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Rob Wrenn points out election results Tuesday night as Councilmember Kriss Worthington looks over his shoulder at the Telegraph Avenue headquarters. James Marshall, right, looks on. The results were close, but Worthington had edged ahead by 1 a.m. Photograph by Ted Overman / Progressive MediaWorks
Rob Wrenn points out election results Tuesday night as Councilmember Kriss Worthington looks over his shoulder at the Telegraph Avenue headquarters. James Marshall, right, looks on. The results were close, but Worthington had edged ahead by 1 a.m. Photograph by Ted Overman / Progressive MediaWorks
 

News

Back to the Future for the Berkeley City Council

By Judith Scherr
Friday November 10, 2006

More than half a million dollars and piles of glossy mailers later, campaign weary incumbent mayoral and council candidates—Mayor Tom Bates and Council-members Gordon Wozniak, Kriss Worthington, Dona Spring and Linda Maio—will retake their old seats on the familiar council dais. 

With the exception of a tight District 7 race where the business community’s candidate George Beier outspent Worthington by more than three-to-one—closer to four-to-one if you add the Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee’s contributions to the effort—the incumbents cruised to landslide victories.  

 

Mayor’s Race 

Mayor Tom Bates outdid former Planning Commission Chair Zelda Bronstein with 17,960-to-8,869 votes, or 63-to-31 percent. Zachary Running Wolf picked up 1,341 votes, or about 5 percent, and Christian Pecaut got 368 votes, slightly more than 1 percent.  

Absentee ballots the county received by mail Tuesday and those hand-delivered to polling places remain outstanding. Regi-strar of voter spokesperson Guy Ashley said he didn’t know how many of these there are. 

Mayoral challenger and former Planning Commission Chair Zelda Bronstein’s vigorous but underfunded campaign focused much attention on a closed-door lawsuit settlement agreement between UC Berkeley and the city. 

At the mayor’s victory party, Bates’ aide Julie Sinai criticized the Bronstein campaign, accusing the candidate of pursuing a narrow agenda. 

“The opposition forgot that land use and UC are not the only two things vital to Berkeley,” Sinai told the Daily Planet. “People move to Berkeley from all over because it’s a compassionate place. That’s more important than what gets and what doesn’t get landmarked. They move here for its vitality and its recreational, healthcare and educational facilities. It’s important to have a broad vision.” 

Also at his Tuesday night victory party, Bates talked about “healing” on the council. In a phone interview Thursday, he elaborated: “I believe we’ve turned a page,” he said. “We’ll pull people together on new challenges.” 

That includes passing the second reading of the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance (the ordinance approved by the council on its first reading was pulled from further council consideration when Measure J qualified for the ballot), the Creeks Ordinance, funding the Gilman Street ball fields and more, Bates said. 

Differences, however, won’t disappear, he said, “Some people will fight to the death for their point of view.” 

 

District 1 

Councilmember Linda Maio, who won her race against Merrilie Mitchell with 2,636 votes to Mitchell’s 817 (76-to-23 percent), said in a phone interview Thursday that she wasn’t so sure that congeniality could return to the council. 

“I’m hoping we can make repairs,” she said, noting, however, there is another race for mayor in just two years and the enmity could smolder. “The atmosphere is still charged,” she said. 

 

District 7 and 8 

At the joint after-election party for Worthington, District 8 challenger student Jason Overman and the No on I campaign, volunteers, many returning from last-minute get-out-the-vote efforts, munched campaign cuisine—chips, pretzels, somebody brought in a pie—and gazed at a giant TV screen linked to a laptop computer.  

The final tallies that night showed a close race with Worthington winning 1,464 votes, or 52 percent, and Beier pulling in 1,333 votes, or 47 percent.  

While waiting for results, the group of several dozen people—some of them also stopping in at either Bronstein’s or Bates’ parties—had plenty of time to rehash the campaign, especially condemning negative mailers from the Chamber of Commerce PAC and District 7 challenger Willard Neighborhood Association President Beier. 

“It’s very disheartening to see how money has precedent over values,” said Worthington’s student coordinator, Candace Nisby, UC Berkeley political science major. 

Nisby said in the end it was Worthington’s track record, especially his drive to get students involved in city government and his work for affordable housing, that brought many of the more-than-100 volunteers into the campaign office. 

Worthington’s support for the strikers was the impetus for Honda strike organizer Harry Brill to volunteer for the campaign. While campaigning, Brill said people told him: “If they had a problem, they’d just call Kriss and he’d be over on his bike.” 

Brill said he understood that while Worthington got backing for his voting record, support went well beyond that. “He’s a different kind of politician, an advocate, an activist,” Brill said. 

Worthington said he thought the negative campaigning depressed voter turnout. Pointing especially to the student precinct located in the UC Berkeley Unit 3 dormitory where 70 people voted, Worthington said that only 30 among them voted in the City Council race—20 votes went to Worthington and 10 to Beier. 

“There is some significant impact of the massive amounts of money; and also the massive amounts of misinformation confuse people,” Worthington said, contending that he had to spend much of his time correcting the record Beier and the Chamber PAC attempted, in a barrage of mailers, to distort.  

“Most of us know what the solution is: public financing of elections so that we don’t have to raise such massive amounts of money,” Worthington said. 

Reached while packing up his campaign headquarters, Beier said he won’t concede the race until the votes are all in (nor has Worthington declared victory), but he said he has little hope that the votes will turn in his favor.  

He interpreted the low vote count as a large number of votes still uncounted at the county.  

Asked if he would do anything differently in a future race, Beier said he didn’t think so. “I almost won,” he said. “The hardest part was the Daily Planet coming out against me early, without even an editorial interview.”  

He said he had tried as hard as he possibly could, knocking on 2,200 doors in the district. “I raised as much money as I possible could,” said Beieir who contributed a $45,000 personal loan to the effort. “You go big or stay home,” he said, quoting a friend. 

“I still do admire Kriss Worthington,” he added. “He ran a good race. We just have different visions.” 

While Overman had the endorsements of a number of local Democratic Clubs, the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, the Alameda County AFL-CIO and many more, his campaign offered little competition to the well-known moderate incumbent Wozniak, to whom he lost with Wozniak picking up 1,935 votes to his 1,098. Wozniak won 64-to-36 percent.  

“I couldn’t let the prospect of failure stare me down,” said Overman, speaking at the election night party. 

Overman, who continues to retain his seat on the Rent Stabilization Board, was outspent three-to-one by Wozniak. “Any time you run against wealth, the cards are stacked against you,” he said. 

Wozniak shared his victory party with District 7 challenger Beier, who had spent more that $100,000 on his campaign and who had been additionally supported in his efforts by the Chamber of Commerce attack ads on Worthington. On Thursday, while celebrating his victory, Wozniak pointed out that Beier could still win the District 7 seat, as all the votes were yet to be counted. 

(Because in early returns, Beier won only two out of 13 precincts—the one in which his house is located and the precinct next to that—Worthington supporters said on election night that they felt certain of victory.) 

 

District 4 

Popular District 4 Councilmember Dona Spring won her district with 2,185 votes or 70 percent, knocking bank manager Raudel Wilson out of the race. Wilson got 878 votes or 28.43 percent. 

“I am overjoyed,” Spring said, underscoring that her landslide win was despite the Chamber of Commerce PAC-funded hit pieces that attempted to tie her to the closing of downtown businesses.  

“It demonstrates the intelligence of the voters in District 4,” she said. “The fliers with all the lies didn’t impact them. They saw through the lies.” 

Looking to the future, Spring, who endorsed neither Bates nor one of the challengers, told the Planet, “I am hoping Tom and I can get off on a better footing.” 

While Spring and Worthington pointed to excessive Chamber PAC expenditures that funded hit pieces against them (about $100,000 that included expenditures for the defeat of Measure J), others faulted the Daily Planet for its one-time home-delivery of newspapers throughout the city, recommending Spring, Worthington, Overman and Bronstein. 

“There were endorsements on the front page and it was filled with political rantings on the inside,” said Jill Martinucci, aide to Councilmember Laurie Capitelli, but speaking for herself. 

“I felt like it was advocacy, not journalism,” she said, underscoring that she was not claiming the home delivery of the paper was illegal, but as a political contribution that is not reported “it crossed the line,” she said. 

Daily Planet Executive Editor Becky O’Malley, however, called the home delivery “an advertising stunt.” The decision was made by publisher Michael O’Malley and Deputy Publisher Richard Hylton, she said.  

“It was for advertising purposes,” O’Malley said, noting it was the largest paper the Daily Planet has produced. “It was a good paper. We wanted to show it off,” she said. 

 

Reporter Riya Bhattacharjee contributed to this story.


Measure J Defeated, Supporters Vow Fight

By Richard Brenneman
Friday November 10, 2006

Though Berkeley voters rejected Measure J Tuesday, backers say they’ll go back to the electorate if city councilmembers adopt the new landmarks ordinance they passed on first reading in July. 

“We already have the forms for a referendum,” said Roger Marquis, one of the two principal sponsors of the failed ballot measure. 

Measure J, which would have preserved the city’s existing Landmarks Preservation Ordi-nance (LPO), was defeated in an election that pitted big money from developer pockets and the backing of Mayor Tom Bates and a City Council majority against local preservationists, neighborhood activists and Green Party members. 

When the dust settled, the initiative had managed to garner 11,588 votes—or 42.8 percent of the total—to the 15,470 votes—or 57.2 percent for the opposition. 

An update of the LPO designed to resolve legal conflicts, Measure J was proposed by Marquis and Laurie Bright, who began gathering signatures after the council passed an alternative ordinance prepared by the city attorney’s office at the direction of Mayor Bates and Councilmember Laurie Capitelli. 

Darrel de Tienne, who represents several major developers who gave to the anti-J campaign, said the biggest reason they opposed the initiative was that they wanted to support the Request for Determination (RFD) provision of the Bates/Capitelli ordinance. 

In that new process, a property owner would hire a historical consultant from a list vetted by the LPC. The consultant would then review the property’s architecture and history and prepare a report. Once the document is filed, the LPC has two meetings, or 60 days, to move to landmark the structure. If the LPC fails to act, the public has an additional 21 days to file a landmarking petition. 

If no action is taken by the commission or the public, all further landmarking efforts are banned during a two-year “safe harbor” during which the developer would be free to proceed with a project. 

“That’s the important thing for the developer,” said de Tienne. “It means the process moves faster, which is a reasonable thing.” 

But preservationists charged that RFDs could swamp the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the council-appointed body that administers the ordinance, while blind-siding neighborhoods in a process that would deny the chance to act to save endangered landmarks.  

 

BBG money 

The anti-J campaign was run by Business for Better Government (BBG), the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee, which also bankrolled mailers supporting two losing City Council candidates, George Beier and Raudel Wilson. 

De Tienne’s BBG-donor clients included: 

• Wareham Development—the major office and industrial builder in West Berkeley—which gave $10,000; 

• Seagate Properties, co-developer of a nine-story condo project on Center Street, with $5,250; 

• Douglas Herst, who is planning a major development at his Peerless Lighting factory in West Berkeley, with $5,000, and 

• Aquatic Park Science Center, LLC, a Corte Madera corporation formed to develop the office/industrial complex of the same name in West Berkeley, which gave $500. 

All of the funds were earmarked to oppose Measure J, and none was to be spent on the Beier and Wilson campaigns, de Tienne said. 

Anti-J donors resembled a Who’s Who of the Berkeley development community, with a concentration in firms and individuals with projects in West Berkeley, enabling the chamber PAC to spend at least $60,534 as of Nov. 3 on a barrage of opposition mailers, flyers and signs. 

Just who received their funds remains a mystery, because unlike the Measure J proponents, BBG listed only the amounts spent—sometimes even offering estimates instead of actual expeditures—without saying which firms or individuals conducted the campaign. 

 

Unanswered question 

There’s also a second, unresolved issue, and that involves the source of funds that bankrolled a massive telephone polling operation earlier in the year that was targeted at developing arguments identical to those later used by the chamber PAC in its campaign. 

One estimate placed the cost of that poll at more than $50,000, but no individual or PAC has claimed the expense for the operation. 

One question targeted the structure of merit bestowed on a “West Berkeley restaurant” that pollsters said had stalled a profitable development—an apparent reference to the designation of the Celia’s Mexican Restaurant building at 2040 Fourth St., the site of a proposed five-story mixed-use and condo project. 

The Celia’s designation was the subject of the first of the BBG mailers. 

The city Fair Campaign Practices Committee has opened an investigation into the poll, which was conducted by employees of Communications Center Incorporated, a 19-year-old polling firm with calling centers in Washington, D.C., Spokane, Wash., and Lakeland, Fl. 

Failure to report spending on polls conducted for political campaigns is a violation of state and city election laws. 

 

Measure J support 

The Landmarks Preservation Ordinance 2006 Update PAC, by contrast, took in about $18,000, with its largest contributions coming from the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA) with $2,500 and BAHA consultant and LPC member Lesley Emmington, who donated $1,356 and loaned an additional $4,100 to the campaign.  

Bright said a core group of about two dozen volunteers worked regularly on the campaign committee, “and members of (Berkeley’s) Green Party did a lot of work independently, raising some money and doing some of the literature. But the BBG had the bigger bucks and was able to conduct a mass mailing campaign that far surpassed the effort of Measure J. supporters,” he said. 

“I wasn’t entirely surprised by the outcome,” Bright said. “I’m a realist. I know negative campaigning works—that’s why they do it. But I’m proud we ran an open and honest campaign. I can’t say the same for them.” 

One surprise, he said, came in the absentee ballots, which reflected an even stronger negative vote than did ballots cast on election day. “I’m not sure why that was,” Bright said. 

 

The future 

The city councilmembers passed the first reading of the Bates/Capitelli ordinance in July, and only a second reading and vote remain. 

The real question for Laurie Bright is whether the council will simply pass the measure on second reading on Nov. 28, “or whether the chamber and the developers will pressure them to give up even more.” 

Marquis said Measure J supporters are weighing options, including a possible referendum challenge that would take the Bates/Capitelli ordinance to the public for a vote. 

Another challenge could be waged in court, in the form of a challenge to the RFD process, which Marquis said violates several provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act.


Mixed Results for Sequoia Voting System

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday November 10, 2006

With Alameda County operating its new Sequoia voting system for the first time in last Tuesday’s general election, the county experienced its share of opening  

day glitches in the midst of  

what appeared to be a generally smooth operation. 

Close to 177,000 voters cast their ballots at Alameda County polls on election day. Another 129,000 chose to vote by absentee ballot. 

Earlier this fall, during a media tour of the county’s election headquarters, Acting Alameda County Registrar of Voters Dave Mac-donald told reporters that the Sequoia optical scanning system would be operated under the conditions of a secret ballot, with poll workers having no opportunity to view how a voter’s individual ballot had been cast. 

Beginning at Tuesday’s election, Alameda County purchased optical scanners for each of the county’s 1,219 precincts. 

According to Macdonald, voters were supposed to be given their ballots inside a manila folder and that the voters themselves would be given the opportunity to feed the ballots into the scanners once the ballots had been marked. If assistance was needed from the poll workers to put the ballot into the scanner, Macdon-ald said, the ballot itself would be hidden from the poll worker’s view within the manila folder, making it impossible for the poll worker to see how the ballot had been marked. 

A survey of voting by Daily Planet workers at Berkeley precincts during Tuesday’s election, however, showed that procedure was not universally followed. 

At the Frances Albrier Com-munity Center in San Pablo Park, reporter Judith Scherr reported that after she had voted, the poll worker requested the voter’s two ballots (one for candidates, one for ballot measures). 

The poll worker tore off the receipts from the two ballots, gave them to Scherr, and then the poll worker fed the ballots into the scanner. Scherr said that she was not told that she had the right to feed the ballots into the scanner herself. Scherr said she was not provided with a folder to hide her ballot. 

That was the same case as reported by managing editor Michael Howerton at Berkeley Fire Station No. 3 on Russell Street, with the poll worker taking the unhidden ballot from the voter and feeding it into the scanner. 

But Planet executive editor Becky O’Malley said that at the same precinct, the worker took her ballot and tore off the receipts “while making a big show of not looking at the ballot itself” and then gave the ballot back to O’Malley to feed into the scanner. 

And at the Prudential California Realty on Tunnel Road, arts and calendar editor Anne Wagley said that the voting procedure worked as Macdonald had described it, with Wagley tearing off the receipts and feeding the ballots into the scanner herself “while the poll worker stood away.” 

None of the Planet staff reported that the poll workers involved appeared to be attempting to read their ballots. 

Spot checks of Berkeley precincts during Tuesday’s elections showed similar discrepancies in how secret the voters ballots were maintained. 

At the Black Repertory Theater on Adeline Street, which housed ballots for two precincts, voters at one polling place were allowed to drop in their ballots without assistance, while workers at the second polling place were taking the ballots from the voters and doing the depositing themselves. 

At the Veterans Building on Center Street, which also housed two precincts, voters were allowed to cast their own ballots in both precincts, but at one ballot box, the worker stood and watched the voter put the ballot in, the ballot and its markings easily visible. 

At Washington School and both of Longfellow School’s precincts, voters cast their own ballots without observation by poll workers. At the Berkeley Unified School District administrative headquarters in the old City Hall, the poll worker did the scanning for the voter, but did it from a ballot kept inside the folder, so that the votes were not visible. 

During the tallying of the ballots themselves at Alameda County election headquarters at the Registrar of Voters office in the basement of the county courthouse Tuesday night, however, the operation was managed with military precision and attention to detail. 

At the end of the day’s voting, poll workers placed into red canvas bags all counted ballots cast at their polls, the electronic tally voting cards from the scanners and electronic touchscreen machines, the uncounted absentee ballots dropped off at the polling place that day, and the precinct roster sheets showing which voters had signed in and voted. 

The precinct bags were then driven to 27 relay stations set up around the county where workers checked to see if all of the necessary information was present. From there, the collected precinct bags were driven to the courthouse in Oakland. To keep track of what had come in, workers scanned in the barcodes on the roster sheets before they were deposited in plastic bins. The electronic tally cards were scanned twice—once when they first came out of the red bags, and then again after the vote tallies had been downloaded into the registrar’s main computer. 

At the height of the counting near midnight some 35 workers were busy at various vote counting tasks in the courthouse basement, not enough to keep the red canvas bags from backing up in double lines on a table while cars continued to roll in with more bags. 

Even with the checking at the relay stations that was supposed to ensure that all of the items were in the bags, the checkoff system at the courthouse identified several precincts where either electronic tally cards or roster sheets had not been included with the ballots, and during the night’s tally, phone calls went out from the courthouse to several county locations to retrieve them. 

Acting Registrar MacDonald said that all of the electronic tally cards, physical ballots, and roster sheets would be kept in the county’s secured warehouse for 22 months following Tuesday’s election. 

Everybody was not satisfied with the conduct of the courthouse basement counting. 

Two computer experts appointed by the Democratic Central Committee of Alameda County to monitor the voting process—Jerry Berkman and Jim Soper—as well as a representative of the Wellstone Democratic Club Voting Rights Task Force—Donald Goldmacher, Wellstone—complained that they were not allowed to enter the room where county employees were actually downloading the vote tallies from the electronic cards into the county’s main computer. While the computer tally room was visible through a wall of windows, the computers themselves were turned away from the windows, so that the computer screens were not visible to outside observers. 

Soper said that California law mandated that all aspects of the counting process be visible to observers, and that the registrar’s decision to bar observers from the counting room was a violation of the law. “We want full transparency in the vote-counting process,” Soper said. “That’s the cornerstone of democracy.” 

Soper, Goldmacher, and Berkman had a lively discussion at some length with ROV spokesperson Guy Ashley, asking for the right to enter the counting room. Ashley at one point said that the issue had been discussed by telephone with Secretary of State Bruce McPherson, noting that McPherson had said that the setup of the counting room was at the discretion of local officials. The Secretary of State “didn’t say he had a problem with keeping observers out the counting room,” Ashley said. “Don’t you think he would have said something if he thought this was a violation of the law?” 

Soper said that voting activists are considering filing legal action against the county to attempt to open up all aspects of the counting process in future Alameda County elections. 


Riddle, Issel and Hemphill Win BUSD Seats

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday November 10, 2006

Incumbents Nancy Riddle, Shirley Issel and challenger Karen Hemphill have won the three open seats on the five-member Berkeley Board of Education. 

Leading the pack was school board director Nancy Riddle, who captured 15,900 votes, or 29.56 percent, as of Thursday afternoon, according to the registrar of voters, with last minute absentee and provisional ballots still to be counted. 

Karen Hemphill came in second place with 15,113 votes, or 28.10 percent of the total. School board director Shirley Issel finished third with 13.212 votes, or 24.56 percent. 

Riddle, CFO of Monster Cable Products, is currently finishing her first term with the school board. A strong supporter of Measure A—the school parcel tax which won by a landslide in Tuesday’s election—Riddle has been involved in rewriting it since 2003. 

She pledged to work on removing barriers in education and to encourage a transparent and open budget process that reflects the values of the Berkeley community. 

Hemphill’s victory has made her Berkeley’s first African-American school board director in 8 years. An assistant to the city manager in Emeryville, Hemphill has previously held posts in the Berkeley’s Civic Arts Commis-sion and the Commission on the Status of Women. 

Hemphill, who has served on the steering committee for Measure A, thanked Berkeley voters for passing Measure A. 

“We have a lot of work to do,” she said. “With ten years of funding from the school tax measure we can focus on student achievement. We need to get the middle-school kids ready for high school, improve Berkeley High and B-Tech and improve reading comprehension. The board also needs to be a lot more open and healing needs to take place between the School Board and the Berkeley Federation of Teachers.” 

Barry Fike, president of the teachers’ union, said that teachers were pleased with the election results. 

“The teachers really campaigned hard,” he said. “We endorsed Karen Hemphill and we think she is someone who is going to add a lot to the school board. She is interested in listening to the voice of the teachers as well as the community.” 

Issel, a clinical social worker, has served on the school board for eight years. She said she will continue to use her skills as a professional social worker and educational reformer to improve teaching and learning in the district.  

“It is very important for me to continue in the partnership with the Berkeley Integrated Resource Initiative (BIRI), which is an initiative with the Berkeley Alliance,” Issel said. 

“BIRI is like an umbrella under which BUSD, the city of Berkeley and local community organizations work collectively to identify and weave their relative resources to effectively address barriers to learning and to promote healthy development for all Berkeley children. We are now ready to enter the next phase where we hope to focus on kindergartners, which is a key aspect of the achievement gap,” she said. 

First-time candidates David Baggins and Norma Harrison came in fourth and fifth. Baggins won 6,047, or 11.24 percent, and Harrison received 3,366 votes, or 6.26 percent. 

Baggins, a professor of political science at California State University, East Bay, had made school registration one of the main issues of his campaign. 

“This was an opportunity to demonstrate to the district how to run a valid registration system. They say that they have done that which is great. I am sure all the board members who were elected this year will take their job very seriously,” he said. 

Harrison, 71, a realtor and former public school teacher, had never run for public office before. During her campaign, Harrison had emphasized the need for discussions about helping students in Berkeley enjoy school. 

 

Victory for Measure A 

Measure A, the school parcel tax which renews two existing school measures—Berkeley School Excellence Project (BSEP) and Measure B—won a decisive victory with 79.05 percent of the total vote, as of Thursday. 

Both BSEP and Measure B, which expire in June, provide the Berkeley Unified School District with $19.6 million annually, which primarily pays for 30 percent of Berkeley’s classroom teachers and all elementary and middle school libraries and music programs as well as providing school site funds.  

With Measure A passing, the current budget level will now continue.  

Ninety percent of Measure A will fund class size reduction, the school library, music and art, and site enrichment programs which have been authorized and reaffirmed by Berkeley voters since 1986. 

If Measure A had failed, the schools would have lost 25 percent of their budget, which would have resulted in the elimination of 30 percent of the teachers, libraries, the music program and a lot more. 

BUSD Superintendent Michele Lawrence told the Planet that she was relieved with the results. 

“I am ecstatic that our community once again gives this endorsement for our public schools. I look forward to working with our confident and cohesive board on improving the school district,” she said.  

School Board candidate Harrison said that she was not enthusiastic about Measure A because it did not support the kind of programs her campaign had endorsed. 

“If it goes on funding the same institutions again and again instead of experimenting with new ideas, such as creating forums for discussion and allowing students of all age groups to work together, then it will not help our children to enjoy what they learn,” she said. 

Although Measure A had been supported by every major organization, elected official and candidate for office in Berkeley, with the exception of Harrison, it was opposed by various groups such as the Council of Neighborhood Associations, the Berkeley Alliance of Neighborhood Associations, Berkeleyans Against Soaring Taxes and Berkeleyans for School Management Access Accountability Responsiveness and Transparency.


Anti-Mall Duo Win in Albany; Green Candidate Claims Richmond Victory

By Richard Brenneman
Friday November 10, 2006

While Albany’s going to pot, Richmond may be getting a new mayor and El Cerrito is in for the same old, same old. 

By a 245-vote margin, voters in Albany decided to add a marijuana dispensary to the city’s list of business. 

Measure D, which won 52.7 percent of the votes (2,356 yes to 2,111 no), allows for the operation of one dispensary under rules to be codified by the city council. 

Voters were more enthusiastic about Measure C, a $5 million bond issue to build a new Emergency Operations Center and add sustainable features to the civic center complex. Yes votes of 3,369 accounting for 75.7 percent of the total, contrasted with the 1,081 voters turning thumbs down. 

The Albany City Council race pitted two opponents of a proposed upscale mall at Golden Gate Fields against two candidates who said they were more open to waterfront development. 

At least one of the anti-mall candidates has emerged a clear winner, with Marge Atkinson the top vote-getter with 2,601—32.5 percent of the total. She ran on a slate with Joanne Wile, who currently holds second place with 2,078 votes. Trailing close behind is Caryl O’Keefe, who garnered 1,969 votes—a 109-vote margin that could change as remaining ballots are counted. 

The clear loser was Francesco Papalia, with 1,569 votes. 

City Attorney Robert Zweben was reelected in an uncontested race. 

 

Richmond 

Though severely outspent by incumbent Mayor Irma Anderson, City Councilmember and Green Party member Gayle McLaughlin is claiming victory in the fight to become Richmond’s chief executive. 

Anderson, who spent over $100,000 and had the backing of RichPAC (the Richmond Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee), the Council of Industries and ChevronTexaco, the city’s biggest employer, was trailing McLaughlin by less than 200 votes Thursday afternoon—with the challenger ahead 6,243 to 6,051. Gary Bell, in third place, had 4,382 votes. 

While McLaughlin emailed supporters to claim victory Wednesday night, Anderson wasn’t conceding until all the votes were counted, which should occur today, Friday. 

Two incumbents won reelection to city council seats, with Jim Rogers in the lead with 8,023 votes, followed by Maria Viramontes with 7,730. The race was tighter for the third and last opening, with Ludmyrna Lopez at 6,576 votes just ahead of Courtland “Corky” Booze with 6,416. James Jenkins, the fifth place finisher in the field of six, trailed by 2,254 votes. 

The clear loser was incumbent councilmember Richard Griffin, who came in last, trailing Jenkins by 23 votes. 

Incumbent Miriam Walden was the front-runner in a four-way race for three seats on the Albany Board of Education. She ran on a slate with second-place finisher Jamie Calloway. The third winner was David Glasser, who held an unbeatable lead over fourth-place finisher John Kindle. Their respective vote totals were 2,753, 1,985, 1,866 and 11,288. 

 

El Cerrito 

Both incumbents running for reelection to the El Cerrito City Council won handily in the races for reelection. 

