Opinion

THE DAILY PLANET ENDORSES: -more-

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-

FAILING OUR STUDENTS -more-

My name is George Beier and I am running for City Council for Berkeley’s District 7, the district that includes Telegraph Avenue. I am grateful to the Planet for this opportunity to tell you about myself, why I am running and what I hope to do for this city. -more-

Diversity, creativity, and a commitment to promoting new ideas are what make Berkeley such a wonderful place to live and work. For the past ten years on the City Council I’ve been a progressive leader on a wide range of issues. I’ve had to walk a thin line between maintaining my sense of where Berkeley should be going while pragmatically getting things done in the here and now. Here are the areas I’ve focused on: -more-

The name of my campaign committee is Dona Spring for City Council. Residing in Berkeley for the past 34 years, I graduated from UC Berkeley with honors with a B.A. in Anthropology and Psychology. -more-

My name is Raudel Wilson and I am running for City Council in District 4. I am proud to say I have been married to my wife, Grace, for the past nine years and I am the proud father of two young boys. My oldest son “Little” Raudel started Kindergarten this month at Washington Elementary School. My youngest son, Albert, is 2-years-old. He spends his day with my wife enjoying Habitot Children’s Museum and a wealth of local parks. My family and I live in the neighborhood just west of the Downtown. Each morning I have the privilege of walking my son to school on my way to work. -more-

I write regarding Robert Cheasty’s Sept. 26 commentary, which is so riddled with untrue statements and outright falsehoods that I feel compelled to respond. -more-

The Daily Planet recently published a commentary from Mary Hurlbert, an employee of the Berkeley Unified School District’s downtown staff, supporting the school district’s proposed parcel tax on the November ballot. However, what’s wrong with the new measure A are its very troubling consequences for our children’s’ future, namely no guarantees that the money will be spent to benefit children’s education, while giving administrators a free hand to spend the money for “all costs,” including hefty salary increases for administrators. -more-

At a recent campaign appearance, mayoral candidate Zelda Bronstein said that the people of Berkeley should oppose “government by fiat” and instead encourage more “community-based decision-making.” That’s a great idea—and all who agree with it will vote against Measure J, the anti-democratic landmark preservation initiative. -more-

Like many who read the just-mailed North East Berkeley Association newsletter, I had to check twice to see if this was really a mailing from the old and respected neighborhood organization, or just a Republican hit piece. -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-