that by throwing her to the ground and kicking her multiple times they would kill her. 

Beltramo said King was “motionless, soundless and defenseless” after being knocked to the ground, but instead of helping King or just walking away, Morgan and Johnson kicked her in her vital organs at least three times each. 

“They had a choice and they chose death,” Beltramo said. 

He said the manager of an apartment building across the street who saw part of the incident from his window said the two men were kicking something as if they were kicking a soccer ball as hard as they could. 

Beltramo told jurors, “It wasn’t a soccer ball, it was a woman’s head.” 

The prosecutor said Morgan and Johnson kicked King with “an incredible amount of force” and she suffered at least seven facial fractures, a skull fracture, swelling and lacerations to both eyes and hemorrhaging and swelling to her brain. 

Johnson’s lawyer, Ray Plumhoff, admitted to jurors that Johnson participated in the attack but said he should be convicted of something less than murder. 

Morgan’s lawyer, Walter Pyle, said Morgan wasn’t involved in the brutal attack. 

Berkeley’s City Club and the First Church of Christ, Scientist are among 25 Bay Area architectural and historic treasures competing this fall for one million dollars in grant funding from the American Express Foundation through the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 

Anyone can enroll online to vote for his or her favorite project. Individuals can vote over and over—up to once a day—through Oct. 31.  

It may not be “American Idol”, but the project winning the popular vote is guaranteed at least a portion of the million dollars.  

Voters can log on at www.partnersinpreservation.com, complete a simple registration page and, once registered, return regularly to cast ballots (e-mail address and selection of a “nickname” and password are needed, but real name, address or phone number are not required). 

Voting is also possible through electronic kiosks at some Peet’s Coffee locations. 

Supporters of both Berkeley buildings are hoping for a decisive voting turnout from their admirers. 

The Berkeley City Club—sometimes called architect Julia Morgan’s “Little Castle” in contrast to her Hearst Castle mansion for newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst at San Simeon—is looking to the program to continue a series of renovation and restoration projects at the seven-story Durant Avenue building. 

The building was constructed in the late 1920s as a central meeting and activity location for a coalition of Berkeley’s women’s clubs.  

Membership is now open to both sexes and much of the ornate structure is used for event rentals, meetings, dramatic and musical performances, weddings, and other ceremonies. Guestrooms are available in the tower.  

Upstairs in a cramped third floor bedroom converted to an office, the non-profit Landmark Heritage Foundation, led by energetic President Mary Breunig, marshals volunteers, prepares grant applications and organizes fundraising for the building project. 

Tables and desks are covered with piles of papers, newsletters, flyers, City Club historic paraphernalia, and renovation project documents. 

An extensive and expensive project to repair and refurbish many of the ornate leaded glass windows in the building has largely been completed.  

If the American Express grant money comes through, Breunig says, attention can turn to a façade restoration project.  

The money would “spruce up the front, which needs it terribly,” she says. “The decorative features are deteriorating; there are a lot of windows that need to be tended to.” 

The south-facing Durant Avenue façade is embellished with windows, terraces, and ornaments in a synthesis of Moorish and Gothic styles. 

The American Express money requires no exhausting effort to raise matching funds. “That’s what’s so darned wonderful about this”, Breunig says. 

“If the Landmark Heritage Foundation receives this grant, that will take us even closer to becoming a National Trust historic hotel,” she adds. Historic hotel status would yield increased publicity for the building and, Breunig hopes, bring more travelers and “heritage tourists” to Berkeley. 

Over at Dwight and Bowditch in Berkeley’s 96-year-old First Church of Christ, Scientist building—one of only two National Historic Landmarks in the city—there’s also evidence of repairs and renovations underway. 

Construction fencing has just gone up along Bowditch Street in preparation for a combined seismic strengthening and re-roofing project planned by Architectural Resources Group and Degenkolb Engineers.  

Fred Porta from the non-profit Friends of First Church is, like Breunig, hopeful and thankful about the grant opportunity. “We are excited … Hip, Hip, Hooray!” he exclaims. “I think the National Trust and American Express really get a gold star.” 

The roof repairs and seismic work on the main, original, building—which includes the structure’s primary auditorium—are partially supported with a $550,000 grant through the Save America’s Treasures program. The Friends are still raising matching funds. “We’re charging ahead”, Porta says. 

Meanwhile, seismic and other work remains to be done on a lesser known, but equally interesting, portion of the building. 

The Sunday School wing of the Church is tucked along Dwight Way. Added in 1929, it was a collaboration between an aging Bernard Maybeck and Henry Gutterson. “The floorplan and elevations were from Maybeck’s hand,” Porta notes, while Gutterson was the architect of record. 

Within the tranquil, narrow, high-roofed structure that looks a bit like an ancient monastic chapel and is complete with its own Oliver Organ, manufactured in Berkeley, the main weakness is the end wall on the south, currently without the “shear strength” required to resist a major earthquake.  

Engineering plans call for the replacement of the wood-frame wall with solid concrete, and replication of the original surface finishes. That’s where the Friends of First Church would direct any American Express grant money from the contest, Porta says. 

Although they yearn for local residents to vote their projects to the top of the list, both Breunig and Porta are also quick to encourage voters to consider the other Berkeley-area project competing for the funding, restoration of the venerable 1911 Carousel in Tilden Park.  

There are also Richmond, Oakland, San Francisco and other Bay Area projects in the running. 

The grant program is a “win, win, win”, for the whole range of preservation efforts in the Bay Area, Porta adds. Regardless of the primary winner, a million dollars will flow into local restoration work. 

An interactive map on the website provides photos and vignettes of all 25 projects. 

For more information on the grant program and to vote, see www.partnersinpreservation.com. Voting ends Oct. 31; you may vote once a day. 

For information on the City Club, see www.berkeleycityclub.com or contact the Landmark Heritage Foundation at 883-9710, or lhfjmorgan@earthlink.net  

There are free tours of the building at 2315 Durant Ave. on the fourth Sunday of each month (except December), on the half-hour from 1-4p.m. 

For information on the First Church of Christ, Scientist, see www.friendsoffirstchurch.org or write to info@friendsoffirstchurch.org  

Free tours of the Church interior are offered at 12:15 p.m. on the first Sunday of every month. Gather at the church entrance on Dwight, just east of Bowditch. 

Photo courtesy of Friends of First Church: 

The interior of the modestly named Sunday School room at the First Church of Christ, Scientist is in need of earthquake reinforcement, which could be undertaken with the American Express funding.

It seems too early, with the September hot spell still upon us, to be thinking about the November local election, but it’s here. Vote-at-home ballots will be mailed out next week, and consultants will be directing calls to frequent voters urging them to vote NOW. The local campaigns, such as they are, are almost over. 

In Berkeley we’re seeing what looks like a monumental shift in political alignments. The disappearance of rent control as a meaningful political yardstick against which candidates can be measured seems to be creating an issues-free “politics by cronyism.” Mayor Tom Bates, formerly considered a progressive, has firmly joined the ranks of the Dead Armadillo party by endorsing the most conservative candidate in this year’s race, old crony incumbent Gordon Wozniak, instead of progressive Rent Board Commissioner Jason Overman. Wozniak does a fine job of upholding the interests of the upscale Claremont District where he lives, but a notably poorer job for the students in his gerrymandered council district. He’s not much help either for the permanent residents living near campus, both renters and homeowners, whose lives are continually impacted by UC’s unchecked expansion. Wozniak’s a retired university administrator, and on many key votes his sympathies seem to be with his old bosses at the U rather than with his beleaguered constituents.  

And now Bates has even been caught covertly dissing the most stalwart progressives still on the council, Kriss Worthington and Dona Spring, both up for re-election. East Bay Express gossip columnist Will Harper managed to disguise himself well enough to be a fly on the wall at the meeting which launched the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce’s political action committee’s effort to influence the November elections. (I wish I could manage to be so inconspicuous.) He says that Bates allowed as how he didn’t plan to endorse either Worthington or Spring, and that the mayor even made snide remarks about their personal qualifications. 

Worthington and Spring are the councilmembers most likely to speak up for the poor, for the homeless, and for the beleaguered residents of their flatlands districts who are bearing the brunt of Bates’ pro-development push in their neighborhoods. Their opponents are a pair of hale-fellas-well-met, jolly Chamber-of-Commerce types with big-bucks backing who’d like to remake Berkeley in their own image. It’s no wonder that today’s affable Bates, now the very model of a middle-aged burgher, would feel closer to them than to the outspoken defenders of progressive causes they’re running against. (And by the way, the Bates-endorsed Wozniak is even sharing campaign headquarters with Worthington’s opponent.) 

Dona’s tenacious defense of what she thinks is right, regardless of who disagrees with her, has been particularly annoying to Bates ever since he was elected, despite the fact that she was a prime mover in persuading him to run. Reviewing old videos of council meeting shows many unattractive occasions where he’s cut her off in mid-sentence in a remarkably patronizing fashion. Worthington is more discreet, less outspoken, but equally tenacious. He made a sincere effort to get along with Bates at the beginning, but has been poorly rewarded for his pains. 

Many of the old warhorses who showed up for the BCA endorsement meeting last Sunday didn’t seem to know what’s going on in Berkeley any more. They didn’t see the contradiction in simultaneously endorsing Bates and the councilmembers with whom he’s most often at odds. Many of them are also comfortable middle-aged burghers with houses now worth close to a million dollars who tend to assume that the causes and controversies are still the same as when they were eager graduate students living in the flats. BCA’s mailing and membership lists are as ancient as the members: They’re still mailing meeting invitations to one of my daughters who went away to college in 1980 and now lives in another city.  

The firebrands in the old BCA would have noticed that a large hunk of Bates’ current endorsers are from the faction formerly known as moderate, old foes of rent control and other causes dear to the BCA heart. They might also have noticed that though BCA endorsed Bates in the last election, he didn’t mention that endorsement anywhere in his 2002 campaign mailings. Yes, he’s “a uniter, not a divider”—but we know what mischief Dubya did with that slogan. 

The new progressive issues which are replacing now-defunct rent control are not as easy to identify. A recent op-ed columnist in the San Francisco Chronicle took it for granted that opposition to inappropriate development and ugly densification is a core progressive issue, but much of Berkeley hasn’t caught on yet. Randy Shaw, who lives in Berkeley but runs the Tenderloin Housing Clinic in San Francisco, does understand what’s going on, and laid it out clearly in these pages. 

But in response to his op-ed, a recent letter writer, an old BCA pol, criticized Shaw and lauded Mayor Bates because Berkeley “was one of the few to be given an ‘A’ for meeting its state-required “fair share” of affordable housing.” That’s exactly the point: There’s now enough housing in Berkeley which meets the generous state affordability standard that we don’t need to continue mindlessly overbuilding enormous buildings which harm residents on adjacent streets (both renters and homeowners) just to secure a token trickle of tiny “affordable” units in each ugly box. If we want to build genuinely inexpensive housing suitable for low-income families in order to preserve Berkeley’s traditional income and racial diversity, we should do that, upfront, but we shouldn’t kid ourselves that anything at all that’s good for builders is de-facto good for Berkeley.  

A signature effort of the Bates term has been his inexplicable crusade to destroy the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance, which has been responsible for retaining a substantial portion of Berkeley’s existing older housing stock. It’s well-documented that when older housing is demolished to make way for new, the new units almost always are smaller and cost more to rent than the old ones. And many developers see Berkeley’s owner-occupied flatlands bungalows as ideal demolition candidates. Bates’s appointees to land-use boards and commissions have all been on the side of the building industry, not on the side of the neighborhoods. 

Dona Spring and Kriss Worthington, unlike Bates, understand the nuances of what it means to be a progressive councilmember in today’s Berkeley, now a bedroom community increasingly dominated by a well-off majority. They’re proud of standing up for underdogs. Jason Overman has shown himself to be equally aware of problems faced by lower-income Berkeleyans and others living near UC, and as a student will bring a fresh perspective to an increasingly elderly City Council. Voters who want the best representation for both students and neighborhood residents should choose the real progressives: Dona Spring in District 4, Kriss Worthington in District 7 and Jason Overman in District 8.  

The record-breaking, triple-digit heat wave that rolled through California this summer did untold harm to the state’s $31.8 billion agricultural industry—cooking walnuts in their shells, killing dairy cows and wilting tender greens in the field. 

But for the small-scale farmers at the Saturday farmers’ market in downtown Berkeley, the blistering temperatures caused more sunburns and headaches than crop damage.  

“I hated the heat wave with a passion,” said Didar Khalsa, from behind crates of green table grapes, black mission figs and yellow peaches. “Not for any specific damage it did to the fruit but because I had to work out in it.” 

A tall, lean man with a full beard, Khalsa is the owner and primary laborer on the 13-plus-acre Guru Ram Das Orchards in Esparto, northeast of Sacramento.  

Governor Schwarzenegger has estimated crop damage at “more than a billion dollars” and on Aug. 1 made a request for federal disaster assistance from the USDA for the most impacted Central Valley counties of Fresno, San Joaquin, Kern, Kings, Tulare, Stanislaus, Merced and Madera. 

At the Berkeley market most of the vendors rise before dawn to drive several hours into the Bay Area from outlying counties. Though most of the farms represented are not from the state’s most heat-damaged agricultural regions, they all spoke of record-breaking temperatures.  

“I actually think the citrus liked the heat,” said Khalsa who is looking forward to continued bounty throughout the winter with grapefruit, lemons, limes, hachiya and fuyu persimmons, blood and Valencia oranges. 

Just down the street Abel Estrella placed deep purple pluots and Gala apples on the scale for a customer. For Smit Orchards in Linden, a small town in the foothills of San Joaquin county, fall brings in the money crops, Fuji and Pink Lady apples, selling for between $2.50 and $3 a pound. This year the heat wave spurred the harvesting season.  

“Everything is two weeks early,” said Estrella, “and honestly, I’m not sure the flavor on the apples is quite as good.” 

Watery apples and slightly higher prices did not appear to hamper the hoards of shoppers who arrived with their strollers, cloth grocery bags and coffee drinks to wander through the stands, to sample yellow and white nectarines, buy flowers and stock up on fresh produce for the week. 

Marga Snipes was in town from Spokane, Washington, to take classes on a Zimbabwean instrument called a mbira, also known as a thumb piano, and just happened upon the market. 

“I love it! There is just such a wonderful variety and all the vendors are so knowledgeable. I bought figs, peaches and I am going to try a cactus pear for the first time,” she said, pointing to the de-spined, red colored fruit. 

Shoppers leaned down to savor the fragrant, multicolored roses at Robin Gammons’ stall. Based in Aromas, east of Watsonville, the Four Sisters farm specializes in cut flowers and organic specialty greens like sorrel and purslane. Picked young and tender, the greens don’t do well in extreme heat. 

“During July nothing looked good,” said Gammons. “Everything was wilting, especially the water cress.”  

Much of the fruit displayed at Saturday’s market depends on bees for pollination and when it gets hot bees stop pollinating, cease honey production and start collecting and depositing water droplets in the hive where they continuously flap their wings to circulate cool air. 

The National Honey Board ranks California as the second highest honey-producing state in the nation, generating more than $25 million in 2005. With all the bee’s energy focused on staying cool, the state’s Department of Food and Agriculture estimates a 35 percent decrease in honey production this year. 

Market vendor and beekeeper Tom von Tersch of Half Moon Bay stood behind a sizeable display of honey in variously sized clear glass jars. Sticky fingered children reached for the tiny paper cups filled with chunks of honeycomb he offered as samplers. 

“During the heat wave I didn’t worry about my bees. A good strong hive takes care of itself,” said Tersch. Tersch had hoped the Toyon, a native California shrub, would bloom longer but the scorching days in July cut short the blooming season for many wildflowers and plants. 

For a beekeeper, a heat wave means driving bees around the state in search of sufficient blooms. It’s not always easy or lucrative but Tersch is grateful he doesn’t have to worry about labor issues. 

“As a beekeeper I get to abuse my employees terribly,” he said. “After all, it’s just me and the bees.” 

• 

SPINELESS DEMOCRATS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a disgusted Democrat who’d now vote for almost any third party that could get on a primary ballot, I agree with Arthur Blaustein’s Sept. 22 commentary—with the exception of his apparently boundless faith in the Democrats we elected to represent us. 

By their spinelessness, Dems seem just as willing as the GOP to shred our still valid Constitution. In the few days before Nov. 7, it’s doubtful they’ll suddenly rise up en masse against the Bush administration. 

I have tried in vain to understand their cowardly waffling! Everything Bush does, no matter how “secret,” can to be found on record somewhere. Why wait until inevitable post-election “leaks” to do what Dems must know is right for this country? Why not put their cadre of “intellectual elites” into momentary “blue-collar” mode to attack Republicans directly? 

What’s so hard about unanimously backing John Conyers and his cohorts to impeach all high-ranking members of the Bush team for their many thoroughly documented impeachable offenses?  

The results of this election will affect us all, including Congress and their families and cronies and the rest of the known world.  

If the Dems don’t pull together immediately to act forcefully with common sense, no one in this “democracy” will even have a vote after another Republican majority in Congress and two more years of Bush. 

Nancy Chirich 

• 

PRESERVING THE ARTS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The West Berkeley development plan (Daily Planet, Sept. 26) presented to the Civic Arts Commission by Doug Herst and Darrell de Tienne is an amazing opportunity to preserve an arts community in Berkeley and to begin the process of revitalizing that area. Because it proposes a small sector of more dense residential construction as well as artist workspace, both requiring added height, it will meet some resistance from a few diehard obstructionists who seem determined to keep West Berkeley the wasteland of shanties and scrapyards that much of it now is. (A member of the commission cited a survey that found 25 acres of West Berkeley virtually unused). 

Brenneman’s article mentions my urging that it’s time to rezone parts of West Berkeley. (I’m not, by the way, an artist, as he calls me, in the usual sense—I’m a retired Equity actor with a history of performances at Berkeley Rep, Berkeley Jewish Theater, CCCT and others.) I think it’s important to readjust the divisions of the West Berkeley Plan, as well as some zoning constraints, to make more flexible use of that area without sacrificing the overall balance embodied in the Plan. In an effective trade-off, the proposed creative center could give artists and artisans a stimulating community with adjacent live/work spaces (the ultimate goal in traffic reduction) and allow pockets of land near the freeway access points at Ashby, University, and Gilman to be developed for car dealerships and big box retail, providing our city the commercial revenue it desperately needs to survive. Telegraph and Shattuck are dying as a commercial tax base, and every year Berkeley residents spend millions of dollars in Emeryville and El Cerrito because that’s where the stores are. If Berkeley doesn’t provide competitive venues near the freeway we face a slow economic death.  

Jerry Landis 

• 

OCTOBER SURPRISE RALLY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

There will a free October Surprise Peace Concert-Rally from 1-5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8 at People’s Park. It will be a united front around saying no to the Iraq war, a draft, nuking or bombing Iran, and torture. Many bands and speakers are lined up. Bush and all have in the past elections used some kind of October Surprise to win the last three elections. The fix might be already in with re-districting and the voting machines. Another problem the democrats probably will sit on there hands if they win. Also the Navy is getting in place to block Iran’s ports to provoke an incident so Bush can start bombing. So on the following Tuesday at 8 a.m., we will march from Telegraph and Bancroft to Professor Yoo’s class and try to do a citizen arrest for war crimes against the Geneva Accords which is the law of our land because of signed Treaties. Hope to see you at both events.  

Michael Delacour 

• 

DISTRICT 2 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thank you, Daily Planet and Becky O’Malley, for your wonderful editorial and endorsement of Jerry McNerney who is running against despicable Richard Pombo in District 2. Even though it is out of our district, we also feel that we all live in Pombo’s district and he must be defeated. Jerry has an excellent chance to win and with all our help, he can. My partner Dan and I have been traveling to Tracy, Pombo’s hometown, an hour away, to help with canvassing Pombo’s hometown. Tracy has an excellent precinct coordinator, Martha Gamez (gamezm@comcast.net) who would love to hear from you if you have any time to help. We all must find time to do this. This current administration must be defeated and the only way to do this to regain control of Congress is to defeat execrable congressman such as Pombo and replace him with a wind engineer who is totally supportive of environmental policies and replace corrupt politicians with someone who has the integrity and courage to speak out and fight. 

Andree Leenaers 

• 

PET ADOPTION STORE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The emotional heat generated by some of neighbors of The MILO Foundation’s Pet Adoption Store continues to rise. They have genuine concerns but these are sometimes clouded by their exaggerations and misinformation. When you have a case, why taint it? 

No one at MILO, and none of their supporters, including me—a former MILO board member, and current Berkeley Humane Commissioner—deny the impact of the store. And no one at MILO is cavalier about the need for change and adjustment. But to be vilified, screamed at, have your legally parked vehicle red tagged by neighbors, and have Animal Services and the Parking Division used as tools against the Pet Adoption Store is plainly disheartening. 

As to the Zoning Adjustments Board—true, they are not there to judge the moral value of a project. Too bad. Perhaps that would ensure that the kind of life enriching and community enhancing businesses and artisan projects so dear to our hearts could really flourish in Berkeley, instead of Dollar Stores and cell phone providers. 

But ZAB does make adjustments, obviously. In fact, ZAB had to make a zoning adjustment for the whole of Berkeley after the 2002 election. Berkeley residents passed Bond Measure I, which I initiated, to build a new Berkeley Animal Shelter to replace the disgraceful cinder block building on Second Street. At that time, we discovered that no area in Berkeley was zoned for kennels/shelters. Assuming that a new shelter would be built in a mixed-use light-industrial area (MULI), then-Deputy City Manager Phil Kamlarz wrote the zoning change to allow kennels/shelters in Berkeley. 

The code which Mr. Mattingly quotes about where kennels can be placed was written almost 40 years ago, and like much of Berkeley animal code is inappropriate for modern conditions and community standards. Ironically, with a live/work space right next door to the Berkeley Municipal Animal Shelter on Second Street our own city shelter is also in violation of this law. But new shelters are increasingly being built directly adjoining housing developments because it is understood now that animal welfare and pet ownership are an integral part of contemporary family life. 

But perhaps no one has noticed. It is almost four years since Measure I passed—the only successful tax measure in the East Bay that election season—and where is our new shelter? Nowhere. And why? Perhaps it’s because there are many in this city who continue to see animal shelters as the dirty little secret down by the railroad tracks, and that includes some in City Hall who shouldn’t be talking of any development in West Berkeley that does not include the new animal shelter as a vital community enriching component. 

As a committed MILO supporter, I would love to see the project succeed—and as a property owner in Berkeley I am enormously empathetic with neighbor complaints. But to hurl insults and to suggest as one neighbor has, that pregnant women and HIV positive individuals are at risk from MILO is not only ignorant but malicious. The whole debate of how and where we place animal shelters, pet adoption stores, kennels and animal friendly businesses is linked—and perhaps these bright, concerned and well informed residents could join forces with me and others like me to find solutions and further enhance Berkeley’s reputation as progressive and innovative. 

Jill Posener 

• 

GOOD SAMARITAN  

NEEDS A GUITAR 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

On Aug. 9, there was an apartment fire on the 2600 block of Hillegass Avenue. As reported on the local news channels, the fire injured six people, including a good Samaritan. 

That good Samaritan’s name is David Anderson. He’s 44 years old, from Chicago, he’s a musician, and he’s homeless. For the past several years he has lived in Willard Park. Some nights he stays in the men’s shelter on Center Street, across from Civic Center Park in downtown Berkeley. I got to know David through Alice Kurpiewski, a retired social worker who lives on Hillegass Avenue, just across from Willard Park. She had heard my name from some of my neighbors and called me up. Alice told me of David’s heroism in the Hillegass fire, his subsequent hospitalization and the theft of his acoustic guitar while he was in recovery. The three of us met a couple of weeks ago. I am writing this letter today in search of another good Samaritan who might have a new or used guitar to give to David. 

David first noticed the fire a little after 4:30 in the afternoon. He ran to the fire and blew his whistle as loud as he could to alert any people inside that they were in danger. There were no firefighters or police yet on the scene. To alert anyone remaining in the building, he started throwing bricks through the windows on the side of the building. He then ran around to the front of the house and noticed a woman inside the building, staring at the fire. A man was with her and yelled at her to get out of the building as soon as possible. Both of them tumbled down the stairs inside the building. David ran up the stairs to make sure that there was no one left in the building. He kept shouting as loud as he could to tell people to get out of the building. He saw a locked door and did his best to kick it down. There was a shattering of wood and glass and David realized that he had injured himself. He extricated himself from the broken door and made his way down the stairs.  

I’ve seen his scar. It goes from his ankle to the middle of his thigh. At the San Leandro trauma center, David received 27 stitches and 14 staples. He is thankful to Dr. Lee for doing such a good job of patching him up, though he’ll probably have permanent pain in his leg for the nerve damage that he suffered. 

It was during his hospital stay that his guitar was stolen. He kept it with his other belongings at Willard Park. Alice and I asked him about what it was like to live in the park. He said that most of the time he feels safe but that from time to time some hoodlums come through the park and rough them up and steal their belongings. David finds solace in his music. He writes music, plays the guitar and piano, and sings. He’s also frequently seen attending services at the West Street church in Oakland.  

There are so many aspects of David’s story that we could talk about – but right now what we really need is a guitar! If anyone has one, Alice and I know it would be very much appreciated. Please call me at 848-9451. Thank you, Berkeley! 