Mayor Sandi Potter came in first in the field of four candidates for the two seats, winning 4,016 votes, or 32.2 percent of the total. Following close behind was Janet Abelson, with 3,075 votes—1,230 votes ahead of third-place candidate David Boisvert. Andrew W. Ting came in last with 2,242.


Berkeley Condo Conversion Fails, Measure H and G Pass

By Judith Scherr
Friday November 10, 2006

The defeat of Measure I, a property-owner-backed measure that would have eased conversion of rental units to condominiums, was much easier than No on I coordinator Jesse Arreguin had anticipated. 

“I thought they’d come out with a last-minute stealth campaign for it,” Arreguin said. 

In fact, there was no visible campaign in support of the ballot measure that would have gutted tenant protections when a rental unit was converted into a condominium; it would have also permitted conversion of up to 500 rentals each year. 

Rent board candidates, who ran unopposed, worked with the No on I campaign to defeat the measure 19,758-to-7,136 votes or 73-to-27 percent. 

Notable, however, was that many people skipped the rent board vote —five seats were up for grabs with a slate of five candidates: Howard Chung got 12,475 votes, Chris Kavanagh got 12,320, Dave Blake got 11,746, Lisa Stephens got 10,994 and Pam Webster got 10,438. 

Voters supported Measure H, the advisory measure to impeach the president and vice president, at just slightly lower numbers than they had voted against Measure I—19,513 favored Measure H, while 8,804 opposed it. That’s a 69-to-31 percent victory.  

In San Francisco, the measure to impeach passed at only 59 percent. 

“Some people supported it, but thought it was frivolous to put it on the ballot,” said Geoffrey King, of Constitutional Summer, the student group that organized the push for the local ballot measure. 

King said the most important win was the attention the measure attracted to the crimes the President and Vice-President have allegedly committed.  

Measure G, aimed at reducing Berkeley’s greenhouse gas emissions, got the greatest support of any of the measures or candidates, winning 23,083 votes or 81 percent; 5,259 voters or 19 percent opposed the measure. 

Mayor Tom Bates included support for the measure on his campaign literature and often spoke in favor of it as he stumped for reelection.


Kernighan Reelected, Guillen Wins Peralta Seat, Ruby New Oakland Auditor

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday November 10, 2006

In the three major contests in this week’s election for positions in Oakland-area government, voters split the difference, with two incumbents turned out and one incumbent re-elected. 

In City Council District Two, incumbent Pat Kernighan beat challenger Aimee Allison for the third time in a little over a year, winning a full four-year term on the council. 

With last-minute absentee ballots still to be counted, unofficial results had Kernighan with 54.5 percent of the vote to Allison’s 45 percent, an 800 vote margin out of nearly 9,000 votes cast. 

In May of 2005, Kernighan won 28.8 percent of the vote over eight opponents in a special election to succeed Danny Wan, who retired in the middle of his term. Allison came in fourth in that 2005 special election with 14.2 percent of the vote. 

Last June, Kernighan beat Allison again in a three-person race, 46.1 percent to 39.3 percent. Because Kernighan did not get a majority of the vote, the November runoff between the two women was necessary. 

Some observers saw the race as a contest over who would control Oakland City Council: Council President Ignacio De La Fuente, or incoming Mayor Ron Dellums. Some thought that with Allison elected, De La Fuente might be ousted from the powerful position of the council presidency, with a councilmember more favorable to Dellums taking his place. 

However, the question of who Kernighan might support for council president when the council reorganizes next year did not become a major issue in the campaign, and the Oakland Tribune reported this week that she had not decided if she would support De La Fuente for that post. Dellums did not endorse either of the candidates in the District Two election. 

 

Peralta board, city auditor 

With two Peralta Community College District trustees (Linda Handy and William Riley) winning re-election without opposition, challenger Abel Guillen easily beat incumbent Alona Clifton for the Area 7 trustee seat, 54.6 percent to 44.5 percent. 

With trustee board vice president Bill Withrow of Alameda expected to succeed Handy in the board presidency, Guillen’s election will not provide any shakeup in the Peralta trustee board’s leadership (unlike the Oakland City Council, Peralta trustee officers generally rotate from year to year). However, Guillen has promised to take a more active role than Handy did in the board’s fiscal oversight of the district. 

And as expected, Roland Smith was ousted from the Oakland Auditor’s position, 64 percent to 35 percent, by challenger Courtney Ruby. 

Smith had feuded with outgoing Mayor Jerry Brown and several Councilmembers over critical audits Smith’s office made of city government activities, as well as countercharges that the auditor had mistreated several workers on his staff.


Search Begins for Next Berkeley Library Director

By Judith Scherr
Friday November 10, 2006

A search for a new Berkeley Library director has begun. 

The search follows a years-long war in which members of the public and the library staff called for the resignation of the former library director Jackie Griffin, and she in response threatened to sue the city if fired before she resigned her post in June 

Thirteen candidates applied for the post, of whom four will go through an elaborate three-day public selection process next week, according to Susan Kupfer, chair of the library Board of Trustees, an appointed body which governs the library. 

On Thursday, after a tour of the main library and one branch, library staff that will include both management and line-staff will interview the candidates individually, Kupfer said. 

On Friday candidates will be interviewed by a panel of librarians from communities surrounding Berkeley and in the afternoon, they will speak to community representatives that will include two councilmembers—Linda Maio and Betty Olds—representatives from the Friends of the Library and the library foundation, School Board member John Selawsky, and Jan Garrett from the Center for Independent Living. 

The library advocacy group SuperBOLD (Berkeleyans Organizing for Library Defense) was invited to send a representative, but has declined to do so, arguing that the public was left out of the original search process. “The whole (search) procedure is outrageous,” said Jane Welford of SuperBOLD. Selection of the “head-hunter,” Dubberly Garcia Associates, was done without public input, she said.  

On Saturday, the general public will be able to question the candidates in a session that is scheduled to run approximately from about 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the library. The exact time is yet to be determined, Kupfer said. Saturday afternoon, the trustees will interview candidates. 

Each of the panels will submit evaluation forms to the board. 

“The board makes the final decision,” Kupfer said, underscoring the trustees’ attempt to make the process as inclusive as possible.


Pamyla Means Nominated To Fill City Clerk Post

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday November 10, 2006

City Manager Phil Kamlarz will be asking the Berkeley City Council in closed session on Monday to approve the appointment of Pamyla C. Means as City Clerk. 

Retired former City Clerk Sherry Kelly has assisted in managing the City Clerk Department since Sara Cox resigned from the position of City Clerk on July 14. 

If approved, Means will be appointed with an annual salary of $162,000 starting Dec. 4 and will be responsible for overall policy development, program planning, fiscal management, administration and operations of the City Clerk’s department. 

Means received her municipal clerk certification in 1985, and her master municipal clerk certification in 2000. She has served as the city clerk for Irvine since January. Prior to this, she served as city clerk for Napa from 1983 to January 2006, and as deputy city clerk for Napa from 1975 to 1977. 

Former City Clerk Sara Cox is now the Napa city clerk. 

The City Clerks Association of America awarded Means the City Clerk of the Year award in 1996 and the President’s Award of distinction in 2001 and 2003.


Caplan Named City Finance Head

By Richard Brenneman
Friday November 10, 2006

One of Berkeley’s neighborhood services liaisons, Michael Caplan, got a new job Thursday when he was named acting manager of the city’s Office of Economic Development. 

The announcement came in the form of a press release from Assistant City Manager Arietta Chakos. 

Caplan replaces Tom Myers, who held the post for the last four years. Myers had announced his planned resignation in August, ending a 13-year career with the city.  


Veterans Day Celebrated Saturday

By Richard Brenneman
Friday November 10, 2006

Saturday, 88 years after the guns went silent in Europe at the end of World War I, Berkeley will celebrate Veterans Day with a flag ceremony at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park. 

Boy Scout Troops 19 and 24 will perform a flag ceremony at 11 a.m., the same hour to the minute that the last artillery barrage was fired across No Man’s Land. 

Originally celebrated as Armistice Day, the holiday became Veteran’s Day in 1954, to include recognition of soldiers who had fought in the conflicts that followed “the War to End All Wars.” 


Planning Commission Toasts Proposition 90’s Defeat

By Richard Brenneman
Friday November 10, 2006

There was at least one post-election celebration in Berkeley that brought together Bates and Bronstein backers and Measure J fans and foes in a common spirit of  

festivity. 

It happened at the end of Wednesday night’s meeting of the Planning Commission, when Chair Helen Burke brought out the bubbly—non-alcoholic Martinelli’s sparking cider—and the munchies—a box of Pepperidge Farm cookies. 

The cause celebre was the defeat of Proposition 90, which was greeted with uniform approval by commissioners and staff alike. 

“We all have something we can celebrate,” said Burke. 

The controversial ballot measure, which its principal backer said was designed to cripple regulation of land use through costly litigation, was defeated on a close vote Tuesday, with 52.5 percent of California voters saying no. 

Wednesday’s meeting was given over to scheduling and staff reports, with no formal actions beyond scheduling upcoming hearings on zoning ordinance amendments to change the procedures and makeup of the Design Review Committee and setting a date for another hearing on proposed changes to ordinances governing nuisance abatement and permit violations.  

Deputy City Attorney Zach Cowan said the nuisance and permit code sections need revising because as currently written, the procedures make it impossible for some of the eight city attorneys to speak to each other. 

As now written, one attorney must advise the Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) and another has to deal with city staff—with the two barred from talking to each other because of potential legal conflicts. 

The revision would enable one attorney to advise both groups. 

Other revisions change the handling of nuisances and permit violations, changing the actions of ZAB to recommendations, while vesting the decision with the City Council. 

Currently ZAB makes the decisions, which may then be appealed to the council. The revisions would eliminate the appeal process, further freeing up staff time. 

The Design Review Committee changes would eliminate the requirement for the ZAB chair to serve on the committee and reduce the number of lay members. 

Commissioner Gene Poschman said he didn’t have problems with the first change, but said lay members often made the only sensible comments at the DRC, while the architect members sometimes spent a lot of time congratulating each other. 

 

Milo delayed 

The fur didn’t fly over the Milo Foundation Wednesday night, though a growl or two was heard from neighbors. 

The pet adoption facility on Solano Avenue and a companion site on Capistrano Avenue have drawn the ire of neighbors, who pointed out that the facility violates city zoning ordinances which don’t allow for kennels in the area. 

Principal Planner Allen Gatzke said the planned hearing was being delayed while City Councilmember Laurie Capitelli tries to come up with a solution through negotiations with the non-profit animal adoption service and its neighbors. 

If and when a compromise is reached, the commission will be asked to draft zoning ordinance amendments that would spell out a new use that would be restricted to a specific location and with a limited range of permitted activities, Gatzke said. 

 

UC plans 

Commissioners were also asked to provide comments on the final environmental impact report prepared by UC Berkeley for the quarter-billion-dollar complex planned at and around Memorial Stadium. 

City Manager Phil Kamlarz has asked UC Regents not to adopt the document when they meet at UCLA Wednesday and Thursday. 

Kamlarz said city officials hadn’t had time to read the more than 1,000 pages of changes and comments submitted by the university on a project that has potentially massive impacts for the surrounding city.


LeConte Students Conduct Exit Poll

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday November 10, 2006

Third- and fourth-graders at LeConte Elementary School skipped their science, math and writing classes on Tuesday for a hands-on lesson in civic participation.  

Starting at 8 a.m., the eight- and nine-year-olds were stationed outside the school’s election booths to conduct exit polls. Around 84 voters from the area were quizzed on whom they had chosen for California governor and Berkeley mayor and their stance on Measure A. 

When the exit polls at LeConte closed after 1 p.m., the students were able to predict—albeit unscientifically—that Measure A would win by a large margin, which it did. 

The exit polls also showed that Phil Angelides was ahead in the governor’s race with 69 percent of the total votes, and Peter Camejo was coming in second at 30 percent. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger did not receive a single vote, according to the exit poll. 

The poll also revealed that Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates was winning 70 percent of the votes for mayor, with opponents Zelda Bronstein and Zachary Runningwolf getting 18 and 12 percent respectively. Mayoral candidate Christian Pecaut did not receive any votes in the poll.  

Measure A received 97 percent of the total votes in the poll. 

“This was the perfect opportunity to teach the kids about the structure of the American government and elections,” said Jen Corn, the third- and fourth-grade teacher who organized the activity. “We have been studying both these things for quite sometime in class now. This exercise will help the kids to receive first-hand citizenship education and prepare them to become future voters.” 

Third-grader Elias Keen told the Planet that he couldn’t wait until he was old enough to vote. 

“I have been learning a lot about Proposition 87, 86 and Measure J from all the signs and the ads,” he said. “I learned quite a bit about voting through the exit polls today.” 

LeConte’s cooking teacher Brenna Turman said that the kids had acted very mature while asking questions. 

“They did not get angry or excited when some of the voters told them that they had voted against Measure A,” she said. “Since they had been taught in class how important it was for Measure A to pass, I was afraid that they would get upset by the negative responses, but they behaved beautifully.” 

Corn said that she had been planning and practicing with the classes about what to say for a long time. 

“They had a lot of opinions and I had to really train them not to react. I told them that it was important to remain impartial observers only,” she said. “It was interesting to see how much information they had about the different election issues such as Prop. J or 87. I could clearly see that they were talking to their parents about them at home.” 

Lila Bensky, a fourth-grade student, said that she was hoping that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger lost. 

“He always goes along with whatever President Bush does and President Bush is the one who arranged the war,” she said. 

Susie Bluestone, Lila’s mother, said that the exit poll provided a great opportunity for the students to interact with community members. 

“Measure A affects the children in a huge way. The neighbors were happy to see that the kids were so concerned about it,” she said. 

The importance of Measure A was not lost on Lila either. “If Measure A does not pass, gardening, P.E. and music will all go bye-bye,” she said. 

Corn told the Planet that she hopes to conduct a similar exit poll during the 2008 presidential elections.  

“This is a small step in learning about democracy and how to become responsible voters,” she said. “I am hoping that in two years the kids will jump at the chance of doing something bigger.”


Groups Plan Protest Against Pacific Steel

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday November 10, 2006

West Berkeley residents will join environmental justice groups and community members on Saturday in a rally against the toxic pollution and noxious odors emanating from Pacific Steel Casting. 

The protest will begin at 11 a.m. in front of Gilman and 9th streets in Berkeley and then move on to Pacific Steel Casting at 1333 2nd St. 

The event is being sponsored by GreenAction for Health and Environmental Justice, the Ecology Center, West Berkeley Alliance for Clean Air and Safe Jobs, PSC Protest Committee and Global Community Monitor.  

The West Berkeley steel foundry has been the source of complaints by neighbors, who claim the company has been polluting the environment with toxins and nauseating odors for years. Residents say that health risks from the emissions include headaches, nausea and chest tightness.  

The foundry is located in an area with a high concentration of low-income residents, several daycare centers, a retirement home and schools. 

PSC was sued by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District in August for failure to meet statutory deadlines for reporting air emissions, and for violating the schedule to resolve ongoing air quality complaints. 

According to Bradley Angel of GreenAction, the protest seeks to send a clear message to PSC. 

“We want PSC to be a good neighbor and to clean up its act,” he said. “We want it to protect the environment, children, pregnant women, elders, workers and all the residents and businesses in the area. We also want to call on BAAQMD to do what is necessary to achieve this goal. The lawsuit was a positive step but it should be more aggressive. The City of Berkeley should also do what it can to put pressure on PSC. It is important to remember that the pollution problem is not going to go away anytime soon. It is only going to escalate.” 

Elizabeth Jewel of Aroner, Jewel & Ellis Partners—PSC’s public relations consultants—said she was aware of the protest but had no comment to make at the moment. 

Steve Ingraham, a Bay Area environmental activist and member of the PSC Protest Committee, said that the pollutants emitted by PSC could contribute to cancer, neurological harm, birth defects, respiratory problems (like asthma) and reproductive disorders.  

“Some of the specific pollutants emitted in large quantities include particulates, benzenes, formaldehyde, phenols, manganese, nickel, lead, zinc and chromium. Children are especially at risk from carcinogens as well as from PM 2.5 (small particulates),” Ingraham said. 

“Due to the failure of Pacific Steel to implement appropriate technology to reduce emissions from being released into the community, countless residents have fallen sick. The community has faced countless hurdles from the city and the Air District while trying to stop PSC from polluting the environment even further. This protest is a statement to show that we will not tolerate further delay in the health risk assessment test,” he said. 

The West Berkeley Alliance for Clean Air and Safe Jobs carried out independent swipe tests in the West Berkeley neighborhood surrounding PSC in October, which pointed to the presence of already known toxins in the facility. 

Denny Larson of Global Community Monitor—the non-profit that helped residents carry out the swipe tests—said in a statement that the evidence pointed toward the harmful nature of the emissions. 

“We tested for 11 metals known to come from PSC at six residential locations,” he said. “In five samples, the tests found three or more target metals. In four samples the tests found four or more metals. In two samples, the tests found seven and eight metals that comprise PSC’s emission fingerprint. This is credible evidence of toxic fallout of a serious nature.” 

Martin Bourque, director of the Ecology Center, said that the protest would give citizens a chance to voice their protest against PSC and the air district.  

“PSC continues to ignore regulations and lawsuits,” he said. “They still haven’t provided the community with information on the health risk assessment tests. It is important that they hear from the people directly.” 

Willi Paul of Cleanaircoalition.net said that asking PSC to clean up its act was not enough.  

“We need to shut it down,” he said. “If they can clean it up then they can come back. PSC has been killing us for so long. It’s time for them to know that we can’t take this anymore.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


News Analysis: Immigration Reform Surprise: Hard Liners Lost

By Frank Sharry, New America Media
Friday November 10, 2006

In the months leading up to Tuesday’s election, the conventional wisdom in Washington, D.C., was that immigration would be a powerful wedge issue that would help the Republicans either limit their losses or even retain control of the House of Representatives. 

The argument went something like this: “Immigration will prove to be the gay marriage issue of 2006. Blocking comprehensive immigration reform and approving a 700-mile fence will bring out the GOP base, draw support from conservative Democratic voters, and give Republican candidates some distance from an unpopular president on a controversial issue.” 

Congressman Brian Bilbray of California made just such a claim when he came to Washington, D.C., after winning a special election earlier this year to replace the disgraced and jailed Randy Cunningham. The mainstream press and the me-too political class bought it hook, line and sinker. 

Not surprisingly, many candidates followed this logic, either out of opportunism or conviction. And how exactly did these candidates fare? Judge for yourself. 

 

The Senate 

Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) hit opponent Bob Casey for Casey’s support for the Senate comprehensive bill that passed on a bipartisan basis last May. Santorum suffered the biggest defeat of any Senate incumbent in this election cycle, losing by 18 percent. 

Katherine Harris repeatedly invoked Senator Bill Nelson’s (D-Fla.) support for the Senate bill in her comeback attempt. She lost 60 percent to 38 percent. 

Republican Tom Keane Jr. attacked Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) for his support of comprehensive reform. Menendez beat Keane 53 percent to 47 percent. 

Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) were attacked for their votes in support of allowing legalized immigrant workers to claim credit for social security taxes they paid when they had been undocumented. Both won easily. 

Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) was opposed by a one-issue candidate, former INS official and noted immigration restrictionist Jan Ting. Accused of supporting “amnesty,” Carper won 70 percent to 29 percent. 

 

The House 

In Arizona-8, Republican Randy Graf lost to Democrat Gabrielle Giffords 54 percent To 42 percent. This was a closely watched race for a toss-up district along the U.S.-Mexico border in a state in which immigration is the No. 1 issue. Graf made the prophetic statement, “If this issue can’t be won in this district [by hard-liners], the argument can be made that it can’t be won anywhere in the country.” 

In Indiana-8, House Immigration Subcommittee Chair John Hostettler was one of the featured Republicans in the summer “field hearings” held by the House GOP to stir up voters on the immigration issue. He lost by a wide margin. 

In Arizona-5 hardliner J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.) is the author of the book “Whatever It Takes” about illegal immigration, who refused to vote for the controversial Sensenbrenner bill HR 4437 because he thought it didn’t go far enough. Hayworth was upset by comprehensive reform advocate Harry Mitchell 51 percent to 46 percent. Two years earlier Hayworth won re-election by 21 points. 

In Colorado-7, Republican hardliner Rick O’Donnell was trying to replace another Republican, Bob Beauprez, who vacated the seat to run for governor. In a front-page New York Times article during the campaign O’Donnell argued that immigration was the biggest issue in his district and that his views were much more popular than those of his opponent, comprehensive reform advocate Democrat Ed Perlmutter. Perlmutter won 54 percent to 42 percent. 

 

Governors 

In Arizona Len Munsil repeatedly attacked Democratic incumbent Janet Napolitano, an early proponent of comprehensive reform, for being soft on illegal immigration. Munsil proposed a half-a-billion-dollar border security initiative as his signature issue. Napolitano won 63 percent to 35 percent. 

In Colorado Republican Bob Beauprez staked his campaign on attacking his Democratic opponent Bill Ritter for being soft on illegal immigration. He lost 56 percent to 41 percent. 

In numerous states, Democratic incumbents and candidates came under fire from their opponents for being soft on illegal immigration and for supporting in-state tuition for undocumented students. In every case—Kansas, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Oregon, Iowa and Maryland—the pro-immigrant candidate won and the hard-liner lost. 

In California, Arnold Schwarzenegger took a different tack from many in his party. He moved to the center on immigration—he stopped applauding the Minutemen, stated his regret for his support of Proposition 187 in the past, dragged his feet on approving the deployment of his state’s National Guard for border duty and loudly criticized the Republican Congress for not moving on comprehensive immigration reform. He was rewarded with a huge victory that included 39 percent of the state’s large group of Latino voters. 

So much for the conventional wisdom that supporting comprehensive reform would turn out to be a loser and that being a hard-line hawk would be a winner. 

Meanwhile, polls released before and after the election found the following: 

• among all voters, a strong majority soundly reject a hard-line, enforcement-only approach in favor of a pragmatic, comprehensive approach to immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for those working and living in the U.S. illegally; 

• Latino voters see immigration as a defining issue of extreme importance; comprehensive reform with a path to citizenship has broad and intense support; and they punished the political party currently associated with a harsh tone and a hard line. 

What does this mean for immigration reform in the next Congress? It means we may well have an opportunity to move beyond the stalemate in the current Congress on broad reform and towards a workable solution. But enacting a major reform on such a controversial subject is easier to thwart than to win and thus calls for a new approach to governing. 

First, it will require our nation’s leaders to follow through on their stated commitment to bipartisan problem-solving. Simply put, when it comes to immigration, without bipartisanship, there will be no solution. 

Second, it will require a commitment to not only getting a bill enacted, but to enacting a bill that will actually work once implemented. Simply put, if it won’t work, don’t pass it. 

If our leaders incorporate these lessons, we have a chance to make history. If our leaders revert to partisan bickering and finger- pointing, then those responsible for inaction may well face a frustrated electorate once again in 2008.


The Public Demands Solutions

By Frank Sharry, New America Media
Friday November 10, 2006

Two polls, one on the eve of the election, the other through the media’s exit polling, confirmed earlier independent polls that the public wants a solution and wants that solution to be comprehensive. 

In a Tarrance Group poll commissioned by the National Immigration Forum and the Manhattan Institute and released on Election Day, likely voters across the nation and in key districts and states were surveyed on immigration. Here are the key findings: 

• Immigration is an important public policy issue to voters, but not a key issue driving voting in the mid-terms for the majority of voters. 

• Voters support a comprehensive approach to immigration reform. More see what happened in 2006 (fence and enforcement resources) as a first step rather than as a solution (48 percent-28 percent); want comprehensive reform next year rather than waiting to see how the fence and enforcement increase works out (50 percent-37 percent); reject the idea that enforcement will drive immigrants out of the country (65 percent-32 percent); and agree that Congress should enact comprehensive reform next year (75 percent-20 percent). 

• Voters prefer a candidate who supports comprehensive reform over a candidate that supports enforcement-only (57 percent-37 percent). Perhaps even more importantly, comprehensive reform supporters have more intensity than the enforcement-only supporters (40 percent-27 percent). 

• Voters are still ambivalent about a vaguely defined path to citizenship for those in the country illegally—with half viewing it as “amnesty” (48 percent-46 percent)—but do not believe that a path to citizenship that involves paying a fine, working, paying taxes, living crime free and learning English constitutes amnesty (68 percent-27 percent). 

In exit polls conducted on behalf of the media on Nov. 7, researchers came up with similar findings. According to press reports on the exit polls: 

• Fewer than one in three cited immigration as extremely important in influencing their vote decision. 

• Republicans had only a narrow lead with voters who said immigration was extremely important. 

• Roughly 6 of 10 voters said they believe that undocumented immigrants living and working in the U.S. should be offered a chance to apply for legal status. 

• Democrats won support from 61 percent of those who support such a path to citizenship. 

 

The Dog that Did Hunt 

Latino voters were not supposed to be much of a factor in this election. But look again. In an election eve poll commissioned by NCLR and conducted by the Lake Group, here is what they found: 

• Latinos are energized about voting in this election. 

• The issues on the top of the Latino agenda continue to be education and jobs/the economy, with the war in Iraq coming in third and immigration fourth. 

• However, immigration was a great motivator in this election. The poll found the issue would have a profound influence on how this electorate votes. 

• The treatment of the immigration issue and developments over the last year, is driving Latinos away from the Republican Party. 

According to 2004 exit polls, President Bush won 44 percent of the Latino vote. Based on exit polls yesterday, House Republicans won only 27 percent of the Latino vote. 

In addition, exit polls showed that 37 percent of Latino voters ranked illegal immigration as an extremely important issue, far more than was the case for all voters. Also, 78 percent of Latino voters said that those here illegally should be given a chance to apply for legal status, some 20 point higher than other voters. 

 

What Now? 

The public has spoken. The results are in. The demand is clear. Fix our broken immigration system with a tough, fair and practical solution.  

 

 

Frank Sharry is the executive director of the Washington-based National Immigration Forum. Immigration Matters regularly features the views of the nation’s leading immigrant rights advocates.


Asians in Eight States Favored Democrats in Election

New America Media
Friday November 10, 2006

Asian American voters in eight states continued a decade-long shift towards Democratic candidates, with 79 percent of those polled favoring Democrats in Tuesday’s congressional and state elections. They also rejected an affirmative action ban that won in Michigan. 

Preliminary results of a nonpartisan, multilingual exit poll of over 4,600 Asian American voters, released by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, showed Asian American voter turnout helping Democratic candidates in closely watched races in Virginia , New Jersey and other states. 

Most exit poll respondents (87 percent) said that they had voted in a previous election, while 13 percent said they were first-time voters. Over 625 pro bono attorneys, law students and community activists monitored polling places and surveyed Asian American voters in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. 

Margaret Fung, AALDEF executive director said, “Asian American voters reacted to sharp ideological differences among the candidates and displayed their awareness of party labels.” 

Fung added that the decade-long trend of Asian American voters favoring Democrats contributed to “the dramatic shifts in political power that took place in Tuesday’s midterm elections." 

 

Exit Poll Survey Highlights 

Virginia: The exit poll of more than 250 Asian American voters showed 76 percent voted for Democratic senatorial bet Jim Webb, 21 percent voted for incumbent Republican Sen. George Allen, and 3 percent voted for Glenda Parker. After maintaining a slim lead, Webb was declared the winner by 0.3 percent of the total vote (49.6 percent) beating Allen (49.3 percent). Allen is best known among Asian Americans for his derogatory “macaca” remark to a South Asian campaign worker. 

