Opinion

Saturday morning at the Farmers’ Market the Green Party’s Pam Webster handed me a flyer with a picture on it of the house where I’d lived as an undergraduate. I’d forgotten just what a fine house it was. There was the big bay window of the high-ceilinged front room where we had many fine parties. The glassed-in front porch was a perfect place to store our bikes. My housemates and I had three bedrooms on the first floor, which housed three to six of us depending on whose boyfriends were in (unauthorized) residence. Upstairs in the garrett lived mysterious seldom-seen older men (at least 30 years old) by reputation jazz musicians who played for beatniks in North Beach. On the far right could be glimpsed some foliage which might have been the enormous and prolific fig tree in the large back yard. I was surprised and pleased to learn that the house’s comfortable design was attributed to a woman architect (Ida M. Legal), and that it had been built in 1889. We paid big bucks in 1959 to live in this marvelous residence: $90 a month, split three ways. The only problem: next to the picture was the ominous legend in big black type: DEMOLISHED 1963. -more-

Many readers seem to assume that the Planet will automatically endorse former Planning Commission Chair Zelda Bronstein, who is on leave from her job as one of the Planet’s Public Eye columnists, in her campaign for mayor of Berkeley. But it’s not that simple. We do have enormous respect for Bronstein’s experience and expertise in all matters related to the current and future state of the city fabric, and for her keen intelligence and quick mastery of new ideas. Since she’s been contributing to the paper, she’s become a friend as well as a colleague. But that shouldn’t be the whole story. Following the “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” theory of management, it is appropriate to see what Tom Bates has done with his opportunities before deciding whether to support a change. He’s generally conceded to be personable and friendly, but is that enough? Under our charter, the mayor of Berkeley is able to establish a tone and a direction for the efforts of the City Council, but he or she must lead by example and exhortation rather than by exerting power. -more-

REALITIES AND ILLUSIONS -more-

The people of Berkeley will be pleased to learn that the work of the Creeks Task Force (CTF) is drawing to a conclusion. After two years of twice-monthly meetings, public hearings, presentations, and the give-and-take of Berkeley-style debate, city staff are following the guidance of the CTF to put the finishing touches on a new Creeks Ordinance. The Public Works and Planning commissions will soon provide their comments on the proposed ordinance—the Planning Commission will hold a hearing on Oct. 11—and the ordinance will be presented to the City Council in November for possible action. -more-

If Berkeley’s Measure A, the parcel tax, goes down, it is likely that so will property values. “It’s clear that if school quality is reduced, housing values decrease. It’s a direct correlation. One of the reasons the city of Berkeley has such high values relative to Oakland is because of the perceived quality and reputation of the schools,” observes Teresa Clarke, senior project manager for Affordable Housing Associates. “It’s very interesting to note that in the late ’70s, before any of the parcel tax measures were passed, Berkeley schools had a terrible reputation.” -more-

THANKS -more-

By Shirley Dean -more-

By NANCY CARLETON and -more-

By Carol Denney -more-