George Beier and Alice Kurpiewski 

• 

DEMOCRAT DISHONESTY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I have been a registered Democrat for several decades, however, recent events have given me reason to question this party affiliation. In particular a presentation recently made by Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates. 

The topic in question was the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance, which Mr. Bates hopes to repeal. His efforts are not the reason for my concern so much as how he is going about it. Mayor Bates detailed one case I am familiar with by virtue of being a neighbor, of 2901 Otis St. This little house represents, in my opinion, everything right with the Landmarks Ordinance. It was built a century ago, not significantly altered since that time, and though it has been neglected is a compliment to its South Berkeley neighborhood. 

Two years ago a small group of developers purchased the property and applied for permits to demolish the house and build a three story apartment/condo in its place. They also applied for zoning exemptions to pave the yard for parking. Despite the inappropriateness of this type of building to its neighborhood, permits were approved by the Planning Department contingent on Zoning and Landmarks commission approval. It was not acted on by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, apparently because commissioners did not have time to perform a review and schedule a hearing. Eventually the neighborhood figured out what was going on, no thanks to Planning Department notices, and quickly gathered the 50 signatures needed to initiate the property for structure of merit designation. Despite turnout of the entire neighborhood against this demolition Planning Department Director Dan Marks denigrated our effort calling the house unremarkable. Worse, City Council sided with Marks and developers and overturned our landmarking effort. Despite this wholly undemocratic process the story does have a happy ending. A hero from the neighborhood stepped up and purchased the property from the group of real-estate speculators before it was torn down. 

At the presentations in question Mayor Bates made a number of outright false statements, but I will mention just the most outrageous. He said “the owner almost went broke.” In fact there was not one but four owners, real-estate speculators from out of town, who not only were never out of pocket more than a few mortgage payments but ended up taking home $80,000 in profit when they sold the property. That’s right, $80,000 each, for doing nothing but threatening the neighbors with a butt-ugly flying cottage. 

Mayor Bates also said that his proposed LPO revisions would not impact neighborhoods but only University Avenue, San Pablo Avenue, and other major transit corridors. That’s self-serving speculation at best. It ignores the many apartments built 40 years ago. More recent examples include 2901 Otis, Milvia and Rose, and several others in working class neighborhoods, traditional neighborhoods, not along transit corridors. 

Perhaps I’ve just been naive for 50-plus years but I have never seen such bald faced dishonesty, from a Democratic public official to a Democratic group, and they didn’t even question him on it. What is our city coming to? 

John Felix 

• 

DETAINEE RIGHTS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Congress recently cut a deal with the Bush regime that will continue torture and limitations on basic legal rights for detainees in the “war on terror.” Bush proclaimed, “I had a single test for the pending legislation…: Would the CIA operators tell me whether they could go forward…to question detainees to be able to get information… I’m pleased to say that this agreement preserves…the CIA program to question the world’s most dangerous terrorists and to get their secrets.” 

In June the Supreme Court ruled that Bush’s secretive military tribunals for detainees were unconstitutional. These tribunals conducted without oversight, would allow evidence obtained through torture, and convict detainees with hearsay and “classified evidence” they would not be able to see. The Bush regime then decided to work with Congress to legalize the tribunals. When Republican senators McCain, Graham, and Warner, opposed Bush’s proposed legislation, some thought that Bush’s tribunals would be halted. Those hopes were dashed against the rocks in a deal worked out in Dick Cheney’s office on Sept. 21. 

The compromise bill for trying “enemy combatants” agreed upon by the administration and the “opposition” Senators will: Allow coerced evidence if the tribunal judge decides it’s reliable or relevant; give torturers immunity from prosecution for torture carried out before the legislation; prevent detainees from using the Geneva Conventions to challenge detention or seek civil damages for being tortured; with the exception of a few “grave breaches,” allow the president to decide what is considered a Geneva Convention violation; make the prosecution provide redacted or a summary version of secret evidence to the defense; and maintain the president’s ability to declare anyone an “enemy combatant” and hold them without charges indefinitely. 

This entire process illustrates that halting the torture, secret detentions, and the denial of basic legal rights, will not be stopped through official political channels. We are at a defining moment, where before the world’s eyes the U.S. Congress is poised to legalize torture in our name. If Americans remain silent, the world will see us as complicit in torture. 

End the silence! On October 5th people will walk out of school, take off work, and come to different locations. From there, we will go through the streets and call on many more to join us - making a powerful statement: “No! This regime does not represent us! And we will drive it out.” For more information, see worldcantwait.org. 

Kenneth J. Theisen 

Oakland 

• 

SMEAR CAMPAIGN 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It never ends with the Daily Planet and its unrelenting campaign to smear Zionism and promote hatred of Israel. The Sept. 26 commentary by Carl Shames is the latest installment, and it is riddled with disinformation. Forget about God and Covenants—the Jews lived in Israel some 1,700 hundred years before any Arab ever set foot in it. And there have been Jews living in that land continuously for more than 3,000 years. 

Secondly, on what evidence does Shames claim that racism was the reason the Jewish state was established in Palestine rather than being carved out of Germany? Jewish settlement had been going on steadily for 65 years in Palestine by the end of World War II. Jewish settlers had purchased land from indigenous and absentee Arab landowners, drained swampland, and made the land more prosperous than it had been in centuries. As a consequence, many Arabs settled there to take advantage of economic opportunities spurred by the Jews. Also, the Jewish settlement in Palestine saved about 500,000 Jewish lives, who otherwise would have perished in the Holocaust in Europe. 

It was totally impractical to establish a Jewish state in Germany when the Jewish state already had 65 years of development in Palestine. 

Thirdly, I would like to ask Mr. Shames if he thinks he is a racist by virtue of the fact that he lives in California on land that was stolen twice—first from the indigenous Indians and then from the Mexicans. By his reasoning, if he lives in America, he is complicit in the imperialism and genocide that made California part of the United States. The same can be said for almost every country in the world. The indigenous peoples of every European country and most others have been vanquished and conquered. The indigenous Celts in England were first conquered by the Romans, then later the Anglo-Saxons, who in turn were conquered by the Normans. Israel has fought numerous wars of survival against unrelentingly hostile foes determined to exterminate it. And it has triumphed each time. Everyone wishes it could have been another way, but unfortunately those were the choices that were made. That is the way of the world. By their sacrifice in blood in all those wars, Israelis have purchased their legitimate claim to the land twofold, just as America and England and hundreds of other countries (including the Arab ones) have done before it. Stop promoting this twisted, bigoted, and demented hatred of Israel and the Jews. 

Marvin Harrison 

Oakland 

• 

SHAMES’ FACTS ARE WRONG 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Just because Shames is Jewish doesn’t mean he represents the majority of the Jewish community or even a facsimile of the truth. Shames’ claim that the founding of Israel was based upon “an alleged covenant with God, and the Holocaust” does not agree with facts. Theodor Herzl, the visionary of Zionism, saw the future state of Israel as a modern, European-style enlightened society. Israel was to be neutral and peace-seeking, and more importantly, secular. No covenant of G-d here. 

Despite being ridicule from Jewish leaders at the time, Herzl convened six Zionist Congresses between 1897 and 1902. It was here that the tools for Zionist activism were forged. Since the Holocaust was still decades in the future, I am not sure how this could have influenced Herzl’s efforts. What did motivate Herzl was his conclusion that anti Semitism was a permanent factor in human society, which assimilation did not solve. He concluded that Jews could gain acceptance in the world only if they created a political (not religious) entity of their own. 

Jonathan Carey 

San Francisco 

• 

VIOLATIONS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

To those who keep harping on Israel’s right to take position permanently of lands taken in war, please remember that Israel stands in defiance of repeated UN resolutions (beginning with Resolution 242) demanding that it withdraw from the territories it occupied during the 1967 Six Day War. The resolutions are expressions of the Geneva Accords of 1949, which, ironically, to prevent a repetition of Nazi wartime appropriations, forbid annexation of territories gained in war.  

Estelle Jelinek 

• 

SHAME ON SHAMES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I want to thank Carl Shames for exposing the misguided narrative that allows a “left-wing, non-Zionist Jew” to maintain his hatred for the state of Israel regardless of the facts. I have no doubt that this erroneous narrative informs his entire view of the Middle East conflict.  

Because of space limitations, I will address just one of the many half-truths, factual omissions and outright falsehoods this world-view contains. 

Carl alleges that the UN considers Zionism to be racism. Wrong. 

Shames is correct that the UN General Assembly passed resolution 3379 by a vote of 72 to 35 (with 32 abstentions) in 1975. Yet, he fails to mention that the General Assembly rectified that error in 1991 with resolution 4686 revoking the determination that Zionism is racism. Resolution 4686 passed by a vote of 111 to 25 (with 13 abstentions). Whether he agrees with it or not, the revocation of that determination passed with a much larger majority of the nations of the world. 

Regardless of this UN action, some might still claim that Zionism is racism. To test that assertion, let’s look at the UN’s definition of racism from Resolution 3379. 3379 says that “any doctrine of racial differentiation or superiority is scientifically false, morally condemnable, socially unjust and dangerous.” 

The reality is that there is no doctrine of racial differentiation or superiority in Israel. People of any race can and often do become Jewish and Israeli. 

Anyone who has been to Israel knows this is true. People from the Middle East and Africa represent a majority of Israel’s population. And more than 20 percent of Israel’s citizens are not Jews, yet have full rights of citizenship. Israelis come in all colors, from blonde haired, blue-eyed Europeans, to brown skinned Arab Jews (no, that is not an oxymoron) to black Africans. In fact, Israel rescued tens of thousands of black, Ethiopian Jews from persecution and starvation and transported them to Israel. 

This multiculturalism is in sharp contrast to other countries in the region where Christians and Jews are either second class citizens or not allowed to be citizens at all. 

Carl Shames clearly does not let these facts intrude on his blind hatred for Israel. 

Hilda Kessler 

• 

A QUESTION FOR CARL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Carl Shames conveniently fails to mention, or perhaps doesn’t know, that in the same era that the state of Israel was created as a homeland for the Jews, the state of Trans-Jordan (now Jordan) was created and given to the minority Hashemites. 

Iraq was created to be ruled by the minority Sunni Moslems. The modern state of Syria was created and then seized by the minority Alawites. Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the Gulf States also came into being in the last century. 

None of these nations was created by a vote of its people, yet only Israel’s legitimacy is regularly questioned. 

Why is that, Carl? 

Jerry Weintraub 

As a vocal critic of redevelopment agencies, I was pleased to learn that a petition was circulating that would curtail the use of eminent domain. Unfortunately, when I read the measure (which is now Proposition 90 on the November ballot) I learned that the initiative’s backers sought to capitalize on rising anti-eminent domain sentiment by inserting a sentence jeopardizing the future enactment of most land use laws, including amendments to local rent control ordinances. This sentence—which allows property owners to sue government entities over any new law that reduces their property values—is so destructive that it overwhelms the good part of the initiative. Prop. 90’s specific language limiting eminent domain made this broad sentence unnecessary, raising questions about the motives behind November’s “Protect our Homes” initiative.  

Section 19(b)(8) of Prop. 90 authorizes litigation if government actions cause a substantial economic loss to ANY property. There is an exception for governmental actions to protect public health and safety, but no exception for the public welfare, environmental protection or economic regulation. 

This is crazy. Instead of simply putting forth an initiative to help rid California of eminent domain, backers of Prop. 90 are using anger over the government’s seizure of property to prevent inclusionary zoning, the protection of old growth forests, or land-use restrictions on Wal-Mart and other “big-box” stores. 

Prop. 90 would even prevent Los Angeles and other cities from enacting restrictions on condominium conversions. Thousands of rental housing units have been converted in Los Angeles alone over the past five years, with thousands of tenants being displaced from their homes. A broad, citywide coalition of tenants, labor unions and neighborhood activists has emerged to support legislative restrictions on such conversions. But under Prop. 90, Los Angeles would have to pay real estate speculators for not being able to convert rental housing.  

Since Los Angeles and other cities could not afford to pay such costs, Prop. 90 would effectively ban any new tenant protection measure from being enacted. This is exactly the wrong way to address the abuses of eminent domain. 

Prop. 90 would also effectively bar future changes to the destructive state Ellis Act, which allows real estate speculators to evict elderly tenants so they can convert their apartments to tenancies in common. Again I ask: Why is an initiative designed to deal with eminent domain restricting future tenant protection measures? 

The fact that Prop. 90 goes far beyond restricting eminent domain does not appear to be a drafting error. Rather, it is consistent with the anti-regulatory zealotry of Howard Ahmanson, who, along with wealthy New York real estate developer Howard Rich, are the leading funders of the initiative. 

In Berkeley, height limitations are a big issue. But Prop. 90 takes height restrictions as well as all zoning decisions out of local control, and makes them subject to state law. With California’s population steadily increasing, more and more cities are going to want to enact development restrictions But cities will be unable to do so for fear of having to reimburse all existing property owners for lost profits as required by Prop. 90. 

Nobody needs to convince me of the evils of eminent domain. But Prop. 90 is not the answer. By preventing local governments from passing laws to help working people and the poor, Prop. 90 hurts the very populations it claims to help. 

Randy Shaw is the editor of  

BeyondChron.org.  

Opinions expressed in Daily Planet commentary and letters to the editor are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Daily Planet or its staff.  

Daily Planet Executive Editor Becky O’Malley, in the Sept. 8 edition, bemoans the California prison guard union’s endorsement of Angelides. Well why not? For all his liberal stances (and there are a few significant ones at least, like campaign finance reform and the public financing of elections that cut against the grain of DLC policy) Angelides supports the draconian “eye-for-an-eye” social policy a.k.a. capital punishment (“those with the capital don’t get the punishment”). But there is more going on here that’s worth examining. The relationship between the prison guard union and Angelides is not exactly the one they had with the former Gov. Davis. 

While it’s true the CCPOA selfishly supports building prisons over schools and other ultra-conservative stances, and possibly they feel the Angelides campaign needs them more (and they may get some of what they want under Arnold anyway), Arnold has stated in very uncertain terms, he hates unions. That’s all unions—even the bad ones. As powerful as they may seem (Arnold’s favorite myth of the “union bosses” running California), a right-to-work agenda is a threat to them as well. 

The union movement is not monolithic. There are some very real differences between the AFL/CIO and the rebellious Change To Win, for example. But when Sweeney ordered the AFL-based labor council system to give the CTW unions the boot they balked, especially in California, because that would weaken us before our common enemy. My chapter (305 of SEIU 2579, staff employees at San Francisco State) has a special charter that Sweeney was forced into, allowing us to remain part of the local union movement (unfortunately it expires in December, and maybe it will take the re-election of Arnold for it to be renewed). 

Local musician Hali Hammer’s parody of the “Solidarity Forever/Battle Hymn of the Republic” song refrains: “Arnold union organizer, Arnold union organizer, Arnold union organizer, for he’s made the unions strong.” That union strength, such as it is, helped defeat Arnold’s agenda last November. (Remember that? We all paid the first bill to feed Arnold’s ego, and working folk paid the second bill to put him back in his place.) The prison guard union helped with that as part of the Alliance for a Better California. That was a first. Previous to that the CCPOA was not really part of the greater union movement, playing into the divide-and-conquer strategy often used to great affect against union influence (the myth of union solidarity).  

On the capital steps last year in a huge rally against the governor’s “special election” agenda, the president of the California Teacher’s Association introduced the crowd to her “new best friend,” the president of CCPOA, and announced they were going to tour California schools and prisons together. That was a powerful moment that puts some truth to Hammer’s parody.  

Maybe O’Malley expects too much of the Democratic Party (but please let’s all of us not lower our expectations). Can pure principles trump dollars in California elections, or for that matter, any election? Sometimes, but that’s unfortunately the all too rare exception. In our very undemocratic world of elections, the reality is you need tons of money, especially to run against the likes of Arnold, who criticized Davis for being pay-to-play and promised us he would be different. Well, he’s different all right. Davis just looked like a Boy Scout for the photo opps, but compared to Arnold, Davis was a mere tenderfoot when it comes to corruption from “special interests.” Angelides needs the unions, but union support will not guarantee victory or that he will be “in our pockets.” 

The worst of the union movement is when they are insular and run on a corporate model. The best is when unions fight for the rights of all workers. There is an internal struggle right now to rid American unions of the FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover-era “business” model imposed on unions (which history calls McCarthyism, but he was just a patsy). For the CCPOA to change models they need to be part of the larger union movement and support the civil rights of all.  

Right now, the fox is in the henhouse of state. That fox is looking more like a chameleon at the moment, trying his best to blend in with the Democratic majority in the statehouse, but make no bones about it, post election day, if we the people of Cal-e-for-nee-yea return Arnold to his project, the agenda is going to take (once again) such a right-hand turn the state will need medical treatment for whiplash.  

Do us all a big favor: Fire my boss, please! 

Berkeley resident Russell Kilday-Hicks is president of Chapter 305 of the California State University Employees Union at San Francisco State University. 

Opinions expressed in Daily Planet commentary and letters to the editor are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Daily Planet or its staff.

“Please take a minute to fill out a survey!” I was strolling through the hallway of Jefferson School on a May evening in 1986. It was Open House night. My son Andy would start school there in the fall, and we were checking out the kindergarten classrooms, getting a feel for the place. I glanced down to see a card table manned by Jefferson moms. I picked up a survey and read: 

Please rank in order what is most important to you for your child’s school: 

• Smaller classes 

• Library books 

• Windows that don’t leak 

• Heated classrooms in the winter 

• A P.E. class 

• Science classes 

• Music at assemblies and in the classroom 

• Art 

• Field trips 

The list went on and on. My jaw dropped. All of these things were “most important” to me. I couldn’t rank them. I remembered the scary warnings about the taxpayer revolt of Proposition 13, about how cutting local property taxes would be devastating to our schools, but bringing my oldest child to Jefferson was my first in-your-face experience of what had happened. 

Voters had passed Prop 13 in 1978, property taxes had fallen, and for a few years the state lived on its considerable budget surplus--imagine that! But by 1986 that surplus had long since dried up, and California’s once tip-top public schools (the ones I had proudly graduated from in the ’60s) had fallen on really hard times. Efforts to make budget cuts as far from the classroom as possible had resulted in decrepit school buildings and playgrounds. Educational essentials that we had taken for granted when I was a student, like P.E., art, music, and electives had become “extras” that were barely affordable. Once something was eliminated from a school budget it was “off the radar,” as if it had never existed. 

Into the fray marched Berkeley parents, who didn’t want to send their kids to private school, and weren’t satisfied with the alarming conditions in our public schools. Those were the survey takers I met that evening at Jefferson School. 

The results of hundreds of such surveys, and of dozens of neighborhood and community meetings were gathered and synthesized into a brand-new local tax measure, called the “Berkeley Public Schools Educational Enrichment Act of 1986,” or BSEP for short. Squeezed into a tiny hole in Prop. 13, BSEP called for a Berkeley property tax based on the square footage of buildings instead of the property’s assessed value. As a property tax, BSEP required a two-thirds vote to pass. Berkeley voters rose to the occasion, passing the measure in November 1986 with a 76 percent yes vote.  

Passage of the BSEP tax measure in 1986 began a sea change in our public schools. With dollars specifically targeted to address the most pressing needs (to keep classes as small as possible and to provide high school electives, to provide new books and materials, to repair buildings and grounds, and to enable each school to have its own enriching programs), change was immediate. In the first year of BSEP: 

• So many windows were replaced that four glass companies had to be hired to do the work—it was too much for a single company. 

• Thousands of beautiful new library books were put into our school libraries, while embarrassingly obsolete books, like the one that said “Some day man will walk on the moon” were discarded. 

• Individual schools were able to offer a wide variety of enriching programs, ranging from Science and P.E. classes to hands-on Art and Music to field trips and guest performers. 

• Class sizes were kept as small as possible, while teachers received much-needed raises. 

• A district-wide Planning and Oversight Committee, made up of parents from each school, was established to ensure that the funds were spent in compliance with the measure. 

In subsequent years the momentum begun with BSEP did not let up. Berkeley voters passed two school bonds to completely renovate and earthquake-strengthen our schools. The original 1986 BSEP measure had a duration of eight years. In 1994 the measure was reconfigured slightly to address changing conditions (instrumental music was added, the “E” in BSEP was changed from “Enrichment” to “Excellence,” and the measure’s duration was increased to twelve years) and was approved by the voters with a resounding 82 percent vote. And in 1998 an amazing 92 percent of Berkeley voters reaffirmed their support for BSEP! 

Most recently, in 2004, after years of increased fixed costs (especially health coverage and salaries) a two-year measure “bridge measure” (Measure B), was passed, to enable the dollars generated by BSEP to accomplish what they were intended to. School libraries and classroom technology were strengthened, and funds were designated for professional development and program evaluation. The combined BSEP and Measure B taxes now generate $18-plus million dollars, nearly 20 percent of the district’s annual budget. The “E” in BSEP could really now stand for “Essential.” Without BSEP, life as our schoolchildren know it would not be the same! 

Twenty years later it is hard to remember just how shaky things were after Prop. 13. BSEP was the life preserver that allowed Berkeley schools to move forward and thrive. My son Andy, now 25 years old, and his entire generation of Berkeley schoolchildren, were the beneficiaries of those die-hard parents who said “this is not acceptable,” and dared to ask for decent schools for their children. We owe them a debt of gratitude. 

BSEP and Measure B both expire at the end of the 2006-07 school year. A new BSEP Measure (Measure A), combining the priorities of BSEP and Measure B, will be on the ballot this November, and we Berkeley voters will once again be given the opportunity to protect our public schools and to continue the tremendous momentum that began in 1986. Today’s incoming Kindergarteners are counting on us. 

Mary Hurlbert is a Berkeley resident. 

Opinions expressed in Daily Planet commentary and letters to the editor are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Daily Planet or its staff.

POPE FAUX PAUS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thank you for printing Rosemary Ruether’s excellent commentary (Sept. 19) on the pope’s recent faux pas in Regensburg. I think her comments were judicious, perceptive, and generally right on target. Let’s hope Papa Bene reads the Berkeley Daily Planet! Of course, the rest of us could still heed her advice, even if Papa doesn’t. 

Keith Barton 

• 

BOOKSELLERS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I very much liked the Aug. 29 article by Dorothy Bryant about independent bookstores in Berkeley: “Hangouts for booklovers who come to buy books or just to browse and maybe schmooze with the busy people who work there.” Most often these booksellers have a college degree and came from another, often book-related career. What do they want to call their job? “Sellers” is too commercial, “book clerk” too stuffy. All this reminds me of a bookstore hangout in the German city of Darmstadt where I lived from 1938 to 1952. 

It was called “The Darmstadter Bucherstube” (Book Room or Book Parlor) and was a meeting place for young and old people who wanted to read more than the Nazis permitted. To work in a bookstore in Germany you started as an apprentice and after having learned the trade for years you became a “Buchhandler” (book trader for dealer) recognized as a profession, like maybe a librarian. There were book dealers and publishers associations where lectures were given about new publications, authors, etc. During the Nazi years the Darmstadter Bucherstube did a great and often dangerous job of giving people a place to speak freely, for exchanging and obtaining forbidden or disappeared books and to teach young people about another world possible. 

Marianne d’Hooghe and her husband Robert who both worked in a Berlin bookstore bought the Darmstadt one in 1937 from its Jewish owner, Alfred Bodenheimer whose business had been dying out for lack of customers who defied the Nazi boycott and without access to supplies. He was happy to find a buyer in the Berliner couple, so he could emigrate to America before the worst persecution of the Jews had begun. The first year in Darmstadt was hard for the d’Hooghes: Some people shunned them because they believed the new owners had robbed the Jew Bodenheimer whom they had loved and supported, and others stayed away as they had before because of whatever “Jewish connections.” But gradually, as resistance against the Nazis and then against the war, increased, the Bucherstube became a rare refuge for many people who found there life-long friends (which also happened to me). The Bucherstube helped to save us from hopelessness and despair in those terrible years, even when Darmstadt was almost totally destroyed by Allied bombs (mostly on Sept. 11, 1944). The Bucherstube was also severely damaged, but reopened at a new location in the rebuilt city after the was. As far as I know it is still there, with new owners, as Robert and Marianne died a few years ago. 

Blessed be independent bookstore! 

Lenore Veltfort 

• 

THINGS I WISH  

I’D NEVER NOT SAID 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Berkeley’s application of state density bonus law is so contorted that only a lawyer could love it. (In fact, the developer who came up with it and sold us on it four years ago, Patrick Kennedy, is indeed a member of the bar.) Every person on our fair Joint Density Bonus Subcommittee, however, has a good enough grasp of the law that none of us (especially me, who represented the committee before the City Council) could ever have said any of the quotes attributed to me in the Planet’s weekend issue. The new ordinance won’t be having its main intensifying effect in the San Pablo district, because the ordinance doesn’t intensify a bit (quite the opposite, it gives the ZAB and council more discretion over the ultimate shape of buildings); CW zoning does not apply in the Telegraph area, since it applies specifically to West Berkeley (hence the W in CW); we never looked into opportunity site differences between CW and CT areas (CT, that’s the real name of the Telegraph district), so none of us would have cited such a difference to suggest that the new ordinance won’t affect Telegraph much (the article’s fundamental misunderstanding that the new ordinance intensifies zoning is at fault for this error too). 