New Jersey: this heated Senate race, among more than 370 Asian Americans polled, 77 percent voted for incumbent Sen. Robert Menendez, while 20 percent voted for Republican challenger Thomas Kean Jr.—a 57-point margin. Among all New Jersey voters, Menendez held his seat by an 8-point margin (53 percent to 45 percent). 

Maryland: In Maryland ‘s open Senate seat, among over 200 Asian American voters polled, 73 percent chose Democrat Ben Cardin, with 24 percent for Republican Michael Steele, and 3 percent for Green Party candidate Kevin Zeese. Among the general electorate, 55 percent voted for Cardin, 44 percent for Steele, and 2 percent for Zeese. 

Pennsylvania: Among more than 200 Asian American voters polled in Philadelphia , 71 percent voted for Democratic candidate Bob Casey, while 29 percent voted for Republican incumbent Sen. Rick Santorum. Among all voters, 59 percent voted for Casey and 41 percent voted for Santorum. 

Massachusetts: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick, who became the nation’s second African American elected governor, received support from 75 percent of more than 350 Asian American voters polled in Boston, Dorchester, Lowell and Quincy, with Kerry Healey receiving 21 percent. Statewide, 56 percent voted for Patrick, and 35 percent voted for Healey. 

Michigan Proposal 2: Rejecting claims that Asian Americans are hurt by affirmative action programs, three in four Asian American voters voted No to Proposal 2, which seeks to end race- and gender-based affirmative action programs in education, hiring, contracting and health initiatives. More than 300 Asian American voters—including Arab Americans—participated in AALDEF’s exit poll survey in Michigan . Proposal 2 passed by a wide margin, 58 percent to 42 percent. 

Illinois: Democratic incumbent Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich defeated his Republican opponent Judy Baar Topinka with a 10-point lead, 50 percent to 40 percent. In contrast, 99 percent of the 170 Asian Americans polled in Chicago voted for Blagojevich, with 1 percent for Topinka. 

New York: Of over 2,300 Asian American voters polled in New York City , 82 percent voted for Democratic candidate for attorney general Andrew Cuomo. Republican contender Jeanine Pirro received 14 percent of the Asian American vote, with 4 percent voting for other candidates. Cuomo led Pirro 58 percent to 40 percent among all voters statewide. 

AALDEF has been conducting a nonpartisan exit poll of Asian American voters for 19 years. Volunteers—the majority of whom spoke one of 15 Asian languages or dialects—conducted the multilingual survey, which was translated into nine languages: Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Khmer, Bengali, Arabic, Punjabi, Urdu, and Gujarati.


News Analysis: GOP Could Learn From Arnold’s Effect on Black Voters for ‘08

By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, New America Media
Friday November 10, 2006

The Arnold Effect was on awesome display Tuesday. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger trounced his hapless and ineffectual Democratic opponent and nearly pulled a few Republicans along with him into other state offices. 

That’s quite a feat for a politician who seemed dead in the political water with voters and even deader with black voters after the initiatives he backed in last year’s ill-fated and ill-timed special election went down to a crushing defeat. Schwarzenegger, however, read the political tea leaves, scrambled fast and re-burnished his image as a moderate, centrist Republican who could reach across the political aisles and do business with Democrats. 

He didn’t stop there. Suddenly there was a Schwarzenegger sighting in places he had rarely been spotted before, and that was at black events. He swayed to the gospel beat at black churches, posed with black cowboys at a popular black rodeo, made a well-timed and well-publicized slew of black appointments and went to bat for the embattled King-Drew public hospital in South Los Angeles. 

He even corralled a group of high-profile black ministers to tout his re-election campaign. It worked. The kinder, gentler, retooled minority-friendly Arnold did what no Republican in living memory had managed to do. He got the raves of many blacks, and even more of their votes. On election eve, nearly 30 percent of blacks gave the governor a favorable rating. 

The Arnold Effect did two things for the GOP. It sent the message that a Republican governor could actually do more than pay lip service to the GOP’s pledge to make itself a party of diversity. It provides the party a potential model it desperately needs in order to rebound from the shellacking it took nationally. 

It won’t be easy. GOP strategists are walking a thin political tightrope. Republican presidents from Nixon to Bush Jr. have bagged the White House, and in the past decade Congress too, by courting and revving up evangelicals, hardcore conservatives and Southern and rural white voters. They’ve fired up passions on welfare and big government, abortion and gay rights. But that one-dimensional approach to winning past elections won’t be enough to win future ones. 

The ranks of the independent voters have swelled in recent years and many of them aren’t tightly corralled in any ideological camp. Their votes can spell victory or defeat in the key battleground states. Schwarzenegger could mobilize many of these voters for the GOP, and many of them are black. 

In 2000 nearly three-fourths of African Americans identified themselves as Democrats. By 2002 that number had dropped to slightly more than 60 percent, according to a recent survey by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a research group devoted to African American issues. But an increasing number, especially those 18 to 35, identify themselves as independents. One-fourth of black adults now characterize themselves that way. 

In 2004 Bush slightly punctured the myth that blacks in California won’t vote Republican. Bush got more than ten percent of their vote. This was the fourth highest of any state. Schwarzenegger can tap into the anger and discontent that many blacks have with the Democrats. That could also be a plus for the GOP. When Republicans have actively courted blacks they’ve had phenomenal success. 

The governor’s race in Maryland in 2002 is a case in point. The Democrats had a huge voter majority over the Republicans in the state, and for nearly four decades had held a tight grip on the statehouse. But Republican governor candidate Robert L. Erich, Jr. and lieutenant governor candidate Michael L. Steele, a black Republican, openly appealed to black and younger voters. Erich and Steele got nearly 15 percent of the black vote. That was the biggest percentage of black votes ever for a Republican ticket in Maryland. In Baltimore, they got 30 percent of the black vote. Their success was no aberration. 

That success encouraged Steele to make a bid for the Senate, and he did it by transforming himself, as Schwarzenegger did, into a centrist Republican that would work with Democrats and court black voters. He lost, but Steele’s political pirouette kept him close, and the GOP should take note of that too. 

The Democrats will do everything they can to dampen the Arnold Effect. They will remind voters that he goes against the political and philosophical grain of what the GOP stands for. But the Democrats’ attacks won’t matter much in 2008. Bush is out, and the GOP field is so wide open that a centrist GOP candidate, such as former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney or former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, could emerge from the pack as the GOP standard bearer in 2008. That would further enhance Schwarzenegger’s vote-pulling power. GOP leaders will do everything they can to put him on the national campaign trail to woo and court independents and black voters. 

The modest breakthrough Schwar-zenegger made with black voters gives the GOP a faint glimmer of hope for 2008. 

 

 

 

Media Associate Editor Earl Ofari Hutchinson, author of The Emerging Black GOP Majority (Middle Passage Press, September 2006). 

 


News Analysis: Blacks Play for High Stakes In Mid-Term Elections

By E.R. Shipp, New American Media
Friday November 10, 2006

In 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Plessy vs. Ferguson that Jim Crow laws mandating various forms of segregation were OK and that if Blacks had a problem with that “badge of inferiority” it was “solely because the colored race chooses to put that construction upon it.” 

We’ve come a long way since then—often on faith. But as Tuesday’s election results showed, we’re moving on up through doors never opened before and with skills never seen before in such concentration and with a fire in the belly matched with the resources to do something with that passion. That’s the “construction” we’ve put on 21st-century politics. 

Lynn Swann, Republican and former football player, did not become governor of Pennsylvania. Ken Blackwell, Republican, did not become governor of Ohio. But that they ran credible races cannot be denied. 

The big winner of this year’s class of candidates at the state level was Duval Patrick, a Black man, a lawyer, a former leader of the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. He is now governor-elect of Massachusetts. The first blood officially shed in the Revolutionary War was that of a Black man, Crispus Attucks in 1770, but an image I can never shed is of Massachusetts racists, using the U. S. flag, attacking Blacks trying to enforce court-ordered integration of Boston public schools two centuries later. 

The big winner at the federal level was Charles Rangel, the longtime congressman in Harlem, who for years had sold himself as a potential chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. 

Many people—including me—during the Republican hegemony thought this was a narcissistic pipe dream and that we would be better served if he stepped aside to permit new blood to make its course. But he is now chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee! Think tax legislation, Social Security’s future, Medicare and trade. Think $$$$$$. 

“Mr. Chairman!” former New York mayor David Dinkins greeted Rangel at Pier 2110, a restaurant that itself is a symbol of Harlem resurgent – across the street from a building and plaza dedicated to the memory of the last Black titan on Capital Hill – Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Rangel entered just before 10 p.m. Of course, the applause was thunderous among those who took time from the free food and booze to pay attention. 

As returns came in from around the country, I asked him: “How are y’all doing? “ He flashed that confident and triumphant grin and said, “All right!” To those gathered he said, “I’m hearing from all over the country that the people have spoken that it’s time for a change.” 

In California, Nancy Pelosi, now poised to be the first woman Speaker of the House, shared that spirit: “Today we have made history,” she said. “Now let us make progress.” 

What does that mean exactly—from Rangel and from Pelosi? Rangel, sporting an anti-Bush campaign button, assured me that “as chairman of this august committee,” he will amplify the attention he has given during his tenure to issues ranging from taxes to the war in Iraq to the quality of public schools. 

The Democrats now dominate the House—and many state governorships—but they still must deal with a reality that includes powerful Republicans. Rangel, typical of the Democrats who triumphed Tuesday, held out an olive branch while stinging like a Muhammad Ali bee. 

“The President could be in serious jeopardy if he merely stays the course,” he said, referring not just to strategy in Iraq but also to domestic policy. “This is a victory for Americans and for the Constitution.” 

He promised not vengeance on the part of Democrats who have been shut out of real power in the House for so many years, but “fairness.” 

“Fairness would be a novelty after the last dozen years,” he told me. 

What does it all mean? As the Rev. Jacques DeGraff said, “The baton has been passed.” 

May it not be dropped in the exuberance of the moment.


Berkeley Sea Scouts Defend Their Program

By Rio Bauce, Special to the Planet
Friday November 10, 2006

After their appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court failed, several Berkeley Sea Scouts (BSS) have tried to make the public understand the service they offer. The BSS have been under pressure because the City of Berkeley has accused them of operating under the discriminatory policy against gays and atheists of the Boy Scouts of America. For this reason the city took away their previously free use of the dock at the Berkeley Marina, sparking the court case. 

“It’s unfair, because I don’t think we’re doing anything wrong,” said 16-year old Boatswains’ Mate Keenan Nelson-Barer. “We are part of the Sea Scouts organization, but we are different from them.” 

Eugene Evans, BSS Skipper, explained that Sea Scouts of America has different umbrellas for the various scouts, such as Police Scouts, Sea Scouts, Boy Scouts, and that the BSS has attempted to change umbrellas. 

“A committee of adults asked the Scout executive at the Pleasant Hill office if we could move from the Venturing Structure to the Scouting for Life Structure, which doesn’t include the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy’,” said Evans. 

“The Police Scouts, which the city supports, are under the Scouting for Life structure.” 

For many, Sea Scouts represents a place to make new friends, relax, and learn new skills. 

“I’ve been going down to the boat, since my freshman year,” said Boatswain James Nolting, a Berkeley High School senior. “My friends were going and I figured I would try it. I’ll admit that at first I didn’t like it, but once I got to know people, it was really fun. You get a community away from everything else.” 

Nelson-Barer recounts, “The reason why I started to go to Sea Scouts was because I wanted to meet new people. After I went, I met older kids my age and it became really fun. I’ve also learned how to operate the boat, build things, and use many types of machinery. Most importantly, I learned a lot of things from my peers.” 

Berkeley Sea Scouts has been providing activities for youth in Berkeley since the 1930s. Kids go down to the boat, Farallon 44, at the Berkeley marina on weekends and work on it. Additionally, every Monday, there is an opportunity to go rowing in Alameda, accompanied by pizza and drinks. 

“The membership is at around forty kids,” said Evans. “The way we do our membership is a ‘bring-a-buddy’ system. One of the issues we try to deal with is being good citizens.” 

Nolting explains that Sea Scouts is not only a place for kids to learn essential skills, but also a place to have fun. 

“On the boat, we teach carpentry and plumbing,” said Nolting. 

“We teach people how to row. We do a lot of water-skiing activities and surfing activities. We do service projects at Angel Island. We go on overnighters to Jack London Square and see movies. We go on surf trips down to Santa Barbara. One of the best things is the big 10-day summer cruise to Sacramento, where we go water-skiing. We go anywhere that kids want to go. You stay in Sea Scouts because of people you meet 

down there.” 

Lucas Buckman, former Sea Scout, says that his time at Sea Scouts was life-changing. 

“I learned skills,” said Buckman, a BHS junior,” which I can channel into my everyday life. Sea Scouts helped me become more responsible. It’s like a brotherhood that I will never forget.” 

Evans explains that the Berkeley Sea Scouts are not attempting to advance a political agenda, but rather they are just trying to survive. 

“In August 1932, there were eight or nine Sea Scout boats at the marina,” said Evans. “We were the first boat, and we are the last. None of us are really political savvy to deal with these problems ... we really don’t have control over the policy [of the Boy Scouts]. 

“We are serving two masters: the city government and the management structure of the Boy Scouts. Serving two masters is an impossible situation. Our interest in this issue has been simply to stay alive. We just want to stay alive to be a Sea Scout unit to serve boys. There’s no political agenda on the Sea Scout boat.” 

Evans credits young people in Berkeley with the survival of Farallon 44. 

“The only way this organization survives is that we provide what the boys in Berkeley want,” remarked Evans. “We can’t do anything that it out-of-step with the young men of Berkeley who participate. Otherwise, we wouldn’t exist anymore.” 

People who are interested in helping the Berkeley Sea Scouts continue to serve the youth of Berkeley may send donations or queries to: Sea Scouts Ship Farallon Inc., PO Box 184, El Cerrito, CA 94530. 

 

Rio Bauce is a member of the Berkeley Sea Scouts.


Flash: Hard Fought Berkeley Races End in Victory for Incumbents, Measure J Defeated

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday November 07, 2006

More than half a million dollars later, campaign weary incumbent mayoral and council candidates Mayor Tom Bates and Councilmembers Gordon Wozniak, Kriss Worthington, Dona Spring and Linda Maio will retake their familiar seats on the council dais. 

With the exception of a tight District 7 race in which the business community’s candidate George Beier outspent Worthington by more than three times, the incumbents won their races in landslide victories.  

Absentee ballots received by the Alameda County Registrar by mail Tuesday and absentee ballots hand-delivered to polling places Tuesday, as well as provisional ballots—those where the integrity must be verified—will not be counted until the end of the week, according to Guy Ashley spokesperson for the Alameda County Registrar’s Office.  

Mayor Tom Bates outdid former Planning Commission Chair Zelda Bronstein 63-to-31 percent. Zachary Running Wolf picked up about 5 percent of the vote and Christian Pecaut took 1 percent.  

Popular District 4 Councilmember Dona Spring won her district with 70 percent of the vote, knocking bank manager Raudel Wilson, with 28.43 percent, out of the race; District 8 incumbent Councilmember Gordon Wozniak beat student Jason Overman 64-to-36 percent; and incumbent Councilmember Linda Maio won District 1 with 76 percent of the vote, over Merrilie Mitchell’s 23 percent. 

In Dristrict 7, Worthington was hanging on by a slim lead of 131 votes over Beier, who garnered 47.7 percent of the vote, with only provisional and election day absentee ballots still left to count. 

 

Measures 

Measure J, the landmarks preservation ballot initiative opposed by the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce PAC, lost with 57 percent opposing it and 43 percent in support. 

Measure I, which would have gutted tenant protections when rental units were converted to condominiums, lost 73-to-27 percent. 

On the other hand, Measure H, an advisory measure to impeach the president and vice president won 69-to-31 percent. 

The measure grabbing more votes than any other citywide race—23,083—was Measure G, aimed at reducing Berkeley’s greenhouse gases. It won with 81-to-19 percent of the vote. 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Flash: Issel, Riddle, Hemphill Win School Board Seats, Measure A Approved By Huge Margin

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday November 07, 2006

Incumbents Nancy Riddle and Shirley Issel and challenger Karen Hemphill have won the three open seats on the five-member Berkeley Board of Education. 

Leading the pack was current school board director Nancy Riddle, who captured 29.56 percent of the total votes. Karen Hemphill came in at second place with 28.10 percent of the total votes. School board director Shirley Issel finished third with 24.56 percent. 

Riddle, CFO of Monster Cable Products, is currently finishing her first term with the School Board. A strong supporter of Measure A—the school parcel tax which won by a landslide in the Nov. 7 elections—Riddle has been involved in the process of rewriting it since 2003. 

Her campaign highlights included working toward removing barriers in education and to encourage a transparent and open budget process that reflects the values of the Berkeley community. 

Hemphill’s victory has made her Berkeley’s first African-American school board director in years. An assistant to the city manager in Emeryville, Hemphill has previously held posts in the Berkeley’s Civic Arts Commission and the Commission on the Status of Women. 

In an earlier interview to the Planet, Hemphill, who has two sons in Berkeley schools, said that she wanted to see BUSD grow into a model urban district that uses community resources to prepare its students for the 21st century.  

Hemphill said she wants to focus on a district wide student achievement plan which is tied to a sound fiscal plan that partners with government, private foundations and other such organizations. 

Issel, a clinical social worker, has served on the school board for the last eight years. She will continue to use her skills as a professional social worker and educational reformer to improve teaching and learning in BUSD. Issel also wants to improve support for students with learning barriers and to train staff to measure student progress. 

First time candidates David Baggins and Norma Harrison came in at fourth and fifth positions with 11.24 percent and 6.26 percent of the total votes, respectively. 

Baggins, a professor of Political Science at California State University, East Bay, had made school registration one of the main issues of his campaign.  

Harrison, 71, is a self-employed realtor and former public school teacher and has never run for public office before. During her campaign, Harrison had stressed on creating a forum for discussion which would help students in Berkeley enjoy school. 

 

Victory for Measure A 

Measure A, the school parcel tax which renews two existing school measures—Berkeley School Excellence Project (BSEP) and Measure B—won a decisive victory by gaining 79.05 percent of the total votes on Tuesday.  

Both BSEP and Measure B, which expire in June, provide the Berkeley Unified School District with $19.6 million annually, which primarily pays for 30 percent of Berkeley’s classroom teachers, all elementary and middle school libraries and music programs as well as school site funds.  

With Measure A passing, the current budget level will now continue.  

Ninety percent of Measure A will fund the class size reduction, school library, music and art, and site enrichment programs which have been authorized and reaffirmed by Berkeley voters since 1986. 

In the case Measure A had failed, the schools would have lost 25 percent of their budget, which would have resulted in the elimination of 30 percent of the teachers, libraries, the music program and a lot more. 

Although Measure A had been supported by every major organization, elected official and candidate for office in Berkeley, it received opposition from neighborhood groups such as Council of Neighborhood Associations (CNA), Berkeley Alliance of Neighborhood Associations (BANA), Berkeleyans Against Soaring Taxes (BASTA!) and Berkeleyans for School Management Access Accountability Responsiveness and Transparency (BeSMAART). 

 

 

 


Richmond Recruits Youth to Help Restore Its Past Glories

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday November 07, 2006
Contributed by Ellen Gailing.
              Richmond residents Dolores Garcia and Eduardo Carrasco practice for Saturday’s Dance Swap at the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts in Richmond.
Contributed by Ellen Gailing. Richmond residents Dolores Garcia and Eduardo Carrasco practice for Saturday’s Dance Swap at the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts in Richmond.

In Richmond they call it the Iron Triangle, a hard-core, high-crime neighborhood bound by railroad tracks and—to outsiders, at least—long abandoned of hope. 

In the midst of the triangle, housed at the East Bay Center for the Performing Arts in the city’s historic Winter Building, they call themselves the Iron Triangle Theater. They are a resident company of youth performers, and they have nothing but hope for the city in which they live. 

Last week, five veteran members of the theater company performed monologue sketches on Richmond history—sketches that the performers had written themselves based upon interviews with older relatives, residents, and local business owners. 

Many of the older audience members in the packed upstairs theater—most of whom had lived through the times the performers were recounting—smiled and nodded and murmured, “Oh, yes, you remember that?” as the night’s memories rolled out. 

One young man portrayed an elderly barber shop owner who came onstage with a shuffling, Fred Sanford-type walk, and recalled the time during the second world war when clocks were made of cardboard. 

Another talked of the petting zoo at Richmond’s Nicholas Park—“Nickles Park,” in the popular local name for it—naming off the animals she used to go there to see as a child, lamenting that they were gone, hoping they would return. 

Another actor remembered a time before the rash of Richmond murders, when fights were settled with fists. People had guns, yes, “but no-one respected you if you took the easy way out.” 

The night’s most poignant moment came following the sketches when the actors were asked to name the people they were portraying. One of the actors, Ferron Griffon, said he “didn’t get the pleasure of meeting Joanne,” the woman in his sketch. “I wanted to, but it was so hectic this week, getting ready for the program.” Instead, he had developed his monologue from an interview conducted by another cast member. 

At the side of the room, a woman in the audience called out, “Well, that’s Joanne right there, if you want to meet her.” The shopkeeper had been sitting in the audience. The monologue subject and the young actor hugged. 

The live sketches were preceded by presentation of a rough cut of “Talking About Macdonald,” a video edited by East Bay Center For the Performing Arts students based upon videotaped interviews with local residents. 

The interviews most often recalled a long ago time, the World War II boom years when thousands of newly arrived workers filled up the Kaiser shipyards, and the city’s Macdonald Avenue main street was alive with movie theaters and moving cars and shoppers finding spaces to spend their time and money. 

Residents talked of the carnival—complete with ferris wheel—coming to Atchison Village in the city, one of the housing projects built during the war to accommodate the shipyard workers. 

“There was no such thing as malls at the time,” one woman said. “You could get everything downtown.” 

Another man said that Macdonald “just exploded overnight. Day and night, there were people there. People would walk up one side of the street and down the other, just to look in the shops.” A woman described the different method of dress at the time, with women normally wearing hats and gloves to go shopping. 

The interviews did not gloss over the city’s racial problems, a sometimes-explosive mixture of African-Americans, Southern whites, and Mexican Americans. 

“I got a job as a stock clerk at Macy’s,” one African-American man said in one segment. “We could work in the back room, but African-Americans weren’t allowed on the floor of the store at the time.” 

Even then in the ‘40s, he said, Richmond was plagued with gangs and racial problems. “Everybody was afraid of Gordo,” he said, talking of one of the city’s infamous residents who might have been African-American or Mexican-American. “He had a low-riding car, and he’d ride around town with his buddies. And whenever he came around, everybody would say ‘Gordo’s coming, Gordo’s coming,’ and get out the way.” 

One white resident in the video described the slow crossover of cultures that resulted. “There was a record store called Arts Music that had what they called ‘race music,’” he said. “That was black music. You couldn’t get it at any other store. You could get racy records, too, like that fellow named Foxx—I can’t remember his first name.” 

His African-American interviewer, some 40 years younger, said, helpfully, “Redd Foxx?” 

“That’s right,” the white resident said, smiling.  

Other interviewees recalled the turbulent days of the ‘60s, when the Black Panther Party organized residents against charges of police brutality, and several downtown landmark shops were burned in the city’s race riots. 

The monologue sketches and video presentation were part of, Memories of Macdonald, a six-month project sponsored by several Richmond-based agencies and organizations which are in the midst of a six month-long project to reclaim the city’s past. The groups have been collecting oral and visual history of the city’s once-bustling main drive, using a corps of local youth volunteers to help do the gathering. According to organizers, the project “invites area residents, and especially community youth, to explore and share their memories, concerns and hopes for Macdonald Avenue.”  

Co-sponsored by the Richmond Community Redevelopment Agency, the Rosie The Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park, the East Bay Center For The Performing Arts, the Richmond Main Street Initiative, the Richmond Arts And Culture Commission, and the Richmond Museum Of History, the project will culminate with a series of historical markers to be placed along Macdonald. The markers will contain historical photographs and quotes from residents who lived through Macdonald’s glory times, and will be similar to the widely-acclaimed markers along the city’s waterfront. 

The project is being coordinated by Berkeley historian Donna Graves. 

This Saturday, Nov. 11, the project’s public events will end with a Dance Swap at the historic Winters Building on the corner of 11th Street and Macdonald, where old and young Richmond residents are invited to gather for a closing celebration where they can teach each other dances from different eras and latitudes reflecting Richmond’s diverse peoples: the jitterbug of the ‘30s and the jerk of the ‘60s, today’s hip hop, norteño from Mexico, and mien from Laos. 

Some of the participants plan to attend in period dress, including 40’s era zoot suits. 

The Dance Swap event will be led by nationally-recognized choreographer Joanna Haigood of San Francisco, who has been working on several projects in Richmond, including an upcoming site-specific performance at the USS Red Oak Victory on Richmond’s waterfront. 

The Winters Building was the site of the popular World War II-era dance venue.  


THE DAILY PLANET ENDORSES

Tuesday November 07, 2006

Berkeley Mayor: Zelda Bronstein. Berkeley City Council: District 1: no endorsement, District 4: Dona Spring, District 6: Kriss Worthington, District 8: Jason Overman 

 

 

Berkeley Measures 

Measure A: yes 

Measure I: no 

Measure J: yes 

 

 

State Propositions 

1A: no endorsement 

1B: no 

1C: yes 

1D: yes 

1E: yes 

83: no 

84: no 

85: no 

86: yes 

87: yes 

88: no 

89: yes 

90: no 

 

 

Voters who’ve forgotten or misplaced the location of their local polling place can turn to the telephone or the Internet, reports the Berkeley City Clerk’s office. 

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and voters can learn their polling location by calling the Alameda County Registrar of Voters at 267-8683 or by filling in the blanks at the registrar’s on-line poll locator, www.smartvoter.org/ca/alm/. 

After plugging in an address and ZIP code, visitors to the web site will be rewarded not only with the location of their voting booth, but a list of the specific candidates and measures they’ll be allowed to vote on. 

Anyone registered to vote in Alameda County can also cast their ballot at City Hall in the City Clerk’s office at 2180 Milvia St. during polling hours.  

For the latest results after polls close, the Alameda County Registrar will be posting results on the web at www.acgov.org/rov starting at 8 p.m. Results will also be available by phone at 272-6933 starting at the same time. 

Posted results on election eve won’t include all the absentee and provisional ballot totals, which will be counted over a period of weeks. 

The final results for Alameda County have to be certified by Dec. 5, with the Berkeley City Council scheduled to certify results of city contests at their council meeting that evening.


Campaign Cash Flowed As Election Approached

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday November 07, 2006

With the latest loan to his campaign of $26,000, District 7 challenger George Beier has broken Berkeley’s record for financing a City Council campaign.  

Also raking in the funds, in the Oct. 21-Nov. 6 campaign reporting period, the local Chamber of Commerce PAC reports raising $17,000 on top of the $60,000 it had spent before Oct. 21. 

Having raised more than $100,000, Beier tops Gordon Wozniak’s 2002 record spending of $72,619, according to Jesse Townley, Berkeley Progressive Alliance member who researched campaign spending extensively while preparing for a ballot measure to fund campaigns with public dollars. 

In the District 7 race, the independently wealthy Beier has now put $45,000 of his own money into the campaign to unseat incumbent Kriss Worthington. Another 37 individuals contributed a total of $4,000 to Beier’s campaign during this period, including a $250 contribution from the California Real Estate Political Action Committee, $250 from Real Estate broker John Gordon, and $250 each from venture capitalists Margaret Alafi and Moshe Alafi. 

Beier had raised $55,000 and spent $72,000 in the period leading up to Oct. 21.  

