Chef Ann Cooper prepares spaghetti sauce from scratch at Jefferson Elementary School on Thursday morning. Phtograph by Riya Bhattacharjee.
Chef Ann Cooper prepares spaghetti sauce from scratch at Jefferson Elementary School on Thursday morning. Phtograph by Riya Bhattacharjee.

Page One

Chef Stirs Up Fancy Food For Berkeley School Kids

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday October 03, 2006

Two turkey hot dogs, Tater Tots, canned fruit and chocolate milk—that was what lunch meant for Berkeley public school students a year ago. -more-



Plans Unveiled for Gourmet Ghetto Plaza

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday October 03, 2006

Backers of a pedestrian plaza along North Shattuck Avenue between Vine and Rose streets are ready to seek funds for the project, the project’s leading proponents say. -more-



Pickets Call For Emeryville Hotel to Honor Minimum Wage

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday October 03, 2006

While housekeepers waved white sheets from the Emeryville Woodfin Suite Hotel balconies early Friday morning, some 80 people—Emeryville residents, religious leaders, trade unionists, and immigrant rights activists—circled the sidewalk in front of the hotel calling on management to implement Measure C, Emeryville’s minimum wage law for hotel workers. -more-



Critics Question Closed-Door Discussion of Police Disciplinary Hearings

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday October 03, 2006

Today (Tuesday) the City Council and Police Review Commission are scheduled to discuss whether the city can hold public inquiries to investigate complaints against Berkeley Police Department officers as they have in the past. -more-



Former Library Director Heads for Ventura County

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday October 03, 2006

Embattled former Berkeley Library Director Jackie Griffin, whose attorney threatened to sue the Berkeley Public Library if its trustees fired Griffin, is poised to become the next director of the Ventura County library system. -more-



Features

UC Projects Featured on Downtown Panel Agendas

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday October 03, 2006

Some members of the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee (DAPAC) will face back-to-back meetings this week as the full committee meets Wednesday night, followed by a second session Thursday for members who sit on a subcommittee looking at developments on Center Street. -more-


ZAB Addresses Residential Use Permits

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday October 03, 2006

The Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) addressed issues concerning residential use permits on Thursday. -more-


Fire Department Log

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday October 03, 2006

Unwatched pot -more-


Ralph S. Hager, 1939-2006

By Susan Parker, Special to the Planet
Tuesday October 03, 2006

Ralph S. Hager, Oakland resident, retired physicist, and quiet activist for the disabled community, passed away at Alta Bates Hospital on Friday morning, Sept. 29. -more-


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Tuesday October 03, 2006

FOR MCNERNEY -more-


Commentary:Casino Would Meet Albany’s Long-Term Needs

By Tony Caine
Tuesday October 03, 2006

Robert Cheasty’s recent Daily Planet commentary correctly points out Magna’s strong desire to obtain a casino. He portrays this a negative in that it would be used to subsidize the continuation of the racetrack. But there is also a flip-side to all this: Magna’s desire for a casino can be used as leverage to convince Magna to quickly close the track and create a very large park in its place. -more-


Commentary: Another View of Golden Gate Fields

By Trevor Grayling
Tuesday October 03, 2006

I must protest the entire page given over to Mr. Cheasty’s Sept. 26 commentary on Golden Gate Fields. The CAS/CESP/Sierra Club group are at it again with their by-now-familiar list of scare tactics and misstatements. I think you owe it to your readers to correct the record. Let’s look at just a few of those scare tactics and misstatements: -more-


Commentary: Instant Runoff Voting Gone Bad

By John Curl
Tuesday October 03, 2006

Tom Bates’ mayoral campaign sent out an e-mail this week boasting that Berkeley Citizens Action (BCA) members endorsed Bates’ re-election by “an overwhelming 69 percent vote.” What wasn’t mentioned in the e-mail was that the crucial five votes that appeared to put Bates over the endorsement threshold were cast by BCA members who actually preferred his opponent, Zelda Bronstein. Those votes should never have been reallocated to Bates. Without those votes BCA would have voted no endorsement. -more-


Commentary: Helping Vulnerable Youth of Color

By Sally Hindman
Tuesday October 03, 2006

Some years back, the San Francisco Chronicle published a graphic photograph of a young African American man hanging from the guard railing of the Golden Gate Bridge, his arms stretched out so that, remarkably, he appeared to be dangling in a crucifix position. The youth had attempted to commit suicide. As a Caucasian Quaker chaplain and someone involved in the interfaith religious community for most of the last 20 years, and also as a mother and longtime Berkeley resident, that photo has haunted me. I have not been able to erase the image of that anguished young man from my mind, and have continued to ponder the questions: What can we do to empower and offer needed support to vulnerable older youth of color in our community? Aren’t we all his parents? How are we “crucifying” or by neglect leading our older young men of color to suicidal despair and a sense of hopelessness? -more-


Commentary: Albany Shoreline: Private vs. Public Interests

By Michael Marchant
Tuesday October 03, 2006

In the United States, consumerism is becoming a social disease. Billions of dollars is spent annually on advertising campaigns designed to delude people into spending huge sums of money on things they don’t need, many of which are harmful. From cosmetics, to “fashion” products, to household cleaners, to SUVs, people are consuming more and more, and at every turn, ingenious advertisers are coaxing us along. And the never-ending search for the wider TV screen, the bigger car, the most effective anti-aging cream, and the best household disinfectant, has left us distracted from those things that truly matter to us, and less able to affect meaningful change in our lives. -more-


Editorial

Act I & II Landmark Bid Tops Commission’s Agenda

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday October 03, 2006

As members of a Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee (DAPAC) discuss the future of Center Street in a meeting room upstairs, Berkeley Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) members will meet Thursday downstairs to consider a proposed new Center Street Landmark. -more-