In fact I privately thanked Planning Director Dan Marks after the council decision for working so hard to make sure the council enacted the protections it did last Tuesday, and I know Dan will tell you that my thanks were unmistakably sincere. I hope your readers also will understand, despite the imposing quotation marks in the article, that I never called staff “sell-outs,” or anything remotely like that. (Were I to call someone a sell-out, I hope I would at least say something about how they were selling out. which was totally missing from my supposed quote. I am an editor, and I like my words, insulting or not, to mean something.) 

It could have been worse, I suppose. The lead article in the Berkeley Voice covering the same subject this week carefully informed their readers that all the changes applied only to downtown, the only commercial area in the city totally unaffected by the ordinance. 

Dave Blake 

• 

LIARS AND KILLERS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The only “flu” that will plague us and the rest of the world, is the one created by the public and private biology laboratories right here in Berkeley, and at Stanford and the rest of the UC system. And yes, it has been deliberately designed to terrorize and murder. 

One of the “academics” at the sham 9/11 forum where I was arrested for speaking the truth is the director of the university’s very own Homeland Security Project, which just happens to provide “accelerated vaccine development.” He’s not alone, unfortunately. You can listen to any high-level Republican politician drool over the “possibly” approaching pandemic flu lockdown—just turn on the TV.  

Given that the supposed “Avian flu” does not “yet” spread between humans, how can there already be vaccines waiting to be injected into us? “Well, you just never can tell with that Hostile Mother Nature. She’s always getting ready to kill us off with mutations,” the anti-scientists so idiotically and psychopathically claim. 

For those who still cannot believe that such calculated and malicious liars and killers are here amongst us (the human species), I would recommend they read Robert Jay Lifton’s “Nazi Doctors” and compare the current bio-medical establishment with Germany in the early 1940s. 

And for everyone else, who can think on their own, and speaks about the subject in public, well, they’ll just be discredited as “raving” or throwing a “tantrum” or “mentally unstable.” The only way to “prove” atrocious lies such as 9/11 and Bird Flu, is to attack and discredit the person who dares expose or even question their legitimacy or motive. 

And thanks to the recent expansion in “mental health” services—you can be sure they’ll make the slander stick, one way or the other. It indeed is depressing to get forced into designing ways to kill people under threat of failure, character assassination, and worse. 

Christian Pecaut 

• 

YOUTH GETTING INVOLVED IN DEMOCRACY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Every year high school students in California volunteer to work at the polls at elections. In order to work at the polls they have to miss a day of school. As a result the school's ADA (average daily attendance) drops and they loose hundreds of dollars of funding. 

Working at the polls at elections is a very unique experience. Students get to have a hands on participation in democracy, which is easily as valuable or more valuable than teacher's lecture or reading a chapter out of a text book. Students at schools that cannot afford to loose the funding loose this important educational experience. 

In 2004 a group of students at Acalanes high school in Lafayette took the initiative to write and advocate a bill (AB 1944 (Hancock)) that would allow students to miss a day of school to work at the polls without the school's ADA being affected. The bill passed through senate and legislature and got to Governor Schwarzenegger's desk. The governor vetoed the bill. 

Last year some more students decided to give this bill another shot. They found a senator to write and fund it and got it all the way through senate and legislature, and now it is again on the governor's desk waiting for him to sign it into law or veto it. Unfortunately this bill has turned into something of a partisan issue even though it should be a matter of education not politics. 

Hannah Keegan 

Acalanes High School, Lafayette 

• 

MISSED THE POINT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Riya Bhattacharjee’s Sept. 19 report on the Zoning Adjustments Board hearing regarding the Milo Foundation pet adoption store on Solano Avenue misses the point in exactly the same way that most members of the ZAB missed the point: 

Zoning does not exist to approve or disapprove of the morality of the goals of businesses. 

Testimony in favor of Milo Foundation’s continued operation of a dog and cat pound on Solano Avenue focused on the nobility of their mission to find homes for abandoned animals. 

This is completely irrelevant. Do we issue permits to real estate brokers or antique shops or haberdashers because we approve of their “goals"? Do we allow them to continue operation - despite zoning and health and municipal code violations - because their businesses make us feel warm and fuzzy? 

The Berkeley Municipal Code (BMC Section 10.04.130) says that housing more than four dogs requires a kennel (to be approved by the Health Department)—and that the kennel not be within 25 feet of a human residence. Milo Foundation is in violation of this law. 

Furthermore, the Solano Avenue business district prohibits kennels, so Milo is clearly out of compliance. Not incidentally or accidentally or unknowingly but by the nature of their business. 

The ZAB should (in fairness to other businesses governed by zoning laws) revoke Milo’s permit because they are in violation of zoning and BMC regulations. Instead, the ZAB hearing morphed into a conversation about how much the neighbors do or don’t mind Milo’s dogs crapping on their lawns - and about how much Milo’s volunteers enjoy walking the dogs. This is absurd. 

Until two days before the ZAB hearing, Milo daily flushed a stream of raw animal sewage down their driveway, across a public sidewalk, and directly into a storm drain on Capistrano Ave. which empties (untreated) into the bay. As the neighborhood had been complaining about this for months (with no result), one can only conclude that the timing of the cessation of this disgusting and unsanitary medieval sewage disposal technique was not merely coincidental. 

Zoning exists to ensure some minimum level of civility between neighbors. Businesses whose practices don’t meet these minimal tests are not allowed to operate, no matter the purity of their souls. That the ZAB should think its job is to evaluate the loftiness of a business’s mission statement - rather than to enforce zoning laws by which the rest of us have to abide—is a sad display of malfeasance and should not be represented in the Daily Planet as just an amusing “he said/she said” story. 

George Mattingly 

Pope Benedict XVI may be too old and conservative for what is best for the Catholic Church. However, the undeserved bad media coverage and misinterpretation of his out of context comments are appalling. Most of the media is sound-biting the controversy into a wider spreading of unfortunately horrible publicity that does not present the facts of the situation, only furthering the damage. Peace is what the world needs more of, not inflaming violence and those who want to escalate it.  

The pope is a good and honorable man of peace and brotherly love. He was speaking of the dangerous dichotomy within the Muslim world, between the teachings of peace and those extremists who take jihadist stance in opposition to the true beliefs of mainstream Muslims. In making his points regarding the use of violence under the guise of religion he quoted from a 14th-century conversation on the truths, perceived at the time, of Christianity and Islam. The pope neither agreed nor repudiated the comments. It was merely illustrative of the centuries old debate regarding values and positions held by dissenting, radical factions, particularly within, but not limited to one religion. Violence is the antithesis of religion and the two cannot coexist. Self-defense and aggression are not the same thing.  

The pope does not harbor anti-Muslim sentiments. He was addressing the issue, that the Muslim religion, like all major religions, has been at times, misused by misguided adherents who have chosen to spread their beliefs through aggression and violence. His speech and statements were intended as a historic, timeless and timely cautionary warning that some extremists are currently engaging in violent, aggressive and criminal behaviors that in themselves are causing great harm and are antithetical to the strongly held beliefs of peace and love held by most moderate Muslims and thinking people of all walks of life.  

It appears that extremist Islamists are eager to search out and use anything to further their agenda. The Catholic Church and the pope make a delicious target for these extremists who want very much to cast all other religions and nonbelievers as infidels and their enemy. They self-righteously take comments out of context that will further their intolerant agenda of inflaming and turning all Muslims against all other religions and people who are not willing to convert and adhere to their narrow interpretations of Islam. The power these extremist wield is increasing as seems apparent by the intimidating effect they use so skillfully to silence most moderate Muslims who fear retribution for speaking freely against the extremists.  

The extremist jihadists do not believe in any science or education that contradicts their limited vision for humanity and promotion of their version of Islam. Since many of their adherents have limited education and experience outside of their rigid belief system, they are easy prey to being inflamed and incited to overreaction to misconstrued information with the intended results, furthering the agenda of the extremists.  

Fair and rational minded people of all religions and secular beliefs must see the folly of media and religious overreaction to misrepresented facts that can only fuel the tinder box of fundamentalist fostered violence and terrorism.  

Carol Gesbeck DeWitt is a Berkeley  

resident.  

Opinions expressed in Daily Planet commentary and letters to the editor are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Daily Planet or its staff.  

I greatly appreciate the forum you have provided for airing viewpoints on a very contentious set of issues, and the effort you made in a recent editorial with regard to anti-Semitism. Nevertheless, difficult problems remain that must be brought to light. Before I go further: My own background is a left-wing, non-Zionist Jew. 

A number of years ago, the majority of nations in the world voted to call Zionism a form of racism. While Jews and Israel accused them all of anti-Semitism, it’s important to understand the thinking here. Zionism is founded on the idea that Jews, pursuant to a covenant with God, have an entitlement to a particular piece of real estate, known in terms of religious eschatology as Zion, or the Promised Land, and in mundane terms as Israel. Greater Israel encompasses much or all of the land also known as Palestine. Unique among nations and peoples of the world, a religious belief has been translated into modern political-economic terms.  

The founding of a Jewish state was based upon two historical experiences of the Jewish people: this alleged covenant with God, and the Holocaust. At the time, it was said that a “people without a land” were being given a “land without people.” It’s not hard to see that, from the point of view of the non-Jewish people already inhabiting this land, there are a few problems here. Firstly, does a claim of a covenant with God have legal status in the modern world? Secondly, if Jews as a people are deserving of a homeland due to the Holocaust, why not carve one out of a choice piece of German real estate? This could have been done legally following the war when Germany was dismembered and occupied, forcing Germans to leave their villages and cities, rather than Palestinians. 

We all know deep in our hearts why this didn’t happen: You don’t ask white people to do this. You’d never say that a certain state of Germany was a “land without people,” even in light of the crimes these very people may have committed. Therefore, the very founding of the state of Israel is based on two notions which have racism at their core: 1) Jews have some sort of covenant with God not enjoyed by others; 2) white, European Jews are more “people” than darker skinned Arabs. Germans, despite their crimes, could never be forced to evacuate their land because they are white. Rather than force Germans to pay the price of the Holocaust, Palestinians were made to pay. When push comes to shove, Israel will invoke these foundations as justification for its existence and policies. 

In other words, Israel, and the great majority of Jews who support it, do not and cannot distinguish between the history and needs of Jews, Zionism and the political state of Israel, and in fact, freely mix the three together. It is nonsensical to speak of a non-Zionist who is a supporter of the state of Israel, since this state is fully an outcome of Zionist ambitions and based on Zionist precepts. (The fact that the United States and Great Britain, in pushing for the founding of Israel, had many other motivations having nothing to do with the well-being of the Jewish people, is another issue altogether). Therefore, asking non-Jews, and in particular Arabs, to distinguish between Jews, Zionism and the policies of the state of Israel, is asking them to have more sophistication and show greater discernment on this issue than many Jews have themselves.  

While there was an outcry about the anti-Semitism of the Arab author of the original controversial commentary in the Daily Planet, nothing was said about the racism inherent in the position of the Jewish author. In addition to what I’ve outlined above, again, a position agreed upon by UN representatives of a majority of the world’s nations, there is the racism inherent in the whole notion of “terrorists.” We all know they’re swarthy, dark-skinned people, unlike reasonable Caucasians who wear suits and uniforms while they commit their mayhem. Reducing and dismissing legitimate aspirations and resistance of occupied and suppressed peoples as “terrorism” is racism pure and simple, being simply an update for earlier appelations such as “savages.” The Jewish author indulged in this quite freely as do most Jews who support the existence of an apartheid state and its aggressive policies. 

Carl Shames is a Berkeley resident. 

Opinions expressed in Daily Planet commentary and letters to the editor are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Daily Planet or its staff.

Randy Shaw’s long attack on the record of Mayor Bates was a study in strange contradictions and outright errors. I’ll just take a few moments to point out a few of them. 

First, Randy bemoans the fact that Berkeley appears to be uniting in favor of Tom from all across the political spectrum and that he is assured of re-election. Most of us view Tom’s record as a strong leader willing to work across the old political divisions as a sign that Berkeley may finally be growing up and acting as the progressive leader that it can be rather than wallowing in small disputes that keep the Council in session until 3 a.m.  

Second, Randy criticizes Tom for allowing the university to decide the fate of a hotel in downtown Berkeley. In fact, after UC proposed the much-needed hotel and conference center as a university project, the mayor loudly insisted that it be a private project and that it come entirely through the city’s approval process. Thanks to the mayor’s intervention, UC changed its position and the hotel is now entirely in the city’s hands.  

Third, Randy seems to ignore his own postings. He complained that under Tom, Berkeley is losing its position of progressive leadership. But just a couple months ago, he wrote a long article praising Berkeley’s leadership in adjusting its inclusionary ordinance to maximize affordable housing. Randy writes, “the City of Berkeley moved toward revising its inclusionary law—long more stringent than San Francisco’s—in a way that is so smart that one wonders why San Francisco does not follow its lead.” Apparently Tom’s strong support for these changes and his help getting them approved got lost in the last couple months. Randy must also have lost track of the fact that Berkeley was recently ranked the third most “sustainable” city in the country or that it was one of the few to be given an ‘A’ for meeting its state required “fair share” of affordable housing. 

Lastly, I was struck that Randy criticized Tom for Clif Bar’s decision to move to Alameda. He ignores the owners of Clif Bar who wrote in the Berkeley Voice and elsewhere that the mayor was a tremendous advocate for keeping Clif Bar in town. The owners wrote, “at all times during our facility search process, we were very impressed by [Mayor Tom] Bates’ and [Councilmember Linda] Maio’s advocacy for Berkeley, their pragmatic and creative approach to solving problems, and their support for Clif Bar.” He also must have lost track of the fact that many other businesses have opened or expanded in Berkeley. For example, the mayor helped preside over the announcement that Bayer Healthcare was moving its international headquarters for Biological Products to Berkeley with more than a hundred jobs and millions in capital investment.  

No one agrees with an elected official 100 percent of the time, but let’s look at the record honestly here. Mayor Bates has been leading this city with civility and fairness. He has pushed hard for Berkeley to be a progressive leader by carefully developing good policy and building strong support for it. He has earned the broad support he is receiving and I look forward to his re-election and continued leadership. 

Don Jelinek is a former candidate for mayor of Berkeley. 

Opinions expressed in Daily Planet commentary and letters to the editor are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Daily Planet or its staff.

By ROBERT CHEASTY 

Albany environmentalists seek your support. Toronto-based Magna Entertainment Corporation is planning to add casino gambling and a large development to Golden Gate Fields Racetrack on Albany’s waterfront – all this smack in the middle of the Eastshore State Park.  

As part of its plan to shore up the dying horsetrack betting industry, Magna plans to add casino gambling plus mall development (calling them “racinos”) to all its racetracks. (Oakland Tribune) Magna needs to lure a new generation into betting on horse races and other forms of gambling.  

Just how serious is Magna about racetrack casinos/malls (“racinos”)? Magna:  

• Bankrolled the horsetrack gambling initiative in the 2004 California election (Prop 68; campaign reports); Magna spokesman says they will keep at it until they get casino gaming at racetracks. (L. A. Business Journal)  

• Backed the 2006 horsetrack slot machine legislation in Sacramento (San Francisco Chronicle). 

• Trademarked the term “Racinos” (Corporate Report). 

• Is installing a mixed mall/casino addition to its Miami horsetrack (Miami Herald). 

• Entered into casino discussions with Native American Tribes (Daily Planet). 

• Threatened to close down Pimlico Track in Maryland if slot machines were not approved (Baltimore Sun). 

• Pushed through slot machines for its track in Pennsylvania (Baltimore Sun). 

• Is currently trying to push through slot machines for its Ohio track (PR Newswire). 

• Spent approximately $4 million (Magna with its mall developer) pushing its development plans in Albany and in southern California at Santa Anita Racetrack. 

• In Albany (with its developer) hired a team of political lobbyists, consultants, lawyers, political organizers, an Albany resident; made various promises to as many “influential people” as they could sway; profiled every voter in Albany; deluged voters with phone calls and mailings. 

Albany has never witnessed political spending of this magnitude – Magna/Caruso outspent their environmental opponents probably one thousand to one. 

Despite the Magna/developer millions, environmentalists are confident that Albany residents will still support waterfront open space, especially when they learn the facts.  

Traffic nightmare, downtown ghost town 

Magna engaged southern California mall builder Rick Caruso to build the development. Caruso is a heavy hitter who uses political influence. Known for raising millions for Republican candidates, he wields money and influence to push his plans through city halls. (Wall St. Journal; San Francisco Chronicle; West County Times) 

Preliminary designs show a mixed-use mall plus the racetrack. This mixed mall, with added parking structures, covers about forty-five acres of development with a minimal amount of privatized open space. 

The development plus the racetrack would virtually fill the Albany waterfront. 

Caruso recently announced that he is pulling out of Albany, but shortly thereafter Magna told its shareholders that Caruso is doing the development. (El Cerrito-Albany Journal; West County Times) Regardless, of whether this is a Caruso tactic or whether Magna will use another developer, Magna states it is doing the development. (West County Times) 

The casino/mall proposal brings a host of problems.  

Installing a mall on the water’s edge would sap the economic vitality of Albany’s central business district. Solano Avenue and San Pablo Avenue business losses will likely offset much of the promised income from a Magna development.  

Regionally, it will damage neighboring business districts, taking from them to survive.  

It will saddle the community with a traffic nightmare at Gilman Street, at Buchanan Street and on I-80.  

It places development (a “racino”) on the shoreline thereby precluding shoreline open space, and it expands casino gambling to the Bay Area. 

Magna’s development ideas represent the worst of urban planning. 

Racetrack likely to close? 

The weight of evidence points to the track closing without the casino/mall complex. 

Although Magna has stated it has no plans to close the track in Albany, that denial is expected from a publicly traded corporation. Drastic future changes are routinely concealed until the last minute. Albany will be the last to know. 

The evidence: Tracks are going out of business.  

•In Southern California, the Hollywood Park Race Track owner announced it was giving up after the defeat of Prop 68, stating that unless California approves casino gambling, the horse racing industry cannot stay afloat. (L.A. Times; Hollywood Park Racetrack publication; new owner says will close without expanded gaming (San Francisco Chronicle). 

•Bay Meadows Racetrack in San Mateo has announced it is closing and the land will be turned over to developers (Chronicle). 

•Magna has lost millions steadily over the last four years and is selling 4 of its own 9 racetracks. It seeks to reduce its continued losses (Toronto Globe & Mail). 

Magna arrived on the scene in the United States in the late 1990s, buying up nine racetracks suggesting it would save the horse betting industry. Instead, the industry has continued its steady decline. Magna itself faced a revolt and a lawsuit from its shareholders over the steady losses from its own tracks and it recently reported it was close to going broke in its quarterly report. (Toronto Globe & Mail)  

Albany needs to plan for a future that may not include the track. 

If the racetrack leaves, Albany would not suffer economically 

Albany would not be economically hurt if the track decided to leave. Actually the track does not produce that much revenue for the size of its footprint.  

Environmentally sensitive development could be built on the east side of the lot, nearer the freeway and away from the wetlands.  

A Development Agreement could be worked out with the owner. In return for changing the zoning to permit some development to replace the track, a deal could be fashioned that could allow the purchase or gifting of the bulk of the land for open space uses.  

This gives significant value to both the land owner and the community. 

Most of the land could, for example, be added to the Eastshore State Park. Albany would get a world-class shoreline park and expanded beach without having to pay out of its own coffers.  

Any replacement development would benefit greatly from having this excellent park at its doorstep and would easily provide greater revenue to Albany than the track currently does. 

Citizens for East Shore Parks (CESP), the Sierra Club, Citizens for the Albany Shoreline (CAS), Audubon and others have proposed such a modest development concept - a hotel/conference center (perhaps including a wellness center).  

This would bring in more tax revenue to Albany (both City and school district) than the current track operation including the property tax revenue.  

Equally important, a hotel/conference center would enhance, not sap, surrounding business centers.  

What if the track stays? 

The racetrack can choose to stay. 

However, it should not be allowed new development alongside the racetrack. Magna bought a racetrack, not the rights to develop a mall on the Albany shore. Magna’s plans for a casino/mall complex are not legal under current zoning. 

The Park District can offer to buy any unused racetrack property, using state and regional park bonds, for inclusion in the shoreline park, just as was successfully done for the ballfields currently being completed at Gilman Street. 

Keep protective zoning—start community planning 

In no event should Albany unilaterally change its current waterfront zoning of waterfront recreation. This is what the Magna/Caruso supporters seek.  

That would only dramatically increase the property value for the landowner without getting anything in return.  

Park opponents who support a zoning change know this. Vastly increased property value will likely prevent the purchase of this waterfront property for open space uses or inclusion in the shoreline park – forever. Once it is developed we can’t reclaim it.  

Albany must keep the present zoning unless and until there is some agreement guaranteeing real shoreline open space, and not just the hints of open space contained in Magna’s development plans.  

We urge the City of Albany to commence an open planning process for the future of the Albany Waterfront. We urge everyone to participate and to respectfully share ideas for the Albany shoreline.  

Spectacular open spaces—a wonderful legacy 

Albany’s charm includes a unique setting of unparalleled beauty by San Francisco Bay. As racetracks in California are closing, Albany has a miraculous second chance to rethink its entire perspective on its shoreline. Let’s not be rushed into destructive development and an expansion of gambling that would forever preclude recovering our waterfront for the entire community and for generations to come after us. 

Please help us protect the shoreline. www.eastshorepark.org  

Robert Cheasty is president of Citizens for East Shore Parks and the former mayor  

of Albany. 

Image courtesy of CAP, CESP, the Sierra Club 

An artist’s rendering of the Albany shoreline converted to open space. 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thank you for your excellent coverage of Albany Waterfront issues. Given your fairness, we are confident you will print our response to a recent attack on the Sierra Club in your letters.  

The Sierra Club is the largest and oldest, democratic, grassroots, public-interest environmental organization in the world. We don’t expect all of our members to agree with all of our actions.  

However, the author of a recent letter attacking both the Sierra Club and the Albany residents who want to protect their waterfront from a rich developer’s dreams of wealth at Albany’s expense attempted to mislead your readers.  

The campaign against a waterfront mall is clearly in line with Sierra Club’s mission. For over 40 years the Sierra Club has worked to create a great public park along the East Bay Shoreline, and we will continue working with our over 600 Albany members to further that goal. 

We sincerely regret that the Albany Shoreline Protection Initiative that so many residents worked so hard to circulate, and 2,400 voters signed, is not going to be on the ballot. In addition to the Sierra Club, Save the Bay, Golden Gate Audubon Society, Greenbelt Alliance, Citizens for East Shore Parks, Citizens for the Albany Shoreline, Sustainable Albany, and Sylvia McLaughlin, Co-founder of Save the Bay all endorsed and supported the initiative.  

As a non-profit, volunteer-run organization that relies on pro-bono legal work, we know that the high-powered attorneys of Southern California developers will sometimes find unintended errors in even our best efforts. And keep in mind that the Sierra Club’s attorneys in the suit, Ann Winters and myself, did our work for the Sierra Club on a completely pro bono, i.e., free basis. 

Sierra Club’s vision for the Albany Shoreline reflects its goals for Albany which are to preserve Albany’s small-town character, ensure the long term vitality of Solano Avenue as Albany’s Main Street, and to develop the Albany waterfront with a plan that protects the shoreline as public open space, gets us the maximum amount of land for park and recreational uses like ball fields, and provides for the kind of commercial development that provides revenue to the city and school district and complements Solano Avenue.  

The Sierra Club has shown that a very small amount of development on just a small portion of the race track site could provide far more revenue than Albany receives now from the track while allowing us to add the rest of the land into the East Shore State Park  

There are two candidates for Albany City Council who share that vision for Albany. The Sierra Club has endorsed Marge Atkinson and Joanne Wile for Albany City Council. So has Sylvia McLaughlin, Co-Founder of Save the Bay. If you support protection of the waterfront, vote for Marge Atkinson and Joanne Wile, it’s that simple.  

Norman La Force, Chair 

East Bay Public Lands Committee

One of the things you learn in the business of journalism is that in trying to uncover the real meaning and purpose of a particular public policy, you rarely come across a smoking gun. 

The “smoking gun” analogy, for those who don’t know, describes coming into a room so soon after a murder took place that smoke is still coming from the gun held in the murderer’s hands. Next to actually being in the room and seeing the shooting yourself, that’s about as conclusive eye-witness evidence as it gets. 

Few things in politics and public policy are so conclusive. Politicians are so gifted at hiding their actions and motives these days that mostly we are only barely able to see them dimly, as through a glass, darkly, as the Apostle Paul once said. 

Every so often you get a breakthrough in understanding, so that even if you are not able to reach a conclusion and a complete understanding, you are able to narrow your field of questions. So it was this week when I finally got a chance to see a video of the May 21, 2003 meeting of the California Assembly Appropriations Committee and its deliberations on SB39, the legislation that led to the state takeover of the Oakland Unified School District. 