As of Nov. 6—the Daily Planet is using information from filings up to 2 p.m. on Monday—Worthington had added $7,750 from 48 contributions to the $28,000 he had raised by Oct. 21. Several unions gave Worthington contributions of $250 during this period, the maximum allowed under Berkeley election law. They included Service Employees International Union 535, SEIU 616, Sprinklers, Fitters and Apprentices Local 483, Public Employees Union Local 1. Supervisor Keith Carson also kicked in $250. 

 

Chamber of Commerce PAC 

The Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee, which had spent $61,000 by Oct. 21 on mailers to defeat Measure J and Councilmembers Dona Spring and Kriss Worthington, took in $17,350 from six businesses and individuals during this period.  

Chamber PAC contributors in the days leading up the election include Read Investments, which gave $10,000 to the effort; Douglas Herst, former Peerless Lighting owner who is planning a major West Berkeley development, gave $5,000. Oakland-based EMG Properties, Inc and Norheim & Yost each gave $1,000.  

The University of California gave the PAC $250, which surprised Irene Hegarty, who heads the university’s community relations department. Hegarty confirmed that the university, as a public institution, cannot make political contributions. 

She said she would track down the person who wrote the check. “Probably the individual will have to replace the check,” Hegarty said. 

 

District 8 race 

District 8 incumbent Councilmember Gordon Wozniak added $3,800 to the $51,000 he had raised by Oct. 21, picking up donations from 28 contributors, including $250 contributions from the California Real Estate Political Action Committee, Fourth Street developer Denny Abrams and John DeClercq of EMG Properties. 

His challenger, UC Berkeley student Jason Overman, reported $1,400 in contributions from 11 sources, including a $250 donation from SEIU 535, $100 donations from Councilmembers Dona Spring and Kriss Worthington, $100 from Panoramic Hill neighborhood activist Janice Thomas and $200 from rent board member Howard Chong. Overman had raised about $17,000 by Oct. 21 and spent $21,000. 

 

District 4 race 

In District 4, challenger Raudel Wilson reported $1,250 in contributions post-Oct. 21, including $250 contributions from Christopher Hudson and Evan McDonald, both of Hudson McDonald LLC and one each from Carolyn Herst and Douglas Herst. 

Incumbent Dona Spring reported no contributions during this period. 

 

Mayor race 

Mayor Tom Bates collected $6,150 from 33 contributors after Oct. 21, including a mix of realtors /developers and trade unions. He had raised $100,000 by Oct. 21. 

Among the realtors/developer contributors to the mayor during this period are: Colleen Larkins of Thornwall Properties, Barbara Marienthal of Coldwell Banker, Roy Nee of Property Profiles, and Phil Tagami of California Commercial Investments. Trade union contributions come from Operating Engineers Local 3, SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, SEIU 535, Teamsters Local 853.  

Challenger Zelda Bronstein picked up $700 from four contributors that included $200 from the California Real Estate Political Action Committee and $250 from retired UC Berkeley professor Phyllis Dolhinow. Bronstein had raised $35,000 by Oct. 21. 

 


PAC’s Last Postcard: SuperGeorge Licks Phantom Crime Wave

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday November 07, 2006

The Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee outdid itself with a last-minute mailer that hit District 7 mailboxes Monday.  

On one side of the glossy oversized postcard, a George Beier head sits atop a flowing caped and tights-clad Superman body; on the other, claims of huge crime increases — 322 percent — are apparently intended to make the average District 7 resident rush to the safety of virile hero Beier. 

The postcard, funded by the elusive Chamber of Commerce PAC, fails to say where crime is up 322 percent—Iraq? Afghanistan?—or what time frame is referenced—is it 1700 to 1903?  

It’s questionable exactly who is paying for the onslaught of Chamber PAC pieces attacking Worthington. The Daily Planet has published the names of a number of big donors to the PAC, including San Rafael-based Wareham Development, which gave the PAC $10,000, Read Investments, which also contributed $10,000, Patrick Kennedy’s Panoramic Interests, which gave $5,000, Douglas Herst, former Peerless Lighting owner, who also gave $5,000 and a gaggle of others who contributed $250 to $1,000 to the effort. 

While the public knows how much money each contributor gave to the Chamber PAC, Business for Better Government, it still hasn’t learned specifically who is paying to defeat Worthington and Spring. 

For example, Miriam Ng, who chairs the Chamber PAC, and Jonathan DeYoe, who previously told the Daily Planet that he is not a member of the PAC, both signed a Nov. 2 letter written to the Daily Planet on Business for Better Government letterhead that says “100 percent of the Wareham Development donation to Business for Better Government was intended for and was subsequently used in our efforts to defeat Measure J. None of it was used, as was indicated [in a recent Daily Planet article], in the council or mayoral races.”  

No such segregation of funds is indicated on the Chamber PAC’s mandatory reports, however. The letter says nothing about how funds from other donors were used. It is therefore impossible to know to whom to attribute this mailer or other efforts to defeat Worthington and Councilmember Dona Spring. 

Repeated calls requesting clarification, to Chamber Chair Roland Peterson, PAC Chair Miriam Ng and Jonathan DeYoe, were not returned. 


Techie Innovations Draw Qualified Praise, Criticisms

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday November 07, 2006

In the last days of the contentious Berkeley City Council District 7 race, challenger George Beier has won praise and attracted criticism for his innovative attempts to tap into the student vote.  

He has held a rally in aTelegraph bar with free alcohol and has campaigned through popular students networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace. His latest cyberspace effort to unseat incumbent Kriss Worthington has likewise drawn its share of praise and scorn. 

Beier’s video on YouTube.com highlights problems on Telegraph Avenue and promises residents freedom from crime, empty storefronts and an unsafe and unkempt People’s Park if he is elected in today’s (Tuesday) election. 

The Beier video is primarily targeted at students, claiming that District 7 has the highest crime rate in Berkeley and that UC Berkeley has the seventh highest number of violent crimes out of more than 500 campuses surveyed nationwide. 

It also emphasizes the number of failing businesses on Telegraph and the 20 vacant storefronts south of the UC Berkeley campus. 

“I want to empower students, to reduce crime and to bring back the magic to Telegraph Avenue,” Beier announces in a shot that shows him sitting in an armchair in his living room. 

Although Beier says the video has been effective, some have said it’s all glitz and no substance. It has drawn some strong criticism from Worthington and his supporters for its inaccuracies. 

“Both the Chamber of Commerce PAC and George Beier need to do their homework. Using inaccurate information while campaigning is not helpful to them or the city,” Worthington said.  

Nicholas Smith, a UC Berkeley senior and chairman of the City of Berkeley’s Commission on Labor, said that most of the proposals coming out of Beier’s “slick and glitzy campaign” have already been carried out by the incumbent. 

“Beier seems not to know anything about Worthington’s real record, and this engages in a campaign of distortion,” Smith said. “Beier says that he wants to increase drug and alcohol outreach on Telegraph, as if Kriss Worthington hasn’t already done it and isn’t committed to it. Kriss fought Beier’s allies to restore funding for social services on Telegraph when others cut them. He secured millions of dollars which built the regional detox facility.” 

Beier said that students were smart enough to make their own decisions and that the video was his way of reaching out to them. 

“Telegraph is the face Berkeley presents to the world, and crime is the main concern in the area today,” he said. “I wanted people to look at the video carefully and think about the different problems it talks about. It wasn’t meant just for entertainment but also to inform and educate.” 

Worthington gave credit to Beier for trying to package his “corporate message” through different channels. 

“But the truth is, no matter how you send your message across—whether it be through e-mails or hit pieces—a closer look will tell people that it’s meant for lobbying the landlords and the realtors. It’s all about the big people,” Worthington said. “There’s no room for smaller businesses or smaller people in Beier’s campaign.” 

Beier, though, says he has done a better job of reaching out to students and listening to their needs.  

“Students comprise 35 percent of the voting population and their opinion counts a lot,” he said. “I get e-mails from students telling me they are tired of seeing Telegraph go to waste. They think it’s time for a change. The video reflects that.” 

Rio Bauce, a Berkeley High student (and occasional Planet contributor) who is working on Worthington’s election campaign, said the video was “impressive but incredibly inaccurate.” 

“For those of us who know Kriss, we know that he is a strong advocate for increasing police on Telegraph Avenue, revitalizing the business area on Telegraph, and cleaning up People’s Park,” Bauce said. “This is obviously a last minute gimmick intended to confuse students and other voters into thinking that this multimillionaire will look out for them and District 7. Nothing could be further from the truth.”  

Even some who support Beier said the YouTube video could have included more substance. 

Nathan Danielsen, a UC Berkeley student who voted for Beier this year, said that the YouTube video was well produced, but it didn’t offer much information to entice student voters. 

“It is not very funny, not ridiculous and doesn’t push the limits of anything,” he said. “It is really safe. Thinking as a typical consumer of entertainment, I was most entertained by the passionate music.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Commission Adds 2 Landmarks, Urges Preservation of BHS Gym

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday November 07, 2006

In their final meeting before voters decide on their future role in city government, Berkeley commissioners added two new landmarks to the city’s legacy. 

The future role of the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC)—seen by some as a bulwark of neighborhood and historical preservation and by others as a last resort for the NIMBY-minded—will be decided in Tuesday’s election. 

The battle over Measure J, the target of an expensive developer-financed opposition campaign by the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce, dominated the campaign in the runup to the election. 

Yet one of Thursday night’s landmarkings—carried out under the old law, which is the basis for Measure J, the initiative that developers want to torpedo—was endorsed by a prospective owner who is also a major donor to the chamber’s war chest. 

Panoramic Interests, headed by Patrick Kennedy, is buying the building on Center Street that until earlier this year housed the Act I & Act II Theater. 

John English filed a petition to initiative the building as a city landmark—technically, a structure of merit, the designation for less pristine but still noteworthy structures. 

Begun as the Ennor’s Restaurant Building, the structure at 2128-2130 Center St., was extensively resurfaced in its incarnation as a theater, with the addition of a marquee and the front windows filled in and covered with tile. 

During last month’s commission meeting, Panoramic representative Cara Houfer said the developer plans to restore the building, and another Panoramic representative, Patrick Walker, told commissioners Thursday that “Panoramic Interests thanks John for all his efforts and work and supports his application for landmarking status.” 

Walker said that after escrow closes—presumably in January—Panoramic would enter a Mills Act agreement with the city, which gives owners of landmarked buildings a tax break on repairs and restoration. 

While LPC member Burton Edwards (listed as a No on J endorser on Chamber postcards) wanted to retain the option of preserving facade left from the structure’s post-restaurant and pre-movie incarnation as a Breuner’s Furniture store, other commissioners seemed to favor the original 1920’s incarnation. 

The commission voted unanimously to add the building to the city’s roster of landmarks. 

 

Reluctant owner 

Though homeowner Horst Bansner would seem the obvious candidate to delight in landmarking—he has lovingly resorted his historic dwelling and even hosted a gathering two years ago by the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association to celebrate the home’s 100th year—he urged LPC members not to landmark his dwelling. 

The application to designate the striking 1905 Craftsman-style dwelling at 1340 Arch St. was filed by two neighbors, a move they made when they learned of Bansner’s application to build a small by-right dwelling unit in his front yard. 

Accessory dwelling units (ADUs), as they are termed by city code, don’t have to go through the usual permitting process for additions if they enclose fewer than 500 square feet of space. 

Neighbors Yael and Gavriel Moses filed the initiation petition, pleading with the commission to spare the home’s large front garden area where the ADU was planned. 

The home is notable both for its design and because it’s one of the few—if only—examples of a residence designed by John White to have survived the city’s disastrous 1923 hills fire.  

White was the brother-in-law of legendary Berkeley architect Bernard Maybeck, and is primarily recognized for two landmark designs, the Le Conte Memorial Lodge, a National Historic Landmark in Yosemite Valley, and the Hillside Club in Berkeley. 

The home also witnessed the visits of internationally known figures such as photographers Edward Weston, Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams, anthropologist A.L. Kroeber and his spouse, Theodora, and others drawn by long-time owner Carl Sauer, an internationally renowned geographer. 

Because the front garden was integral to the design, the Moseses asked that it be specifically called out for preservation, but Bansner said he wanted to build the small dwelling for his 88-year-old father so he wouldn’t have to negotiate the uphill walk, and later use the dwelling for himself as he grew older. 

Bansner said he was also concerned because his application to build the ADU had been pending for almost a year before his neighbors acted. 

“I have spent a significant amount of money restoring the home, and I have opened it for fundraisers for BAHA and political candidates, but no good deed goes unpunished,” he said. 

But Lesley Emmington, after initial reservations, joined the rest of the commission in approving a landmarking that didn’t call for preserving the garden, allowing Bansner to build an addition so long as it respected the design of the home. 

“I’ve always though of it as an amazing house,” said LPC commissioner Robert Johnson, who walks by the home frequently on walks from his own house in the hills. 

 

BHS gymnasium 

When it came time to comment on a draft environmental impact report on planned construction at Berkeley High School, LPC members urged Berkeley Unified School District board members to reconsider their plans to demolish the old gymnasium building that houses the warm water pool. 

The building houses the only the East Bay’s only warm water pool, which is used by the disabled and people recovering from injuries. Berkeley voters passed a never-funded $3.5 million bond measure in 2000 to rehabilitate the structure, which is rated as seismically unsafe. 

Carrie Olson faulted the district for failing to seek out wider community input for their construction plans. “I was supposed to be appointed the preservation community’s representative to the process, but I was not notified at all,” she said. 

“We were not properly informed,” said Johnson, and Commission Jill Korte, a project neighbor, agreed, nothing that she had received no notice of the plans. 

“This is a resource of record potentially eligible for the National register of Historic Places,” said Emmington, referring to the Beaux Arts building designed by a team of architects headed by Walter Ratcliff. 

Olson and Emmington noted that the building has spaces upstairs that at one time were used for classrooms and which could be used for that purpose again, meeting one of the district’s objectives. 

“They seriously have to consider the alternatives, and we think the preferred alternation is to preserve the building,” said Johnson. 

The deadline for submitting comments to the school board is Thursday, said Commission Secretary Janet Homrighausen.  

Disabled community activists, including City Councilmember Dona Spring, have called for preservation of the pool, which she says meets a critical need for the disabled.


Downtown Area Committee Pauses For a Vision Check

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday November 07, 2006

Citizens charged with guiding the creation of a new downtown plan called a halt to discussions last week, deciding instead to tackle “the vision thing.” 

Members of the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee (DAPAC) acted Wednesday after Victoria Eisen interrupted a discussion of planning scenarios with the remark, “Something feels very backward about what we’re doing.” 

Matt Taecker, the planner hired by the city with UC Berkeley funds to help draft the new plan, had been laying out two scenarios for development of the area surrounding the intersection of Shattuck and University avenues. 

One was dubbed the “Preservation Emphasis” alternative, while the other featured a new mid-rise development along Hearst and Shattuck avenues. 

But Eisen, a planner with a private consulting practice, said she wasn’t ready to make decisions about building heights and uses in specific neighborhoods.  

“It seems to me that if we can’t agree on what you’re calling a vision, then we can’t make these decisions anyway,” she said. 

“I agree,” said Linda Jewell, one of the university’s ex-officio representatives on the panel. 

The concept of a vision statement is reflected in the existing downtown plan, created in 1990, which lays out three goals and offers a one-paragraph vision statement. 

Others quickly joined in the discussion, focusing on the need to decide on an overall vision for what members wanted to see happen in the new, expanded downtown area. 

Preparation of a new plan was mandated in the settlement of a city lawsuit challenging the university’s Long Range Development Plan through 2020. That document calls for adding a million square feet of new university uses in the city center. 

“We gave some very big visions, but almost no sense of the land uses that will get us there,” said DAPAC member Dorothy Walker earlier in the meeting. “What kind of population do we need that will make this kind of vital, 24-hour place happen?” 

“A vital downtown ties into all these other issues,” said Rob Wrenn, a member of the city’s transportation commission. “Sustainability has direct impacts on other things, and if we want green buildings, that has an impact on height, and so on.” 

“One of my problems is that I wasn’t prepared to make choices tonight” about different scenarios involving building heights and other issues, he said. 

“I’d like to go adjourn now and go home and start writing my own vision statement,” said former City Councilmember Mim Hawley. “We all have to write it down, so when we come back it would be the first time we came to a meeting as a group totally prepared.” 

Juliet Lamont, an environmentalist and creeks activist, agreed, adding that “one of the philosophical issues we have to confront to resolve these issues is what constitutes function versus form.” 

Carole Kennerly, who works for the Alameda County Health Department, said members should also come back with a statement “of what the downtown means to us.” 

Patti Dacey, who described herself as probably the panel’s most ardent preservationist, said she wasn’t entirely opposed to altering landmark buildings. 

“There are a lot of beautiful examples of buildings downtown that are at least twice as big as they used to be,” she said. “Just because they’re landmarks doesn’t mean they can’t be changed.” 

Her remarks followed earlier comments from Walker that DAPAC might consider replacing some smaller historical structures in the downtown. 

“A lot of what seem to be tensions may not prove to be,” Dacey said. 

 

Subcommittees 

Members voted to cut short the discussion of alternatives and to go home and focus on their visions—but not before hearing reports from two subcommittees. 

The first, which is focusing on development in the one-block stretch of Center Street between Shattuck Avenue and Oxford Street, didn’t have anything to report because of another failure of vision. 

It seems that no one from the city had the vision to be on hand to welcome the subcommittee when they arrived at the closed doors of the North Berkeley Senior Center last Thursday evening. 

Locked out, the small group couldn’t adjourn to a restaurant as one member suggested because the meeting was covered by the Brown Act and had to take place—or not—where the previous public notices had declared it would be. 

The subcommittee will try again Monday night in Room C of the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. at Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 

The other subcommittee, comprised of members of DAPAC and the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), is charged with preparing a survey of the downtown’s historic structures. 

Though city staff originally issued a contract calling for a detailed examination of 30 selected properties, Dacey—a former LPC member who sits on DAPAC—said the group had decided to use the funds to prepare a more thorough survey of the whole range of historic buildings downtown. 

“Unfortunately we weren’t asked beforehand, but I think it’s working out really well,” she said.


Candidates Join Forces to Host Election Night Parties

Tuesday November 07, 2006

The schedule of election night parties traditonally provides clues for alert observers about shifting alliances among candidates. All festivities are scheduled to start after the polls close, around 8 o’clock tonight (Tuesday). 

Mayor Tom Bates will be hosting his party at Cafe De La Paz, 1600 Shattuck Av. Berkeley City Council District 1 candidate Linda Maio’s supporters will join the Bates gathering, as will those of candidate Raudel Wilson, who has challenged progressive Councilmember Dona Spring in District 4.  

Mayoral candidate Zelda Bronstein’s supporters will gather at her campaign headquarters at 1644 MLK, at Virginia. 

Berkeley mayoral candidate Zachary Runningwolf has not yet announced the location of his post-election venue. A campaign spokesperson told the Planet that in keeping with his Native American background, it will be held in the open. 

Berkeley City Council District 7 Councilmember candidate Kriss Worthington and District 8 candidate Jason Overman are holding their post-election party at their joint south-of-campus campaign headquarters at 2502 Telegraph. District 4 Councilmember and candidate Dona Spring is also inviting her supporters to party at the Worthington-Overman headquarters.  

Berkeley City Council District 8 candidate Gordon Wozniak will hold his election night party in a Claremont district home at 141 Parkside Dr. Berkeley City Council District 7 candidate George Beier, who shared an office with Wozniak, has yet to announce a venue for a post-election party. 

Oakland City Council District 2 candidate Pat Kernighan will hold a Volunteer Appreciation Party at the Sushi Zone at 388 9th St., Suite 268. 

Oakland City Council District 2 candidate Aimee Allison will be having her post-election party at Maxwell’s Lounge at 341 13th St. 

Albany City Council candidates Margie Atkinson and Joanne Willie will hold their election night party at 1127 Garfield Ave.  

Albany City Council candidate Caryl O’Keefe has told the Planet she hasn’t yet decided if she will be having a party since her husband is scheduled for surgery tomorrow evening. 

The Planet was not able to get information about post-election parties for the following candidates by press-time: 

• Berkeley mayoral candidate Christian Pecaut. 

• Berkeley City Council District 1 candidate Merillie Mitchell. 

•Albany City Council candidate Francesco Papalia. 

 

 

—Riya Bhattacharjee, Mason Cohen and Richard Brenneman


City Goes to Court to Re-Open Police Complaint Hearings

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday November 07, 2006

Should the Berkeley Police Department be held accountable to the public when its actions are called into question? 

The city will answer in the affirmative in Alameda County Superior Court Department 31 at 9 a.m. on Nov. 14. 

At stake is the Police Review Commission’s more than 30-year public process, in which individuals who have complaints against Berkeley Police Officers have been able to air the complaint in a public setting.  

Berkeley attorney Jim Chanin, who helped write the initiative that created Berkeley’s Police Review Commission and was a member of the city’s first PRC, said the possibility of losing open complaint hearings is part of a “march toward a police state, where the police get to do what they want and nobody knows about it.” 

This is happening on a national, state and now local level, he warned.  

In an Oct. 31 brief to the court, Berkeley City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque underscored that the need for the public to have the ability to scrutinize its police force grows out of the nature of police work itself. 

“Within constitutional limits, [police] can detain and question members of the public, subject them to intrusive searches of their persons and property, jail them based on probable cause alone and apply force to effectuate any of these powers,” she wrote. “For the most part these activities occur outside public view.” 

In mid-September, the city’s Police Review Commission halted its public inquiries into complaints against the police, in response to a Superior Court decision, Copley Press vs. San Diego, and to a Berkeley Police Association lawsuit, first filed 2002.  

While the city argues that Copley does not apply to Berkeley because its Police Review Commission is not responsible for disciplining officers—that falls to the city manager and police chief—the BPA contends that the Copley decision and the Police Officers Bill of Rights make it unlawful for the city to compel police officers to testify publicly in response to complaints. 

“The PRC investigation, hearings, findings and decisions violate the statutory and contractual rights of the officers who are subject to these inquiries,” says a brief filed with the court Oct. 13 by Alison Berry Wilkinson of Pleasant Hill-based Rains, Lucia & Wilkinson LLP on behalf of the BPA, citing a legal requirement that “the records related to peace officer misconduct complaints, investigation, and hearings are confidential.”  

While the city manager’s records and the police Internal Affairs Bureau records are confidential, PRC records are not. 

A Nov. 14 judgment in Berkeley’s favor will mean the city can immediately re-open its complaint hearings, even if the BPA decides to appeal, City Attorney Albuquerque said in a phone interview Monday. 

If the judgment is in favor of the BPA, the City Council will decide whether to appeal, Albuquerque said. 

Chanin said a ruling in the BPA’s favor would be “a sad day in Berkeley.” He pointed out that the public can find discipline records against attorneys or doctors or contractors on the internet, and argued that the public should have the right to scrutinize its police officers. “The public is paying 100 percent of their salaries,” he said. 

If the hearings are closed, Chanin said, “it will be a march away from democracy, mirroring what is happening on the federal and state level.”  


Hudson-McDonald Presses ZAB For 148-Unit Trader Joe’s Building

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday November 07, 2006

The Zoning Adjustments Board will review the Kragen/Trader Joe’s project at 1885 University Ave. on Thursday. 

Berkeley-based developers Evan McDonald and Chris Hudson will request the board to give preliminary consideration to a modified design that will allow construction of a mixed-use development with 148 dwelling units, 14,390 square feet of retail, and 157 parking spaces in a two-level parking garage  

The current plan also calls for the existing commercial building at 1885 University Ave. to be demolished. The site, which is located on a one-acre lot bounded by University, Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Berkeley Way, borders commercial space and residences. 

In the past, community members have raised concerns over how the city would apply the state’s affordable housing density bonus statute toward the project and also over issues related to traffic, building mass and height. 

The staff has recommended that the board open the issue for public hearing, take testimony and then continue it to a future ZAB meeting. 

The ZAB will also hear a request for a use permit modification for 2076 Ashby Ave., which would change the east side of an existing three-story mixed-use building from stucco to horizontal siding. 

Currently, the attorney for U.S. Smog and Gas, next door, is refusing to let the applicant do any further construction on the property, claiming that it would encroach on the public right of way. 

At the Oct. 26 ZAB meeting, the board asked the applicant to conform to his original plans or rework them so that the insulation of the water meter and the gas meter is aesthetically pleasing. 

The board will also hear a use permit modification request to allow the expansion of the South Berkeley Police Substation at 3192 Adeline St. for employee lockers and vehicle storage.  

At the Oct. 26 board meeting the applicant had told the board that they required more time to meet with the neighbors. The matter had first come up at the ZAB on Sept. 14. 

 

Other agenda items include: 

• Request by Oxford Street Development for a use permit modification to reduce the number of parking spaces in the underground garage of an approved mixed-use project on 2200 Oxford St. 

• Request by A. Ali Eslami for a use permit to expand the kitchen and interior seating area of the Missouri Lounge, add outdoor seating, reconfigure and reduce the required parking, and expand alcohol service to new seating areas on 2600 San Pablo Ave. 

• Request by Jamal Fares for a use permit to establish a 500-square-foot carry-out food service store in existing commercial space with no off-street parking at 1842 Euclid Ave.  

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers in the Maudelle Shirek Building (Old City Hall) at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way.  

 


Berkeley School Board Reaffirms Commitment to Integration

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday November 07, 2006

The Berkeley school board passed a resolution last week supporting Brown v. Board of Education and the Seattle, Wash., and Louisville, Ky., public school integration plans, both of which have been challenged by Sacramento-based non-profit Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF). 

PLF also sued BUSD for the second time in October for allegedly violating California’s Proposition 209 by racially discriminating among students during placements at elementary schools and at programs at Berkeley High. 

The board maintained in its resolution that BUSD would “continue to support, defend, and affirm the fundamental right, legality, and morality of school integration.” 

The resolution also supports the Dec. 4, 2006, march in Washington (when the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to start hearing the Seattle and Louisville cases). These cases could make it more difficult to maintain desegregated and diverse schools and programs in Berkeley as well as the rest of the United States.  

The Berkeley board on Wednesday also approved an out-of-state travel request for B-Tech (Berkeley Technology Academy) which would allow 16 students to participate in the 18th Annual Fall Black College Tour, scheduled to take place in Alabama and Georgia from Nov. 15 to 19, 2006. 

Organized by Della Tours, the tour includes visits to five colleges in the South: Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College and Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia; Oakland College in Huntsville, Alabama; and Alabama A&M University in Normal, Alabama. Students will also attend the Alabama A&M University vs. Prairie View A&M University football game. 

The trip is a major step towards changing the culture at B-Tech and will help to turn the possibility of attending college into a reality, administrators say. B-Tech students are currently tutoring with the intention of preparing for the Scholastic Aptitude Test and college. Twenty B-Tech students have registered for the Preliminary SAT and SAT tests this month.  

Some of the requirements for attending this tour include at least 80 percent attendance with no unexcused absences, no referrals or suspensions, a 2.5 or higher G.P.A. and registration for the SAT. 

The cost of the tour is $985 per student and the cost of the total event is $15,760.  

B-Tech students have raised $5,600 through fundraising activities, which have included a car wash, a raffle and a student store, and the school is continuing to accept funds from the local community. The Berkeley Public Education Foundation has also approved a grant for $6,500 and principal Victor Diaz has contributed $1,000. No student will be denied access to the tour because of lack of funds. 

 

 


Planners to Ponder New Laws For Milo Foundation, Designs

By Ron Sullivan
Tuesday November 07, 2006

Planning commissioners will decide regulations rather than specific projects when they meet Wednesday. 

One item listed on the official agenda won’t be discussed, however—an amendment to the zoning ordinance governing pet adoption facilities. 