Columns

Fritillaries, Passionvines and Chemical Warfare

By Joe Eaton, Special to the Planet
Tuesday October 03, 2006

One person’s ornamental is another’s weed. Like many other exotic plants, passionvine grows weedlike all over the Hawai’ian islands. It’s so much a part of the landscape that it has acquired a local name: lilikoi. Its fruit flavors the local specialty shave ice, and Queen Liliuokalani was so fond of it that she had a special set of dinnerware with a passionfruit motif. -more-


Arts Listings

Arts Calendar

Tuesday October 03, 2006

Shotgun Tells Story of South Berkeley District

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Tuesday October 03, 2006

Oakland Opera’s ‘Les Enfants Terribles’

By Jaime Robles, Special to the Planet
Tuesday October 03, 2006

Events Listings

Berkeley This Week

Tuesday October 03, 2006

Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

Act I & II Landmark Bid Tops Commission’s Agenda 10-03-2006

Editorial: Finding the Real Progressives in City Elections 09-29-2006

Public Comment

Letters to the Editor 10-03-2006

Commentary:Casino Would Meet Albany’s Long-Term Needs By Tony Caine 10-03-2006

Commentary: Another View of Golden Gate Fields By Trevor Grayling 10-03-2006

Commentary: Instant Runoff Voting Gone Bad By John Curl 10-03-2006

Commentary: Helping Vulnerable Youth of Color By Sally Hindman 10-03-2006

Commentary: Albany Shoreline: Private vs. Public Interests By Michael Marchant 10-03-2006

Letters to the Editor 09-29-2006

Commentary: Deception Underlies Propostion 90 By Randy Shaw 09-29-2006

Commentary: Arnold, Union Organizer By Russell Kilday-Hicks 09-29-2006

Commentary: BSEP Replaced School Funds Lost to Prop. 13 By Mary Hurlbert 09-29-2006

News

Chef Stirs Up Fancy Food For Berkeley School Kids By Riya Bhattacharjee 10-03-2006

Plans Unveiled for Gourmet Ghetto Plaza By Richard Brenneman 10-03-2006

Pickets Call For Emeryville Hotel to Honor Minimum Wage By Judith Scherr 10-03-2006

Critics Question Closed-Door Discussion of Police Disciplinary Hearings By Judith Scherr 10-03-2006

Former Library Director Heads for Ventura County By Judith Scherr 10-03-2006

UC Projects Featured on Downtown Panel Agendas By Richard Brenneman 10-03-2006

ZAB Addresses Residential Use Permits By Riya Bhattacharjee 10-03-2006

Fire Department Log By Richard Brenneman 10-03-2006

Ralph S. Hager, 1939-2006 By Susan Parker, Special to the Planet 10-03-2006

Chinese Principals Visit BHS By Riya Bhattacharjee 09-29-2006

UC Hires Architect for Downtown Museums By Richard Brenneman 09-29-2006

City Prepares To Sue UC Over Stadium Expansion By Richard Brenneman 09-29-2006

Wozniak, Overman Face Off in District 8 Race By Judith Scherr 09-29-2006

Council Sends UC Storage Issues Back to ZAB By Judith Scherr 09-29-2006

Voting Isn’t Just for Election Day Anymore By Judith Scherr 09-29-2006

Judy Walters Named Head Of Berkeley City College By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 09-29-2006

Ashby BART Task Force Back in Planning Mode By Richard Brenneman 09-29-2006

Creeks Ordinance Deadline Nears By Richard Brenneman 09-29-2006

Cop Stops Rape in Progress, Suspect Arrested After Hunt By Richard Brenneman 09-29-2006

Berkeley Hills Fire Causes $1.3 Million In Damage By Richard Brenneman 09-29-2006

P.E. Practices in Berkeley Elementary Schools Questioned By Riya Bhattacharjee 09-29-2006

Committee Formed to Fight Pacific Steel Fumes By Riya Bhattacharjee 09-29-2006

Free ‘Museum Day’ Debuts This Saturday By Steven Finacom, Special to the Planet 09-29-2006

Columns

Fritillaries, Passionvines and Chemical Warfare By Joe Eaton, Special to the Planet 10-03-2006

Column: Undercurrents:A Few Clues in the Oakland School Sell-Off Mystery By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 09-29-2006

Playing The Updating Game: Part Two By Jane Powell 09-29-2006

About the House: A Partial Upgrade for Reluctant Showers By Matt Cantor 09-29-2006

Garden Variety: A Transitional Season: Late September in the Garden By Ron Sullivan 09-29-2006

Quake Tip of the Week By Larry Guillot 09-29-2006

Arts & Events

Arts Calendar 10-03-2006

Shotgun Tells Story of South Berkeley District By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 10-03-2006

Oakland Opera’s ‘Les Enfants Terribles’ By Jaime Robles, Special to the Planet 10-03-2006

Fritillaries, Passionvines and Chemical Warfare By Joe Eaton, Special to the Planet 10-03-2006

Berkeley This Week 10-03-2006

Arts Calendar 09-29-2006

Moving Pictures: Tracing Childhood’s Alternate Realities By Justin DeFreitas 09-29-2006

Moving Pictures: The Evolution Of an Artist By Justin DeFreitas 09-29-2006

The Theater: ‘Mother Courage’ at Berkeley Rep By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 09-29-2006

Playing The Updating Game: Part Two By Jane Powell 09-29-2006

About the House: A Partial Upgrade for Reluctant Showers By Matt Cantor 09-29-2006

Garden Variety: A Transitional Season: Late September in the Garden By Ron Sullivan 09-29-2006

Quake Tip of the Week By Larry Guillot 09-29-2006

Berkeley This Week 09-29-2006