The May 21 Appropriations Committee meeting is important to understanding the proposed sale of 8.25 acres of prime, Lake Merritt area Oakland Unified School District property currently being negotiated between California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell and the east coast development team of TerraMark/UrbanAmerica. As I wrote in an August 11, 2006 Berkeley Daily Planet article entitled “The Curious History of the OUSD Land Sale As Told in the Legislative Record,” the provision allowing the sale or lease of OUSD property was mysteriously taken in and out of State Senator Don Perata’s bill while it passed through the legislature. But it was in the Assembly Appropriations Committee that the provision was significantly changed, with someone taking out the language that would have allowed a lease of any property to help pay off the state debt, as well as taking out that language that the property must be declared surplus before it could be sold. In addition, the Appropriations Committee took out language that would have authorized the sale “only [for] surplus property that is currently used to house administrative services or used as warehouse space.” 

The surplus language may have been taken out to avoid conflict with Section 17387 of the Education Code, which requires community involvement in the sale, lease, or rental of excess school property, including the setting up of a community advisory committee. 

And unless you believe in accident or inadvertence, the lease provisions were almost certainly taken out so that the Oakland school district (or, actually the state superintendent, who is legally in charge of the Oakland school district) would only have the option to sell—rather than merely lease—any OUSD property in order to bring down the debt. It also hardly seems accidental that someone took out the provision that limited the property sale to administrative or warehouse property. 

The question has always been, who took the lease and surplus property provisions out of SB39 and expanded the scope of the property that could be sold when the bill went to the Assembly Appropriations Committee back in 2003? Asking questions of that individual would be helpful in determining how much the idea of the sale of the Lake Merritt properties was a factor in the Oakland school takeover. 

The tape of the May 21, 2003 Appropriations Committee does not reveal who actually put those amendments into Senator Perata’s bill. Sacramento Assemblymember Darrell Steinberg, then Appropriations Committee chair, only said that the bill contained “two minor technical corrections.” These were hardly minor, but it is unclear whether Steinberg knew it at the time, or whether he was simply taking someone else’s word for it. Meanwhile, an Appropriations Committee Clerk said this week that the legislative analyst who worked on SB39 is no longer employed by the committee, and there is no record as to who actually took the lease and surplus language out, as well as the language limiting the sale to administrative and warehouse properties. “It could have been the legislative consultant, or it could have been Mr. Perata himself,” the clerk said. 

The administrative and warehouse property limitation language deletion is important, considering the fact that if that language had remained in the bill, State Superintendent O’Connell would not be able to sell the property containing five OUSD schools as is currently happening. 

Meanwhile, the review of the tape of the May 21, 2003 Appropriations Committee hearing was not altogether unproductive, because it revealed an interesting comment by State Senator Perata concerning the sale provisions. 

“We have included a provision that would allow the Oakland school district to sell specific pieces of non-classroom property for the purposes of buying down or paying down the debt,” Mr. Perata told committee members.  

Mr. Perata said this, even though the form of the bill that was then being considered by the committee had been stripped—by someone—of the provision that would have prevented the sale of classrooms. 

One is led to one of two conclusions. Either Mr. Perata deliberately misled appropriations committee members in his statement, or he was unaware of things which were being put into and taken out of his own bill. Here, as we said earlier, there is no smoking gun. Only a narrowing of the scope of the questions. 

What is clear is that at least some appropriations committee members believed that the bill would limit any possible sale to non-classroom OUSD properties. Committee member Jackie Goldberg, who also served as chair of the Assembly Education Committee, mentioned that belief moments before committee members voted on the bill, and no-one contradicted her. 

But what Mr. Perata said immediately following his “non-classroom” assertion is equally probative, as they say in the courtrooms. 

“Basically,” he added, “there could be the ability of the district to pick up a third of that hundred million dollars [the amount of the state line of credit included in the bill] in that fashion. And that, frankly, is the only way we’re going to save this district from further troubles with educating the kids.” 

Now how, exactly, was Mr. Perata able to put an approximate dollar figure on the possible proceeds of a sale of OUSD property pursuant to his SB39 state takeover bill? SB39, after all, never identified any particular piece of property, it only mentions “property.” Recently, OUSD Board President David Kakishiba has said that the district has several pieces of surplus property around the city, mostly warehouse space, which could be considered for sale to help pay down the debt. 

Did Mr. Perata have some particular piece of property to be sold in mind during the time the state takeover bill was going through the state legislature in 2003? Was that piece of property the OUSD administration building, the suddenly-valuable parcel that sits on what will soon be the extension of Lake Merritt? 

I can’t answer that. But if anyone else can, I’m welcome to hear from you. Perhaps Mr. Perata’s office can explain. 

Finally, there was one other bit of interesting information taken from the review of the May 21, 2003 Assembly Appropriations Committee hearing. 

During the discussion, Assemblymember Goldberg remarked that while she was supporting the SB39 bailout of OUSD, she was concerned about the provisions that stripped all power from the district school board. She said that AB1200, the state law under which school district takeovers are authorized in California, was “flawed,” in that it did not make a difference between districts which were clearly guilty of mismanagement (such as having board members use district credit cards for unnecessary trips, Ms. Golberg explained), or, as was the case with Oakland, a district that was simply unable to meet its budget. In the latter case, Ms. Golberg suggested, while the school board ought not to lose all of its powers, AB1200 gave the legislature no choice but to remove them. Ms. Golberg said that she and other legislative leaders were looking into changes to AB1200 to allow the state to make such differences between outright malfeasance and mere economic difficulties. 

“If the change is ever made in that policy,” Appropriations Chair Steinberg said, “we can always revisit the question of Oakland.” 

It would seem that both a change and a revisiting are long overdue. 

If there is a phrase found in a real estate listing that fills me with even more horror than “updated kitchen,” it has to be “new dual-pane windows.” Dual-pane windows are probably one of the biggest scams ever foisted off on an unsuspecting American public. The lies and half-truths promulgated by window replacement companies should be right up there with other famous lies like “The dog ate my homework” and “Only one glass of wine with dinner, officer…” 

Most houses built before the 1960s, with a few exceptions, had wooden windows, built with close-grained old-growth wood. Wooden windows, if maintained, can last hundreds of years. Many buildings on the East Coast that date to the 17th or 18th centuries still have their original windows, and in Europe, buildings older than that retain their historic sash windows. 

Wood windows are the most vulnerable of historic building elements—millions are being dumped in landfills every year. And that is an absolute travesty. The multi-billion dollar window replacement industry would like you to believe that single-glazed wooden windows are drafty, not energy efficient, don’t work well, and require constant maintenance. Almost every week the newspaper is filled with ads for replacement windows, with headlines like, “Are your windows costing you money?” or, “Whole house window replacement—only $2995!”  

PG&E will give you a rebate for ripping out your original windows to put in dual-pane replacements. Often the local building code demands insulating windows in new construction or remodeling. Go back and consider the phrase “multi-billion dollar”—with that much money at stake, do you think these companies have your best interests at heart? They Are Lying, and when they aren’t lying outright, they are conveniently failing to mention numerous pertinent facts. Here’s a list from one internet replacement window site about when or why you should consider window replacement: 

“Don’t bother to fix a window that has cracked glass, rotted or otherwise damaged wood, locks that don’t work, missing putty, or poorly fitting sashes. 

“ Homeowners with windows over twenty five years old should consider replacing them … A home is an ideal candidate for a window replacement if its windows are sealed or painted shut or the sash cords are broken…” 

Okay, I’m gasping with disbelief here, but let’s take these one at a time: 

1. Cracked glass. On a single glazed window, cracked glass can be replaced using items readily available at the local hardware store, costing maybe $25, tops, if you do it yourself. If you pay a glazier, maybe $100—still cheaper than a new window. If the glass in a double glazed sash cracks, you have to buy a whole new glazing unit (assuming the company is still in business) which will cost $100 or more, and then pay a glazier to install it, because it’s not a do-it-yourself thing. 

2. Rotted wood. This most likely place for this is the joints of the bottom sash. If not far gone it can be dug out and the hole filled with wood putty or even Bondo. If farther gone, it can be repaired with epoxy consolidants. This is also true of rot in the frame. If it’s so far gone that the bottom rail falls off when you raise the window, there are several companies in town that can make you a new custom sash- average cost, maybe $150, depending on size. (Look in the Yellow Pages under “Windows, Wooden” for companies.) 

3. Locks that don’t work. Are these people kidding? Buy a new lock at the hardware store. Cost? About $3. 

4. Missing putty. A quart can of Dap 33 window glazing: about $6.50. 

5. Poorly fitting sash. Many reasons for this, but if it’s not structural, then weatherstripping works wonders. 

6. Windows sealed or painted shut, or broken sash cords. Easily fixed with a few simple tools and some labor, or if you don’t want to do it yourself, Wooden Window (893-1157, www.woodenwindow.com) will be happy to do it for you. If you want to do it yourself, I highly recommend the book Working Windows by Terence Meany ($14.95 at your local bookstore). 

Those who’ve been around since the Sixties may remember the bumper sticker “Eschew Obfuscation.” When window replacement companies aren’t lying outright, you better believe they are obfuscating.  

Obfuscation #1. Replacement windows will significantly reduce heating /cooling costs. 

Okay, this is math, so take notes… there will be a quiz! 

Only 20 percent of the heating loss (or cooling gain) in a building is through the windows. The other 80% is lost through roofs, walls, floors, and chimneys, with most of it going out the roof. And most of the cold air is sucked in through the floor from the basement or crawl space. Reducing the heat loss through the windows by 50 percent (double-glazing) will only result in a 10 percent reduction in the overall heat loss. So let’s say you pop for the $2995 window special.  

That’s only ten windows—the smallest bungalow I ever owned had 20 windows. Misleading the public about actual costs is one of the sleazy tactics employed. So you’re really going to have to spend more like $5,990 for twenty windows. (or about $32,000 for aluminum-clad wood.) Let’s also say that your utility bill averages $200 a month. A 10 percent reduction on the heating bill amounts to $20 a month or $240 a year. At that rate it would take about 25 years to recoup the $5990 investment (Payback on the more expensive windows would take 133 years.) 

But wait, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, 40 percent of the average household energy bill goes to heating and cooling. So at $200 per month, only $80 goes to heating and cooling. Saving 10 percent on that would only be $8 a month, putting the payback time at 62 years for the vinyl or 333 years for the aluminum-clad. For the same amount of money (or less!) that replacement windows would cost, you could insulate the attic and the walls and install a damper on the chimney and get an 80% reduction in heat loss.  

Or you could spend that money on storm windows. A recent study conducted at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory using actual wooden windows (removed from a house that was being demolished) showed that the addition of storm windows reduced air leakage by a considerable amount. They used a double-hung window with loose sashes, no weatherstripping, gaps between the sashes and frame, missing caulk, cracked glass, and dry rot in the frame. The second window was a dual-pane double hung window with loose sashes and no weatherstripping. For storm windows, they used non-thermally broken aluminum storms with operable sashes and no weatherstripping. 

Interestingly enough, the addition of storm windows to both windows reduced the energy flow of the single glazed window substantially more than the dual-pane window. Using a measurement which took into account both air infiltration and conduction through the glass, without storm windows, and with a wind speed of 7 m.p.h., the single glazed window lost about 565 BTU’s per hour, while the dual-glazed window lost 644. With the storms added, the single-glazed window lost 131 BTU’s per hour, while the dual-pane window lost 256.  

Then they removed the storm and weatherized the first window, which involved squaring up the frame so the sashes fit more tightly, replacing rot in the frame, re-glazing the panes, caulking cracks in the frame, installing a sweep at the bottom of the lower sash, and installing a new window lock to improve closure- then ran the tests again. At 7 m.p.h., heat loss for the weatherized single glazed window was 256 BTU’s, compared with 131 for the unweatherized window with a storm. By comparison, the dual-pane window WITH A STORM also had a heat loss of 256. They didn’t compare weatherstripping PLUS a storm window, but clearly, a storm window gives you more bang for the buck (about a 75% reduction in heat transmission) and weatherizing alone gives the same reduction as a double-glazed window.  

Obfuscation # 2. Maintenance-free exterior- no painting or staining required.  

No painting or staining POSSIBLE, in the case of vinyl. What if you get tired of the color? And you know how funky that cheap resin outdoor furniture looks after a couple of years? That’s what the vinyl or vinyl-clad window will look like. And you know how plastic has static electricity that attracts dirt? As for aluminum, even an anodized coating doesn’t last that long, at which point you have to paint it. If it’s not anodized, then it corrodes and turns white. And what if you get tired of the color? 

Obfuscation # 3. Extremely durable and long-lasting.  

I guess that depends on your idea of what constitutes long-lasting. A vinyl window has a life expectancy of approximately 20 years, aluminum about 10 to 20 years, a new wood window from 20 to 50 years. An original wood window that is consistently maintained and kept painted can last as long as 200 years, if not more. Part of the reason that an old wood window lasts longer than a new one is that old windows are made of old-growth timber, which grew very slowly and is extremely close-grained and dense, whereas new wood windows are made from second-growth wood, much of it from fast-growing trees harvested from tree farms, where the growth rings are much further apart. The softer sapwood resulting from fast growth is far less durable. 

But here’s the thing they’re really hiding: the average lifespan of a double-glazing unit is TEN YEARS OR LESS. The seal around the glazing can fail within ten years, causing the glass panes to fog. And the plastic and neoprene seals used to hold the panes in new windows degrade in ultraviolet light. Imagine trying to find a replacement gasket after the window company has gone out of business. 

Obfuscation # 4. Insulates against noise. 

Sure, till you open it. Actually, a single-glazed window has an STC (Sound Transmission Class) rating between 20 and 27, depending on how thick the glass is and how airtight the window is. In a dual-pane window, the STC rating is governed somewhat by the distance between the two panes- the larger the distance, the better the rating. (This suggests a storm window might be better than double-glazing, being further away.) 

For each doubling of the airspace between the panes, the STC increases by about 3. If the panes are close together, the rating may actually be lower than for a single pane, because the airspace acts like a spring and transfers vibration from one pane to the other. Triple glazing provides the same noise reduction as double glazing, unless the spacing between panes is quite large. On average, dual-pane windows have an STC rating of 28-35. A single layer of _” laminated glass (which has a layer of plastic in the middle) has an STC rating of 33, which suggests that it might be better to replace the glass in a single-glazed window with laminated glass if noise is an issue, instead of wasting the money on new windows. 

In addition to all the reasons above, the fact is that double-pane windows just do not look the same as single-pane windows. The necessary spacer between the panes is hard to disguise, so even if you pay extra for “true divided lights,” the spacer makes the muntins too thick (muntins are the pieces of wood that divide the panes of a multi-light window). 

Nor will the new windows have the wavy antique glass that gives old windows their charm. So save yourself some money, save the architectural character of your house, and don’t send your perfectly good windows to the landfill. Whenever I see a real estate ad that says “new dual-pane windows” I always think, “ Yeah, architectural integrity destroyed”- wouldn’t you rather the ad for your house read “original charm maintained?” 

Jane Powell is the author of six books, including Bungalow Details: Interior, all available at www.bungalowkitchens.com. She can be reached at hsedressng@aol.com. 

This is one of those subjects that is both important and a real snoozer. If you’ve been having trouble sleeping lately, stop now, rip this page out and take it to bed with you. Guaranteed snoring in 10 minutes or less. 

Many of our 80-something houses have lousy water pressure. Not all but many and if you’re one of the unlucky ones, I’m sure you’re sick of not being able to take a decent shower. 

That’s really it, isn’t it. The shower. Most people can live with the sinks having sluggish flow but almost everyone really likes a nice skin-scouring shower. A real follicle ripper. If the shower pressure has you trying every shower head from the Water-pik shower massage to those little military style ones and everything in between, you’re the person who needs to read on.  

Although complete plumbing replacement is easy to recommend and certainly appropriate for some houses, I’d like to talk about partial upgrades and what they can, and cannot, do because they can save money and, if done properly, make a huge difference. In fact, they might be a good enough fix for your flow problems that you’ll abandon, perhaps for many years to come, any plan for a complete upgrade. 

Now, before I launch, full steam into a description of how to go about this, let me say that I would always use certain situations to remove all older steel piping. If you have recently bought a house with a weak shower or have serious flow issues, you want to ask yourself how much other work you’re planning on doing in the near future. If you are planning on a kitchen and bath remodel or other work that might expose the piping, do as much of this work as you can at the time. 

If you have an older home with galvanized steel piping (looks sort of like pewter and has threaded fittings at the joints) and you’re planning on remodeling the bath, kitchen or other plumbed area, please, take the galvy out and put in copper. Even if things seem like they’re working alright, do it. You won’t want to be getting into these areas again … ever. And the replacement of piping when the wall is open is really quite easy and not particularly expensive. If you’re gutting the interior of a house, always replace the old steel pipe with copper. 

Over time, galvanized steel reacts with the contents of the water and becomes encrusted internally with minerals. It’s like arteriosclerosis. Eventually, you can cut out a foot long section of pipe and be unable to see from one end to the other. 

The cave-like interior can be so small that the meandering of the remaining vessel keeps light from passing from one end to the other. This encrustation also creates friction and slows the flow of water greatly. In some of these situations the pressure remains quite high but the physical state of the piping prevents more than a trickle from flowing from one end to the other. 

Another thing is happening simultaneously. In addition to the infilling mineralization, the old pipe is rusting through at the narrowed threaded fittings and leaks can commence. This happens more on hot pipes than cold but eventually, it happens to most piping. Nonetheless, the filling in is the big problem. If you’re lucky enough to have a house with 3/4” galvy, it might be just fine. There’s a lot more room in those pipes for mineral encrustment to accumulate than in the typical 1/2” piping of the first 40 years of the 20th century. 

Practices varied but typically, I’ll see 3/4” steel coming in around 1940 and those houses are far more likely to have good flow today. It’s the houses from the 00’s and 20’s that seem to be the worst, so let’s look at what can be done. 

My experience is that the most heavily encrusted portions of these pipes tend to be the lateral pipes. The ones that are lying down. Also, in one-story houses (even those with a high basement or garage below the house) the piping, or most of the piping is lateral and there are relatively short “risers” that climb up to the shut-off valves leading to the sinks, toilets, showers and tubs. These risers are certainly implicated in some cases of occlusion but I find this far less often than those cases in which replacement of the laterals solves much of the problem. So, this means that we have a strategy for a partial replacement. 

If you can gain access to the lateral pipes in the basement, crawl space or garage (remember to replace the firewall in the garage if you remove any of the plaster or gypsum board), you can replace them with copper lines. As a rule, it’s best to go with 3/4” piping, although 1/2” lines will work well for single branches, those leading to just one device, such as a toilet. 

If you’ve got a line that’s going to a whole bath or kitchen it’s best to stick with a 3/4” line. Remember, you’re also trying to fight an uphill battle against what’s left in the risers, so don’t skimp. The cost of the larger pipe is quite small. As usual, labor is the primary expense. By the way, learning to “sweat” (or solder) copper pipe isn’t impossible and I’ve seen more than a few homeowner jobs that looked quite good. 

If you replace the line between the main shutoff and the array of risers, you’ll still be coping with whatever’s left in the main run to the curb. This might leave you short of satisfaction, but the main run can be done later if you’re still not getting a decent shower so leave it for last. 

When you put in copper you’ll need to observe a special protocol in which you keep the copper and galvanized metals apart. You see, copper and galvanized piping joined together and filled with water make a battery and the sacrificial anode (no I don’t have a cold) is the galvanized steel piping. This means that the steel is being slowly torn apart, atom by atom due to the direct contact with the nobler metal, copper (snotty metal, copper). Therefore you will need to keep them apart by use of some type of di-electric device. 

The method I like the best by far is to use a nice big brass nipple. Brass prevents the ionic exchange and minimizes damage to the steel. It also maintains the grounding that your electrical system needs. We use our water piping system for the grounding of our electrical system and if you use that “other” dialectic device which employs a plastic sleeve for separation of the metals, you decrease the ground by a large measure (the water will carry some but not enough). 

The last thing to do is to make sure to strap the new piping thoroughly to minimize noise and wear on the system. 

If you do this right, you can gain flow without tearing up the bath, the kitchen or just about any part of the house. There’s also no real downside since copper can solder or “sweat” onto more copper almost anywhere with relative ease, so if you decide that you need to replace more piping, you’ll just finish the job you started without having wasted any effort. There is a certain amount of trial and effort involved in this method but it is often quite successful. 

Lastly, when you finally get around to the long delayed bath remodel, you’ll just remove the brass fitting below the floor along with the steel piping and connect right onto the copper lines.  

So, if you’re still awake, I apologize. I occasionally have trouble falling asleep myself. Maybe a nice shower will do the trick. 

Got a question about home repairs and inspections? Send them to Matt Cantor, in care of East Bay Real Estate, at realestate@berkeleydailyplanet.com. 

This is a season that confounds naming, a season that also confounds immigrants, especially gardeners from eastern North America, who can be heard to complain, “There are no real seasons here.” Some of us figured out right quick that there are indeed seasons in coastal Northern California. After 33 years here I still haven’t come up with adequate names or even a satisfactory number for them, though.  

Is it Fire Season? Yes, certainly. Since 1991 I’ve shuddered at the scent of smoke at midday, in spite of my love of barbecue. Don’t we all hang over the wildfire news and calculate how close the fires come to the places we love? Some years I don’t even notice the suspense I’ve been until it dissipates under the first real rains.  

And it’s Stink Season: storm sewers, especially in San Francisco, exhale an unwholesome sulfurous miasma when it’s been months since the last rain, and when the wind’s right we’re treated to a twice-daily blast from the late-summer algae bloom and die-off in the Bay, served up for our delectation at low tide. We get a special helping of it when the weather’s September-hot and so we have all the windows open, too. 

It’s Dust Season, and every stroll along a park trail or even the garden path stirs up those particulate drifts 

In the garden we get to choose between dust and mud, but the occupants of wilder spaces just have to bear it and choke until October or November.  

There’s the genius of the season. No matter how much we know the rains and gray weather will bring us down, we long for it all anyway. It’s a natural transition season in the wilds and in the garden.  

It’s time to hang up most of the tomatoes, leaving a few just to see if they’ll be ripe for Thanksgiving. Time to compost the greens that bolted, and to sit on our hands for a couple of weeks and not plant seedlings that will probably also bolt in the September heat spell. (Still a good time to start seeds in flats, if you’re a procrastinator like me.) 

Watering everything is getting boring. If you want to plant natives, it’s about time. You’ll have to water them for a summer or two, depending on their preferences and the weather, but after that you can trust them to their own climate. If you already have natives, resist watering at least until the soil temperature’s gone down. Lots of pathogens thrive in warm/wet soil conditions, and you don’t want to encourage them.  

This is the season when zone planting—water-loving plants in one area, usually closest to the house, and droughty plants farther out—shows its usefulness. Planting things that need irrigation—non-natives and the more thirsty natives, those that live along streams in the wild, for example—all in one zone makes watering easier as well as keeping the plants that prefer dry summers safe from rot.  

The best place for the wet zone is near the house or a hose bib, even if you set up an automatic system. Another consideration: in this dusty dry season, the irrigated zone is where you’ll want to rest among cool green leaves, so put some seating and open a bit of view there. 

Ron Sullivan is a former professional gardener and arborist. Her “Garden Variety” column appears every Friday in East Bay Home & Real Estate. Her column on East Bay trees appears every other Tuesday in the Berkeley Daily Planet.

Do You Know Your Elderly Neighbors? 

Developing an emergency after-quake plan with your neighbors is a great idea, and we’ll talk about it in a later QuakeTip. With our elderly neighbors, we especially want to know who: 

1. is mobility impaired 

2. cannot operate their gas shut-off if necessary 

3. has an emergency supply kit 

4. has relatives/friends they can go to if necessary  

After the coming serious quake, we will feel so much better if we have this information before hand, plus we may be able to help someone who will truly be helpless without us. 

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.  

Several years ago, my husband Ralph returned home from a stay in Oakland’s Kaiser hospital and insisted he’d been kidnapped by aliens. He e-mailed an acquaintance in Wisconsin and told her she was the only witness to his abduction. He asked her to write down everything she had seen for a lawsuit he planned to pursue. I called a Kaiser doctor to discuss Ralph’s mental state.  

“You’d think you were abducted by aliens, too, if you spent as much time in the hospital as your husband does,” said the doctor.  

“I do spend almost as much time in the hospital as my husband,” I said. “But I’m a visitor, not a patient.”  

“Then you know what I’m talking about,” said the doc. “It can feel like an otherworldly place.”  

“Yes,” I said. “You’re right.”  

So here we are in limbo again. Ralph is back in ICU, but this time he’s at Alta Bates because the paramedics who rushed to our home on Wednesday thought it best to take him as quickly as possible to the nearest hospital. His blood pressure had dipped dangerously low and his lungs were clogged with mucus.  

Although I’ve spent more time at Kaiser than at Alta Bates, I am familiar with the place. I took our former roommate Jerry there while he was in the midst of a heart attack. When our friend Leroy was diagnosed with lung cancer, I visited him in the oncology department. I saw our neighbor Mrs. Scott in ICU for the very last time before her heart stopped beating. Nine years ago, Ralph was there on his birthday after he crashed his wheelchair into a curb on the corner of Alcatraz and Telegraph avenues. Not long ago I sat with Ralph’s attendant Andrea in the waiting room of ER as she struggled to take shallow, asthmatic breaths. Ironically, this past Wednesday I was visiting a friend on the east wing of Alta Bates’s ICU just a few hours before Ralph arrived there by ambulance.  