Deputy Planning Director Wendy Cosin said the proposed ordinance is an effort to resolve an ongoing dispute over the number of dogs allowed to be kept overnight at the Milo Foundation, but the planning staff won’t have the proposal ready to discuss Wednesday even though it’s on the agenda. 

The Berkeley animal adoption non-profit has been the center of a controversy with neighbors of its facilities at 1575 Solano Ave. 

The battle lines were revealed during meetings of the Zoning Adjustments Board, with some neighbors saying the foundation kept more animals than allowed by current laws and violated city codes by washing feces down the driveway and into street gutters and storm drains. 

Milo officials offered a compromise that would allow the Solano facility to keep no more than four dogs overnight, while adding soundproofing and a sewer connection. But the facility wouldn’t be able to continue functioning as currently operated without a change in the zoning ordinance, and both sides will have to wait until staff planners are able to study the issue more thoroughly and prepare a report, Cosin said. 

Ordinances changes that will be up for consideration Wednesday include: 

• A review of draft policy language for the city’s Pedestrian Master Plan; 

• A decision to set a public hearing on a new ordinance to clarify the role of the city’s Design Review Committee (DRC) and limit appeals of finally approved designs; 

• A decision to set a public hearing on another new ordinance that would spell out the DRC’s membership. 

Members will also hear a staff report on the Association of Bay Area Governments housing projections for 2007 and the group’s survey of regional housing needs. 

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


Police Blotter

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday November 07, 2006

Hooded bandit 

A menacing man robbed a 21-year-old at the Cloyne Court student co-op Friday night, then returned later to threaten him with a knife during the predawn hours Saturday, according to a crime alert issued by UC Berkeley Police Chief Victoria L. Harrison. 

The suspect, wearing the de rigeur Berkeley bandit fashion accessory—a dark-colored hoodie—did not injure the young man. 

 

Another hoodie, another heist 

Another hoodie-clad hold-up artist, this one accompanied by a companion, used a punch to the face to convince a young UC Berkeley student to hand over his valuables. 

The young man told campus police he was approached by the pair as he was walking near Evans Hall just before 5:15 p.m. Saturday. The punch and the ensuing demand came after they’d stopped him to ask for directions. 

Once he’d been decked, the young man handed over his valuables and the bandits departed.


Immigration Trumps War for Many Ethnic Voters

By Odette Alcazaren-Keeley, New America Media
Tuesday November 07, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO—Many ethnic voters will troop to the polling booths on Tuesday with one thing in mind: immigration. And there are indications from ethnic journalists that their communities are leaning toward the Democratic ticket to get the kind of comprehensive immigration reform law they want. Some fear that the issue will get swept under the rug until the new Congress starts in January. 

Alberto Vourvoulias, executive editor of El Diario/La Prensa, the country’s oldest Spanish-language newspaper, says immigration is the core issue driving voters in New Jersey to vote for incumbent Democrat Senator Bob Menendez. Menendez, the son of Cuban immigrants, has been “pro-immigrant, supporting comprehensive immigration reform and voting against the construction of the 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexico border,” Vourvoulias explains.  

Sen. Hillary Clinton’s vote in favor of that border wall is why his readers are unhappy with her, according to Vourvoulias. Protests led by immigrant rights groups criticized Clinton’s vote for the wall. Despite this, El Diario/La Prensa is endorsing Clinton, although, Vourvoulias says, “We do have a caveat for her, and that is we urge her to support immigrants, whether undocumented or not, and we are also very worried about her position on the Iraq war.” 

The newspaper is supporting both New York Democratic candidates Clinton and gubernatorial hopeful Eliot Spitzer, based on what Vourvoulias calls “the small party-line basis.” The paper, Vourvoulias explains, is supporting candidates based on issues that are closest to the hearts of Latinos. “It’s an innovative approach, it’s the first time it’s been done in New York, and we’re the only publication to have done it,” Vourvoulias says. The paper wants Spitzer to be aware of the importance of affordable housing, to support fairer health care for the poor and to stand up for immigrants. 

Joe Wei, national desk editor for World Journal, one of the largest Chinese-language dailies in the United States, predicts that most Chinese voters might favor Democrats, hoping for the passage of a comprehensive immigration law that will benefit the community. 

Wei predicts a generally lower turnout than the last elections in 2004, except where Asians are running for office. He points out that the only Asian-American in a national campaign is incumbent Congressman David Wu, running for re-election in Oregon. Most are running for state and local slots. If elected, Democrat Ellen Young will be the first Asian female State Assembly person in New York. “In California,” Wei says, “we have Democrats John Chiang running for state controller and Judy Chu running for state tax commissioner.” According to Wei, “here in New York, the Asian American Legal Defense League for the first time will send out an elections monitor to at least eight states where there are [many] Asian voters.” Wei assumes the extra monitoring of bilingual election services will encourage more Asian voters. 

South Asians are worried about immigration reform, says India Currents editor Ashok Jethanandani, but few realize “just how many undocumented workers there are from the community and how much the issue affects us.” There are about 280,000 undocumented Indian Americans, Jethanandani says, a number which has doubled in the past five years. “It’s a fast-growing population that doesn’t have much representation,” Jethanandani says, and “the South Asian response to the problem has been along their party affiliations.” 

The California-based monthly magazine has also been monitoring Indian American candidates running this year. Jethanandani says the number of Indian candidates increases each election cycle. “This year, about 30-40 candidates nationwide are seeking office and will drive more voters to the polling precincts,” he says. 

The most politically engaged ethnic population, African-Americans, won’t be focused on immigration reform. One of the country’s biggest African-American newspapers, The Washington Afro, has been reporting extensively on key races, that could increase black representation in Congress. Senior reporter James Wright is keeping a close eye on Maryland, where Republican candidate Michael Steele is running for U.S. Senate. “There’s also Anthony Brown, the black candidate running for Lt. Governor on the Democratic ticket with Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley running for Governor,” Wright adds. It’s hoped that Brown, being African-American, will deliver black votes for O’Malley. Wright points out, “the problem is the black vote is no longer just squarely into the Democratic column...the question is turn-out,” Wright says. 

“The black vote is a swing vote in a lot of these statewide elections,” Wright says. He believes that if even one house of Congress changes hands, it will be due to the black vote. 

Even if most political pundits see this election as a referendum on the Bush administration and the Iraq war, Wright believes that for the black community it’s actually a referendum “on Hurricane Katrina, and the way black people were mistreated.” Victims are still waiting for their money from FEMA, and many residents want to go back home but have nothing left to return to in Louisiana. Among African-American voters, Wright says, “Mr. Bush’s response to Katrina destroyed him.” 


10 Questions for Councilmember Max Anderson

By Jonathan Wafer, Special to the Planet
Tuesday November 07, 2006

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

I was born in Decatur, Ill. It was a medium size town of about 80 to 100,000 in central Illinois. My father was an employee of the AE Stanley Manufacturing Company, a grain manufacturing company in the city, a big employer. My father was also a staunch member of Allied Industrial Union, which was the union that represented the workers there. He was a laborer, worked there for close to 30 years.  

I have two sisters, one older and one younger, and one younger brother. We had a good childhood growing up there. We had issues that most African-Americans had growing up in the mid ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s. All of my siblings went to Eisenhower High School, a relatively new high school. It was built in 1959, and I think we received a pretty good education. The city was, by and large, pretty integrated, although we still had some issues such as drug store and soda fountain segregation issues, but the schools were all integrated. 

I was a student athlete, played football, basketball and some track while I was there. I think it contributed to my future outlook by, first of all, providing me with a good education. Secondly, I grew up with a lot of friends and family and had a close-knit community there. In 1963, upon graduation, I and some friends, enlisted in the Marine Corps. I spent four years in the U.S. Marine Corps in California and Hawaii. Then I spent a year in Philadelphia. And a year in Vietnam. I was discharged in Philadelphia, got married and later had a daughter in 1969. She lives out here in the Bay Area. My second wife and I were married almost 25 years ago and have been living in Berkeley since 1985. I Immediately fell in love with Berkeley when we moved out here, California in general, but Berkeley in particular. We had friends out here that helped us make a decision to move out here a year or so before we actually did move here. They showed us around a bit and introduced us to the culture and the people out here. One of the kind of underhanded things that they did was they would call us when we lived in Philadelphia. They would call from Berkeley in January when it was 70 degrees here and tell us how nice the weather was. So we finally came out to visit here in 1984. Sure enough, it was 70 degrees. And we visited Yosemite, made the rounds, rekindled some acquaintances that we had with people who lived out here that we had known. So in 1985 we decided to move out here—my wife, my daughter and myself—and have enjoyed being here ever since.  

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

I went to community college in Philadelphia and studied to become a respiratory therapist. I became a respiratory therapist earning an associate degree in applied science. Later I went to nursing school at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and earned a bachelor’s degree and became a critical care nurse in the early ‘80s and have been so ever since. When I came to Berkeley in the mid ‘80s, I went to graduate school in city planning and public health at UC Berkeley. The training and education in public health and in city planning certainly contributed to my understanding and educational underpinnings for later political activity. I actually became interested in going to graduate school in those two disciplines while serving on the Planning Commission in Berkeley from 1989-1996.  

 

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

I think the pressing issues have to do with providing opportunities for our youth. That’s one category. Insuring that we have opportunities in terms of education and for developing life skills, back-to-school programs and also things like financial literacy. And to that end I’ve been working with councilmembers Moore and Capitelli to explore the possibility of creating a youth center for the youth in South and West Berkeley. I’m meeting with some county officials to pursue that even further. 

We are all interested in crime and crime prevention and efforts to make South Berkeley a safer place to raise a family and live and work as we all can. And I’m a strong supporter of neighborhood organizations that dedicate themselves not only to prevention but to building a sense of community in our town. 

The other important issue is this on going problem with health disparities in the city between the African-American and Latinos and more affluent areas of the city. Four or five years ago reports came out from our health department that highlighted those disparities. The city has responded over the years to try and create programs that deal with some of those health disparities. For instance, we have a program to help reduce the disparities in low birth weight babies that were being born in our community and in the hills and the flatlands. Life expectancy is a continuing gap between the hills and the flatlands and we will continue to work on those issues. So that’s probably the three top issues: youth, crime prevention and health disparities.  

 

4. Do you agree with the direction the city is heading in? Why or why not? I agree that the city is making some efforts to improve its financial base and create affordable housing to make this a more livable city for all of its residents and pursue development that is environmentally friendly and creates jobs for young people in this city. I agree with the general direction the city is going in. I think we need more affordable housing but it should be housing that can house families. Also, I’m a very staunch supporter of building houses at the transit village to reduce our dependency on automobiles and promote a healthier environment in the city. 

 

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

The state constitution gives the university extraordinary powers and exempts them from compliance with our local land use regulations. It’s a harsh fact to deal with. It’s in the constitution so it’s very difficult to get around it. I think the settlement that the university and the city hammered out was a reflection of those harsh realities. I think it represents an opportunity for the city and the university to work together in a mutually beneficial way to improve the pace and substance of the development in the downtown area, especially where the city and the university share common space and interests.  

 

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

I’m not interested in running for mayor for now or the foreseeable future. I’m more interested in working closely with the council and with the community to try and improve conditions in my community. I think the mayor is doing a very good job. I don’t always agree with him on every issue. He makes an effort to reach out to people on the council to get their opinions and their input, and I think he is head and shoulders above the last mayor we had.  

 

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

Well. I think development of a city is part of its ongoing life. Cities that don’t engage in some kind of appropriate development tend to wither. Certainly we don’t want that fate for Berkeley. We have a big enough problem operating this regional economic environment that favors places like Emeryville, which dedicated a great deal of its resources to retail development. The realities of big box shopping areas like Costco and others detract from our economic well-being in the city. The city, I think, needs to and is beginning to develop strategies especially around bringing industries that are favorable to the environment. I think we ought to look more at training a cadre, especially young people, in an environmentally friendly realm. And I’m willing to do whatever I can to help promote that. 

 

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

I think that the political climate here in Berkeley is not unlike the political climate in other communities, much of which is dictated by soaring housing prices, by the continuing and escalating effects, I think, of Prop 13 that was passed in the mid ‘70s that has had quite a detrimental effect on public funding of essential services and schools. I think we are increasingly finding a very difficult environment in which to work, when you combine that with the direction of the national government, which seems to be in the firm control of corporate America. The national government has participated in the undermining of affordable housing by reducing HUD funding. We still have a serious problem with health care in this country that’s not being addressed as it should be with an effort to institute a single payer system that would insure that everybody in this country receives health care coverage. So these all contribute to a political climate where there is a lot of distrust of government. There is apprehension about the future. We have to forge a future that everybody can feel that they can participate in and have a stake in and we have a lot of work to do. 

 

9. What is your favorite thing about Berkeley? 

I like its diversity. It’s a struggle that we have to continue to wage. It’s being mitigated with rising housing costs, and the failure to produce the kinds of living wage jobs in the city that can afford people an opportunity to buy a home and raise a family here. But these things are worth fighting for. The good thing about Berkeley, I think, is the ongoing and deep reservoir of compassion and concerns and egalitarianism in this city that has stood up over the years and makes Berkeley a continuing center for guidance for the rest of the country in terms of initiatives we take and stands that we take. And I hope we continue to be the cutting edge for ideas and actions.  

 

10. What is your least favorite thing about Berkeley? 

The traffic. When I first moved here in the mid ‘80s there wasn’t really a rush- hour traffic jam. But for the last 10 or 12 years it’s been escalating and there’s many more cars on the streets. Many people are not taking full advantage of public transportation. And to that extent that we can work on the macro environment in terms of reducing pollutants is very important. But we also have to work on the micro environment in terms of how we live our lives in this small city on this small planet in this solar system.


First Person: The War on Ourselves

By Winston Burton, Special to the Planet
Tuesday November 07, 2006

We have met the enemy and it is us. 

—Walt Kelly 

 

Last year my friend from Berkeley, Dwayne, called me on a cell phone and said, “Winston, I’m on a business trip in Philadelphia for the first time, where should I go?” 

“Where are you?” I asked.  

“I’m driving past Broad Street and Ogontz Avenue,” he replied. 

“Oh, you’re in North Philly, near Germantown,” I responded. 

After a long pause he said, “I don’t see any Germans around here.” 

“I know! The Germans left a long time ago and so should you.” 

“Why?” he asked. 

I told him, “Because you don’t know anyone, and there’s a war going on in that neighborhood!” 

“What war” he wanted to know.  

“The war on ourselves and it’s been going on for years!” 

Several weeks ago I went to the Solano Stroll on a beautiful sunny day. The theme of this year’s mile-long block party and festival was “Send in the Clowns.” There were thousands of people at this multi-cultural, multi-ethnic all-generations gathering. There must have been 20 different bands, arts, crafts, games and a wide variety of foods to choose from along a 10-block stretch. The fun went on long past sundown, and when it was over there were no “sideshows,” riots or folks getting mugged on their way home. 

One of the reasons the Solano Stroll is such a success every year is the dedication of the organizers. But it’s also owing to the civility of the participants. When people unavoidably bumped into each other and scrambled to get into long lines, they said, “Excuse me, please,” or “I’m sorry.” It reminded me of how the Festival of the Lake in Oakland used to be before gangs and the war on ourselves took over. 

Last month I went to an event in West Oakland on a beautiful sunny day at Shoreline Park. It was called the Healthy Neighborhood Festival. There were several bands, good food, arts, crafts and information booths. The several hundred people who attended, instead of the thousand expected, seemed to enjoy themselves and each other. There was no pushing, shoving or long lines. There were no “sideshows, riots or muggings at this gathering either. One of the major themes for this event was the need for “Organ donors in the Black Community!”  

There is definitely a need and unfortunately a supply of healthy organs in the black community. Drive-bys, gang violence, muggings, petty arguments, and perceived disrespect have led to deadly disagreements and a steady stream of young corpses. On the other side, heavy drinking, smoking, drug use and poor eating habits, practiced by an older generation, have created a whole crop of people that may need a liver, kidney, gall bladder, lung or heart. I myself am not above it—I could probably use a few organs myself in the coming years. 

The war on ourselves is not just about bullets and drugs. It’s an attack on our language. The conjugation of the verb to be is not I be, you be, we be! It’s an attack on education when honor students are ridiculed for being smart. It’s an attack on the family structure when teenage girls introduce their ex-boyfriend as their baby’s daddy and not by name. It’s about being fatalistic, “I might not live tomorrow, but I’m going to live today.” 

The Oakland Tribune printed a story on Sept. 30 that an anti-violence rally was cancelled over fears of violence and safety concerns. It’s pretty disturbing when you’re scared to have an anti-violence rally. As of that day, from the beginning of the year, there had been 115 people killed in Oakland and 287 in Philadelphia, almost nine a week! I wonder how people have died in New York, New Jersey, Las Angeles, Detroit and Miami.  

At the Healthy Neighborhood Festival some speakers talked about how they benefited from healthy organs being harvested and receiving a transplant. Others spoke, sad but proud, of how their family member’s donated organs had contributed to the well-being of someone else. One paradox that struck me was that most of the organ recipients were old and the donors were young. 

When I left the Healthy Neighborhood Festival, I didn’t feel festive as I had at the Solano Stroll. It was more like I had attended a wake. I was glad to see the people I knew so that we could give each other support, but in the end it was a sad occasion. We were watching a community mourn the deadly harvest of the war on ourselves.  

 

 


Opinion

Editorials

Editorial: Cleaning House and Making Lemonade

By Becky O’Malley
Friday November 10, 2006

Let’s hear it for Grandma! Grandmothers all over the country, including this one, are delighted that one of their own has taken on the job of cleaning up the House—the House of Representatives, that is. Losing no time, Berkeley’s Grandmothers for Peace planned to rally Thursday at Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco office to let her know that they would support her in an effort to extricate the country from the mess in Iraq left behind by her Republican predecessors (with more than a little help from some misbehaving Democrats).  

Pelosi has certainly had the right kind of training for this dirty job. Terry Gross interviewed Marc Sandalow, the San Francisco daily’s Washington correspondent, about the new speaker on NPR on Wednesday, and he spoke with awe about her “mother-of-five voice,” which she uses to bring errant congresspersons in line. (I haven’t seen Marc since he was in kindergarten with my daughter, but he was a normally frisky little boy then, so he probably knows whereof he speaks.) If that doesn’t work, I’m sure she could try a “Mother Superior” voice for even more authority—Nancy, like me, was educated by nuns in a girls’ school, an environment which left us with no doubt that women were more than capable of taking charge in any situation. She even went to the same women’s college, Trinity, as my cousin Elsa, who was always held up to my kids as a role model because she marched at Selma. The good sisters specialized in building women with backbone, and Pelosi certainly has one. 

She’ll need it, along with her “San Francisco values”. That’s one slur which seems to have backfired. I suspect that the Republican commercials which were intended to knock Nancy might have backfired particularly with women, many of whom probably saw those attacks as being rooted in sexism. 

And speaking of nasty attacks, let’s hear it at home for Berkeley Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who survived having a mountain of money and a pack of lies dropped on his campaign for re-election. His opponent, George Beier, who tried on the roles of Mr. Clean and Superman in a couple of his many campaign mailers, ended up being stuck with the Daddy Warbucks image. The bagmen and bagladies at the Chamber of Commerce PAC put expenditures on his behalf over the $100,000 mark, an obscene amount in a council election, particularly when a lot of it was spent with the Chamber’s non-union Carlsbad mailing house instead of with local Berkeley printers.  

An election night visit to the Worthington “victory party” was not a pretty sight—all of those sincere folks biting their nails as it came down to the wire. But it did show why Kriss ultimately won—that good old left slogan, “people power.” There were lots of appealing and energetic young people there, as well as grizzled veterans of past encounters.  

Jason Overman, one of the young folks present, made a very respectable showing against entrenched Claremont councilmember Wozniak, given the engineered demographics of District 8, intended to prevent students from being elected. Not, for that matter, that the mass of students voted. The student turnout was pathetic, particularly among residence hall dwellers, so Jason must have gotten quite a few of his votes from disaffected long-term residents. His proud parents were there, looking just like Berkeley people—Dad in a Wellstone t-shirt—which is probably why Jason knew how to appeal to the locals.  

Loni Hancock, Tom Bates and Linda Maio, all of whom had always had Worthington’s loyal support in their own campaigns, should be deeply, deeply ashamed of their cowardly refusal to endorse his re-election, probably because they’re beholden to the same out-of-town developers who funded the C. of C. PAC. Dona Spring didn’t get the endorsement of the Hancock-Bates-Maio apparatus either, but it didn’t seem to make much difference. Her constituents really love her, to the tune of a 70-plus percent vote. They’re more likely to be long-term residents, and therefore harder to fool, than residents of District 7.  

Her opponent, Raudel Wilson, unlike George Beier, is new in town and not personally wealthy in any way, simply a bank employee and a renter, so Spring didn’t have to face big money. Wilson is a nice enough guy, though he’ll soon be forgotten, and he didn’t mount the kind of dishonest attacks against Dona’s record that Worthington experienced. She didn’t get a barrage of nasty Chamber hit pieces either. 

A knowledgeable election-watcher looking at the results observed that the conventional wisdom says that negative campaigning doesn’t change votes, it just causes some people not to vote at all because they’re worried. That seemed to be true in District 7, where Beier got about the same number of votes as Worthington’s previous opponent, but Kriss’s own votes dropped off significantly.  

This phenomenon would also explain the vote on Measure J, which captured a very respectable 43 percent, though not enough to put it over the top. The Chamber’s succession of lying postcard potshots at Berkeley’s old and respected ordinance scared off enough voters to make the difference. And the fact that the postcards bore the endorsement of the same prominent politicians who ditched Worthington and Spring didn’t help. 

That’s why some seasoned preservationists at the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association were distressed when a small group of individuals, none of them BAHA board members or LPC commissioners, acted on their own to rush Measure J to a vote in this election. Once J was on the ballot, the troops had no choice but to rally round, but there really wasn’t time to do a good job, particularly when (as should have been expected) the development industry funded the opposition with big bucks. 

A much better strategy, many felt, would have been to wait for the Bates/Capitelli ordinance to be passed, and then to mount a referendum if it turned out to be as bad as it looked when it passed on first reading. Until the mayor’s creation becomes reality, it can be marketed as being all things to all people.  

The referendum strategy is still available to overturn a bad ordinance, of course, and with Measure J as a dry run it might even work better. It’s a lot easier to run a campaign against a lemon on the table than one against pie in the sky.  


Editorial: Election Proves Times Are A-Changin’ in Berkeley

By Becky O'Malley
Tuesday November 07, 2006

For an editorial published on election day, we have two choices. We can ignore the election, thus insuring ourselves against the embarrassment of incorrect predictions in the eyes of Wednesday and Thursday readers. The downside of this choice is that many if not most votes are cast on Tuesday, election day itself, the first day this issue is on the newsstands, which means that undecided readers who turn to the Planet for last-minute guidance will be disappointed. Alternatively, we can, one more time, re-hash the issues which became important during the campaign, getting in one last word about our take on the action. 

We will choose a third way, always the easiest. We’ll make fun of corporate media in general and the Chronicle in particular.  

One of our goals in taking over the Planet was to improve coverage of the urban East Bay, both by doing a better job ourselves and by egging competitors on to try harder. We feel that we’ve succeeded beyond our wildest expectations in both goals. Many stories have come to light in these pages in the last three years which previously were not covered or poorly covered. And the Chronicle has finally gotten off of its Beserkely kick, no longer viewing quirky behavior as the only thing worth covering in Berkeley. It has assigned a variety of reporters, some of them pretty good, to trying to make sense of the local scene. But they still have a way to go. 

First, we should note that the Chronicle has endorsed Schwarzenegger for governor and Bates for Berkeley mayor. Endorsements from big chain papers almost always reflect big corporate interests rather than reader preferences, so no one should be shocked by that, or even particularly critical. The paper’s editorial board did set up a “debate” between Bates and his opponent Zelda Bronstein, but it has yet to see the light of day. It was never posted on the paper’s website (unlike the one between Schwarzenegger and Angelides). One is tempted to suspect that their boy didn’t do as well as they’d hoped, but there’s no way to know.  

Sunday’s paper carried a game but ultimately unsuccessful attempt by the latest hapless reporter assigned to the Berkeley beat to make sense of what’s happened in this election. She’s obviously been reading the Planet, unlike some of her predecessors, but she still doesn’t quite get it, though she knows that times have changed, e.g. her comment that “in a redefinition of what it means to be left in Berkeley, home-owning progressives have joined with moderates to push for landmark preservation and to fight development.”  

Well, in some cities and in the olden days in Berkeley it might have been homeowners vs. renters, but in Berkeley recently some of the most vocal opponents of big box condo development are tenants still protected by rent control, who fear that their beloved and inexpensive old apartments are being torn down for new uncontrolled construction. Landmark preservation, once focused on the protection of glamorous historic and architectural resources, has taken on the additional job of what used to be called neighborhood preservation, conserving modest but charming rental housing in the flats as well as architect-designed masterpieces in the hills.  

Another statement that’s off the mark is this one: “The city also has a better relationship with UC than it used to, as UC prepares to undertake an extensive downtown development.” The city sued UC over the first phase of its massive expansion plan, but backed down at the last minute when Bates and his claque on the City Council lost their nerve. But the advisory committee whose majority was appointed by Bates and his city council allies has proved to be unexpectedly feisty in its discussions about the future of downtown with hired planners, so that one’s not over yet. And now the city is again threatening to sue, this time over UC’s latest plan: to build a mega-complex to serve sports fans and professional schools right on top of the Hayward fault, in a location which will cause major problems when the next earthquake or fire emergency happens, as it surely will. Town-gown relations aren’t approaching nirvana yet. 

This election is not one which holds the future of Berkeley in the balance. If Tom Bates wins one last hurrah, that doesn’t mean he’s home free two years from now, if indeed he runs again. The scuttlebutt is that he and his bride, Assemblymember Loni Hancock, will walk off into the sunset holding hands sometime before their terms officially end, making it possible for them to anoint their successors without any nasty primary elections getting in the way. But if that doesn’t work, the 2008 Berkeley election could be even more interesting than this one. And speaking of scuttlebutt, we’ve been told that both a mayor’s aide and a councilmember’s spouse have been opining around town that the Planet will be shutting its doors after this election is past. That’s wishful thinking, not true but not surprising.  

A paper which takes on an attempt by the local Chamber of Commerce to manipulate an election might be expected to face some problems in the advertising department. But oddly enough the major contributors to the Chamber’s aggressive PAC are not the owner-operated local businesses who advertise in the Planet. They’re mostly out-of-town developers who have never advertised here, even though signs now proclaim many vacancies in their big ugly buildings.  

Our loyal local advertisers are not funding the Chamber PAC—no surprise to us. Many of them are not even members of the chamber. For example, a quick check of the online list shows neither Rasputin’s nor Moe’s, two backbones of the Telegraph Avenue merchants’ community and frequent Planet advertisers, as chamber members.  

But in this slowing economy, we’re starting to think more of ways to pay the cost of publishing the paper other than advertising revenue. We’re wondering if readers would be interested in supporting the Planet by subscribing, with or without home delivery (which might be expensive). If it’s an idea which appeals, send an e-mail to subscriptions@berkeleydailyplanet.com or call us at 841-5600. Let us know what you’d be willing to pay. 