Alta Bates is different from Kaiser, but both feel unworldly when you are stuck inside them. The ER waiting rooms are cramped, depressing and void of any comforts. Patients slouch and curl in plastic chairs, line up against walls, smoke and talk on cell phones or to themselves outside, just beyond the front doors.  

I have heard the occupants of ICU cry and scream late at night, seen plenty of bloody bandages, smelled many unusual odors, and viewed too many unsuspecting naked backsides. I’ve witnessed disoriented and defiant patients, and distraught and frustrated family members. It is not a fun place to be.  

On Wednesday night, my friend who was in the ICU room next to Ralph’s was transferred to another floor of the hospital. It was 11 p.m. and I was slumped in an uncomfortable chair beside Ralph’s bed. I looked up from a catnap to see her, in her hospital bed, glide past the sliding glass doors. She was lying down, covered in white sheets. A person in green scrubs pushed, while another balanced IV equipment next to her head. There was no noise save the sound of Ralph’s labored breathing and the ding of the machine that recorded his vital signs. I went back to sleep. Four hours later I awoke and drove home. The sidewalks along Telegraph Avenue were empty. Our house was dark and silent. I fell into a coma-like trance.  

In the morning what I remembered was my friend sailing past Ralph’s room, her bed pulled by regal white horses. She was sitting perfectly erect, as if she were a queen. As she passed by she smiled and gave me a dignified wave. Her crown was slightly askew, but other than that, she looked just fine.  

I rushed to the hospital to make sure she was all right. She was. Then I went up to the sixth floor to check on Ralph. He was there, struggling to breathe, fighting to keep the aliens from taking him away.

I’d like to be able to make some kind of Berkeley connection with the California Academy of Sciences’ new exhibit, “Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries.” But geology is against me. There was no there here during the dinosaur era: the coast of North America ended about where the Sierra Nevada is now. Westward, there were volcanic island arcs, ancient equivalents of Japan or the Philippines, then open ocean. 

“People ask where the California dinosaurs are,” says Peter Roopnarine, Assistant Curator of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology, who studies prehistoric mass extinctions. “We’ve only found bits of 12 individuals.” 

Their fragmentary remains had been washed into the Jurassic or Cretaceous seas, entombed in marine deposits that make up the bedrock of the Central Valley and the Coast Ranges.  

Giant reptiles of other kinds abounded in those warm waters, feeding on fish, squidlike creatures, and each other: fish-shaped ichthyosaurs, lizardlike mosasaurs, long-necked plesiosaurs (the classic Loch Ness Monster types), and enormous sea turtles. But those beasts just don’t have that dinosaur charisma. So the Academy’s exhibit, a collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History and Chicago’s Field Museum, focuses on the land-dwelling saurians we all know and love. 

It’s an effective mixture of old bones (or their replicas) and state-of-the-art technology. 

“The exhibit was designed to highlight new aspects of dinosaur paleontology,” Roopnarine explains. “There have been changes in the way we think about dinosaurs. They were faster and more powerful than we thought, and their behavior was more complex.”  

So there’s an emphasis on biomechanics that was lacking in older exhibits. Along with the obligatory Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, there’s a one-seventh scale model that demonstrates how T. rex would have walked. The life-sized fiberglass-and-steel Apatosaurus (the dinosaur formerly known as Brontosaurus) skeleton was generated from a digital model; on the wall behind it, computer animation builds the behemoth’s neck, from the vertebrae through the layers of muscle. 

As for behavior, the trophy wall of horned-dinosaur skulls frames a discussion of what those nose spikes and neck shields were for: protection against predators, or competition within the species as in modern horned mammals? Roopnarine speculates it was a bit of both. 

The section on trace fossils spotlights a replica of a fossil trackway from Davenport Ranch in Texas: a herd of sauropods, adults and young traveling together, left their footprints on an ancient floodplain, as did the bipedal carnivores that stalked them. 

Surprisingly, there’s not much in the exhibit about the evidence that some dinosaurs—like the duckbill Maiasaura, the “good mother lizard”—cared for their young, as living alligators, crocodiles, and birds do. And I didn’t see any coprolites: fossilized dino dung can be very informative. 

Less spectacular than the monstrous bones, but fascinating to any dinosaur aficionado, is a slice of grayish rock from New Jersey that includes a layer marking the slice of geological time when the dinosaurs, and a host of other species, went extinct: the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary.  

Here, come to think of it, is the Berkeley connection: it was UC’s Luis and Walter Alvarez who first made the case for an extraterrestrial impact as the agent of extinction. There’s compelling physical evidence for this, but massive volcanic eruptions and changes in sea level may also have played a part; the exhibit explains the competing hypotheses. Roopnarine says scientists disagree as to whether dinosaurs were already in decline when the asteroid or comet struck, but that recent research supports continued diversity right up to the end. 

My personal favorite, though, was the lovingly detailed reconstruction of a swampy forest in what is now China’s Liaoning Province about 130 million years ago. It’s an old-fashioned diorama, with reconstructions of flora (ginkgo trees, horsetails, giant fernlike plants) and fauna (insects, frogs and salamanders, unprepossessing early mammals, the largest about badger-sized). 

And of course dinosaurs, and birds. It would be reasonable to say and/or birds: “Modern birds are firmly nested within the dinosaurs,” says Roopnarine.  

Birds are the only dinosaur lineage that survived the Great Dying. Feathers apparently evolved some 150 million years ago, long before flight: they may have functioned as insulation or in courtship displays. Even T. rex may have been downy in its youth. The avian dinosaurs of Liaoning were weird and wonderful creatures: four-winged gliders, terrestrial insect-catchers, a long-clawed planteater that had evolved from carnivorous ancestors (as, millions of years later, did the giant panda).  

There’s something here to appeal to dinophiles of any age. The exhibit, at the Academy’s temporary quarters at 875 Howard St. in San Francisco, runs through Feb. 4, 2007. 

For information, visit the Academy’s website: http://calacademy.org. The American Museum of Natural History’s site (www.naturalhistory.com) has much more detail, including interviews with Mark Norrell (who has done field work in Liaoning), Niles Eldredge (of punctuated equilibrium fame), and other paleontological luminaries. 

Photograph by Ron Sullivan  

A scale model in the exhibit at the Academy of Sciences demonstrates the tyrannosaur’s gait.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 29 

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 

Berkeley Rep “Mother Courage” at 8 p.m. at the Roda Theater, 2025 Addison St., through Oct. 22. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.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 

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. 

Shotgun Players “Love is a Dream House in Lorin” by Marcus Gardley, inspired by true stories of Berkeley’s historic Lorin District, Thurs.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Nov. 5. Sliding scale $15-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

UC Dept. of Theater “Suburban Motel” six plays by George Walker at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus, through Nov. 19. Tickets are $8-$14. For schedule see http://theater.berkeley.edu 

FILM 

The Cinema of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne “The Son” at 7 p.m. and “The Child” at 9:05 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Taiwan Film Festival “Murmer of Youth” at 3 p.m. at Pacific Fim Archive, and “Tigerwomen Grow Wings” at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum Theater, 2621 Durant. 642-2809. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Frankie Holtz-Davis reads from “Mahrynie Red - The Journey” at 6 p.m. at the African American Museum & Library, 659 Fourteenth St., Oakland. RSVP to 637-0200. 

David Kamp describes “The United States of Arugula: The Sun Dried, Free Range, Extra Virgin Story of How We Became a Gourmet Nation” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com  

Genieve Abodo discusses “Mecca and Main Street: Being Muslim after 9/11” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

“Aging Artfully” with Amy Gorman at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 527-4977. 

Brian Morton reads from his new novel “Breakable You” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Jon Fromer, Francisco Herrera and the Molotov Mouths at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$25. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Finless Brown at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Taylor Eigsti/Dayna Stephens Duo at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Joel Dorham Latin Jazz Octet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

Grapefruit Ed, with Bill Cutler and the Hounds of Time at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. m 

Sam Bevan at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Bill Kirchen, rockabilly, dieselbilly at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

The Oh Yeahs! at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Pockit, Ubzorb, Precise Device at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

La Plebe, Inspector Double Negative, Static Thought 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. 

Marcus Shelby Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Somethingfour at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

The Girlfriend Experience, The Hundred Days, Charmless, indie rock, at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100.  

A Tribute to Tony Williams with Allan Holdsworth, Alan Pasqua Group, 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. 30 

CHILDREN  

“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day” at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., and Sun. at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$18. 925-798-1300. 

THEATER 

“Happy Days” Beckett’s last play at 8 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Tickets are $9-$25. 415-531-8454. 

FILM 

“Special Circumstances” the story of Héctor Salgado, Chilean political prisoner, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Discussion with filmmakers will follow. Cost is $8-$10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

The Mechanical Age “The Magic Lantern and the Mechanical Age” 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. 

“Milarepa” from Tibet. Benefit screening at 6:30 p.m. at Wheeler Hall Auditorium, UC Campus. Tickets are $15. 877-697-2998. 

Taiwan Film Festival “Secret Love for the Peach Blossom Spring” at 2:30 p.m. and “How High is the Mountain” at 4 p.m at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-2809. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

John Brady Kiesling discusses “Diplomacy Lessons: Realism for an Unloved Superpower” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

Joe Quirk reads from his book “Sperm Are From Men, Eggs Are From Women” at 10 a.m. at C’era Una Volta, 1332 Partk St. at Redwood Square, Alameda. 769-4828. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“King Arthur” by Henry Purcell, directed by Mark Morris at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus, through Oct. 7. Tickets are $42-$110. 642-9988.  

Faye Carroll and her Trio featuring Frederick Harris on the piano at 8 and 10 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

West African Highlife Band at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. African dance lesson at 9 p.m. Cost is $12-$15. 525-5054.  

Evelie Posch and Brook Schoenfield at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Bulk at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Dougie MacLean at 8 p.m. at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. Cost is $27.50-$28.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Omnesia, Holden, Future Action Villans at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886.  

Jarrett Cherner Trio at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Arlington Houston Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Dangerous Rhythm: Tim Fox at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Misner & Smith, acoustic rock, at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7-$10. 558-0881. 

Deep Hello, Alexis Harte, Steve Taylor-Ramirez at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. All ages show. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

While it Lasts, See it Through, New Soldiers at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St.Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

A Tribute to Tony Williams with Allan Holdsworth, Alan Pasqua Group, at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $20-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SUNDAY, OCT. 1 

CHILDREN 

Circus for Arts in the Schools with Jeff Raz, clown, and much more at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Kofman Auditorium, 2200 Central Ave., between Oak and Walnut Ave., Alameda. Tickets are $10-$12.50. Children under 3 free. 587-3399. 

Bongo Love Band at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $4-$6. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day” at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$18. 925-798-1300. 

THEATER 

“Pagbabalik” A Filipino-American multi-disciplinary play at 7 p.m. at La Peña, 3105 Shattuck Ave. www.lapena.org 

FILM 

Taiwan Film Festival “Viva Tonal-The Dance Age” at 7:30 and “The Strait Story” at 9:30 p.m. at Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Durant Ave. 

The Mechanical Age “Pandora’s Box: The Engineer’s Plot” and “The General Line” at 2:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Mutabaruka, dub poet, at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $8. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Four Flavors of Jazz, new talent from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and veterans from 2 to 6 p.m. at Woodminster Amphitheater, 3300 Joaquin Miller Rd., Oakland. 238-3052.  

Live Oak Concert with Rebecca Rust, ‘cello, Friedrich Edelmann, basson, and Vera Breheda, piano at 7:30 pm. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Cost is $10. 644-6893. 

Brand Nubian at 9 p.m. at 2232 MLK, 2232 Martin Luther King Blvd, Oakland. Cost is $10-$12. 384-7874.  

Shooglenifty at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761.  

Jonathan Kreisberg Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. Cost is $15. 841-JAZZ.  

Vegitation, reggae, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10, or $20 including 8 p.m. poetry reading with Mutabaruka. 525-5054. 

Paul H. Taylor & The Montara Mountain Boys at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Hernan Gamboa, Venezuelan folk music, at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373.  

MONDAY, OCT. 2 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Whitework Embroidery” opens at Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, 2982 Adeline St. and runs through Feb. 5. Hours are Mon.-Sat. noon to 6 p.m. Free. lacismuseum.org 

FILM 

Alternative Visions: Works by Bay Area Student Visionaries at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Last Word Poetry Reading with Patricia Edith and Jan Steckel at 7 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Poetry Express with Martin Marshall at 7 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

Neil Gaiman reads from “Fra- 

gile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders” at 7 p.m. at the Roda Theater, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $10. 559-9500. 

Readings from “The Womanist” Mills College Literary Journal at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Khalil Shaheed, all ages jam, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Jimmy Bosch at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, OCT. 3 

CHILDREN 

Gretchen Woelfle reads from “Animal Families, Animal Friends” at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Tania Katan will read from her memoir, “My One-night Stand with Cancer” at 7 p.m. at Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 5741 Telegraph Avenue at 58th St., Oakland. 601-4040, ext. 111. 

Mary Gordon reads from “The Stories of Mary Gordon” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Freight and Salvage Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $4.50-$5.50. 548-1761. 

“Voices of East Bay Lesbian Poets” an anthology by Linda Zeiser at 7:30 p.m. at Montclair Women’s Cultural Arts Club, 1650 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $5. 276-0379.  

Agi Mishol, Isreali poet, at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

Joe Gores introduces his latest political thriller, “Glass Tiger” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

RebbeSoul, world beat, Jewish roots music at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054.  

Singers’ Open Mic with Ellen Hoffman at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island. 841-JAZZ.  

Jimmy Bosch at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200.  

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 4 

THEATER 

“The Secret Circus” Wed. and Thurs. at 8 p.m. at The Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way, through Oct. 19. Cost is $10-$20 sliding scale. 800-838-3006 www.themarsh.org  

EXHIBITIONS 

“Wild About Birds” paintings by Rita Sklar opens at the Lakeview Branch of the Oakland Public Library, 550 El Embarcadero. 238-7344. 

FILM 

Pirates and Piracy “A High Wind in Jamaica” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Ellen Ekstrom reads from her new novel, “The Legacy” at The Friends of the Albany Library Annual Meeting at 7:30 p.m. at 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720 

Paola Gianturco, photographer, on “Viva Colores! A Salute to the Indomitable People of Guatemala” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

Daniel Goleman explores “Social Intellegence: The New Science of Human Relationships” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Berkeley Poetry Slam at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Terracotta Warriors, Chinese dance, music, martial arts and acrobatics at 8 p.m. at Paramount Theatre of the Arts, 2025 Broadway, Oakland, through Oct. 8. Tickets are $45-$95, discount for children. 625-8497. 

Wednesday Noon Concert: Classical Percussion 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 

Creepy, Sugar Eater, Stonecutter at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $8. 451-8100.  

K23 Orchestra, CD release party at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $8. 525-5054.  

Rumba Cafe at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

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

Bruce Molsky at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Maraca and The New Collective at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $24-$28. 238-9200.  

THURSDAY, OCT. 5 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Colors” A group show by East Bay Women Artists. Reception at 6 p.m. at Royal Ground Gallery, 2058 Mountain Blvd., Montclair, Oakland. Exhibition runs to Jan. 7. 451-2661. 

FILM 

Discovering Syrian Cinema “Shadows and Light” at 5:30 p.m. and “Today and Everyday” at at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Lunch Poems with Les Murray at 12:10 p.m. in the Morrison Library, in the Doe Library, UC Campus. http://lunchpoems.berkeley.edu 

Susan Snyder talks about and shows slides on “Past Tents: The Way We Camped” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Camille T. Dungy, poet, at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720 ext 17. 

Bruce Wagner and James Ellroy read at at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500.  

George Rabasa reads from his novel “The Cleansing” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Richmond Arts and Culture Commission Youth Performance in celebration of National Arts and Humanities Month. Spoken word, dance, and song presented by youth from East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, Masquers Playhouse, Familias Unidas at 5:30 p.m. at the Richmond Convention Center, 403 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond. 620-6952.  

“King Arthur” by Henry Purcell, directed by Mark Morris at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus, through Oct. 7. Tickets are $42-$110. 642-9988.  

Ancient Vision 3, with Wadi Gad, Malika Madremana, Arkangel, We A Dem Band at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Noah Grant at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Daniel Ho, Keoki Kahumoku and Herb Ohta, Jr. at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Boneless Children Foundation, Midline Errors, The Young Has Beens at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082.  

The Swamees, Hollywood 

dopesick, Hobo Jungle, southern and folk rock, at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100. 

Victor Erice’s The Spirit of the Beehive (1973) is one of the most influential and iconic of Spanish films. Set “somewhere on the Castillian plain” in 1940, just after the Spanish Civil War, Erice’s film conjures a remote village where the echoes of war and repression resound in the lives of an increasingly fragmented family.  

Criterion has just released the film on DVD in an excellent edition which faithfully renders the film’s honey-colored lighting and evocative score. The two-disc set also includes informative extra features, including an interview with Erice and a documentary about the film in which Ana Torrent, the child actress, returns to the village as an adult. 

Torrent plays a young girl, also named Ana, just 6 or 7 years old, who becomes mesmerized when she and her older sister attend a screening of James Whale’s Frankenstein, an experience that inspires a series of thoughts, emotions and free associations which haunt her and dramatically transform her interpretation of the world in which she lives. 

The two girls live with their parents in a shell of house, a hollowed-out Faulknerian manor that stands like a decaying relic of a long-lost past. And contained within that house are likewise faded, hollowed-out people, seemingly damaged by years of conflict, both personal and political. I say seemingly because Erice never spells anything out with any degree of certainty; he merely suggests, presenting his characters as they exist in the present, their withdrawn behavior providing the only intimation of what happened in the past.  

Distance and space are major themes. The horizon of the plain is high and far, with fields stretching for miles in all directions. And the distances between people seem greater still. The parents, for instance, are rarely shown in the same shot, and each frequently seems to have no idea where the other has gone. The wife bicycles off to the train station to deliver a letter, and we get the feeling she has done it surreptitiously. She stands for a moment on the platform, watching with detachment as soldiers on the train gaze at her through the windows as they briefly pass in and out of her world. Meanwhile the father returns home from his beekeeping tasks and settles himself in a chair in his study, facing away from the door and toward a window as he puts on headphones to listen to a short-wave radio. Their connections with each other and with the outside world are tenuous; the world, for whatever private reasons, is held at arm’s length. 

In one extraordinary shot, Erice keeps the camera trained on the wife’s face as she feigns sleep when her husband enters the room and fumbles his way into bed. He never enters the frame; he is but a vague, shapeless shadow on the wall behind her. And when he finally settles in, she opens her eyes again and simply stares straight ahead until the fadeout. Her husband is no longer a partner and companion, but merely something she lives with, a regularly occurring event she has ceased to even acknowledge.  

The film is based primarily on the childhood memories of Erice and his co-screenwriter Ángel Fernández Santos. It began, Erice says, with the image of the Frankenstein monster and the little girl together at the water’s edge in the 1931 movie. That image, he said, conveyed to him all one could ever wish to express in an image. But the cinematic influences on Spirit of the Beehive go further than Frankenstein. In fact, the film is full of subtle references to other films, for its premise is based on the dreamlike qualities of the cinematic experience. The scene at the train station is staged to resemble one of the Lumiere brothers’ earliest films; many of the wide shots of the plain suggest the panoramic drama of American westerns; and the scene in the cinema, with the faces of enthralled children gazing in rapt attention, is reminiscent of the scene in Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows when the young protagonist skips school and takes in a Punch ‘n’ Judy show at the local amusement park. 

There is a crucial moment in the cinema scene that sets the stage for the rest of the film. The children, including Ana, were in fact watching Frankenstein while Erice and his cameraman staked out a spot off to the side and filmed them with a hand-held camera, capturing the reactions on their faces. It was a gamble and it paid off, for Erice got exactly what he was looking for: At the moment when the monster kills the little girl, Ana’s face changes; her eyes widen as she leans forward and appears to catch her breath. She has clearly identified with the characters on the screen and is seeking to understand the monster, his lumbering, primitive form something of a reflection of the walking dead around her. It is the magic of cinema, just as Erice remembered it from his own childhood.  

Thus begins a subtle and complex inner drama as Ana, too young to distinguish between fantasy and reality, internalizes the story, becoming deeply concerned for the ostracized monster. Her older sister tells her that the monster is not really dead, that he lives nearby in an abandoned well. Eventually Ana makes the trip out to the well alone, and finds in the adjoining farmhouse an escaped freedom fighter. And when the fighter is later discovered and executed, screen fantasy and daily life become inextricably linked in her mind; she confuses the freedom fighter with the monster, his death with the monster’s death, the film’s vengeful townfolk her own townfolk.  

And here again we see the brilliance of Erice’s use of long takes. Previously they had been used to emphasize the spaces between people and the slow passage of time. But with Ana they express much more, dramatizing that stretch of time between a child’s absorption of events and her final synthesis and interpretation of those events, the melding of disparate experiences into a new and private reality.  

Photograph: Ana Torrent (left) plays a young girl haunted by the free associations that stem from a screening of James Whale’s Frankenstein in Victor Erice’s Spirit of the Beehive (1973). 

THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE (1973) 

$39.99. 99 minutes. Criterion. www.criterionco.com.

Even today, 30 years after his death and nearly 100 years since he first stepped before a motion picture camera, Charlie Chaplin is still one of the most recognizable people in the world. The dandified Tramp, with his brush mustache, ill-fitting clothes, wicker cane and derby hat, is an iconic figure, but one whose familiarity has to some extent undermined his art. Chaplin today has become something of a two-dimensional figure, a static icon that means little to those born in the decades since his heyday; he exists as a fully formed entity, a known quantity, and is therefore just as easily ignored, an image from the past that no longer requires our attention.  

A new four-disc 90th anniversary edition DVD set of the 12 films Chaplin made for the Mutual Film Corporation has recently been released by Image Entertainment, featuring new restorations, complete with previously missing footage, and brand new scores by Carl Davis. Image released these films on DVD about 10 years ago, but this new set, in addition to superior image quality, has many other features that distinguish it, the best of which is the arrangement of the films in chronological order, providing the viewer with a glimpse of the arc of Chaplin’s art at a crucial stage in his development.  

The image of the Tramp is so ingrained in our consciousness that it is hard to imagine that he had to be invented, and that film comedy itself had to be invented. But that’s essentially what Chaplin did, and he did it, for the most part, single-handedly. He took the crude, knockabout, ensemble comedy of Mack Sennett’s Keystone Studios and zeroed in on character and personality, forging a strong individual identity as well as a unique bond with his audience.  

Once Chaplin broke away from Keystone he went to work for the Essanay company here in the East Bay. (The studio, in what was once known as Niles, near Fremont, is now a museum that offers screenings of silent films every Saturday night.) He made 14 short films for Essanay, firmly establishing himself as the most popular performer in the movies.  

But it is in the next group of films, made for the Mutual Corporation, where Chaplin finally realized his potential. The Mutual films represent the first blossoming of his comic genius. He was already enormously famous, the first international superstar, and his comic exploits had made him something of a populist hero. But it is the Mutual series that truly endeared him to his fans, for it is in these 12 two-reelers that he delved deeper into the nature of the tramp character: his fastidious habits, his contempt for authority, his longing for beauty and love, his artistic temperment.  

With films such as Easy Street and The Immigrant, Chaplin depicted the poverty and strife of his childhood while taking his first steps toward a more rounded cinematic ouvre with forays into social commentary.  

Later, of course, Chaplin would more completely incorporate drama and commentary into his work, drawing complaints from fans and critics alike that Chaplin was abandoning his comedic roots in the pretentious pursuit of Art. But in the Mutual films, the Tramp retains the rambunctious, anarchic, irrepressible humor that Chaplin’s detractors found lacking in his later, more sentimental work. 

The series begins with films that are not much different from his Essanay work and steadily progresses from there, with increasing complexity, finely tuned comedic timing, and brilliantly choreographed action sequences. In One A.M., Chaplin performs a solo tour de force, the film’s 20 minutes entirely devoted to a drunk man’s efforts to get home and into bed; in The Rink, Chaplin demonstrates his remarkable physical agility, tangling with his rival in an elaborate rollerskating sequence; and in The Immigrant, Chaplin makes one his first overtly political statements, as a boatload of immigrants gazes in awe at the Statue of Liberty before being roughly herded behind a restraining rope. So much for liberty. 

Too often forgotten in appreciations of Chaplin is the fact that he was not just a great comedian, but a great actor. In Easy Street he summons both drama and comedy—an innovation at the time—in the depiction of an unflinching portrait of poverty, crime and drug use while never compromising his comedic instincts. And again in The Immigrant, Chaplin creates one of his best depictions of the rapture of love, with the Tramp and the girl (Edna Purviance) finding the silver lining by getting married during a rainstorm.  

With these early masterpieces, Chaplin set the standard for the comedians who would follow in his wake: Roscoe Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Harry Langdon. Arguably some would surpass him, in inventiveness, in direction, staging and camerawork, even in pure laughter. But no one ever came close to matching his enormous talent, his instinctive sense of pathos, or the unique and affectionate bond between the performer and his audience. 

Some say the Mutuals are his best period; certainly he was never again so free from self-consciousness, so anarchic and inventive. But a sound argument can be made that the Mutual period represents the artist’s adolescense, with his full artistic maturity expressed most clearly in his features of the ’20s and early ’30s: The Kid, The Gold Rush, The Circus and City Lights.  

But though those later films are more fulfilling and emotional, it is the casual, careless fun of the Mutuals that lends them to repeated viewings, that entices us to immerse ourselves again and again in the madcap adventures of a newly famous, newly wealthy 27-year-old comedian who had suddenly found himself on top of the world. 

The set also includes two documentaries. The Gentlemen Tramp (1975) is a fuzzy, hagiographic film by Richard Patterson that is more content to deify the man than understand him, and Chaplin’s Goliath (1996), an appreciation of the all-too-brief career of Eric Campbell, the huge Scottish actor who played the heavy in most of Chaplin’s Essanay and Mutual films until his life was cut short by a car accident. Also included are essays by Chaplin historians and a gallery of rare still photographs of Chaplin at work on the Mutual films. 

THE CHAPLIN MUTUAL COMEDIES (1916-17) 

$59.99. Image Entertainment. www.image-entertainment.com.

On the wall was chalked:/They Want War./The man who wrote it/Has already fallen. 

Bertolt Brecht’s terse poem itself is scrawled in chalk on four doors painted black that stand on the Roda Stage as a visual prelude to Berkeley Rep’s production of Mother Courage, before the cast carries them off and begins the show. 

The dates and changing locations, and song titles, of the dozen scenes of the play are also inscribed, one after the other, and sometimes overlapping, like graffiti on the stage’s back wall, as Mother Courage and her children and hangers-on pull her cart across from Sweden across Poland and through Germany, following the armies which buy the good Mother’s wares and services. 

Brecht adapted Mother Courage from a 17th-century novel by Grimmelshaven about a petty war profiteer plying her goods amid the hellish cycles of battle and looting that engulfed Central and Northern Europe during the Thirty Years’ War. It was the leftist German playwright’s response to the 1939 invasion of Poland, a warning to Scandinavia, where he was living in exile, not to get embroiled. 

“To sup with the devil, you need a longhandled spoon,” as The Chaplain says to The Cook (the Mother’s rival hangers-on) and to Mother Courage herself, halfway through the play. 

Mother Courage and Her Children was the full title of the play, and the opening scene introduces the Courage brood: her two sons, Eilif the strong--and rapacious (Justin Leath), honest Swiss Cheese (Drew Hirshfield), and mute, compassionate daughter Kattrin (Katie Huard), already a traumatized victim and the only one in the family who hopes for peace. Each is from a different father. 

They’re introduced, and almost immediately begin to disappear. Playing a fortune-telling game to get a sergeant (Brent Hinkley)to pony up for more booze, Mother Courage (Ivonne Coll) has him draw a lot from his helmet; it has a black cross, signifying death. But her children all draw, too, and each lot is marked. Meanwhile, a recruiter (Marc Damon Johnson) has talked up Eilif, who runs off seeking martial glory and the spoils of war.  

There’s also a wayward hooker, Yvette (Katie Barrett), whose liaisons with doddering old officers move her up the social scale, as changes in costume (David Zinn’s designs), from bright plumage (the hat and blue high-heeled boots Kattrin craves) to embroidered heavy mourning as officer’s widow clearly indicate. 

The cast is quick and game—too quick, it seems. The production plan defuses their focus both as characters and ensemble by substituting vaudeville for Epic Theater, epic in the sense of telling a social tale, demonstrating the relations between characters under the unusual conditions depicted, bringing it to the audience as evidence to a jury that will be engrossed in deliberation. 

Brecht intended a show centered on scene after scene that demonstrated what he called “the social gest, which alone introduces the human element.” Mother Courage biting the sergeant’s coin, or haggling a bit too much in trying to save one son’s life at bargain rates are examples of the social gest. But in this production, these are glossed over, as the cast races about, tossing off the lines from British political playwright David Hare’s remarkable translation like a series of burlesque routines. 

The songs (Gina Leishman’s music, which would be fine in another context) are a particular case in point. Perhaps the best moment of the show is Jarion Monroe’s delivery of “The Solomon Song.” Brecht’s lyrics were originally featured in his Threepenny Opera, with Kurt Weill’s caressing, disturbing melody. It became Lotte Lenya’s (Weill’s wife and the originator of several early Brechtian roles) touchstone number in cabaret. When Brecht recycled it for a different use in a play with music, the music had a different effect. 

Monroe as the cynical Cook serves it straight to the audience, and very well: “Wisdom, Courage, Honesty ... what else turns out to be not of much use? Ah, yes: Charity! ... You’re better off without!” But the tune is an oom-pah number now, accenting the barroom and carnivalesque senses that alternate and whirl away the choice, concentrated images, the “pregnant moments” of the songs and scenes. 

Ivonne Coll cuts a fine figure as Mother Courage; Monroe and Patrick Kerr are the right choices to play her self-absorbed “admirers;” Huard as Kattrin is admirable throughout. It’s the confusion between “putting on a show” in Brecht’s sense and the sketchy, song-and-dance divertisements of director Lisa Peterson’s conception that squanders this theatrical opportunity.  

MOTHER COURAGE 

Through Oct. 22 at the Roda Theater, 2025 Addision St. www.berkeleyrep.org, 647-2949.  

If there is a phrase found in a real estate listing that fills me with even more horror than “updated kitchen,” it has to be “new dual-pane windows.” Dual-pane windows are probably one of the biggest scams ever foisted off on an unsuspecting American public. The lies and half-truths promulgated by window replacement companies should be right up there with other famous lies like “The dog ate my homework” and “Only one glass of wine with dinner, officer…” 

Most houses built before the 1960s, with a few exceptions, had wooden windows, built with close-grained old-growth wood. Wooden windows, if maintained, can last hundreds of years. Many buildings on the East Coast that date to the 17th or 18th centuries still have their original windows, and in Europe, buildings older than that retain their historic sash windows. 

Wood windows are the most vulnerable of historic building elements—millions are being dumped in landfills every year. And that is an absolute travesty. The multi-billion dollar window replacement industry would like you to believe that single-glazed wooden windows are drafty, not energy efficient, don’t work well, and require constant maintenance. Almost every week the newspaper is filled with ads for replacement windows, with headlines like, “Are your windows costing you money?” or, “Whole house window replacement—only $2995!”  

PG&E will give you a rebate for ripping out your original windows to put in dual-pane replacements. Often the local building code demands insulating windows in new construction or remodeling. Go back and consider the phrase “multi-billion dollar”—with that much money at stake, do you think these companies have your best interests at heart? They Are Lying, and when they aren’t lying outright, they are conveniently failing to mention numerous pertinent facts. Here’s a list from one internet replacement window site about when or why you should consider window replacement: 

“Don’t bother to fix a window that has cracked glass, rotted or otherwise damaged wood, locks that don’t work, missing putty, or poorly fitting sashes. 

“ Homeowners with windows over twenty five years old should consider replacing them … A home is an ideal candidate for a window replacement if its windows are sealed or painted shut or the sash cords are broken…” 

Okay, I’m gasping with disbelief here, but let’s take these one at a time: 

1. Cracked glass. On a single glazed window, cracked glass can be replaced using items readily available at the local hardware store, costing maybe $25, tops, if you do it yourself. If you pay a glazier, maybe $100—still cheaper than a new window. If the glass in a double glazed sash cracks, you have to buy a whole new glazing unit (assuming the company is still in business) which will cost $100 or more, and then pay a glazier to install it, because it’s not a do-it-yourself thing. 

2. Rotted wood. This most likely place for this is the joints of the bottom sash. If not far gone it can be dug out and the hole filled with wood putty or even Bondo. If farther gone, it can be repaired with epoxy consolidants. This is also true of rot in the frame. If it’s so far gone that the bottom rail falls off when you raise the window, there are several companies in town that can make you a new custom sash- average cost, maybe $150, depending on size. (Look in the Yellow Pages under “Windows, Wooden” for companies.) 

3. Locks that don’t work. Are these people kidding? Buy a new lock at the hardware store. Cost? About $3. 

4. Missing putty. A quart can of Dap 33 window glazing: about $6.50. 

5. Poorly fitting sash. Many reasons for this, but if it’s not structural, then weatherstripping works wonders. 

6. Windows sealed or painted shut, or broken sash cords. Easily fixed with a few simple tools and some labor, or if you don’t want to do it yourself, Wooden Window (893-1157, www.woodenwindow.com) will be happy to do it for you. If you want to do it yourself, I highly recommend the book Working Windows by Terence Meany ($14.95 at your local bookstore). 

Those who’ve been around since the Sixties may remember the bumper sticker “Eschew Obfuscation.” When window replacement companies aren’t lying outright, you better believe they are obfuscating.  

Obfuscation #1. Replacement windows will significantly reduce heating /cooling costs. 

Okay, this is math, so take notes… there will be a quiz! 

Only 20 percent of the heating loss (or cooling gain) in a building is through the windows. The other 80% is lost through roofs, walls, floors, and chimneys, with most of it going out the roof. And most of the cold air is sucked in through the floor from the basement or crawl space. Reducing the heat loss through the windows by 50 percent (double-glazing) will only result in a 10 percent reduction in the overall heat loss. So let’s say you pop for the $2995 window special.  

That’s only ten windows—the smallest bungalow I ever owned had 20 windows. Misleading the public about actual costs is one of the sleazy tactics employed. So you’re really going to have to spend more like $5,990 for twenty windows. (or about $32,000 for aluminum-clad wood.) Let’s also say that your utility bill averages $200 a month. A 10 percent reduction on the heating bill amounts to $20 a month or $240 a year. At that rate it would take about 25 years to recoup the $5990 investment (Payback on the more expensive windows would take 133 years.) 

But wait, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, 40 percent of the average household energy bill goes to heating and cooling. So at $200 per month, only $80 goes to heating and cooling. Saving 10 percent on that would only be $8 a month, putting the payback time at 62 years for the vinyl or 333 years for the aluminum-clad. For the same amount of money (or less!) that replacement windows would cost, you could insulate the attic and the walls and install a damper on the chimney and get an 80% reduction in heat loss.  

Or you could spend that money on storm windows. A recent study conducted at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory using actual wooden windows (removed from a house that was being demolished) showed that the addition of storm windows reduced air leakage by a considerable amount. They used a double-hung window with loose sashes, no weatherstripping, gaps between the sashes and frame, missing caulk, cracked glass, and dry rot in the frame. The second window was a dual-pane double hung window with loose sashes and no weatherstripping. For storm windows, they used non-thermally broken aluminum storms with operable sashes and no weatherstripping. 

Interestingly enough, the addition of storm windows to both windows reduced the energy flow of the single glazed window substantially more than the dual-pane window. Using a measurement which took into account both air infiltration and conduction through the glass, without storm windows, and with a wind speed of 7 m.p.h., the single glazed window lost about 565 BTU’s per hour, while the dual-glazed window lost 644. With the storms added, the single-glazed window lost 131 BTU’s per hour, while the dual-pane window lost 256.  

Then they removed the storm and weatherized the first window, which involved squaring up the frame so the sashes fit more tightly, replacing rot in the frame, re-glazing the panes, caulking cracks in the frame, installing a sweep at the bottom of the lower sash, and installing a new window lock to improve closure- then ran the tests again. At 7 m.p.h., heat loss for the weatherized single glazed window was 256 BTU’s, compared with 131 for the unweatherized window with a storm. By comparison, the dual-pane window WITH A STORM also had a heat loss of 256. They didn’t compare weatherstripping PLUS a storm window, but clearly, a storm window gives you more bang for the buck (about a 75% reduction in heat transmission) and weatherizing alone gives the same reduction as a double-glazed window.  

Obfuscation # 2. Maintenance-free exterior- no painting or staining required.  

No painting or staining POSSIBLE, in the case of vinyl. What if you get tired of the color? And you know how funky that cheap resin outdoor furniture looks after a couple of years? That’s what the vinyl or vinyl-clad window will look like. And you know how plastic has static electricity that attracts dirt? As for aluminum, even an anodized coating doesn’t last that long, at which point you have to paint it. If it’s not anodized, then it corrodes and turns white. And what if you get tired of the color? 

Obfuscation # 3. Extremely durable and long-lasting.  

I guess that depends on your idea of what constitutes long-lasting. A vinyl window has a life expectancy of approximately 20 years, aluminum about 10 to 20 years, a new wood window from 20 to 50 years. An original wood window that is consistently maintained and kept painted can last as long as 200 years, if not more. Part of the reason that an old wood window lasts longer than a new one is that old windows are made of old-growth timber, which grew very slowly and is extremely close-grained and dense, whereas new wood windows are made from second-growth wood, much of it from fast-growing trees harvested from tree farms, where the growth rings are much further apart. The softer sapwood resulting from fast growth is far less durable. 

But here’s the thing they’re really hiding: the average lifespan of a double-glazing unit is TEN YEARS OR LESS. The seal around the glazing can fail within ten years, causing the glass panes to fog. And the plastic and neoprene seals used to hold the panes in new windows degrade in ultraviolet light. Imagine trying to find a replacement gasket after the window company has gone out of business. 

Obfuscation # 4. Insulates against noise. 

Sure, till you open it. Actually, a single-glazed window has an STC (Sound Transmission Class) rating between 20 and 27, depending on how thick the glass is and how airtight the window is. In a dual-pane window, the STC rating is governed somewhat by the distance between the two panes- the larger the distance, the better the rating. (This suggests a storm window might be better than double-glazing, being further away.) 

For each doubling of the airspace between the panes, the STC increases by about 3. If the panes are close together, the rating may actually be lower than for a single pane, because the airspace acts like a spring and transfers vibration from one pane to the other. Triple glazing provides the same noise reduction as double glazing, unless the spacing between panes is quite large. On average, dual-pane windows have an STC rating of 28-35. A single layer of _” laminated glass (which has a layer of plastic in the middle) has an STC rating of 33, which suggests that it might be better to replace the glass in a single-glazed window with laminated glass if noise is an issue, instead of wasting the money on new windows. 

In addition to all the reasons above, the fact is that double-pane windows just do not look the same as single-pane windows. The necessary spacer between the panes is hard to disguise, so even if you pay extra for “true divided lights,” the spacer makes the muntins too thick (muntins are the pieces of wood that divide the panes of a multi-light window). 

Nor will the new windows have the wavy antique glass that gives old windows their charm. So save yourself some money, save the architectural character of your house, and don’t send your perfectly good windows to the landfill. Whenever I see a real estate ad that says “new dual-pane windows” I always think, “ Yeah, architectural integrity destroyed”- wouldn’t you rather the ad for your house read “original charm maintained?” 

Jane Powell is the author of six books, including Bungalow Details: Interior, all available at www.bungalowkitchens.com. She can be reached at hsedressng@aol.com. 

This is one of those subjects that is both important and a real snoozer. If you’ve been having trouble sleeping lately, stop now, rip this page out and take it to bed with you. Guaranteed snoring in 10 minutes or less. 

Many of our 80-something houses have lousy water pressure. Not all but many and if you’re one of the unlucky ones, I’m sure you’re sick of not being able to take a decent shower. 

That’s really it, isn’t it. The shower. Most people can live with the sinks having sluggish flow but almost everyone really likes a nice skin-scouring shower. A real follicle ripper. If the shower pressure has you trying every shower head from the Water-pik shower massage to those little military style ones and everything in between, you’re the person who needs to read on.  

Although complete plumbing replacement is easy to recommend and certainly appropriate for some houses, I’d like to talk about partial upgrades and what they can, and cannot, do because they can save money and, if done properly, make a huge difference. In fact, they might be a good enough fix for your flow problems that you’ll abandon, perhaps for many years to come, any plan for a complete upgrade. 

Now, before I launch, full steam into a description of how to go about this, let me say that I would always use certain situations to remove all older steel piping. If you have recently bought a house with a weak shower or have serious flow issues, you want to ask yourself how much other work you’re planning on doing in the near future. If you are planning on a kitchen and bath remodel or other work that might expose the piping, do as much of this work as you can at the time. 

If you have an older home with galvanized steel piping (looks sort of like pewter and has threaded fittings at the joints) and you’re planning on remodeling the bath, kitchen or other plumbed area, please, take the galvy out and put in copper. Even if things seem like they’re working alright, do it. You won’t want to be getting into these areas again … ever. And the replacement of piping when the wall is open is really quite easy and not particularly expensive. If you’re gutting the interior of a house, always replace the old steel pipe with copper. 

Over time, galvanized steel reacts with the contents of the water and becomes encrusted internally with minerals. It’s like arteriosclerosis. Eventually, you can cut out a foot long section of pipe and be unable to see from one end to the other. 

The cave-like interior can be so small that the meandering of the remaining vessel keeps light from passing from one end to the other. This encrustation also creates friction and slows the flow of water greatly. In some of these situations the pressure remains quite high but the physical state of the piping prevents more than a trickle from flowing from one end to the other. 

Another thing is happening simultaneously. In addition to the infilling mineralization, the old pipe is rusting through at the narrowed threaded fittings and leaks can commence. This happens more on hot pipes than cold but eventually, it happens to most piping. Nonetheless, the filling in is the big problem. If you’re lucky enough to have a house with 3/4” galvy, it might be just fine. There’s a lot more room in those pipes for mineral encrustment to accumulate than in the typical 1/2” piping of the first 40 years of the 20th century. 

Practices varied but typically, I’ll see 3/4” steel coming in around 1940 and those houses are far more likely to have good flow today. It’s the houses from the 00’s and 20’s that seem to be the worst, so let’s look at what can be done. 

My experience is that the most heavily encrusted portions of these pipes tend to be the lateral pipes. The ones that are lying down. Also, in one-story houses (even those with a high basement or garage below the house) the piping, or most of the piping is lateral and there are relatively short “risers” that climb up to the shut-off valves leading to the sinks, toilets, showers and tubs. These risers are certainly implicated in some cases of occlusion but I find this far less often than those cases in which replacement of the laterals solves much of the problem. So, this means that we have a strategy for a partial replacement. 

If you can gain access to the lateral pipes in the basement, crawl space or garage (remember to replace the firewall in the garage if you remove any of the plaster or gypsum board), you can replace them with copper lines. As a rule, it’s best to go with 3/4” piping, although 1/2” lines will work well for single branches, those leading to just one device, such as a toilet. 

If you’ve got a line that’s going to a whole bath or kitchen it’s best to stick with a 3/4” line. Remember, you’re also trying to fight an uphill battle against what’s left in the risers, so don’t skimp. The cost of the larger pipe is quite small. As usual, labor is the primary expense. By the way, learning to “sweat” (or solder) copper pipe isn’t impossible and I’ve seen more than a few homeowner jobs that looked quite good. 

If you replace the line between the main shutoff and the array of risers, you’ll still be coping with whatever’s left in the main run to the curb. This might leave you short of satisfaction, but the main run can be done later if you’re still not getting a decent shower so leave it for last. 

When you put in copper you’ll need to observe a special protocol in which you keep the copper and galvanized metals apart. You see, copper and galvanized piping joined together and filled with water make a battery and the sacrificial anode (no I don’t have a cold) is the galvanized steel piping. This means that the steel is being slowly torn apart, atom by atom due to the direct contact with the nobler metal, copper (snotty metal, copper). Therefore you will need to keep them apart by use of some type of di-electric device. 

The method I like the best by far is to use a nice big brass nipple. Brass prevents the ionic exchange and minimizes damage to the steel. It also maintains the grounding that your electrical system needs. We use our water piping system for the grounding of our electrical system and if you use that “other” dialectic device which employs a plastic sleeve for separation of the metals, you decrease the ground by a large measure (the water will carry some but not enough). 

The last thing to do is to make sure to strap the new piping thoroughly to minimize noise and wear on the system. 

If you do this right, you can gain flow without tearing up the bath, the kitchen or just about any part of the house. There’s also no real downside since copper can solder or “sweat” onto more copper almost anywhere with relative ease, so if you decide that you need to replace more piping, you’ll just finish the job you started without having wasted any effort. There is a certain amount of trial and effort involved in this method but it is often quite successful. 

Lastly, when you finally get around to the long delayed bath remodel, you’ll just remove the brass fitting below the floor along with the steel piping and connect right onto the copper lines.  

So, if you’re still awake, I apologize. I occasionally have trouble falling asleep myself. Maybe a nice shower will do the trick. 

Got a question about home repairs and inspections? Send them to Matt Cantor, in care of East Bay Real Estate, at realestate@berkeleydailyplanet.com. 

This is a season that confounds naming, a season that also confounds immigrants, especially gardeners from eastern North America, who can be heard to complain, “There are no real seasons here.” Some of us figured out right quick that there are indeed seasons in coastal Northern California. After 33 years here I still haven’t come up with adequate names or even a satisfactory number for them, though.  

Is it Fire Season? Yes, certainly. Since 1991 I’ve shuddered at the scent of smoke at midday, in spite of my love of barbecue. Don’t we all hang over the wildfire news and calculate how close the fires come to the places we love? Some years I don’t even notice the suspense I’ve been until it dissipates under the first real rains.  

And it’s Stink Season: storm sewers, especially in San Francisco, exhale an unwholesome sulfurous miasma when it’s been months since the last rain, and when the wind’s right we’re treated to a twice-daily blast from the late-summer algae bloom and die-off in the Bay, served up for our delectation at low tide. We get a special helping of it when the weather’s September-hot and so we have all the windows open, too. 

It’s Dust Season, and every stroll along a park trail or even the garden path stirs up those particulate drifts 

In the garden we get to choose between dust and mud, but the occupants of wilder spaces just have to bear it and choke until October or November.  

There’s the genius of the season. No matter how much we know the rains and gray weather will bring us down, we long for it all anyway. It’s a natural transition season in the wilds and in the garden.  

It’s time to hang up most of the tomatoes, leaving a few just to see if they’ll be ripe for Thanksgiving. Time to compost the greens that bolted, and to sit on our hands for a couple of weeks and not plant seedlings that will probably also bolt in the September heat spell. (Still a good time to start seeds in flats, if you’re a procrastinator like me.) 

Watering everything is getting boring. If you want to plant natives, it’s about time. You’ll have to water them for a summer or two, depending on their preferences and the weather, but after that you can trust them to their own climate. If you already have natives, resist watering at least until the soil temperature’s gone down. Lots of pathogens thrive in warm/wet soil conditions, and you don’t want to encourage them.  

This is the season when zone planting—water-loving plants in one area, usually closest to the house, and droughty plants farther out—shows its usefulness. Planting things that need irrigation—non-natives and the more thirsty natives, those that live along streams in the wild, for example—all in one zone makes watering easier as well as keeping the plants that prefer dry summers safe from rot.  

The best place for the wet zone is near the house or a hose bib, even if you set up an automatic system. Another consideration: in this dusty dry season, the irrigated zone is where you’ll want to rest among cool green leaves, so put some seating and open a bit of view there. 

Ron Sullivan is a former professional gardener and arborist. Her “Garden Variety” column appears every Friday in East Bay Home & Real Estate. Her column on East Bay trees appears every other Tuesday in the Berkeley Daily Planet.

Do You Know Your Elderly Neighbors? 

Developing an emergency after-quake plan with your neighbors is a great idea, and we’ll talk about it in a later QuakeTip. With our elderly neighbors, we especially want to know who: 

1. is mobility impaired 

2. cannot operate their gas shut-off if necessary 

3. has an emergency supply kit 

4. has relatives/friends they can go to if necessary  

After the coming serious quake, we will feel so much better if we have this information before hand, plus we may be able to help someone who will truly be helpless without us. 

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.  

FRIDAY, SEPT. 29 

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 

First Amendment Assembly Speakers include Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post; Daniel Ellsberg, leaker of the Pentagon Papers; Judith Miller, former New York Times reporter; Gabriel Schoenfeld, Commentary Magazine essayist; and Dan Weintraub, political columnist for the Sacramento Bee Fri. from 3:15 to 8:45 p.m. and Sat. from 8:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. at UC Graduate School of Journalism, North Gate Hall. Cos tis $50. To register see www.cfac.org 

“Bridging the Chasm between Islam and the West” with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Founder & Director of the American Society for the Advancement of Muslims at 7:30 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. www.uucb.org  

BOSS’s Homeless Graduation and the 60th birthday of Executive Director boona cheema at 6 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. For tickets and information call 649-1930.  

“East Asia in Transition: Comprehensive Security in the Pacific Rim” Conference from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Toll Room, Alumni House, UC Campus. 642-2809. http://ieas.berkeley. 

edu/events/2006.09.29.html 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Bart Ney of CalTrans on “Retrofitting the Bay Bridge.” 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.  

SATURDAY, SEPT. 30 

2nd Annual Berkeley Juggling and Unicycling Festival Sat. and Sun. beginning at 10 a.m. at King Middle School, 1781 Rose Ave., with a show at 7:30 p.m. www.berkeleyjuggling.org 

Take Back the House with the Progressive Democrats of the East Bay and East Bay Young Democratic Club at 3 p.m. at Albatross Pub, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $30-$35. 601-6456. www.pdeastbay.org 

Community Reading of “Funny in Farsi” and “The Circuit” at 11 a.m. at the West Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6147. 