 

—Becky O’Malley 

 

P.S. I can scarcely believe it. On Monday after the above was finished, we got another lying postcard denouncing Measure J from the Chamber of Commerce PAC. On this one the picture on the face directly contradicts one of the untruthful bullet points on the back. The lie? “Gives total control over your property to UNELECTED officials.” The facts: The picture shows the roof and pediment of a historic house, home to one of Berkeley’s founders, which the Landmarks Preservation Commission did identify as a historic resource—but their designation was overruled by the elected City Council on appeal, and it was demolished, just one of the attractive older buildings which have been destroyed with council collusion in the past few years. The “Darling Flower Shop,” pictured in front of the house, was never designated a structure of merit as the caption claims. You can see for yourself the Ugly Box which replaced it, the “Touriel Building” complete with Ugly New Darling Flower Shop, on University near the corner of Milvia. Candidates Hancock, Bates, Maio and Wozniak have again allowed their names to be used on this deceitful document.


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Friday November 10, 2006

A CLARIFICATION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

On election night I attended Tom Bates’ victory party at Cafe de la Paz. It was not my victory party. It was Tom’s. And, it turns out, it was Raudel Wilson’s. I like Raudel, but I didn’t endorse him for City Council. Because I attended that party, that fact seems to be unclear.  

On another note, it was a pleasure to be with so many friends as the returns came in, gratifying as they were. 

Linda Maio 

 

• 

CHAMBER OF  

COMMERCE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Perhaps the majority of your readers do not know that the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce and the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee are two separate entities. The PAC is an affiliate of the Berkeley Chamber but have their own governing body, budget, and set of rules separate from the Berkeley Chamber. 

The majority of the members of the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce are the people that serve you coffee in the morning or repairs your car or fixes your computer. There are even members who can give you a massage to relax you from the stresses of the day. Most of these members are just trying to make a living in a town they love. 

For over 100 years the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce has been helping small to midsize companies reach for the American dream of owning a business. There are plenty of networking opportunities and business tools that members can avail to help their business. It hasn’t always been easy with the business climate in Berkeley, but the Chamber is always willing to listen, learn, and assist its members.  

The PAC has no direct relationship with the everyday operations of the Berkeley Chamber. Businesses and individuals that join the Berkeley Chamber do so because the chamber is more about business in Berkeley and not about politics in Berkeley. For the 35 or so people that gathered in front of the Chamber offices last Wednesday (much less than the 125 intimated in the article by Judith Scherr) to protest actions of the PAC, it would have probably been more productive to meet with the chairperson and/or board of the PAC not the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce.  

It’s great that we can live in a country where we can protest whom we want and discuss issues in a constructive and non-violent manner. Let’s just make sure we are talking about the right issues and identifying the right groups. 

Richard Hom 

Chamber Member 

 

• 

DRAWING PARALLELS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The elections of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua and Tom Bates in Berkeley share a common thread. These two victors with long left-wing credentials teamed with their traditional opponents to win votes. 

Ortega’s running mate was the former Contra Jaime Morales. During Ortega’s first stint as president his government confiscate Morales’s sprawling estate. After the Nov. 5 vote Vice-President Elect Morales was asked in a Univision Interview how he could run with the man who took his house. Morales answered, “That happened in revolution. I was caught in a huge wave of change.” Morales went on to say, “Ortega is no longer a Marxist he is a pragmatist.” Allegedly, Ortega’s favorite song is Frank Sinatra"s “My Way.” 

Bates obtained the endorsement of the Berkeley Democratic Club that has long opposed most all of what Bates has traditionally stood for. But then these seem to be times for “pragmatism.”  

Ted Vincent 

 

• 

FALSE DESCRIPTONS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I just read P.M. Price’s column (“Confronting the Role Models of Halloween Gangsters”), and I must say I share your feeling of being disturbed. And, unfortunately, it’s worse than you might think. What we are seeing is the manifestation of the “divide” part of “divide and conquer” being played out by our children. The power of “discourse” that surrounds us and informs the “norms” we live by is manufactured to separate us (the workers of the world) from each other so that we will be easier to control. From the immigrant debate that propagates nationalism (and normalizes racial tension), to the depiction of endless violence in the permanent “underclass” that is created by neo-liberal capitalism, we are being fed a world-view that pits us against each other and not against the ones who perpetuate this insanity, the ones with the real influence to do something about it, the ones who would make war a perpetual necessity. Yet, as Michel Foucault would say, the power is everywhere, and we are participating in the empowering of these false descriptions of ourselves by acting them out. Take the power back, be the change you seek in the world.  

Amor Vincit Omnia 

 

• 

USING MELEIA’S NAME 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It is very odd that the opponents of Proposition H in the Nov. 7 election chose to identify themselves as they did in the ballot arguments. It does seem to indicate they were looking for “pizazz” to bring attention to themselves. But I would also say it was downright rude, and unseemly, to use Meleia Willis-Starbuck’s name in this way. I would recommend that people try to consider common decency in identifying themselves in a public document. I would further recommend that the City Clerk be more cognizant of these issues, and not allow people to personally identify themselves this way. To discuss the concerns about local crime in an argument is one thing, but to personally adopt someone else’s tragedy as a personal identifier, that goes beyond what is decent. 

The twist here is that Mr. Tilleman is using (and I mean using) Meleia’s name to oppose a proposition that she would have undoubtedly endorsed. How insensitive and cruel is that, to her name and memory, and to those who love her. The further irony is that the argument that global issues should not be linked to local politics is made absurd by the fact that it is the culture of punitive aggression that lies at the heart of the violence we experience in our lives locally, here and now. It is all connected. 

On behalf of the Willis-Starbuck family, I would suggest that the City of Berkeley, the media, and other public entities not allow such a mis-usage of personal identification to be used in the future. 

Meg Starbuck 

 

• 

NOT FOR SALE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

George Beier thought he could buy the election. Then he learned the hard way that it was never for sale. 

Anthony Sanchez 

 

• 

MUDDLED PICTURE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Your Nov. 3 article on the KPFA board elections muddies the reality of an already complex situation. First, the Alliance for a democratic KPFA slate, of which I am part, is a group of individuals who joined together because there was an existing slate, Concerned Listeners. The Alliance is not the product of any other group, much to one such group’s dismay, People’s Radio. The Alliance has had its own set of problems in this election as a result of PR’s meddling, which has caused a great deal of confusion for both voters, and apparently, your reporter. 

Concerned Listeners, on the other hand, was formed by members of KPFA’s staff going to the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club. Although quoted, the reporter excluded what I stated was most important: It is completely improper for staff, which have their own designated seats on the board, to be involved in the formation of a slate of listener candidates. To turn to any political party to form a such a slate is beyond the pale as no political party should be involved in the governance and setting of policies of any media outlet. 

Your overall portrayal of the Alliance as a group which wants to micromanage and determine programming is an inaccurate characterization. As a former radio programmer and program director, I have been outspoken in the dangers inherent in such detailed involvement, as have others on the Alliance slate. I do, however, firmly believe that the board has a role in asking for a timely review of the programming grid, funding surveys of what Bay Area radio listeners would like to hear, directing the station manager to implement changes reflective of such a survey, and provide funding, through the budget process, for adequate training for volunteer programmers to produce listenable radio programming. We live in a progressive area and a station providing programming outside what is heard on mainstream media should be thriving. This is not the case with KPFA and listener numbers are actually dropping. 

KPFA and Pacifica have been struggling internally and with listeners for many years. There has been a revolving door of short-term and interim station managers. There are factions, feuds and outright fights that include throwing chairs at station meetings. Innuendo, rumors and more divisiveness is not the solution.  

Sasha Futran 

KPFA Local Station Board Candidate 

 

• 

KPFA ELECTION PROCESS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Judith Scherr’s Nov. 3 article on the 2006 election unfortunately left out some key elements of this year’s election process. Ballots went out the membership before listeners had the chance to listen to the candidates. As someone who was involved in the KQED election with Sasha Futran when she was a member of the KQED board, I would have to say that the KPFA election process was much less democratic than at KQED. The rules were the same for all candidates at KQED and the voices of all the candidates were on KQED FM in a unbiased manner. This again was not the case in the KPFA election. The election officers also prevented me from running as a listener candidate although I have not produced any programming since last October. This follows up on the undemocratic banning of the KPFA Labor Collective from even submitting proposals for labor programming. The same person Tracy Rosenberg, who supported the banning of the Labor Collective proposals being accepted in the KPFA program council was then appointed by Les Radke to conduct a democratic election. This appointment of a biased election officer to run the election at KPFA has only added to the twisting of the democratic process at KPFA. 

Confidential files from Pacifica were released by someone with access to these documents from the staff to taint the election. KPFA Election officer Tracy Rosenberg and Pacifica Election officer Les Radke both have ignored these flagrant election violations which were aimed at harming Sasha Futran and the Alliance For A democratic KPFA slate www.allianceforademocratickpfa.org and putting the integrity of the election in jeopardy. 

One reason that some of the long time staff at KPFA are concerned about the election of Futran is that she is very knowledgeable about radio having been a radio host and manager at other stations around the country.  

Lastly is a serious financial crisis brewing at KPFA and Pacifica and the declining level of listeners combined with increased donations from those contributing $500 or more while $25 donations are decreasing bodes great danger for KPFA. The recent fund driver was more than $100,000 below the goal and this is again a sign of increasing unhappiness with programming that is not relevant to more and more people.  

KPFA needs to be revitalized so it becomes a beacon for change and a voice for people struggling in Northern California for justice, human rights and equality. A vibrant and exciting KPFA is within our reach and we hope to make these changes to make full use of this invaluable cultural and news resource. 

Steve Zeltzer 

San Francisco 

 

• 

TOBACCO CESSATION  

STILL A PRIORITY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Despite the defeat of Proposition 86 (the tobacco tax), the American Cancer Society remains committed to preventing lung cancer and disease, discouraging the next generation from smoking and reducing tobacco use across the nation. 

I’d like to remind your readers that Thursday, Nov. 16 is the 30th anniversary of the Great American Smokeout. Tobacco is still the leading cause of death in our nation, accounting for one out of every three cancer deaths in California every year. Today, an estimated 45 million U.S. adults smoke despite the known associated health risks. 

And to all the ex-smokers in our community: Congratulations on your success in living a tobacco-free life! You have greatly reduced your risk of diseases such as cancer, heart disease and lung disease—not to mention reducing your community’s exposure to the hazards of second hand smoke. I commend your achievements and hope you will join us in celebrating 30 years of the Great American Smokeout! 

To assist people who still smoke and double their chances of quitting for good, the American Cancer Society has developed resources such as www.cancer.org/smokeout and the toll-free number 1-800-ACS-2345. Both are accessible 24/7 to help smokers manage a plan to quit. 

Janice Woodward 

Director of Community Services 

American Cancer Society,  

East Bay Metro Unit 

Oakland 

 

• 

THANKS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Many thanks to U.S. Storage at the southwest corner of Shattuck and Ward, for brightening my walk home. These good folks transformed a four-story box warehouse into a whimsical deep sea aquarium, with metallic fish and sea horses swimming among the reeds (watch out for that shark rounding the corner from Ward!). Above them, half-way up, the surface of the sea laps gentle waves, and above the waves, seagulls fly. At the very top is a strip of blue sky, with more seagulls magically perched at rest. 

I smile every time I pass by, and these days that’s something to be grateful for. 

Dorothy Bryant 

 

• 

BATES ONE MORE TIME 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Well, well...after the election it appears we’re all still riding on the Bates Express. But the good news is that a heck of a lot more people have realized that the train doesn’t stop at their station anymore—it just speeds right by. We all need to work together to make sure we aren’t shut out of our local government anymore. Keep in touch with people across the city and in other districts than yours; share your experiences and learn about their issues. That is how we will win the next election two years from now. 

Doug Buckwald 

 

• 

MRS. DALLOWAY’S 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I believe I can state, without fear of contradiction, that Mrs. Dalloway’s Literary and Garden Arts Store on College Avenue is one of Elmwood’s greatest treasures. This unique, utterly charming book store, now celebrating its second birthday, was the brain child of its owners, Marian Abbot Bundy and Ann Leyhe, Both admirers of British novelist Virginia Woolfe, they chose the name, “Mrs. Dalloway,” who, if you read the book, loved flowers. Entering this store is a joyful experience, thanks to the taste and imagination of the two charming women who have fashioned a marvelous display of best selling books, on the right side, while on the left side there are gorgeous books on gardening, as well as exotic plants. The walls are decorated with lovely pastel watercolors by Berkeley Artist, Annette Goldberg. Wicker chairs are an invitation to wile away pleasant hours perusing a book or two. When I enter this sunny store, I sometimes feel I’ve been transported to London’s “64 Charring Cross Road,” the site of a tender memoir of some years ago. During the first months of its opening, I brooded that Mrs. Dalloway’s might not make a go of it, recalling that Avenue Books, a former tenant, failed, like so many other book stores. But I need not have worried. In past months, the store has become a veritable bee hive of activity—readings (I.e, Mary Gordon), a lively, jam-packed reception for the opening of the Annette Goldberg exhibit, and just two nights ago, a “Decca” Mitford program, with Barbara Oliver reading the Mitford letters. Pick up a list of coming events at the store (or, of course, refer to the Berkeley Daily Planet calendar) and see the marvelous books to be discussed in coming weeks. 

Will Mrs. Dalloway’s Literary and Garden Arts succeed where so many other book stores have failed? I believe it will, because this is a neighborhood store, unique to Berkeley, cherished by faithful readers and informed people who want to preserve old traditions. We’re lucky to have such a store! 

Dorothy Snodgrass 

 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I was astonished to read that Rob Browning had received a citation for parking slightly on a sidewalk. Perhaps the Berkeley police department is overcompensating for its prior impotence, to wit:  

During UC’s construction of the new dorms at Units I and II, a private food-vending truck serving the construction workers regularly parked squarely across a crosswalk, blocking the wheelchair curb-cut, in a red zone on Dwight Way near Benvenue. The proprietors opened a service window on the street side of the truck, from which they served patrons lined up in the traffic lanes of Dwight Way. They also set up a little condiment table in the middle of Dwight Way. This novel mid-street restaurant, which everyone could see violated a variety of laws (they also had no vending permit), and was very dangerous both for pedestrians and motorists on Dwight Way, happily raked in the bucks during the lunch hour, five days a week, for about eleven months. 

During all this time, it seems that not a single parking enforcement officer nor police officer witnessed the operation, although I and others notified the police department, the city managers’ office, and several council members about it many times—in addition to university officials. It finally ended when I drew it to the attention of a passing Berkeley police officer who happened to be a new recruit to the police department. This helpful rookie did not understand that he was not supposed to enforce any traffic or parking laws that interfered with UC projects or activities (construction, special events, football games, etc.). He immediately instructed the vendor to move into a location on UC property a few feet away, where it operated during the rest of the construction project. It was an obvious, safe location, off the commons, that I and others had suggested eleven months before. 

Our southside sidewalks are also regularly blocked by discarded furniture and trash, which sometimes remains for months; this is also illegal obstruction of the sidewalk but results in no action. 

Therefore, I humbly suggest two ways in which Mr. Browning might avoid future tickets: First, he might obtain a UC staff or UC construction sticker for his van, or perhaps even a CAL Bears sticker might do. This should protect him against parking citations. Second, he could camouflage his van with old furniture and garbage. This should render it invisible to city staff. Good luck, Mr. Browning. 

Sharon Hudson 

 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

North Shattuck is already overcrowded. The surrounding residential areas already suffer from traffic congestion and lack of parking.  

I live 2 blocks away from the site of the prospective plaza, and I (and my neighbors) constantly feel the negative impact of the businesses on North Shattuck. Parking is, at best, difficult, but on weekends and around Christmastime and on street-sweeping days and during Live Oak Park events, parking is horrendous. 

I hope that the city does not approve this frivolous project. This money can be better spent so that it benefits those in need. 

Debbie Dritz 

 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Well, ain’t that swell? They’re building a prototype newer, safer hydrogen bomb—right here in our li’l ol’ East Bay, heart and soul of the U.S. peace movement. Say the old ones won’t do—wear and tear of time, chemical aging--very sophisticated stuff. We know best, not for the masses. Not certain how they would perform—function or not. Allows the boys to make a “realistic,” reasonable demand. What a stake Livermore and environs has in this election, hey? Comrade Vonnegut, would you please join us in this discussion? 

Arnie Passman 

 

• 

IRAQ 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Carlyle had it right: “War is a quarrel between two thieves too cowardly to fight their own battle; therefore they take boys from one village and another village, stick them in uniforms, equip them with guns, and let them loose like wild beasts against each other.” 

Six out of 10 voters polled at election sites said it’s time to get out of Iraq. Democrats who now control the House and Senate have to come up with a viable exit strategy from Iraq, a timetable for bringing home the troops and develope a plan to clean up the mess Bush and Republicans have left in Iraq. 

The war has created a terrorist breeding ground in the Middle East that has to be dealt with and can’t be allowed to spread into the rest of the area. 

Ron Lowe  

Grass Valley 

 

LIES AND DISTORTIONS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I have helped organize and worked to elect the “Concerned Listeners” slate for the KPFA board and I’m insulted and shocked by the lies and misinformation that People’s Radio and their slate, “Alliance for a Democratic KPFA,” have spread about our candidates and collective. 

The Concerned Listeners group has been characterized as a “Democratic Party front” because members of the Wellstone Democratic Club have been involved in organizing the slate. I have also been a part of the organizing committee from the earliest meetings along with many others from diverse activist backgrounds including folks from Wellstone. Never has the Democratic Party been discussed. None of the candidates on the slate are members of the Wellstone Democratic Club. One candidate used to work with one of their committees but is currently registered Green. Most outrageous may be the sectarian notion that the fine activists from Wellstone shouldn’t be included, in fact welcomed, in the KPFA listener community and the progressive left of the Bay Area. 

I’ve heard our slate referred to as the “corporate” slate. Then why would Pratap Chatterjee of Corpwatch and Kevin Danaher of Global Exchange endorse our slate? As someone with the class struggle in my veins who has stood side by side in the struggle with several members on the Concerned Listeners slate, I find this characterization of our candidates insulting. 

The attacks on Sarv Randhawa have been particularly personal and the lies spread about this kind and gentle man are shameful. It’s ironic that in today’s political climate the People’s Radio supporters have falsely accused the South Asian man on our slate of being violent… A blatant lie. 

Finally, as a longtime union activist and a shop steward, I am most offended by the anti-worker attitudes of the Alliance slate. They show disdain for the workers of KPFA and the extraordinary work they do. KPFA has been on in my household since my parents got a radio in 1950. I listen to KPFA 3 to 5 hours a day. I also follow the mainstream press and to equate the two is ridiculous. KPFA’s programming has been referred to as “low budget NPR” or a repetition of the “AP wire service.” That’s a straw man. The fact is, the coverage and information on KPFA is completely different from PBS and the corporate media. KPFA is a lifeline for me and thousands of other activists. I went into the streets in ‘99 in support of the work of the people who staffed the station. 

The other slate calls the staff “entrenched” and “dead wood” and behaves like your nightmare boss. I ask anyone reading to imagine doing their own job with a group of micro-managers, who don’t know what it takes to do your job and have no respect for the craft, telling you what you should do and how to do it. That’s how members of the current board have acted and that’s the attitude of People’s Radio and the Alliance slate. 

Finally, as a singer songwriter and cultural activist I have to say the other side’s hostility toward cultural programs and programmers is sad. I deeply appreciate and depend on access to KPFA’s airwaves, the only station supporting musicians like me. There is no revolution without singing and dancing.  

I urge KPFA members to support the Concerned Listeners slate and check out the website, www.kpfalisteners.org.  

Jon Fromer 

 

• 

TELEGRAPH AVENUE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

After reading and then rereading Becky O’Malley’s winded editorial regarding the District 7 district debate and council race, I came to the conclusion that Ms. O’Malley is not a frequenter of Telegraph Avenue, despite the fact she has much to say about the issue. Though she tells tales of living on Telegraph as an undergraduate and starting a business in the area, it is obvious that the Telegraph that Becky O’Malley is remembering is one of the past, and, like so many Berkeleyans, she is out-of-touch with the situation on the avenue today. The very fact that Ms. O’Malley can say, “The majority of the stores on Telegraph evoke what’s left of the counter-culture, which inevitably attracts young people whose brand of nostalgia includes deliberate, self-conscious anti-social street behavior” shows that she is not a citizen who spends much time on the avenue. The issue with street behavior is really dependent on a handful of problematic and anti-social individuals in serious need of intervention, not the general “young people” who frequent the avenue. As a woman who lived through the golden hippie age of Telegraph, I would think Ms. O’Malley would be less inclined to judge and blame the general “young people” who visit or live in the area, perhaps remembering what it was like to be a part of that counter-culture once. Ms. O’Malley goes so far as to say, “Today the newest tenant (of Telegraph) is a tattoo parlor, and is it any surprise that there are surly tattooed and pierced kids on the street, some of whom might even use rude language and sit defiantly in doorways displaying their piercings?” It is obvious, once again, that Ms. O’Malley knows nothing firsthand about Telegraph’s current situation. Those “tattooed and pierced” individuals are actually the paying customers who frequent Telegraph, dropping about $60 for a piercing and often hundreds for a tattoo; these are not surly individuals leering out of store doorways, these are today’s patrons. These are not abusive people; the small number of problematic individuals neglected by the city mental health system and continually falling through the cracks of the criminal justice system are the abusive people. And, by the way, there is a vast difference between abusive behavior and free speech. 

Counter-culture is the only separation Telegraph has from any other street in Berkeley—as a veteran of the 1960s Telegraph, Ms. O’Malley should be a little more open minded and accepting of that counter-culture. Finally, she refers to there being “too many nasty fast-food places” on Telegraph, which only further proves how out of touch Ms. O’Malley is with the avenue. Besides a Subway on Bancroft and Telegraph and a Noah’s Bagels on Durant and Telegraph, I can’t even think of a fast-food chain that exists on upper Telegraph Avenue. Maybe if Ms. O’Malley actually visited the avenue now and then she wouldn’t make these kinds of mistakes in her haughty editorials. 

Faith Gardner 

District 7 Resident and Telegraph Avenue employee 

 

• 

TRADER JOE’S 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

A new Trader Joe’s would be great for Berkeley families for several reasons:  

1. Decrease overall Berkeley traffic. Although traffic would probably increase locally near the MLK/University Avenue intersection, overall traffic may decrease across town as fewer people would have to drive to get groceries. Currently, once a week I drive several miles across town to El Cerrito Plaza to shop at Trader Joe’s (TJs). I never shop at the other stores there in that plaza, just TJs. If we had a TJs in Berkeley, I could walk there most of the time. I already walk daily with my toddler to the various local parks and I could stop there on my way home to pick up a few needed items. There are so many people living nearby (esp. Cal students) who would also walk to the store. I certainly would be happy to use less gas and pollute less to get my groceries. I already walk to the post office, restaurants, and other stores. It would be so great to be able to walk to TJs too. 

2. Increase the availability of inexpensive organic food to people living in Berkeley. TJs sells many organic foods, and their foods are wholesome and minimally processed (if at all) and the prices are fantastic. What a great resource for Berkeley families! 

3. Increase tax revenue for Berkeley. TJs does very well and would be a big tax boom for Berkeley. If local people are worried about the homeless, tax revenue from TJs would add funds to Berkeley to help the homeless.  

4. Increase housing availability. Although the units proposed above TJs are one-bedrooms, they would be perfect for college students, young adults, visiting scholars from Cal, etc. This would relieve the overall housing problem in Berkeley, freeing up other apartments for families. The proposed housing is so close to UC Berkeley, BART, many bus lines, downtown. What a great location! 

I know a TJs would increase traffic for those living on Berkeley Way, but is it realistic for them to expect a quiet street forever when they live one block from a major thoroughfare in an urban environment? It’s time for Berkeley to think long term. Let’s have a Trader Joe’s and new housing at MLK and University Ave. It’s good for Berkeley. I urge Berkeley residents to write the Zoning Adjustments Board or attend the Nov. 9 meeting to support the approval of plans for a new Trader Joe’s. 

Andrea Jones 

 

• 

LAKESHORE TRADER JOE’S 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a resident of the Trestle Glen area and someone who patronizes Lakeshore Avenue businesses several times a week, I’m horrified to think what traffic and parking will be like once Trader Joe’s moves into the old Albertson’s on Lakeshore. The parking situation only recently improved because Albertson’s closed, which caused me to breathe a sigh of relief, not missing that old, outdated store one bit. But anyone who lives in the area can clearly see that on any Saturday when the Farmer’s Market is open, the two story Albertson’s parking structure and virtually all other street parking for blocks is completely full. Add a store like Trader Joe’s to the mix and parking and traffic will be, simply, a nightmare. 

I’ve recently noticed that City Council candidate Pat Kernighan is taking credit for bringing Trader Joe’s to this location, so I stopped by her campaign office the other evening and asked her campaign workers to explain where everyone is supposed to park once Trader Joe’s comes to Lakeshore. One woman explained that the solution to the parking problem is better enforcement, by marking tires, writing tickets and towing cars. This heavy-handed approach didn’t work when Albertson’s tried it several months prior to their closing, and it won’t work now. All it will accomplish is to alienate and further frustrate the Oakland residents who need to frequent the area. 

However, the bigger issue is that Lakeshore Avenue works, just as it is. We have a phenomenal Farmer’s market, a soon-to-reopen Safeway just around the corner on Grand Avenue, a local Asian market just next door to Pete’s Coffee, a natural foods store, Arizmendi, Starbucks, and on and on. And if that’s not enough, the new Farmer Joe’s that recently opened on Fruitvale is just minutes away, with tons of ample parking, and they open earlier than Berkeley Bowl and stock an amazing array of products, organic produce, deli and prepared foods, etc. The Lakeshore neighborhood shopping area is vibrant and alive and, if anything, it would make more sense to raze Albertson’s and create more parking, which is so sorely needed. 

In all fairness, I’m a Berkeley Bowl shopper, but that being said, I’ve learned which days and times are best for me to shop there and not be overwhelmed by their own shopping problems. And as much as I love Berkeley Bowl, when I heard a rumor that they were approached to come into the Lakeshore location, my reaction was the same as it is for Trader Joe’s. Berkeley Bowl would not enhance Lakeshore. I fully realize that Trader Joe’s is the chichi thing to do, especially with so many well-heeled residents in the area, but come on … the seeming advantages of bringing a store with such an incredible draw to Lakeshore are greatly exaggerated and will ultimately destroy the wonderful ambiance that we already have. Lakeshore works.  

No thanks, Pat Kerhighan, and no thanks Trader Joe’s. Lakeshore is better off without it. 

Lisa B. Lee 

Oakland 

 

• 

THE HAVOC WROUGHT BY  

CONDO CONVERSIONS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In the guise of some sort of “gift” to upper middle class professionals who can’t afford million dollar starter homes, the Berkeley Property Owners Association has presented Berkeley voters with an opportunity to participate in demographic mischief right here in our town in the form of Measure I, which would remove 500 affordable rental units from Berkeley’s ever dwindling supply. How thoughtful.  

For only $400,000, Berkeley renters could leap from their $1,200 one bedroom apartment to the same apartment, now called a “condominium,” and pay $3.250 per month for the same digs. Wow. Such a deal.  

Of course, sitting renters would not be able to qualify for such largesse as their incomes fall far short of conventional lending industry standards. $3,250 monthly payments require an annual income of more than $85,000, and $85,000 is almost three times the median renter household income according to the most recent census. 

Over 100 middle income rental units were recently converted in Oakland. Less than five percent of the tenants in residence, many of whom had lived in these previously affordable apartments for over a decade, could afford to triple and even quadruple their monthly payments for housing. And, the approximate 60 percent African-American tenant residents—all middle class working people—have virtually disappeared, scattered across northern California. A vibrant friendly community hacked to pieces by the condo kings. A kind of ethnic cleansing 2006, reminiscent of the urban renewal/negro removal of the ’60s. 

I expect the citizens of Berkeley will have the decency to reject this abominable initiative. 

And by the way, Mr. and Mrs. BPOA, on your way to the bank, would you please take that sharp stick and poke me in the other eye? 

Jeffrey J. Carter 

 

• 

FACEBOOK 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am a student a UC Berkeley and a member of the online social network named Facebook. I had thought that this site was created to be an open and safe form for students to network, collaborate and discuss politics. According to the USA Today, it is described as an “avenue” for student activism. Recently student members of this site have seen a change in the site by an infusion of political ads and monies with election. 

I created a Facebook group to challenge and ask some questions of a local Berkeley politician George Beier who is running for City Council in District 7 of Alameda County. It was called “Who Is George Beier? Kinda Creepy.” I critiqued his Facebook campaign and offered suggestions on how he could improve it. I also said a number of positive things about his ideas and proposals. Mostly I questioned why in his profile he did not bother to tell students who he was or why they should trust him. There was no mention of any of his political credentials. 

This Facebook group was just beginning to pick up membership when it was deleted apparently because it was “abusive and violated the terms of service.” I know that my Facebook group has not been the first deleted for political content such as this nor is there any count or understanding of just how widespread a problem of censorship like this is. 

The original reason that I launched this Facebook group is because I was very surprised that his over- saturation campaign on Facebook had not created a backlash manifested by a swarm of Anti-Beier groups. The only group involving Beier I found was a memory-site dedicated to the original group that had been shut down for the same reason as mine: it invited criticism and discussion of his political merits. 

I am shocked that Facebook has transformed itself into such a political beast but doesn’t not allow students/members to rally against political candidates that they don’t like. Especially when these candidates are pumping tons of money into Facebook to appeal to voters. It just doesn’t seem democratic at all. It made me think: what else are they hiding? 

The ironic thing is that at about that time I was doing my absentee ballot, this group I had created was shut down. I actually had voted for him because I agree with a lot of the things that he says and stands for. Isn’t that a democratic irony if you’ve ever heard one? 

The irony of this situation is that at UC Berkeley forty years ago the Free Speech Movement was a result of students wanting to freely express their political beliefs and not being able to. This movement resulted in a conflict between Governor Reagan and the demonstrators that arguably propelled Reagan to the Whitehouse. It’s funny that George Beier and Facebook is essentially trying to limit this same type of political discussion through the new phenomena of online social networks. 

Also Berkeley has the fortune having a highly vocal bunch of College Republicans that cling to and cherish the principles of the Free Speech Movement due to their small minority status on campus. They were recently featured in the Wall Street Journal for their activities and robust presence. 

Nathan J Danielsen 

 

• 

LONG WAY TO GO 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Berkeley as a “sustainable city” is a worthy ideal. But, despite the development hype, we have a long way to go. Large buildings which are not “green” or psychologically appealing are not enough to make us a sustainable city. According to Randy Hayes, Oakland’s former sustainablity czar, cities need the ability to grow at least one third of their own food. Where are the gardens in our new, bulky, unattractive buildings? Where are our green spaces? A recent report on the devastating effects of a major earthquake pointed out that transportation would be severely affected. When the trucks no longer roll in with food from other areas, where will be our gardens to grow food? Mayor Bates said that new buildings were required to have set asides for gardens, but that these could be on the roof. A few planters on roofs will not feed a city. 

Sustainability also requires that our aquifers be replenished. Without porous surfaces, water is not absorbed into the earth. Our new monoliths do not have gardens with drainage. We are becoming a concrete jungle, not a living ecosystem. 

A sustainable earth requires birds, bees, and butterflies. Where are Berkeley’s bird/bee/butterfly gardens? A sustainable city would not have its creeks buried under conrete--made into roadways for cars. 

A sustainable city is probably a city with a soul. A concrete jungle deadens the spirit. A concrete jungle cannot sustain a neighborhood or build community. A concrete jungle further estranges our youth from any connection with a living world. A child who has never experienced a butterfly or a bee cannot be expected to care about polar bears or ancient forests. 

As citizens, we need to support the effort to truly become a sustainable city. Part of that effort will be putting pressure on our city government to pay less homage to the developers and more homage to the earth which sustains us. 

L. Darlene Pratt 

 

• 

CAMPAIGN SIGNS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a 15-year resident it boggles my mind that in Berkeley, where we pat ourselves on the back for being so green (which is wonderful, by the way), we allow cardboard candidate and proposition signs to stay on telephone poles etc., for months without any thought to removing and recycling them. It was very important to put them up, sometimes dozens for the same person/concern per block, but then no one ever takes the time to remove them. There they stay until the rain forces them into our drainage system clogging up both our sewers and the bay or until spring when they mercifully fall down when it gets windy. I have seen some last more than a year! This is an awful eye sore and inconvenience. I suggest that campaigns be required to set aside funding to pay anyone who wants to go and get these signs and bring them to the originating campaign headquarters. At a quarter per sign I suspect we won’t see a single one on election day plus two. Other than the Democrats taking over Congress this would be my second favorite result of the election. 

Bill Feinstein 

 

• 

ANNA’S JAZZ ISLAND 

Editors, Daily Planet:  

Many people say that Anna’s Jazz Island is good for our community and good for the revitalization of our downtown. It seems a church and upscale dining hall is really preferred by city staff and our City Council. Perhaps someone can explain to me why it is that when I moved my Anna’s Jazz Island to the Gaia Building to be part of a cultural center, instead I share the facility with a church from Atlanta. At their website they say: “Jesus came to re-create—to make this world, and to make Berkeley, good once again” (www.christchurchberkeley.org). My entrance is often covered by a huge double marquee that states: CHRIST CHURCH OF BERKELEY, WORSHIP SERVICES 10:30 AM SUNDAYS. Both the musicians and patrons have been offended and troubled by all this. I would also like to know why, instead of cultural use, the theater in the building did not have a single night of weekend cultural use for the community in October. We are still being overwhelmed by rowdy private parties. The Berkeley City Council is deciding on the use of the Gaia Building on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Perhaps they can explain it all then. And perhaps they can also explain how we can survive in this situation. 

Anna de Leon 

Anna’s Jazz Island 

 

• 

MARK MORFORD 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Remember when you (only half-seriously) extended an invitation to Jon Carroll to switch steeds when the Chronicle cut his columns back from daily to however many he does now? Well, who you really ought to woo is Mark Morford (he’s in Datebook Wednesdays and Fridays). God, how I love that man. I mean, whoa, is he totally awesome or what? He’s the only reason I have a limited sub. Certainly not for Jon Carroll (who’s column I barely scan since he came out posterior-smooching for Arnold, or the scandal-mongering, or the less than incisive news analysis. And on the issue of subscriptions, if I can subsidize a corporate hag like the Chronicle I can certainly donate to our beloved local midwife. I so appreciate that you always let us have our say. Thank you.  

Pamela Satterwhite 

 

• 

POLICE RESPONSE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

A few months ago somebody threw a rock and smashed the front picture window in my house as I was sitting behind it. It was frightening to me, and it was expensive to have repaired. It took the police over an hour to respond. Tonight some kids broke two glass aquariums that I had put in my driveway. When I called the police, first I was put on hold. When I finally got through to the police, I was quizzed by the dispatcher as to whether I had actually seen the kids break the aquariums (no, but I heard breaking glass, and when I went out, there was a kid standing beside it—it seems elementary, doesn’t it?). Once again, it took the police over an hour to respond. By that time I was seeing a client and could not talk to the officer. 

I had been hoping that a patrol car could respond quickly; what was my neighborhood patrolman doing that was so goshdarned important that he couldn’t come? We are completely at the mercy of these vandals. What will it take to get good police service in Berkeley? Now that the elections are over, I dare say I won’t be able to get any politician to respond. 

Jenifer Steele 

 

• 

BENEFITS OF MEASURE A 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I teach dance at Cragmont School in Berkeley, and my children attend John Muir School. Here are a few of the wonderful things your votes for Measure A will continue to support: 

• A group of second graders in dance today, asked by their teacher why it’s important to work as partners with people you don’t know well: 

“If you work with someone different, you learn about them and they learn about you.” 

“If you can’t dance with them, how can you understand them?” 

“It makes less fighting.” 

“You learn to be nice, kind” 

• Kids playing music for kids who dance to other kids’ poetry 

• Schools and class sizes small enough that everyone on campus knows everyone else, so that every child feels seen, known, supported 

• Librarians, makers of magic and weavers of worlds, people who can rattle off 400 childrens’ book preferences off the top of their heads, chuckling at each one’s ideas and originalities 

• A fourth grade group, talking about ideas for choreography about the UFW movement: 

“Well, when we could show the dances we made last week {short pieces based on words like skip and jump}, because Cesar Chavez’ ideas were about freedom and independence. When we made those dances, we were free to choose the ideas and we worked on them independently.” 

• Coach Don Burl, Art Teacher Joe McLain, and hundreds of other superb teachers whose artistry, skill, and dedication are breathtaking. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

Valerie Gutwirth 

 

• 

SEEKING STORIES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The Justin Online Military Oral History Collection is seeking the stories of Military Veterans, Merchant Mariners, War Industry Workers, CCCers, and all others who supported the troops on the Home Fronts during World War II, the Cold War, Korea, Vietnam and all other eras, including memorials from families, for publication to this online historical resource. If you would like to participate please send your stories, with name, rank, unit and locations and dates of service if known, to James F. Justin CCC Museum, PO Box 5, Woodbury NJ 08096 USA or e-mail to JFJmuseum@aol.com. 

James Justin 

 

Holiday Haiku 

by Carol Denney 

ceramic santas 

sitting in a discount bin 

where is my hammer 

 


Commentary: Another Berkeley Neighborhood Sacrificed for Greed

By Regan Richardson
Friday November 10, 2006

Halloween may have come and gone, but the sadly misconceived project at 1885 University Ave. still begs the question, Trick, or Treat? The answer, of course, is both. The supposed Treat? Trader Joe’s. The Trick? Trader Joe’s with a four-story, 148-unit apartment building looming menacingly above it, The Hudson-McDonald Tower of Horrors. 

In this election week, Hudson-McDonald’s continuing attempt to manipulate the facts regarding the 1885 University Ave. project can be quite accurately and appropriately characterized as a campaign of deceit and misinformation. 

If they insist on following this tack, we have three words for them: “Four more years!”  

Let’s review the evidence: 

Hudson-McDonald will continue to brazenly and misleadingly claim 1) that they have done everything we asked, and 2) that it is the neighbors standing in the way of this project, because we continue to “change the bar” on them. Correction: We gave them extremely explicit conditions for our approval of this project four long years ago. Apparently they don’t understand basic English and rudimentary math. Those conditions have not changed in the four long years they have been paying us lip service. So, Mr. Hudson, please do not even dare to assert that we have “changed the bar”. We have the original list of carefully thought-out conditions we proactively presented in October of 2002 if anyone would care to review it.  

If you entertain any feel-good fantasies that any of the 11th-hour “concessions” Hudson-McDonald brazenly claims credit for in print and public forum are not horribly mutilated versions of the conditions originally conceived by, proposed by, and fought for by the neighborhoods around this project who are deeply concerned for the future of Berkeley, think again. The painfully incremental Hail-Mary “concessions” they claim credit for have been made only under consistent and unrelenting pressure from the residents of the neighborhood. That they dare in print or otherwise to take credit for any small concessions or dare to assert that they are jumping through our hoops is laughable. They are now, and have been since Day One, the only ones standing in their way.  

Each time Hudson-McDonald pays us lip service, then blatantly ignores our concerns and changes the project design to the further detriment of our neighborhood, we have a legitimate right to respond. That Hudson-McDonald dares continue to claim that we are holding them hostage is sheer hubris, or even worse, delusion. Save your breath-no one is buying your dishonest rhetoric! 

Chris Hudson also recently challenged in the San Francisco Chronicle that Berkeley needs to decide to whether we want to live in the 1950s or the 2050s. I must respond thus: Neither, if your vision of the future is this shortsighted. I continue to marvel that this steroid-enhanced, half-baked, neighborhood-busting development is miraculously being lauded as “progress” by the masses simply because they are dangling a Trader’s Joe’s in front of you. I caution that you Trader Joe’s junkies out there are banking on the shifting-sands strategy of developers Hudson-McDonald, schooled at the hand of Patrick Kennedy, the King of Bait-&-Switch, so believe me when I say there is NO guarantee there will ever be a Trader Joe’s in this building.  

As for you shamelessly-recruited, 11th-hour, interloping TJ groupies, I must ask you: since when, in Berkeley of all places, do convenience, homogenized commerce, and corn chips trump social conscience? Inquiring minds deserve to know! Are you all so hypoglycemic that a single spoonful of sugar from Trader Joe’s helps the medicine of a 148-unit apartment building go down so easily? Have you not yet evolved beyond the stage of cavemen, when the only thing humans could afford to worry about was food & shelter? Apparently not. Your lives may get temporarily easier by this quick-fix remedy, but the supposedly sick patient Hudson-McDonald claims to be treating, Berkeley, will surely die a painful death. There is always a price to be paid for convenience. May you choke on it, because Berkeley surely will. Bon appetit! 

So yet again, another Berkeley neighborhood is being sacrificed for the greater common greed. For some of you, it’s the anticipated revenues. For others, merely food! I read Chris Hudson’s final quote in the October 24th edition of the SF Chronicle with great irony: “We’re willing to invest in the long-term future of Berkeley, but at some point Berkeley’s got to decide whether it wants to be Berkeley 1950, or Berkeley 2050.”  

Well, in case Chris hasn’t heard, on October 24th the World Wildlife Fund’s Living Planet Report reached the well-substantiated conclusion that the insatiable human footprint is far too big for the natural resources left on the planet, and that by 2050 our natural resources may well be completely depleted. As WWF International Director General James Leape observed upon the release of this study, “We are…consuming resources faster than the Earth can replace them. The consequences of this are predictable and dire.” So too will be the continuing unchecked and unorchestrated over-development of Berkeley. 

So, apparently, thanks to non-sustainable development like 1885 University Avenue, and subsequent increasingly dense urban populations, the chance there will be a 2050 is even slimmer than the chance that there will be a Trader Joe’s in this project. I seriously doubt Hudson-McDonald will acknowledge or can even begin to fathom their eager contribution to the ensuing devastation. If they want their cake and eat it too, and if they claim to be the development prophets of the future, they must be held to a higher standard: ever heard of green building, Hudson-McDonald? Welcome to the sustainable future! 

The neighbors of Berkeley Way, who intitiated the original dialogue with Panoramic Interests regarding this proposed project four long years ago in an blatantly optimistic attempt to circumvent this fruitless and tortuous process, must rightly be left wondering: Is Trader Joe’s such a potent opiate for the masses, and even the institutions we expect to protect us from the suspect financial and political machinations of big development, that you are all lulled into complacency, or even advocacy? Or, even if you are immune to Trader Joe’s, is this whitewash simply and predictably explained by the fact that Hudson-McDonald has the money, they have the influence, and they have their hands deep in the cookie jar? We are also rightly left wondering: does anyone out there really care about a truly livable Berkeley? Wake up and smell the deception! 

 

Regan Richardson is a Berkeley Way neighbor. 

 


Commentary: Berkeley Needs Copwatch to Track Police Conduct

By Jonathan Huang
Friday November 10, 2006

Recently, an attorney for the Berkeley Police Association, Harry Stern, disparaged Berkeley Copwatch for its service to the community. Those remarks were absolutely unwarranted, shameful, and insulting to the citizens of Berkeley.  

Though I honor the dedication and self-sacrifice of many police officers, I recognize that such authority and power can be perverted by a few. In effect, it is essential to keep them in check 

In August, however, a California Supreme Court decision, Copley vs. San Diego, has weakened the function of civilian oversight, and the BPA is using this decision as legal fodder for sterilizing the Berkeley Police Review Commission. Furthermore, this year was marked by an appalling Berkeley police scandal involving the tampering of over 200 drug evidence envelopes.  

It is in this context—our zeitgeist of repression—that I support the efforts of Copwatch and disagree with Stern’s outrageous comments: 

First, Stern deprecated Copwatch by stating that it “carries no weight in the matter” of the future of the PRC. Obviously, Copwatch is not a body of lawmakers. Its efforts, on the other hand, are aimed to pressure the city council, to promote public discourse, and to engage citizens in political action. Nonetheless, any organization that lacks legislative power is still part of the political equation, and hence relevant and important.  

Second, he implicitly assumes that because the Copley decision is the “law of land,” it must be right. His stance is, in essence, blind obedience to the government. There were many instances where “the law of the land” was inherently wrong. A prime example is the case of Plessy vs. Ferguson, which approved the practice of racial segregation. Is one to say that until the Brown decision was reached in 1954 that segregation had been justified?  

Third, he belittles Copwatch by saying that they “whine and moan.” Even so, I’m surprised not every citizen in Berkeley is whining and moaning about the condition of police review. Civilian oversight is a thirty year tradition in Berkeley and has been a model for the nation. But now, PRC hearings are closed to the public, and the BPA are relentless in their efforts to neuter the commission. Most importantly, civilian oversight is a matter of ensuring that the government is by the people and for the people.  

Fourth, Stern is wrong to want the PRC to “follow current law and its own rules,” a quote from BPA President Henry Wellington. He puts an obligation on the PRC to do what is legal; rather, the PRC has an obligation on to do what is right. It is imperative to know that the law is never always right—considering that American law has supported segregation and torture, etc. We, as rational human beings, have an obligation to what is truly moral: a form transcending irreducibly unjust laws. Current law regarding civilian oversight affords the irrational and undemocratic, and the PRC ought to be able to do what is right: to have open hearings, greater powers of investigation, independent legal counsel, and the ability to publicize itself.  

Lastly and most disgracefully, Stern fundamentally charged Copwatch and other anti-authoritarianism groups of criminal activity. He said that “when I hear bold action, what I hear is that they want to break the law.” He does violence to reason in two respects. First, he assumes that Copwatch and other groups are criminal. This is blatantly false. Instead, Copwatch performs a principled function of monitoring the police and ensuring that police brutality and abuse are documented. In addition, the group champions effective community control over the government. Second, he assumes that laws are inherently right. In contrast, civil disobedience is warranted when a law makes one “so sick at heart” and is “so odious” (to quote Mario Savio) that one must force the combine of oppression to a halt.  

Hence, I find Harry Stern’s remarks about civilian review and Copwatch to be affronts to the principles of open government. Ultimately, the comments are insulting to the progressive ethos of Berkeley citizens who have a proud tradition of civilian oversight and police accountability.  

 

Jonathan Huang is a Berkeley resident. 


Commentary: How the Oakland Chamber of Commerce Destroyed an Election

By Paul Rockwell
Friday November 10, 2006

When the people of Oakland enacted the Campaign Reform Act of 2000, they wanted to make sure that non-affluent voters had an equal voice in the political life of the city. The preamble states: “The integrity of the governmental process, the competitiveness of campaigns and public confidence in local officials are all diminishing.” The high cost of elections “gives incumbents an overwhelming and patently unfair advantage.” 

By passing a reform act, moderate in content, Oakland residents attempted to reduce the corrupting influence of money in downtown politics, to put an end to the pay-to-play system that is destroying, not only Oakland, but political discourse throughout the country. 

For six years the Reform Act served the people of Oakland by protecting the integrity of its elections. When the recent, closely watched campaigns began in District 2, some months before June 2006, all the candidates and parties, including the Chamber of Commerce, accepted the rules. 

But something dramatic happened in June that changed everything. Ron Dellums, a visionary, African-American progressive, won the election for Mayor. By late October, Aimee Allison, another dynamic African-American, especially popular among Oakland youth, moved into a tie in the polls with incumbent Pat Kernighan. In fear of losing hold of City Hall, the Chamber of Commerce fell into a panic. So long as their favorite candidates, like De La Fuente and Pat Kernighan, were winning, the rules were fine. But with the Allison ascendancy, the rules had to be changed. And fast. 

Suddenly, without any public discussion or notice, OakPAC, the Chamber’s political arm, got a compliant judge to lift Oakland’s spending limits for political action committees. The Pandora’s box of campaign finance was open, and dirty money—money spent in defiance of Oakland’s laws—began to flow into the Kernighan campaign. Kernighan herself had no say in the matter. Allison and her supporters were stunned. Outraged students, involved in elections for the first time in their lives, made picket signs for downtown business: “Elections are not for sale.”  

When I first heard about the Chamber of Commerce move, I too was shocked. The intervention reminded me of the fiasco of 2000, when right-wing Supreme Court judges intervened in Florida, changing the long-standing rules of the state, halting the counting of votes, putting the loser into the White House. I have lived in Oakland for decades. I love my city, its redwooded hills, its local jazz, its bustling waterfront and vibrant culture. But Oakland has a long history of money politics. In all my years, I have never seen a power-grab as ruthless, as unethical, and as unconstitutional, as the Chamber intervention in District 2.  

It is true that Mayor-elect Ron Dellums tried desperately to save the integrity of the election. He negotiated a truce with OakPAC. OakPAC’s Chairman, Michael Colbruno, agreed to voluntarily give up a court victory, to respect Oakland’s limits, at least for the duration of the election. It was not as big a concession as it first seemed. Twenty thousand dollars was already spent in defiance of Oakland rules, and that is a huge amount of money for one week in a single district. The damage was done. Nor was the agreement binding on other independent groups, some of whom began to spend money to match OakPAC’s profligacy. One independent group, over which Allison had no control, published a negative anti-Kernighan brochure. Colbruno charged Allison with buying the election, even while his own lawyers argued in court that elections cannot be bought, since “money is speech.” Colbruno played it both ways. He talked about a truce in Oakland, but he never withdrew his anti-Oakland suit in court. He actually got a continuance, an extension of the restraining order that originally caused the anarchy in District 2.  

The central issue regarding the post-election controversy is not political. It’s not about Allison or Kernighan, about who won or lost. The central issue is a matter of principle. It concerns the 14th Amendment and the legality of the election itself. Free elections are based on a clear, uniform set of rules, consistently applied. Not only were the rules changed at the last minute to suit the needs of one contender, the entire election was carried out under two contradictory sets of rules: one with limits, one without limits. Some groups abided by one set of rules; other groups followed another agenda.  

We have no way of knowing who would have won a legal, fair election in District 2. But the fiasco in District 2 has major implications beyond the wrecking of one election. It threatens to destroy fair election practices in Oakland as a whole—and in perpetuity. The Chamber of Commerce is resurrecting a pay-to-play, dirty money system that makes it impossible for candidates like Aimee Allison, who lack access to power-brokers and big donors—to participate in local elections on an equal basis. The Chamber is driving African-Americans and other minorities out of the electoral process. Electoral finance is not only a corruption issue; it is a civil rights issue as well. 

 

Paul Rockwell is an Oakland writer. 


Commentary: Bias Against Minorities in Math and Science Continues

By Jonathan David Farley
Friday November 10, 2006

It was a Cold War love story. Julia Robinson had never met the man she was writing. He was from Leningrad; she was from Berkeley. And yet they did one of the most precious things a man and a woman can do together. They did mathematics. And they did that beautifully, solving one of the twentieth century’s greatest conundrums, Hilbert’s “Tenth Problem.” 

This puzzle had to do with how you tell if you can solve a “Diophantine equation,” an equation exactly like the kind you dreaded in high school, like “xy-x2=0.” 

And yet when the message went round the world—“Hilbert’s Tenth Problem has been solved by Julia Robinson of Berkeley!”—and reporters flocked to the University of California to interview Professor Robinson, they couldn’t find her. 

She was not Professor Robinson. The University of California would not give Julia Robinson a job. 

While this story, like most stories, is more complex than it first appears (just watch the new documentary by Oakland filmmaker George Csicsery), the general situation for women in math and science is not. Robinson died in 1985, but the National Academies have just released a report reaffirming that the bias continues. “Compared with men,” the report says, “women faculty members are generally paid less and promoted more slowly, receive fewer honors, and hold fewer leadership positions.” Moreover, as the Robinson story suggests, “These discrepancies do not appear to be based on productivity, the significance of their work or any other performance measures.” 

The situation is not entirely bleak, fortunately, but it is not the “elite” institutions leading the way. Among the top 50 chemistry departments, Rutgers has the highest percentage and number of women faculty (26 percent; the average is 13 percent).  

The situation is worse, however, for minorities, according to the report, and another recent National Academies report concludes that university presidents need to “publicly state the institution’s commitment to diversity.” The authors buy in to the idea that the universities they studied really did support the goal of inclusiveness, because they said they did. 

In reality, though affirmative action has been a conservative vote-getter for three decades, in academia it exists in name only: Every university today pledges its commitment to diversity—even Bob Jones University, which, until recently, banned interracial dating, features African-Americans on its website—but few honor that commitment. 

For example, Stanford president John Hennessy in May declared that he was “worried to death” over the dearth of black faculty. Yet, when the Silicon Valley NAACP presented Hennessy with a list of award-winning black scientists, some of them Stanford alumni, he did not even meet to discuss the issue. A small controversy erupted when, to defuse student agitation on behalf of Edray Goins, a black Stanford and Caltech alumnus who works with the man who helped prove Fermat’s Last Theorem, Stanford’s Faculty Diversity Recruitment officer announced that Stanford had made Goins an offer, when they had not. 

Individuals who have followed higher education in California assert that Stanford has had only one black physicist (now deceased), and no blacks in mathematics. It is reported that, in 10 campuses of the University of California system, only 2 blacks have been hired in mathematics from 1990-2000, including tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure track lecturers. On the east coast, Harvard’s math department has never had a woman faculty member. 

In 2003, then-MIT president Chuck Vest won an award given by the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering. In 1991, Vest even created a much-heralded fund for instantly hiring qualified minority faculty, should they be discovered. And yet, Woodward and Bernstein would be unable to determine how many times this fund has ever been used. Similar stories apply to other top universities, such as the California Institute of Technology (“Caltech will aggressively and proactively recruit women and underrepresented minorities for faculty positions”); the president has a Special Assistant who deals with issues related to women and minoritie—although, since Caltech had one black freshman in 2005, the Special Assistant must spend a lot of her day playing solitaire. 

What the elite universities prefer is “the Harvard Shuffle.” “Get me Nelson Mandela,” the joke goes in African-American academic circles, a mimicry of a university president looking to recruit a new black faculty member. High-profile or already established black academics move from Harvard to Princeton to Stanford, and, each time they move, their new institution trumpets its diversity, even though the same people are being counted two or three times. (Last year, Stanford hired 5 African-Americans, and lost 4.) American universities hire just enough minorities to keep from being accused of racism, although happily the façade is now peeling away. 

The situation for women is improving, fortunately. Julia Robinson did get her day in the sun. After she solved Hilbert’s Tenth Problem, she was given a lectureship at the University of California, part-time. 

 

Professor Jonathan David Farley is a mathematician at the University of the West Indies (Jamaica). Seed Magazine has named him one of “15 people who have shaped the global conversation about science in 2005” (lattice@Stanford.edu). 

 

 


Commentary: It Was 20 Years Ago Today...

By Toni Mester
Friday November 10, 2006

“The past is prologue” wrote Shakespeare, and it was 20 years ago that several key events predicted the future of Berkeley and framed our present. 

 

We zone the waterfront 

We awoke the day after the 1986 election knowing that years of work by a dedicated cadre of Sierra Club volunteers had been vindicated with the passage of Measure Q, zoning the waterfront in contradiction to Santa Fe’s massive development proposal. In the ensuing two decades, Santa Fe failed to persuade the US Supreme Court to hear their case, Citizens for East Shore Parks aided by Assemblyman Tom Bates coordinated a successful State bond to buy the land, the Specific Plan has been refined, and the park emerged. Last year saw the opening of our striking signature foot bridge across the freeway, providing access to this magnificent open space. 