IMPACT Bay Area’s Advocates for Women Awards Luncheon and Auction from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Scott’s Seafood Restaurant, Oakland. Cost is $65. www. impactbayarea.org 

“Untraining White Liberal Racism” An introductory workshop from 1 to 5 p.m. at Berkeley High School Library, 1980 Allston Way. Cost is $10-$50 sliding scale, no one turned away. 235-3957.  

“Positively Ageless: A Celebration of Art and Aging” Art auction and benefit for Adult Day Services of Alameda County from 6 to 8 p.m. at 4th Street Studio, 1717 Fourth St. Tickets are $25. For reservations call 577-3543. 

Walking Tour of Jack London Waterfront Meet at 10 a.m. at the corner of Broadway and Embarcadero. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234.  

Don’t be Rattled Learn about the rattlesnake, one of the Bay Area’s most misunderstood inhabitants at 10:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Evergreen Shrubs for Structural & Architectural Solutions at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. 

“Creating An Ecological House” with Skip Wentz on natural building materials, solar designand alternative construction methods, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Building Education Center, 812 Page St. Cost is $75. 525-7610. 

“Special Circumstances” A film on Héctor Salgado, Chilean political prisoner, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Discussion with filmmakers will follow. Cost is $8-$10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Circle Dancing Simple folk dancing for all, beginners welcome, no partners needed. At 7:30 p.m. at Finnish Brotherhood Hall, 1970 Chestnut St. at University Ave. Donation $5. 528-4253.  

The Asthma Walk at Lake Merritt supports asthma research & education. Check in at 9 a.m., walk starts at 10 a.m. For information and directions call 893-5474. www.alaebay.org 

Passport Fair with information from Lonely Planet authors about planning your next trip from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Oakland Main Post Office, 1675 7th St., Oakland. 

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. www.nativeplants.org 

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

Animal Communication for healing or therapy at RabbitEars, 303 Arlington Ave. Cost is $25 for 15 minute session, call for appointment. 525-6155. 

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. 

Adult Fast Pitch Softball at noon. For location call 204-9500.  

Yoga for Peace at 9:30 a.m. at Ohlone Park, MLK at Hearst. Bring a yoga mat, warm blanket, and peace sign.  

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, OCT. 1 

People’s Park Community Garden Day Come join other gardeners as we spiffy up the west end Community Garden in People’s Park from noon to 4 p.m. 658-9178. 

Tenth Anniversary Celebration of Halcyon Commons Park Block party between Prince & Webster, from 1 to 4 p.m. with music, fun activities for children, and a program on the history of the community-designed park. Free. 849-1969. 

Spinning a Yarn Learn how yarn is made on a spinning wheel and try your hand with a spindle from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Owls and Oaks Learn the folk legends and the true stories of owls at 11 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Otsukimi Japanese Moon Viewing Festival at 5:30 p.m. at the Lakeside Park Garden Center, 666 Belleview Ave., Oakland. 482-5896. www.oakland-fukuoka.org 

Animal Day at the Kensington Farmers Market to support the work of local rescue groups, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 303 Arlington Ave. at Amherst, behind Ace Hardware. 528-4346. 

Vernon Wenrich Memorial Picnic will be held at 1 p.m. to honor the life of a man who served as counselor at Berkeley High School for over 40 years, many of those as head counselor. For more details call Marjorie Wenrich at 206-355-5197.  

East Bay Atheists Annual Picnic from noon to 4:30 p.m. at Big Leaf Picnic Area, Tilden Park. Please bring a dish to share with everyone else. We will provide hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks. Donation $8. 222-7580. 

Equal Partner Yoga from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club Open House from 1 to 4 p..m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

Volunteer at Lawrence Hall odf Science Open House for new volunteers from 2 to 3:30 p.m. For informati`on call 643-5471. 

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 

Kickabout at Codornices Park Soccer for all, skill and talent not required. For more information contact cambour@hotmail.com  

Tibetan Buddhism with Sylvia Gretchen on “Sustained by Joy” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, OCT. 2 

Evening of Conscience to Benefit World Can’t Wait-Drive Out the Bush Regime with Daniel Ellsberg, Boots Riley, and Alice Walker at 7 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave. Suggested donation $15-$50. 415-864-5153. 

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. 

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. 

Awakening Your Inner Healer An introduction to qi gong at 7 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Lead Abatement Repairs Find out about funding for lead hazard repairs for rental properties with low-income tenants or vacant units, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 2000 Embarcadero, #300, Oakland. 567-8280. 

TUESDAY, OCT. 3 

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 Arrowhead Marsh. For meeting location or to borrow binoculars, call 525-2233.  

Berkeley School Volunteers Training workshop for volunteers interested in helping the public schools, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. 644-8833. 

Torture Teach-in and Vigil with Father Louis Vitale at 12:30 p.m. at the fountain on UC Campus, Bancroft at College. 649-0663. 

Environmental Links to Breast Cancer at 7:30 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Discussion Salon on Clean Money and Campaign Reform at 7 p.m. at JCC, 1414 Walnut.  

Sleep Soundly Seminar A free class on how hypnosis can help you sleep at 6:30 p.m. at 378 Jayne Ave., Oakland. To register call 465-2524. 

Guitars in the Classroom Free music and guitar classes for public school elementary teachers, beginners at 5:30 and intermediate at 6:30 p.m. at Lakeview Elementary School, 746 Grand Ave., Oakland. Classes run for 8 weeks. Advanced registration is required. 848-9463. 

Albany Library Homework Center is open from 3 to 5 p.m., Tues. and Thurs. for students in third through fifth grades. No registration is required. 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720 ext 17. 

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. For information call 525-5497. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 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. 

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 4  

Berkeley Path Wanderers Association’s Fall Leaf Walk An easy stroll to enjoy falling leaves, ending with making leaf prints. Meet at the picnic area with the large fireplace in Live Oak Park, between Shattuck and Walnut, north of Rose. 524-2383. www.berkeleypaths.org  

Neighborhood and Community Green Space with David Dobereiner on “The Legacy of Karl Linn” at 1 p.m. in Wurster Hall, Room 315A, UC Campus. 

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. 

Friends of the Albany Library Annual Meeting with local author Ellen Ekstrom reading from her new novel, “The Legacy” at 7:30 p.m. at 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 16. 

Friends of the Oakland Library Booksale at The Bookmark Bookstore from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to Oct. 7 at 721 Washington St. 444-0473. 

Youth Media Council’s “Unplug Clear Channel” Party at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $3-$5. 849-2568. 

“Know Your Rights: What Employers Don’t Want You to Know” with author Carol Denise Mitchell at 6:30 p.m. at the Oakland Public Library, West Auditorium, 125 !4th St. 238-3134. 

WriterCoach Connection seeks volunteers to help students improve their writing and critical thinking skills. Training session from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. For information call 524-2319. www.writercoachconnection.org  

American Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation from 10 a.m. to noon. Various East Bay opportunities available. Advanced sign-up is required; please call 594-5165.  

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. 

“Living with Ones and Twos” Practical advice for parents with Meg Zweiback, nurse practitioner at 7 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Advance registration requested. 658-7353. www.bananasinc.org 

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, 5232 Claremont Ave., Oakland. To register call 752-6150. If you need child care, at $5 per child, call 658-7353.  

New to DVD “Water” Film and discussion at 7 p.m. at the JCC, 1414 Walnut St. Donation $3-$5. 848-0237, ext. 132. 

Current Events Discussion Group meets at 7 p.m. at the Niebyl Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave. Oakland. 597-4972. 

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 at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www.geocities.com/ 

vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, OCT. 5 

North East Berkeley Association Candidates Night for Mayor and School Board at 7 p.m. at Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 

“Maquilapolis” A documentary on lives caught in the border-zone of the globalized economy, by Vicky Funari and Sergio De La Torre at 8:30 p.m. at Transmissions Gallery, 1177 San Pablo Ave. 558-4084. www.transmissions-gallery.com  

Workshop for Educators “More Than Your Standard Garden” Your school garden can be an outdoor classroom for science, math, or language arts. Learn how to develop standards-based lesson plans and link existing activities to California Content Standards. From 4 to 6 p.m.. in Oakland. Cost is $25, scholarships available. 665-3546. www.thewatershedproject.org  

Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival at 7 p.m. at the Lawrence Hall of Science. Tickets are $13-$15. 530-265-6424.  

Environmental Film Series “Life + Debt”on the effects of globalization on Jamaica and on the world’s developing countries at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

WriterCoach Connection seeks volunteers to help students improve their writing and critical thinking skills. Training session from noon to 3 p.m. For information call 524-2319. www.writercoachconnection.org  

Drop-in Health Clinics from 9 to noon at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst. 981-5190. 

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. 

Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters Club meets at 6:45 a.m. at Spud’s Pizza, 3290 Adeline at Alcatraz. Free, all are welcome. namaste@avatar.freetoasthost.info  

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 

ONGOING 

Each One Teach One Mentoring Program of the Oakland Unified School District is curbing student absenteeism, decreasing suspensions and increasing student participation with the help of volunteer mentors like you. For more information call 495-4010, 495-4011.  

CITY MEETINGS 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon. Oct. 2, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. 

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil/agenda-committee 

Commission on the Status of Women meets Wed., Oct. 4, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Tasha Tervelon, 981-5190. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/women 

Downtown Area Plan Advisory Commission meets Wed. Oct. 4, at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7487. 981-7487. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/planning/landuse/dap 

School Board meets Wed. Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m., in the City Council Chambers. Queen Graham 644-6147 or Mark Coplan 644-6320. 

Housing Advisory Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Oscar Sung, 981-5400. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/housing 

Landmarks Preservation Commission meets Thurs. Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Gisele Sorensen, 981-7419. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/landmarks 

Public Works Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 5, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Jeff Egeberg, 981-6406. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/publicworks 

West Berkeley Project Area Commission meets Thurs., Oct. 5, at 7 p.m., at the West Berkeley Senior Center. Iris Starr, 981-7520. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/westberkeley

TUESDAY, SEPT. 26 

FILM 

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

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson talks about the mental and emotional loves of animals at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Maybeck Trio at 8 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Tickets are $20. 525-5211. www.berkeleychamberperform.org 

Tom Rigney & Flambeau at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun Zydeco dance lesson a 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 

Beth Custer’s Clarinet Thing at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Randy Craig Trio at 7:30 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Larry Coryell, Victor Bailey, Lenny White Trio at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Jazzschool Tuesdays, a weekly showcase of up-and-coming ensembles from Berkeley Jazzschool at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 27 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Colors” A group show by East Bay Women Artists opens at Royal Ground Gallery, 2058 Mountain Blvd., Montclair, Oakland. Exhibition runs to Jan. 7. 451-2661. 

THEATER 

“The Secret Circus” Wed. and Thurs. at 8 p.m. at The Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way, through Oct. 19. Cost is $10-$20 sliding scale. 800-838-3006 www.themarsh.org  

FILM 

Celebrate Oaxaca! “Sketches of Juchitan” at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $13-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

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

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Writing Teachers Write” featuring Amy Brooks at 5 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

John Stauber describes “The Best War Ever: Lies, Damned Lies, and the Mess in Iraq” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

“Iranian Voices in Diaspora” with Iranian writers including poets Persis Karim and Mahnaz Badihian and Persian-inspired music by Aleph Null at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

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.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, with University Symphony Orchestra at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864.  

UC Jazz Ensembles at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ.  

Arwen Castellanos & Jorge Liceaga, film and concert celebrating Oaxaca at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $13-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

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

Izabella at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Maria Kalaniemi Trio at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761.  

Larry Coryell, Victor Bailey, Lenny White Trio at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, SEPT. 28 

THEATER 

Shotgun Players “Love is a Dream House in Lorin” by Marcus Gardley, inspired by true stories of Berkeley’s historic Lorin District, Thurs.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Nov. 5. Sliding scale $15-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

Civic Center Art Exhibition 2006-2007 Opening ceremony at 3 p.m. at Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Courtyard, 2180 Milvia St. RSVP to 981-7541. 

FILM 

The Mechanical Age “The Serial and the Mechanical Age” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Nomad Spoken Word Night at 7 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Vangie Buell reads from her memoir of growing up in the Philippines “Twenty-five Chickens and a Pig for a Bride” at at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Laurence Juber, guitar, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Wayward Monks at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

Omar Ait Vimoun, Algerian Berber music on mandol and oud, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Is, The Bluegrass Revolution, at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. 

A Tribute to Tony Williams with Allan Holdsworth, Alan Pasqua Group, at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $20-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

FRIDAY, SEPT. 29 

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 

Berkeley Rep “Mother Courage” at 8 p.m. at the Roda Theater, 2025 Addison St., through Oct. 22. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.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 

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. 

Shotgun Players “Love is a Dream House in Lorin” by Marcus Gardley, inspired by true stories of Berkeley’s historic Lorin District, Thurs.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Nov. 5. Sliding scale $15-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

UC Dept. of Theater “Suburban Motel” six plays by George Walker at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus, through Nov. 19. Tickets are $8-$14. For schedule see http://theater.berkeley.edu 

FILM 

The Cinema of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne “The Son” at 7 p.m. and “The Child” at 9:05 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Taiwan Film Festival “ Murmer of Youth” at 3 p.m. at Pacific Fim Archive, and “Tigerwomen Grow Wings” at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum Theater, 2621 Durant. 642-2809. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Frankie Holtz-Davis reads from “Mahrynie Red - The Journey” at 6 p.m. at the African American Museum & Library, 659 Fourteenth St., Oakland. RSVP to 637-0200. 

David Kamp describes “The United States of Arugula: The Sun Dried, Free Range, Extra Virgin Story of How We Became a Gourmet Nation” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com  

Genieve Abodo discusses “Mecca and Main Street: Being Muslim after 9/11” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

“Aging Artfully” with Amy Gorman at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. 527-4977. 

Brian Morton reads from his new novel “Breakable You” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Jon Fromer, Francisco Herrera and the Molotov Mouths at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$25. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Finless Brown at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Taylor Eigsti/Dayna Stephens Duo at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Joel Dorham Latin Jazz Octet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ.  

Grapefruit Ed, with Bill Cutler and the Hounds of Time at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. m 

Sam Bevan at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Bill Kirchen, rockabilly, dieselbilly at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

The Oh Yeahs! at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Pockit, Ubzorb, Precise Device at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

La Plebe, Inspector Double Negative, Static Thought 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. 

Marcus Shelby Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Somethingfour at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

The Girlfriend Experience, The Hundred Days, Charmless, indie rock, at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100.  

A Tribute to Tony Williams with Allan Holdsworth, Alan Pasqua Group, 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. 30 

CHILDREN  

“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day” at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., and Sun. at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$18. 925-798-1300. 

THEATER 

“Happy Days” Beckett’s last play at 8 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Tickets are $9-$25. 415-531-8454. 

FILM 

“Special Circumstances” the story of Héctor Salgado, Chilean political prisoner, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Discussion with filmmakers will follow. Cost is $8-$10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

The Mechanical Age “The Magic Lantern and the Mechanical Age” 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. 

“Milarepa” from Tibet. Benefit screening at 6:30 p.m. at Wheeler Hall Auditorium, UC Campus. Tickets are $15. 877-697-2998. 

Taiwan Film Festival “Secret Love for the Peach Blossom Spring” at 2:30 p.m. and “How High is the Mountain” at 4 p.m at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-2809. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

John Brady Kiesling discusses “Diplomacy Lessons: Realism for an Unloved Superpower” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Joe Quirk reads from his book “Sperm Are From Men, Eggs Are From Women” at 10 a.m. at C’era Una Volta, 1332 Partk St. at Redwood Square, Alameda. 769-4828. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“King Arthur” by Henry Purcell, directed by Mark Morris at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus, through Oct. 7. Tickets are $42-$110. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Faye Carroll and her Trio featuring Frederick Harris on the piano at 8 and 10 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

West African Highlife Band at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. African dance lesson at 9 p.m. Cost is $12-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Evelie Posch and Brook Schoenfield at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Bulk at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Dougie MacLean at 8 p.m. at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. Cost is $27.50-$28.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Omnesia, Holden, Future Action Villans at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Jarrett Cherner Trio at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Arlington Houston Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Dangerous Rhythm: Tim Fox at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Misner & Smith, acoustic rock, at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7-$10. 558-0881. 

Deep Hello, Alexis Harte, Steve Taylor-Ramirez at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. All ages show. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

While it Lasts, See it Through, New Soldiers 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. 

A Tribute to Tony Williams with Allan Holdsworth, Alan Pasqua Group, at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $20-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SUNDAY, OCT. 1 

CHILDREN 

Circus for Arts in the Schools with Jeff Raz, clown, and much more at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Kofman Auditorium, 2200 Central Ave., between Oak and Walnut Ave., Alameda. Tickets are $10-$12.50. Children under 3 free. 587-3399. www.circusforarts.org 

Bongo Love Band at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $4-$6. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day” at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$18. 925-798-1300. 

THEATER 

“Pagbabalik” A Filipino-American multi-disciplinary play at 7 p.m. at La Peña, 3105 Shattuck Ave. www.lapena.org 

FILM 

Taiwan Film Festival “Viva Tonal-The Dance Age” at 7:30 and “The Strait Story” at 9:30 p.m. at Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Durant Ave. 

The Mechanical Age “Pandora’s Box: The Engineer’s Plot” and “The General Line” at 2:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Mutabaruka, dub poet, at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $8. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Four Flavors of Jazz, new talent from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and veterans from 2 to 6 p.m. at Woodminster Amphitheater, 3300 Joaquin Miller Rd., Oakland. 238-3052.  

Live Oak Concert with Rebecca Rust, ‘cello, Friedrich Edelmann, basson, and Vera Breheda, piano at 7:30 pm. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Cost is $10. 644-6893. 

Brand Nubian at 9 p.m. at 2232 MLK, 2232 Martin Luther King Blvd, Oakland. Cost is $10-$12. 384-7874.  

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

Jonathan Kreisberg Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $15. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Vegitation, reggae, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10, or $20 including 8 p.m. poetry reading with Mutabaruka. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Paul H. Taylor & The Montara Mountain Boys at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Hernan Gamboa, Venezuelan folk music, at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373.  

MONDAY, OCT. 2 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Whitework Embroidery” opens at Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, 2982 Adeline St. and runs through Feb. 5. Hours are Mon.-Sat. noon to 6 p.m. Free. lacismuseum.org 

FILM 

Alternative Visions: Works by Bay Area Student Visionaries at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Last Word Poetry Reading with Patricia Edith and Jan Steckel at 7 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Neil Gaiman reads from “Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders” at 7 p.m. at the Roda Theater, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $10. 559-9500. 

Readings from “The Womanist” Mills College Literary Journal at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Khalil Shaheed, all ages jam, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Three Sounds: Melody of China with guests Gene Colman and Wei Wu at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761 www.freightandsalvage.org 

Jimmy Bosch at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

“You’re going to talk to me! Another happy day!” Samuel Beckett’s heroine Winnie addresses her seldom-seen husband Willie after he’s finally emitted a syllable. 

But the talking—and most of the very local action—is Winnie’s, primarily, as Beckett’s last full-length play centers on this older woman’s predicament, trapped to the waist in a mound of earth, and on the soliloquy-like monologues she delivers to make sense of it all and carry on and find happiness. 

Visiting Russian performer Oleg Liptsin’s very fine theatrical conceit, that of playing Winnie in a modern form of the Kabuki onnagata (male actor playing a stylized woman), accompanied complementarily by Jayne Entwistle (of Big City Improv) as Willie, only adds to Happy Days’ spare, elegant poetry that pares existence to the bone.  

This balancing act between absurd humor and a strangely familiar pathos comes to the Berkeley City Club, presented by Antares Ensemble as a benefit for PAAP—a scholarship fund to send Berkeley and Oakland students to UC—one night only, Saturday Sept. 30, after closing a very short run this Thursday at the Shelton Theatre in downtown San Francisco.  

Liptsin has directed at Shelton on previous visits, and his production of Tolstoy’s The Living Corpse is due to open there Oct. 7. But he seldom performs here, and to see him essay the female lead of this modern classic (which he directed earlier this year at the Beckett Centenary Festival in Krakow) is to witness a sterling example of the innovations of Russian theatrical technique that trace back to V. S. Meyerhold, to his student Eisenstein and its adaptation to Soviet film, to Bio-Mechanics and Eccentrism—much-heralded styles that we hear of, but seldom see, except second (or third) hand. 

Liptsin’s the genuine article, and though the rigors of Winnie’s predicament prevent him from employing the more acrobatic means of his style, the range and play of expressions on the living mask of his/Winnie’s face, as well as the vigor of gesture (hands darting in and out of a handbag, where the things rummaged up—a toothbrush, a compact, a tiny .22 pistol—serve as the only props in the barren landscape of bare stage that’s backdrop to The Heap) and the vocal expression are athletic enough for a dozen other shows of physical theater. 

Beckett wrote Happy Days in English, after having written Waiting for Godot and Endgame (his two other full-length plays) and most of the rest of his dramatic and fictional prose work from the late 1940s to 1960 in French. 

It premiered in New York, though Beckett was more closely associated with its first Paris production, in which Roger Blin directed Madeleine Renaud as Winnie, with her husband, the great mime Jean-Louis Barrault, as Willie. When he later directed the play himself, Beckett, who said he tried to direct his own works as though someone else had written them, and indeed felt that time had made it as if someone else had, changed both text and stage directions, contrary to the general impression that he was an absolutist in the literal presentation of his plays as written. 

Liptsin has cut Happy Days somewhat, and added a kind of denouement, not so much to the text as to its style of presentation. The result plays up Happy Days’ curiously wry charm. 

“Theater is a game in liberation,” Liptsin says, “and to liberate oneself, one needs distancing, a detached position ... the mask from theater tradition is enormously inspiring.” 

“Earth, you old extinguisher!” Liptsin, expressing Beckett’s eloquent Anglo-Irish, the heir to the Enlightenment idiom of Swift, Goldsmith, Burke and Bishop Berkeley, delivers the lines in Slavic rhythm and accent, rendering the tiniest nuance with his torso, long arms and hands, the angle of his head, the corners of his eyes and mouth—finally, the face alone. The audience seems to laugh serially at the lines and expressions, then falls into a rapt silence.  

When Beckett’s plays are done like this, as poetry of the stage, there’s none of that nervous questioning of what it all means that dogs so many productions, so many discussions. It’s all right there, not transparent but palpably present, and as mysterious as life itself, just as theater is both immediate and yet always something else. 

Beckett, whose “minimalism” has become a proverbial cliche, expressed his own views on meaning when he said that if he knew what it meant, he would have stated it in the play, and that his work was solely made up of “fundamental sounds (no pun intended),” and that it was up to critics and the audience to search for meaning, if they wanted to, and if they had qualms, “provide their own aspirin.” 

HAPPY DAYS 

8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at Berkeley City Club.  

Sliding scale, $9-25. Parking, $5. 

(415) 531-8454 or www.antaresensemble.org. 

Milarepa, a new film by Tibetan lama and actor/director Netken Chokling, will show at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 at Wheeler Hall Auditorium on the UC campus.  

The screening is sponsored by the Center for Buddhist Studies and is presented in association with the Mill Valley Film Festival.  

Milarepa premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, after which Chokling set out to distribute the film himself. The first-time director is taking his film around the country in a series of benefit screenings. 

The story concerns the formative years in the life of one of Tibet’s most revered saints. Milarepa came from wealth, but when his father died, Milarepa and his mother were left in the care of in-laws who stole their money and treated them like peasant slaves.  

When his mother urges him to exact revenge by studying sorcery, Milarepa journeys to the home of a great master and becomes his student. Eventually he returns to the village of his in-laws and uses his powers to stir up a storm to destroy it. But revenge proves hollow, and the film concludes with Milarepa’s realization that vengeance and destruction are futile. Part two, due in 2009, will pick up the story from here.  

Tickets are $15, with all proceeds benefiting the Conservancy of Tibetan Art and Culture and Orphan Project. For more information, see www.milarepamovie.com.

Another weekend, another film festival.  

This time it’s the Taiwan Film Festival, held on the UC campus at the Berkeley Art Museum and at Pacific Film Archive Friday, Sept. 29 through Sunday, Oct. 1. 

The festival’s theme is “Beyond the New Wave” and features eight documentary films selected to demonstrate the range and vitality of contemporary Taiwanese filmmaking. 

The “New Wave” refers to Taiwanese films of the 1980s by directors such as Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang, films that took the country’s film industry beyond the formulaic teen romance and kung-fu features that dominated the country’s output in the ‘50s and ‘60s. The New Wave films instead took a more realistic approach, delving into Taiwanese history and depicting the lives of ordinary people.  

In recent years, affordable digital technology has fostered a boom in Taiwanese documentary filmmaking, but these films rarely make it to U.S. theaters. These screenings, several of which feature the directors in person, represent the only chances Bay Area moviegoers may get to see any of these engaging films.  

The screenings are divided between the Berkeley Art Museum (2621 Durant Ave.) and the Pacific Film Archive theater (2575 Bancroft Way). For more information, see http://2006tff.blogspot.com.

Resurrecting a book is probably like raising Lazarus. It can happen, but only with a little divine intervention. On the other hand, there are scientifically documented cases—like Their Eyes Were Watching God (and indeed all the works  

of Zora Neale Hurston)—in which books have been resurrected and have stayed with us. So it is with both fear and hope that I will now, ladies and gentlemen, attempt to raise a book from the dead. 

This book really is dead but should not be. Very occasionally you can find a copy in a used bookstore, but the only good sources for copies are libraries and the various online consortiums like abebooks.com and alibris.com. Nonetheless, this is a book worth searching out. The Ninth Wave, published in 1956 by late Berkeley Political Science Professor Eugene Burdick was, according to the cover blurb of my old paperback, a best seller, but I’ve never met a single soul, besides the friend who gave me the book, who has ever read it. 

Burdick achieved much more fame with his books Fail-Safe (with Harvey Wheeler) and The Ugly American (with William Lederer), bona fide best sellers in 1962 and 1959, respectively. His life was rather short, 1918 to 1965, but Burdick’s interests ranged far. He was a Rhodes Scholar; one of his stories appeared in the 1947 O’Henry Prize Stories; and he studied American voting behavior. An excellent short biography of him appears on the UC Berkeley “In Memoriam” website. 

The story concerns high school surfing buddies in Southern California beginning in 1939—how cool is that? In fact, on the web you will find the book frequently mentioned on surfing sites. And in the 25 year interval between when I first read, and then reread, the book, surfing was one aspect that stuck out in my mind. However, surfing is really just the frame of the book. It’s not a book about surfing, although the passages on the water are incredibly lyrical and evocative. 

The friends, Hank and Mike, go off to Stanford (now just calm down, you Old Blues; after all Burdick was a professor at Cal, not Stanford). Hank becomes a doctor, Mike a lawyer and political behind-the-scenes man. The book’s got everything: class and race issues at Stanford, surfing, Hollywood, Coachella Valley, Fresno, Highway 99, Malibu, communists, the wine country, South of Market winos, North Beach, World War II, big time politics, California land grabs, sex. 

The first half is epic in its complexity: Hank’s early years in his grandparent’s boardinghouse in North Dakota; his ending up in high school in Southern California; Mike’s unhappy socialist father; Mike’s affair with his high school English teacher, and later, Mike’s convincing a drunk to jump from the Golden Gate Bridge.  

Actually, I think that’s part of its problem. There’s just too much; you get exhausted after a while, and put the book down. Then the next section keeps you up late into the night. It wants to be a serious novel, and it is, but it often reads like a pot boiler, and it seems to be one part Frank Norris and one part Raymond Chandler. 

The cover of my Dell paperback edition (“5th BIG PRINTING”) from 1963 doesn’t help sort out the various strands. A blurb from the Chicago Tribune appears above the title: “A powerful novel … Violent actions, startling sexual episodes … bold, brash.” (Lest a small percentage of you get carried away by the “startling sexual episodes.” They were probably startling in 1956. Today, not so much. Not bad, however.) 

And the cover art is an absolute cross between the cover of All the Kings Men and the poster for From Here to Eternity (Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster in the surf). Seriously, couple in the surf and politician in front of the microphone. No wonder, then, that the book has fallen on hard times. 

But the strength of the book is that it makes us see our world through new eyes. Some great books, like Their Eyes Were Watching God, tell us a story we didn’t know; others, like these, tell us a story we think we know. And we soon learn that we really didn’t know it at all. The Ninth Wave seems frighteningly modern. Actually, I think it  

speaks more to us today than perhaps it would have before 9/11. Mike devours everything he can read at Stanford, (while Hank devours anything he can eat) and slowly develops an operating principle for his life. We see the first flowering of the principle in a very discomfiting passage. 

While at Stanford, Mike and Hank visit their philosophy professor, Moon, ostensibly to talk about some point from class, but the conversation takes a nasty turn, and as they leave, Hank says: 

“You son of a bitch. You had to let him know that you know he is a queer. Is that the only reason you stopped by his office?’ 

“I don’t get it,” [Mike said]. “Being queer is all right, we say. Maybe it’s better than being normal. Maybe it’s being superior. But we can’t talk about this fine thing. It’s very bad to mention to a queer that he possesses this fine thing.” 

“That’s not why you said it; to be nice and conversational,” Hank said wearily. “You said it to hurt him … You want to see if you can break through and find something that a person is scared of.’ 

Find the thing that people are afraid of and you can control them: 

“I just start to itch with curiosity when I see a guy with a perfect little world, everything consistent, everything balanced … the guy happy in the middle of the world. I don’t believe in it. I have to see if it’s real.” 

“And is it?” 

“No, It never is. Everybody is always scared of something.” 

Although it has taken a long time to get to this point in the novel, this idea—everyone is afraid of something; you just have to find out what it is—becomes the basis for the rest of the book.  

At every turn, Mike pushes. He gets engaged to the daughter of Napa Valley winemakers and here’s what he says to his future in-laws: 

I don’t know about breeding and good environment … Not a thing. But I know something about you. I know that both of you came from good old California families who left you a lot of money. And I know that neither one of you has earned a cent in your life. You even lose a couple thousand dollars a year on this vineyard.  

And I know that you run the vineyard because it’s fashionable and you can play like the country squire and his lady. And I also know that you run a winery so that you can have a good excuse to lap up a couple of gallons of wine every day. 

The first half is fascinating, but it’s the second half that becomes gripping, as Mike plays kingmaker for John Cromwell, a well-to-do lawyer whose main talent is that he’s a riveting speaker with populist notions. What’s disturbing is that Mike’s philosophy—and that’s really not the right word for it—is not in the service of anything, neither right nor left. Not to make himself governor or to help people. It’s just because he can do it. 

Mike doesn’t rely on traditional politicking, but on the then-newfangled opinion polls and the shaping of a candidate to fit the polls. How Mike manipulates the Democratic nominating convention, and then the primary, is amazing and horrifyingly realistic, Premonitions of our last two national elections—as well as our California ones—run throughout the book. “Most voters don’t care about politics,” says Mike. “…They vote out of habit, because they’ve been told to vote. And they always vote Democrat or Republican. …But the really important ones are the eight or ten per cent that’re scared. They’re the real independents, the people whose vote can be changed.” 

One can’t help but think of those polls that showed a substantial “undecided” group in the last election, when the rest of us were wondering how in the world someone could not know what to think about the two candidates. Mike says that’s it’s no longer political corruption that runs things—it’s money, power, influence, and manipulation of the voters. It’s all legal. 

Burdick’s training as a political scientist infuses the entire book, albeit in an extremely depressing way. It is most clear when Mike is explaining the results of some polls he has conducted. He’s talking to Hank and to Georgia, with whom he is about to launch a desultory and long-lasting affair. She’s the daughter of a wealthy Jewish movie mogul. The second question in Mike’s poll is “In general, what sorts of things do you worry about?” 

‘I don’t believe it,’ Georgia said. She stared at the paper. ‘Only eight per cent of them worry most about war and depression and the atom bomb. The rest are worried about their jobs and themselves.’ 

The third question is “What group in general do you think is most dangerous to the American way of life?” 

“The answers always fall into five categories,” Mike said. “Just like clockwork. First, the people who say Big Business or Wall Street of the Bankers or Rockefellers or General Motors. I call that the ‘Big Business’ category. Second is the ‘Trade Unions’ category. That’s obvious…Third is the “Communist Conspiracy’ category. Fourth is a category you won’t like much. It’s the ‘Jewish Conspiracy’ category.  

That’s where you put the people who say the Jews or International Jewry or Bernard Baruch. The fifth group is the “Religious Conspiracy’ … people who say the Pope or the Catholics or ‘those snotty Episcopalians’ or ‘those Mormons and all their wives’ … that sort of thing.” 

Ask the question “What group in general do you think is most dangerous to the American way of life?” today and just substitute a few words in the answers: “Muslim,” “Al Queda,” “gay,” “immigrant,” “environmentalist.” The only ones that we don’t need to change are “Big Business” and “Jews,” I guess. 

Not as much as changed in 45 years as we would like to think. As I was rereading the book, I could hear echoes of a recent TV ad proclaiming “Governor  

Schwarzenegger’s secret plan to discredit California nurses”—or something to that effect.  

I’m not normally a person who gives much credence to secret plans, but The Ninth Wave has given me pause. 

The book is not all politics, however. There are many telling small moments, moments that raise it beyond (if not above) being “simply” a novel about politics: love, marriage, friendship are all major concerns here. Mike is not “evil” in any traditional sense-perhaps “amoral” is as close as we can come-and along with his brilliance and single mindedness, there is an overriding sense of emptiness. Although Hank drifts in and out of the novel (which is another problematic aspect, I think), it’s clear that the  

bond he and Mike share is extraordinary, and at the very end, devastating. Mike’s wife seems to accept his affair with Georgia: it’s clear-to us and to Georgia-that Mike is not going to leave his wife. And there are scenes of great emotional power beyond political maneuvering: a fight with some thugs on a beach; a card game in a dorm room. At one point, Mike and Georgia drive out Wilshire Blvd., past UCLA, and then past the Veteran’s Home that’s still there. Georgia comments that the veterans must hate it and Mike asks how she knows: 

I guess by looking at them. I think the sunshine and palm trees and salt air frustrates them. When you’re dying you ought to be in a cold, dreary climate. It would make it easier. They ought to build the veterans’ hospitals in the mountains and out on the deserts … where it’s lonely and bleak. It must be hard to sit around in the sun and watch people going by in sport shirts and know you’re going to die. 

That seems to me to one of the clear Raymond Chandler moments, of which there are many. Georgia herself, for instance, is one of those slightly damaged but strong women who could easily be spending her evenings with Phillip Marlowe. The book is for all its emphasis on politics a very atmospheric book about California. 

It’s astounding that Fail-Safe and The Ugly American were both made into movies, while The Ninth Wave has disappeared. It begs to be made into a movie—but the kind only Northern California’s own Saul Zaentz or Philip Kaufman could make: there’s a balance of depth of thought and great story telling that few directors could  

probably capture. (Saul and Philip, are you reading this?) 

If this novel were simply astonishing in its prescience, which it is, it would be worth resurrecting for that alone. But thankfully it’s more. Certainly, it should be on all “Best Books about California” lists, because the state is a major character. For all of its flaws, the book does have a claim to deserving a new life: it provokes the reader to look-at both the physical and political environments-through a new lens.  

Today, the story itself not new; we’re living it in many ways, but the books help us to see that. 

I’d like to be able to make some kind of Berkeley connection with the California Academy of Sciences’ new exhibit, “Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries.” But geology is against me. There was no there here during the dinosaur era: the coast of North America ended about where the Sierra Nevada is now. Westward, there were volcanic island arcs, ancient equivalents of Japan or the Philippines, then open ocean. 

“People ask where the California dinosaurs are,” says Peter Roopnarine, Assistant Curator of Invertebrate Zoology and Geology, who studies prehistoric mass extinctions. “We’ve only found bits of 12 individuals.” 

Their fragmentary remains had been washed into the Jurassic or Cretaceous seas, entombed in marine deposits that make up the bedrock of the Central Valley and the Coast Ranges.  

Giant reptiles of other kinds abounded in those warm waters, feeding on fish, squidlike creatures, and each other: fish-shaped ichthyosaurs, lizardlike mosasaurs, long-necked plesiosaurs (the classic Loch Ness Monster types), and enormous sea turtles. But those beasts just don’t have that dinosaur charisma. So the Academy’s exhibit, a collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History and Chicago’s Field Museum, focuses on the land-dwelling saurians we all know and love. 

It’s an effective mixture of old bones (or their replicas) and state-of-the-art technology. 

“The exhibit was designed to highlight new aspects of dinosaur paleontology,” Roopnarine explains. “There have been changes in the way we think about dinosaurs. They were faster and more powerful than we thought, and their behavior was more complex.”  

So there’s an emphasis on biomechanics that was lacking in older exhibits. Along with the obligatory Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, there’s a one-seventh scale model that demonstrates how T. rex would have walked. The life-sized fiberglass-and-steel Apatosaurus (the dinosaur formerly known as Brontosaurus) skeleton was generated from a digital model; on the wall behind it, computer animation builds the behemoth’s neck, from the vertebrae through the layers of muscle. 

As for behavior, the trophy wall of horned-dinosaur skulls frames a discussion of what those nose spikes and neck shields were for: protection against predators, or competition within the species as in modern horned mammals? Roopnarine speculates it was a bit of both. 

The section on trace fossils spotlights a replica of a fossil trackway from Davenport Ranch in Texas: a herd of sauropods, adults and young traveling together, left their footprints on an ancient floodplain, as did the bipedal carnivores that stalked them. 

Surprisingly, there’s not much in the exhibit about the evidence that some dinosaurs—like the duckbill Maiasaura, the “good mother lizard”—cared for their young, as living alligators, crocodiles, and birds do. And I didn’t see any coprolites: fossilized dino dung can be very informative. 

Less spectacular than the monstrous bones, but fascinating to any dinosaur aficionado, is a slice of grayish rock from New Jersey that includes a layer marking the slice of geological time when the dinosaurs, and a host of other species, went extinct: the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary.  

Here, come to think of it, is the Berkeley connection: it was UC’s Luis and Walter Alvarez who first made the case for an extraterrestrial impact as the agent of extinction. There’s compelling physical evidence for this, but massive volcanic eruptions and changes in sea level may also have played a part; the exhibit explains the competing hypotheses. Roopnarine says scientists disagree as to whether dinosaurs were already in decline when the asteroid or comet struck, but that recent research supports continued diversity right up to the end. 

My personal favorite, though, was the lovingly detailed reconstruction of a swampy forest in what is now China’s Liaoning Province about 130 million years ago. It’s an old-fashioned diorama, with reconstructions of flora (ginkgo trees, horsetails, giant fernlike plants) and fauna (insects, frogs and salamanders, unprepossessing early mammals, the largest about badger-sized). 

And of course dinosaurs, and birds. It would be reasonable to say and/or birds: “Modern birds are firmly nested within the dinosaurs,” says Roopnarine.  

Birds are the only dinosaur lineage that survived the Great Dying. Feathers apparently evolved some 150 million years ago, long before flight: they may have functioned as insulation or in courtship displays. Even T. rex may have been downy in its youth. The avian dinosaurs of Liaoning were weird and wonderful creatures: four-winged gliders, terrestrial insect-catchers, a long-clawed planteater that had evolved from carnivorous ancestors (as, millions of years later, did the giant panda).  

There’s something here to appeal to dinophiles of any age. The exhibit, at the Academy’s temporary quarters at 875 Howard St. in San Francisco, runs through Feb. 4, 2007. 

For information, visit the Academy’s website: http://calacademy.org. The American Museum of Natural History’s site (www.naturalhistory.com) has much more detail, including interviews with Mark Norrell (who has done field work in Liaoning), Niles Eldredge (of punctuated equilibrium fame), and other paleontological luminaries. 

Photograph by Ron Sullivan  

A scale model in the exhibit at the Academy of Sciences demonstrates the tyrannosaur’s gait.

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.  

Nature Meditation Walk at Lake Temescal Enjoy Lake Temescal through this meditative walk, using the words of Henry David Thoreau to guide us. Meet at the south entrance at 9:30 a.m. Registration required. 521-6887.  

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 with Daniel Ellsberg at 12:30 p.m. at the fountain on UC Campus, Bancroft at College. 649-0663. 

“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  

PC Users Group problem solving session with Tom Cromarte at 7 p.m. at 1145 Walnut St., near corner of Eunice. Come with your questions and problems for Tom’s help and invite your friends. Free. MelDancing@aol.com  

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. 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. 

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 27  

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll learn about spiders, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Tilden Explorers An after-school nature adventure program for 5-7 year olds, at 3:15 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684.  

Native Plant Nursery Volunteers Needed for plant propagation and transplanting, watering, and other maintenance associated with growing native wetland plants. From 1 to 3 p.m. at the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. For information call 452-9261 ext. 109. www.savesfbay.org/bayevents 

Circus Circus with Lovee the Clown, face painting and more at 11 a.m. at Habitot, 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111. 

Walking Tour of Old Oakland around Preservation Park to see Victorian architecture. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of Preservation Park at 13th St. and MLK, Jr. Way. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

Discussion of the November Ballot Propositions Sponsored by the Berkeley Grey Panthers at 1:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 548-9696. 

“Help Democrats Take Back Congress” at Bay Area Political Forum at 7 p.m. at the Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. 

“The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil” at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., between Broadway and Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. www.HumanistHall.net 

League of Women Voters “California Clean Money Campaign” with Trent Lange, at 5 p.m. at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Cost is $15. For reservations call 843-8828. 

“The Founding Fathers’ Religious Reasons for Separation of Church and State” with Barbara McGraw, Professor of Business Administration, Saint Mary’s College of California, at 4 p.m. at 110 Barrows Hall, UC Campus. 642-1640. 

Bayswater Book Club meets to discuss “Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11” by David Ray Griffin at 6:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, El Cerrito. 433-2911. 

WriterCoach Connection seeks volunteers to help students improve their writing and critical thinking skills. Training session at 6:30 p.m. For information call 524-2319. www.writercoachconnection.org  

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.  

New to DVD: “Three Times” at 7 p.m. at JCC, 1414 Walnut St. Cost is $3-$5. 848-0237. 

“Introduction to New Body–New Mind” with Robert Litman at 7 p.m. The Teleosis Institute, 1521 5th St., corner of Cedar St., Upstairs Unit B. Cost is $5-$10. RSVP to 558-7285. 

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. 848-1704. www.ecologycenter.org 

Current Events Discussion Group meets at 7 p.m. at the Niebyl Proctor Marxist Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave. Oakland. 597-4972. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at 6:30 p.m. at the Berkeley BART Station. www.geocities.com/ 

vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, SEPT. 28 

Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors with Iraq War resister, Latino activist and former Navy Fire Controlman, Pablo Paredes at 6 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th Street between Telegraph and Broadway, Oakland. Donation $5-$10, no one turned away. 465-1617. 

Radio Zapatista Report back and benefit for health care in autonomous Zapatista Communities at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $5-$10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Shopping with the Chef All-organic shopping advice with Lucy Aghadjian at 4 p.m. at the North Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Shattuck Ave. at Rose. 548-3333. 

Easy Does It Disability Assistance Board of Directors Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at 1744A University Ave., behind the Lutheran Church between Grant and McGee. All welcome. 845-5513. www.easyland.org 

Free SAT Strategy Session from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito. 526-7512. 

Woman’s Heart Health Panel discussion at 7 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Volunteer at Lawrence Hall of Science Open house for new volunteers at 2 p.m. or Sun. at 2 p.m. For information call 643-5471.  

FRIDAY, SEPT. 29 

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 

First Amendment Assembly Speakers include Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post; Daniel Ellsberg, leaker of the Pentagon Papers; Judith Miller, former New York Times reporter; Gabriel Schoenfeld, Commentary Magazine essayist; and Dan Weintraub, political columnist for the Sacramento Bee Fri. from 3:15 to 8:45 p.m. and Sat. from 8:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. at UC Graduate School of Journalism, North Gate Hall. Cost is $50. To register see www.cfac.org 

“Bridging the Chasm between Islam and the West” with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Founder & Director of the American Society for the Advancement of Muslims at 7:30 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. www.uucb.org  

BOSS’s Homeless Graduation and the 60th birthday of Executive Director boona cheema at 6 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. For tickets and information call 649-1930.  

“East Asia in Transition: Comprehensive Security in the Pacific Rim” Conference from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Toll Room, Alumni House, UC Campus. 642-2809. http://ieas.berkeley. 

edu/events/2006.09.29.html 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Bart Ney of CalTrans on “Retrofitting the Bay Bridge.” 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.  

SATURDAY, SEPT. 30 

2nd Annual Berkeley Juggling and Unicycling Festival Sat. and Sun. beginning at 10 a.m. at King Middle School, 1781 Rose Ave., with a show at 7:30 p.m. www.berkeleyjuggling.org 

Take Back the House with the Progressive Democrats of the East Bay and East Bay Young Democratic Club at 3 p.m. at Albatross Pub, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $30-$35. 601-6456. www.pdeastbay.org 

Community Reading of “Funny in Farsi” and “The Circuit” at 11 a.m. at the West Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6147. 

IMPACT Bay Area’s Advocates for Women Awards Luncheon and Auction from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Scott’s Seafood Restaurant, Oakland. Cost is $65. www. impactbayarea.org 

“Untraining White Liberal Racism” An introductory workshop from 1 to 5 p.m. at Berkeley High School Library, 1980 Allston Way. Cost is $10-$50 sliding scale, no one turned away. 235-3957.  

“Positively Ageless: A Celebration of Art and Aging” Art auction and benefit for Adult Day Services of Alameda County from 6 to 8 p.m. at 4th Street Studio, 1717 Fourth St. Tickets are $25. For reservations call 577-3543. 

Walking Tour of Jack London Waterfront Meet at 10 a.m. at the corner of Broadway and Embarcadero. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234.  

Don’t be Rattled Learn about the rattlesnake, one of the Bay Area’s most misunderstood inhabitants at 10:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Evergreen Shrubs for Structural & Architectural Solutions at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. 

“Creating An Ecological House” with Skip Wentz on natural building materials, solar design and alternative construction methods, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Building Education Center, 812 Page St. Cost is $75. 525-7610. 

“Special Circumstances” A film on Héctor Salgado, Chilean political prisoner, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Discussion with filmmakers will follow. Cost is $8-$10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

The Asthma Walk at Lake Merritt supports asthma research & education. Check in at 9 a.m., walk starts at 10 a.m. For information and directions call 893-5474. www.alaebay.org 

Passport Fair with information from Lonely Planet authors about planning your next trip from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Oakland Main Post Office, 1675 7th St., Oakland. 

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. www.nativeplants.org 

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

Animal Communication for healing or therapy at RabbitEars, 303 Arlington Ave. Cost is $25 for 15 minute session, 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.  

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. 

Adult Fast Pitch Softball at noon. For location call 204-9500.  

Yoga for Peace at 9:30 a.m. at Ohlone Park, MLK at Hearst. Bring a yoga mat, warm blanket, and peace sign.  

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, OCT. 1 

People’s Park Community Garden Day Come join other gardeners as we spiffy up the west end Community Garden in People’s Park from noon to 4 p.m. 658-9178. 

Tenth Anniversary Celebration of Halcyon Commons Park Block party between Prince & Webster, from 1 to 4 p.m. with music, fun activities for children, and program on the history of the community-designed park. Free. 849-1969. 

Owls and Oaks Learn the folk legends and the true stories of owls at 11 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Spinning a Yarn Learn how yarn is made on a spinning wheel and try your hand with a spindle from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Otsukimi Japanese Moon Viewing Festival at 5:30 p.m. at the Lakeside Park Garden Center, 666 Belleview Ave., Oakland. 482-5896. www.oakland-fukuoka.org 

Animal Day at the Kensington Farmers Market to support the work of local rescue groups, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 303 Arlington Ave. at Amherst, behind Ace Hardware. 528-4346. 

Vernon Wenrich Memorial Picnic will be held at 1 p.m. to honor the life of a man who served as counselor at Berkeley High School for over 40 years, many of those as head counselor. For more details call Marjorie Wenrich at 206-355-5197.  

Volunteer at Lawrence Hall odf Science Open House for new volunteers from 2 to 3:30 p.m. For informati`on call 643-5471. 

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 

Kickabout at Codornices Park Soccer for all, skill and talent not required. For more information contact cambour@hotmail.com  

Tibetan Buddhism with Sylvia Gretchen on “Sustained by Joy” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, OCT. 2 

Evening of Conscience to Benefit World Can’t Wait-Drive Out the Bush Regime with Daniel Ellsberg, Boots Riley, and Alice Walker at 7 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave. Suggested donation $15-$50. 415-864-5153. 

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. 

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. 

Lead Abatement Repairs Find out about funding for lead hazard repairs for rental properties with low-income tenants or vacant units, from 4 to 6 p.m. at 2000 Embarcadero, #300, Oakland. 567-8280. 

TUESDAY, OCT. 3 

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 Arrowhead Marsh. For meeting location or to borrow binoculars, call 525-2233.  

Berkeley School Volunteers Training workshop for volunteers interested in helping the public schools, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. 644-8833. 

Torture Teach-in and Vigil with Father Louis Vitale at 12:30 p.m. at the fountain on UC Campus, Bancroft at College. 649-0663. 

Discussion Salon on Clean Money and Campaign Reform at 7 p.m. at JCC, 1414 Walnut.  

Sleep Soundly Seminar A free class on how hypnosis can help you sleep at 6:30 p.m. at 378 Jayne Ave., Oakland. To register call 465-2524. 

Guitars in the Classroom Free music and guitar classes for public school elementary teachers, beginners at 5:30 and intermediate at 6:30 p.m. at Lakeview Elementary School, 746 Grand Ave., Oakland. Classes run for 8 weeks. Advanced registration is required. 848-9463. 

Albany Library Homework Center is open from 3 to 5 p.m., Tues. and Thurs. for students in third through fifth grades. No registration is required. 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720 ext 17. 

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. For information call 525-5497. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 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. 26, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900.  

Library Board of Trustees meets Wed., Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. at North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6195.  

Civic Arts Commission meets Wed., Sept. 27, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7533.  

Disaster and Fire Safety Commission meets Wed., Sept. 27, at 7 p.m., at 997 Cedar St. 981-5502.  

Energy Commission meets Wed., Sept. 27, at 6:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Neal De Snoo, 981-5434.  

Planning Commission meets Wed., Sept. 27, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7484.  

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., Sept. 28, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. Mark Rhoades, 981-7410.