So many people contributed to this long effort, most notably Berkeley’s own legendary and long lived Sylvia McLaughlin of Save the Bay, that today we can claim the waterfront victory as a community success.  

District elections begin 

In June 1986 a majority of voters approved a change to district elections with heavy turnout in the hills. In their eagerness to break the BCA majority on the City Council and to end slate campaigning, the citizens of Berkeley shot themselves in the foot with self-inflicted disenfranchisement.  

Instead of voting for the entire council, the voters now elect only one member and the mayor in a city with a strong manager/weak mayor form of government. Each councilmember is accountable to one district only, and the mayor remains as the single elected representative of the entire municipality. Council members, having the power of incumbency, can act like ward heelers, being elected again and again without term limits. 

The results have been disastrous. The flatlands with our multiple problems suffer from insufficient representation. Crime, the homeless, traffic, development, and commerce require greater accountability. Those activists who alienate their councilmember are left with only one elected official, the mayor, as a possible ally. When the mayor is the only elected official responsible to everyone, then a failure to please all the people all the time assumes a disproportional importance. If the mayor fails to command a majority, the city falls into gridlock, and the manager and staff take over, further weakening the power of the individual citizen. 

In my analysis, the vituperation directed against Mayor Bates and members of the City Council reveals discontent with the political process. Berkeley has always been fractious, but the current acrid tone reflects the political impotence foisted on us by district elections. I suggest a revision whereby candidates come from the districts but are elected by all the voters citywide. 

 

The California Ink Company is landmarked 

This white elephant, recently memorialized by a No on J mailing, became a Berkeley landmark twenty years ago on November 17. It may have historic interest, but the place is a toxic mess. Don’t take my word for it. Go to Picante for lunch, walk around the block, and see for yourself. Whatever one’s own land use preferences or prejudices, we should agree that public safety comes first. The place needs to be decontaminated, a huge expense usually borne by a developer. We can’t just let it rot. 

If I learned anything writing the Sierra Club response to the EIRs for both the waterfront and the Bayer specific plans, it’s that West Berkeley sits on alluvial soil and landfill, which tends to liquefy in a major earthquake. Consider the fate of the San Francisco Marina district in the Loma Prieta quake. Picture gas lines breaking, fire, and traffic gridlock. Imagine making a beeline on foot to the waterfront through poisonous fumes.  

I don’t share the fervor of those who interrupted the legislative process to try to force their own revision of the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance, especially since the Council’s proposal was not available for comparison in the voter’s guide. It doesn’t seem practical to landmark industrial buildings when new technologies and R&D require modern facilities and when decay puts neighbors at risk. Kawneer, Durkee, and Heinz have already been appropriately designated and adapted for current use, but how many other old industrial structures have sufficient value and integrity to warrant preservation? 

The landmarks controversy generated debate and focused attention on a crucial question, which can only be beneficial.  

 

The Golden Bear Center is built 

This five story monstrosity at University and Milvia, built in 1986, epitomizes the reasons why Berkeley resents and resists new development; so much of what we get is ugly. As we approach the downtown on University Avenue, this huge inert box obliterates our view of the hills without substituting any attractive elements. The glass reflects the sky, but that’s about the only touch of beauty. The office building includes the UC Extension among other enterprises and provides 300 underground parking spaces, but the hulking architecture does not complement or enhance its surroundings. 

Compare the Golden Bear Center with the new Berkeley City College where little touches like the setback entrance, the slant in the windows, and the center V add movement to the mass. Those dull concrete columns could be covered with colorful mosaics to create a rainbow, spirals, or giant totem poles. Perhaps a contest could be held for artists to submit designs. 

Many of the new buildings suffer from irresolute or boxy roof lines. There’s a reason Old West builders put false fronts on even their simple structures. A building can protect or menace, inspire or dwarf, but without an upward sweep or defining flourish on top to mediate between the human eye near the ground and the great sky above, we find it unsatisfactory. 

If the City could achieve some standard of design excellence and compatibility on our major arteries instead of the current garish mish mash of styles and manage to orient traffic away from houses and schools, the citizens might warm up to the idea that we need new construction for a variety of uses. On Fourth Street, the uniformity of warm stucco creates the feel of a pueblo. People like to hang out there because it’s a human sized environment with a communal glow. We could spread that success to other parts of the City if we started with the premise that pedestrian scale and beautiful design matter. 

 

Loni Hancock is elected mayor 

“It was twenty years ago today; Sgt. Pepper taught to band to play… 

It’s wonderful to be here; it’s certainly a thrill…” 

 

Toni Mester chaired the committee for Yes on Q, the 1986 measure which zoned the Berkeley waterfront and later served on the Citizens Advisory Committee for the Bayer Development Agreement. 


Letters to the Editor

Tuesday November 07, 2006

CHAMBER HIT PIECES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I haven’t written to the Daily Planet before, but I was moved to do so when a friend showed me a campaign hit piece she received in the mail. This Chamber of Commerce PAC mailer is really over the top! It accuses Kriss Worthington and Dona Spring of being responsible for the closing of Radston’s and a few stores on Telegraph Avenue. It’s so ludicrous that one tends to believe it will affect voters in a way opposite to that intended. 

For starters, I don’t think either of these councilmembers were responsible for the growth of stores like Office Max or Office Depot. Nor did they encourage property owners to charge the high rents that make it difficult for small businesses to survive. In addition, I don’t believe Spring or Worthington own stock in Emeryville shopping centers. 

I live in District 1 and often walk to Fourth Street, a nice half-hour stroll. There are several empty storefronts there, victims to some economic exigency or other. Yet, the chamber is not blaming that councilmember for those closings, nor would I want them to. (I happen to be a repeat voter for Linda Maio, my councilmember.) In addition, the chamber has not blamed the mayor for the various stores that close (and then open under new owners), throughout the city. And, I wouldn’t want them to assign blame there, either, because clearly it would be misplaced. 

Those of us who live in Berkeley like to think that our forward thinking city is fueled by the energy of intelligent, thoughtful individuals. The Chamber of Commerce is trying to tell us otherwise. Hopefully, voters won’t be fooled by this pathetic attempt to tarnish two hardworking, responsive and responsible Councilmembers. 

Sharon Maldonado 

 

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FOLLOW THE MONEY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

When it comes to politics, it’s essential to understand how money works. I agreed to serve as Kriss Worthington’s volunteer treasurer because as a community activist I appreciate his phenomenal work for our neighborhood and the progressive issues I care about. My position as treasurer has given me a window into what it costs to wage a campaign that communicates a candidate’s record and vision to voters. Since powerful interests have targeted Kriss in past campaigns, I knew that we’d have to spend substantial money on our efforts, and indeed we have spent around $27,000 as of Oct. 21 (the last reporting period). 

But our expenditures, normal for a hard-fought campaign, have been dwarfed by the money Kriss’s multimillionaire opponent has thrown into the race. George Beier has now won the dubious distinction of spending more than anyone has before on a Berkeley City Council race. As of the 10/26 campaign filing statement (which covers expenditures through Oct. 21 and which can be found at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/elections), Beier has already spent over $72,000 (more than the mayor in a citywide race), including $27,000 of his own money, and he will be the first City Council candidate in Berkeley history to surpass $100,000. Beier’s also benefiting from the Chamber of Commerce PAC, which has spent over $15,000 already against Kriss, as well as a soft-money mailing from the conservative Berkeley Democratic Club (which deliberately tried to mislead voters by picturing Beier with Barbara Lee, even though she is an early and enthusiastic supporter of Kriss’s), meaning that all told Kriss is being outspent by around three to one. 

It’s worth asking what all this money is buying; if this is what we want politics in Berkeley to be about; and whether, in the end, we can truly afford it. 

Nancy Carleton 

 

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WHY I SUPPORT MEASURE A 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I have been asked to explain how it is that I can both oppose waste in the school district in the form of mass false registration and sponsor Measure A. The question is reasonable in that the history of generosity toward the schools is a basic reason why so many people outside the tax base try to crash our district. Yet I see no contradiction in my position. Both Measure A and fixing the broken registration system are means of supporting the schools. I am in favor of good schools. Raising funds and preventing fraud are two of the basic ways a school board can work to that end. 

David Baggins 

Candidate for School Board 

 

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SCHOOL BOARD 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

School Board Directors Shirley Issel and Nancy Riddle are up for re-election on next week’s ballot. My letter is to remind Berkeley voters that these women have broken faith with the community in their positions as School Directors; and so, do not deserve to be returned to office. Do not vote for Shirley Issel or Nancy Riddle. 

In March of 2003, three teachers at Jefferson Elementary School presented a letter to their school community at a PTA meeting. The letter suggested that the community reconsider the name of the school site in consideration of the idea that having a school named for a slave holder is disrespectful to those whose ancestors were enslaved as well as to all people who recognize our country’s history of slavery as shameful. I was one of those three teachers. A group of parents quickly joined us to spread a successful petition to initiate the written School Board Policy for changing a school site’s name. 

This group carefully followed every aspect of the School Board’s written policy and procedures. By May of 2005, the staff, students, and families of our school community had been through a thorough, well publicized, educational, democratic process to choose a school name. The vote showed a majority for the new name, Sequoia. This process and it’s result were submitted to the School Board for approval. 

In a completely unprecedented action, three of the School Board directors voted to refuse to recognize the results of it’s own written policy and process. These individuals, Shirley Issel, Nancy Riddle, and Joaquin Rivera, chose to vote their own opinions rather than act as elected representatives overseeing a proscribed policy. As leaders of this city’s educational community they taught the very young citizens at our school site one of their first lessons about the democratic process. These students learned that their votes, their parents’ votes, and their teachers’ votes don’t matter. 

The students were confused to return to school in September 2005 to find that their school’s name had not been changed despite the election results. A process that had been a fine lesson in democracy for our school’s students was completely undone. School Board Directors had made promises that they would come and explain to students why they overturned the results of their election. 

To date, not one has done so. What are our students left to believe about the democratic process and the importance of their votes? What are they to understand about justice and the ideal of unbiased application of our community’s written laws and policies? That these School Board Directors lack the understanding to see how inappropriate the name Jefferson is for a school supported and attended by African American citizens, is reason enough to find them unfit representatives for this diverse community. That, further, they would refuse to recognize the results of an official School Board Policy is overwhelming evidence that they are inappropriate for their positions. 

Marguerite Talley  

Kindergarten Teacher 

Sequoia (Jefferson) Elementary School 

 

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GOLDEN GATE FIELDS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Golden Gate Fields is misinforming voters about the economic (and environmental) impacts of the racetrack on Albany. Here are some facts: 

1. $1,565,000 is what Golden Gate Fields pays in yearly taxes to Albany and its school district. 

2. $1,600,000 is what a modest hotel complex on the site would produce in yearly taxes for Albany and our school district. 

3. $2,000,000 is what a medium hotel complex would produce in yearly city/school taxes. (East Bay hotel builders are very eager to build in Albany—including a modest amount of retail, e.g. 25 percent of the Caruso retail plan, on 25-30 acres.) 

4. If the track closes, Magna still pays $1,065,0000 in property/parcel taxes unless it donates the land to the state park. In that case we get a free shoreline park. Or, more likely, we could get a development agreement to put a hotel complex on 30 acres and get $1.6 to $2 million in city and school taxes, while leaving over 70 acres for continuous shoreline park. 

5. Magna Corp. leads the nationwide effort to bring casino gambling to horse tracks. Magna’s chair stated he wants Las Vegas style entertainment (gambling and malls) at all horse tracks. (Time Magazine) But casino gambling and malls are illegal on the Albany waterfront and Albany does not have to change its waterfront zoning to satisfy Magna. 

6. Golden Gate Fields will choose to close or not for its own business reasons, e. g. to stop continuous economic losses or because Magna is planning a Dixon racetrack large enough to replace racing activity at GGF and Bay Meadows combined. Albany will not control whether the track closes but it can control whether it plans for the long term of the shoreline. 

7. The vision of the environmentalists for the shoreline is extremely practical, meeting the fiscal needs of Albany and protecting the environment in the process. Assertions by GGF that CESP, Sierra Club, CAS and Audubon want to build a hotel in a creek or a marsh are just 

plain silly. 

In the meantime, we should all participate in the Albany city waterfront planning process. Come and discuss our future shoreline. Everyone is needed. 

Robert Cheasty 

President, Citizens for the East Shore Park 

 

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IF WE DON’T VOTE,  

WE DON’T MATTER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I think it’s important to ensure an more inclusive Berkeley, and because as a student I feel that we sometimes don’t get included in decisions that impact us all, I thought it makes sense to direct this piece to both students and all Berkeley residents. There is a crucial election coming up on Tuesday and the people we elect make policy that impacts our quality of life. That’s why it’s important to vote. 

As someone who has been involved with City of Berkeley politics for the past two-and-a-half years, as the current Chairman of the Commission on Labor and a member of the Housing Advisory Commission, I thought it’d be important to clue all residents in on the most important races and my personal recommendations for voting on Nov. 7. Among others, I’m supporting: 

• Kriss Worthington for re-election to District 7, City Council. 

• Jason Overman for election to District 8, City Council. 

• Mayor Tom Bates for re-election. 

• No on Measure I. 

From the student perspective, as I am one, Berkeley students make up approximately 25-30 percent of the city population and don’t get their fair share of resources or their collective voices heard in the process. 

Voting for Kriss Worthington will ensure that all of our voices are heard when it comes, for example, to funding affordable housing projects and reducing the city’s crime rate. 

Did you know that Kriss helped students secure more than 1,000 new beds for student housing in the last eight years at a time when students were once forced to sleep in BART stations in the late 1990s? I kid you not. This housing crisis impacted us all as a community. How about that Kriss lobbied to keep businesses around campus open later, and voting to fund social services for Telegraph? Or that Kriss has appointed some 75-plus students and a diverse array residents to city commissions, the bodies that allow us to have a direct voice in policy making? Kriss has also pushed for a living wage and minimum wage for employees and makes sure our tax dollars are spent well. I say, promise made, promise kept. 

Voting for Jason Overman will usher in a new era of politics. Jason is both a Cal student and Rent Board commissioner who’s dedicated to increasing affordable housing, increasing funding for safety services such as police, reducing traffic that hurts our environment, and making it easier for students to get involved. Simply put, voting for Jason ensures that there is another ally for progressives on the City Council, for he’s a well-qualified progressive student himself. When he ran for the Rent Board, he promised that he’d fight for affordable rents and he has. Again, promise made, promise kept. 

Voting for Mayor Tom Bates will ensure that your City Council isn’t stuck in stalemate, as it has been in previous years. 

I’m honored to have been appointed to the Housing Advisory Commission by the mayor, and as a student committed to equality and fairness, I’ll continue to work with the Mayor and other parties in ensuring that students get their fair share. The mayor is working on revitalizing Telegraph, ensuring that we have access to a safe and vibrant shopping market near campus and throughout Berkely’s shopping areas. He’s also working to ensure that housing is created for those who need it most, including the homeless population. Under his leadership, Berkeley was named one of the greenest U.S. cities. That is how it should be. 

Finally, Measure I is a dangerous proposal, speaking of housing! It claims that it will create home ownership opportunities by pushing the conversion of rental units, where students generally live, into condominiums. Many students and residents can’t cough up the $500,000 price tag required to buy the units that they currently rent. Converting these units to condos means that those who can’t afford the buy would face eviction. This proposal is too risky. Regardless of whom you vote for or against, know that your involvement is important. Be sure to make your voice heard on Nov. 7. 

Nicholas Smith 

Chairman, Commission on Labor,  

Member, Housing Advisory Commission 

 

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PROPERTY VALUES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Berkeley homeowners should be cognizant of the current real estate market when voting on Nov. 7. 

The strong real estate market is over, and home prices are dropping. Yet massive apartment and condominium projects keep getting approved and built. Now that the real estate market is weakening, land use decisions will effect property values more and more. A glut of apartments and condo units will lower property values through the economic law of supply and demand. Berkeley is already the third most densely populated city in northern California, after San Francisco and Daly City. As Berkeley continues to rapidly develop, traffic will keep getting worse, historic buildings and views will be lost, and our city will become more dense, noisier, and more polluted. All of this will make Berkeley a less desirable place in which to buy a home, and in which to make a long-term commitment to live. 

Mayor Tom Bates, and City Council Members Linda Maio (District 1) and Gordon Wozniak (District 8) have voted for nearly every development project that has come to the Berkeley City Council in the last several years. They have consistently refused to hold public hearings on the appeal of large-scale development projects approved by the Zoning Adjustments Board, and they have consistently refused to require environmental impact reports (EIRs) for these large-scale projects. 

Bates, Maio and Wozniak also voted last year to approve the secret deal with UC to double the size of downtown Berkeley and to hand development decisions for our downtown over to the university. If the secret deal with UC is not overturned, neighborhoods to the north and south of downtown Berkeley could soon be overrun with high-rise apartments, condos, and office buildings. 

Berkeley home owners should realize that a vote for Mayor Bates, for Councilmember Maio, or for Councilmember Wozniak is a vote to worsen the quality of life in Berkeley, and a vote to lower the value of your home. 

Clifford Fred 

Berkeley Planning Commissioner, from 1988-1996 

 

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FIGHTING AIDS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a voter, in the final days of this fiercely contested election, I sometimes feel as though there is nothing that the parties agree on. But somehow, in the heat of it all, both the Republican and Democratic parties came together to promote the ONE Campaign’s new—ONE Vote—spot. The fact that they rose above their differences on this not only surprised me, but it reminded me what is at stake on Nov. 7. 

On election day, like every other day, there will be over 1 billion people around the world living on less than $1 a day. But unlike every other day, my vote can set in motion something that will change that. As one of the 2.4 million members of ONE, I have been working to make the fight against global AIDS and extreme poverty a part of the election conversation. For the first time in history we have the resources and know-how we need to end extreme poverty. All we need now is the political will to make it happen and that means we have to vote and hold our leaders accountable for the decisions they make. 

I encourage my fellow voters to contact candidates and ask them what actions they’ll take to help fight global AIDS and extreme poverty. Beyond the attack ads and partisan sparring filling the airways are the life and death decisions that our newly elected leaders will make on our behalf. Fighting global AIDS and extreme poverty is something we can reach across party lines to do together, and it can make a better, safer world for us all. 

Lola Olson 

Oakland 

 

• 

A GUIDE FOR THE  

UNCONVINCED VOTER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Make no mistake: this letter is an attempt to convince you how to vote on Tuesday. 

I produce the majority of Kriss Worthington’s literature. This election season I’ve also written for Dona Spring, against Measure I, and for Measure J. Over the years I’ve produced literature for numerous candidates and for Berkeley funding bonds, among them disability bonds, library bonds, and parks bonds. I am schooled in the art of convincing. 

There was one overriding message I took away from the ‘60s, from the struggle against the Vietnam War, from the Civil Rights struggle, and from the women’s movement, and that was that the end doesn’t justify the means, but is, rather, simply determined by the means. Any movement which succeeds by imposing the will of an elite instead of realizing the will of the people it claims to act on behalf of is corrupt. 

The opposing sides in a contest look superficially alike because they have in common the determination to convince those who will decide the outcome to act on their argument instead of their opponent’s. But it’s possible, even surprisingly simple, to sift your way productively through the literature of a bitterly fought electoral contest. Just apply the following test: 

Reread the literature with an eye to the structure of its argument rather than its content. There are only two ways to make an argument: you can be guided by your end or you can be guided by your means. If the former, you will use all material at your disposal, no matter how relevant, to convince: if the latter, you will only be satisfied if you inform, and in informing, convince. If as a reader you come away from an election piece with new understanding, that’s the direct result of the author’s attempt to inform you. If you come away with doubt and fear, it’s the direct result of the author’s attempt to manipulate you. 

Here’s two productive examples from this election season. 

The Chamber of Commerce’s anti-Measure J piece warns that if you vote for Measure J you will be allowing as few as 25 people to designate a new Historical District. In fact, a Council majority has already stated it will put into effect a substitute law if J should fail, a law that also will allow 25 people to designate a new Historical District. Both proposals use that number because it’s the one recommended by the State Office of Historical Resources. The Chamber wasn’t lying: it was just attempting to convince by misinforming. 

Two letters from Beier supporters in Tuesday’s Planet: In “Real Progress vs. a Progressive Label” Charles Banks-Altekruse writes that “George seems capable of working respectfully and maturely with other City Council members to advance an agenda of constructive change and real progress.” David Cottle writes for “Beier Progressives in the Bateman, Halcyon, LeConte and Willard neighborhoods” that “Beier has, in addition to genuine progressive credentials, the intelligence, creativity and temperament we need in Berkeley’s elected leadership.” They’re either two people who happened simultaneously to realize that the most important thing to hammer into a letter to the editor this week is that George is every bit as progressive as Kriss, or they are part of an orchestrated Beier letter-writing effort echoing on-message talking points. If you have the time, go back and read these polished and perfectly meshing letters.  

If you feel you’ve learned something from this letter, I hope you’ll vote for Measure J and for Kriss Worthington. 

Dave Blake 

 

• 

SCHWARZENEGGER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The San Francisco Chronicle’s lame editorial endorsing Schwarzenegger bugs me. My reaction comes deep into my psychic; I cringe hearing Arnold’s name. His guttural voice reminds me of German guards and interrogators experienced as a downed Eighth Air Force flyer and a prisoner of war from May 9, 1944 through April 29, 1945. I am not biased against the Germanic people per se. I grew up in a German-speaking family. 

But, Arnold’s ingrained aggressive and dominating roles as an actor, a swaggering macho body builder, a womanizer, hummer owner, and maker of sexist and racist remarks have deep roots: they are his heritage. This is not suitable for being governor; he should try Minnesota or Montana. I do not trust his recent “soft” side, while he takes corporate donations. The Luftwaffe interrogating officers tried the soft guise on us newly downed American flyers. 

Arnold is pathetically and deviously obvious, as he plays footsie with the Bushie Republicans and the Democratic Legislature—what an act. The truth will out should he become governor: a lame-duck governor we should fear. In that guise we can expect his historic characteristics to relentlessly prevail. My historic recollections still stand. 

Ken Norwood 

 

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DISTRICT 7 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The District 7 City Council race is about haves and have nots. Kriss Worthington the incumbent survives on considerable less than the national average on a City Council salary of about $24,000 a year so he can spend more time directly helping his constituents. George Beier his opponent is a multi-millionaire ... and he wants Kriss’s job. Nothing is ever enough for some people. 

There is a line in the play Look Back in Anger by John Osborne: “It is always the wrong people who go hungry.” Kriss has the compassion to respond to a call from a constituent like myself in distress by getting on his bike and meeting with me in 15 minutes. He helped my neighbor a fragile professor who had been locked out of his apartment by his landlord who trashed this tenant’s place, putting his stuff in the garbage after not paying an illegal rent. In my own Section 8 case and the professor’s case Kriss advocated for us with this landlord and with the city’s Housing Authority. 

I am an award winning photographer who has been suffering from illness. I have helped host crime watch meetings when I was living at Russell St. I object to the Chamber of Commerce’s hit piece about Kriss not helping with crime. Kriss helped us become more safe from drug dealers who were assaulting, robbing and threatening the lives of Section 8 tenants in my complex.  

Kriss is a proven supporter of affordable housing. I have been quite sickened by the lies and slander George Beier has posted in front of his campaign headquarters basically calling Kriss worthless. Kriss confronted the “politically incorrect” problem of drug dealing in my neighborhood and building when no one in the local city government did. Kriss is deservedly respected for his devotion to La Causa, the cause of progressive politics. I feel George Beier is trying to buy this election with his money. It has been hard for me to write this but it is my hope it can get in the paper for election day.  

Diane Villanueva Arsanis 

 

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CHRONICLE ENDORSES BATES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The endorsement of Tom Bates by the San Francisco Chronicle is less political than financial. Given the paper’s declining circulation they simply can’t afford to have Tom stealing bundles of the Chronicle. 

Frank Greenspan 

 

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THEOCRACY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Do Americans want a theocracy? Twenty-six years ago Ronald Reagan won big and thus began the ascendance of the religious right, church-state politics. Reagan was the man who believed that trees caused pollution and dumped the mentally ill on to the streets. 

Now we are up against another hard-line Republican administration. This one even more radical than Reagan’s. Republican conservatism has given way to religious extremism. 

The Bush-Republican answer to solving disputes is war and more war to line the pockets of corporate sponsors. 

Nov. 7 is a vote about the misuse of power and trying to be the world’s policeman. Send the GOP packing or vote for more of the same. 

Ron Lowe 

Grass Valley 

 

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PACIFICA RADIO 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a veteran of the “turn-of-the-century” struggle to prevent the Pacifica National Board from destroying what was left of Lew Hill’s independent Pacifica Radio Network, I’m sick to the heart at the dysfunctional listener-board election process taking place at KPFA right now. Having won the court battle and established the right of listeners to elect their own station boards, we’re now witnessing a most un-democratic election process that is an embarrassment to progressives and a cause of near-despair in those of us who struggled so long. 

The saving grace in this complete mishugana, now that I’m at some remove here in Spokane, is seeing people like Sasha Futran running for that station board. Disclosure: I’ve known Futran for a long time, having done much grassroots organizing with her, including a short time when she was a part of Take Back KPFA. But what tells me she would be an excellent choice for the KPFA listener-board is her work on the KQED Board—not only did she bring a journalist’s passion for accuracy and larger-than-most share of personal ethics, she had an eagle eye and a pit bull’s tenacity when she saw things that didn’t add up. Having been in radio herself for a number of years, she also understands radio: listeners, programmers and program quality, funders, and regulations in addition to having a solid grounding in progressive politics. 

Having been in Spokane for the last six years, I haven’t paid my Pacifica dues for several years (busy supporting micro-radio up here), and I regret that now. I would eagerly vote Futran onto that board—KPFA needs her badly! Would that there were 10 more of her! 

Marianne Torres 

Spokane Valley, WA 

 

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DEVELOPERS IN MIND 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

After I heard Tom Bates speak at Berkeley City College on Wednesday night I wondered about how the man had changed so much from the mid-’70s when I knew him as a member of the Legislature who helped us in the state Health Department in Sacramento battle for the needs of all citizens. In contrast Wednesday he announced to us that there are plans to build a 900-unit, nine story condominium on Center Street, across the street from Berkeley City College as well as a 200-unit hotel on Center and Shattuck where the Bank of America is. When one of the students asked what is this going to do for the downtown parking for students he answered, “It will be a little bit of inconvenience.” As it is many people avoid shopping in downtown Berkeley because parking is so hard. We have a wonderful community college smack in the middle of the downtown where will students park? What will a nine story condo do to the character of the downtown? Bates obviously has more than the interests of Berkeley’s citizens in mind, specifically the developers. 

Pauline Bondonno Cross 

 

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NONSENSE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Last night I received a postcard from anti-Measure A folk whining about the state of Berkeley Unified School District’s pools and other recreational facilities. I’d like to remind them that the primary mandate of BUSD is to educate children, not provide recreation to adults. Starving the district of resources by defeating Measure A will make this already-challenging mandate nearly impossible. And if you think the facilities are poorly maintained now, sending the district into bankruptcy would only make the current situation much, much worse. 

I hope 10 years from now when this measure is up for renewal, we try to make it permanent so this kind of nonsense no longer arrives in my mailbox. 

Brenda Buxton 

 

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BATES AND DEVELOPMENT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Re Mayor Bates’s Nov. 3 commentary, “Let’s Talk About Development,” if he’s as green as he makes out in his campaign literature, why did he fail to discuss the fundamental ecological issue of limits to growth? The East Bay’s existing population is already making such demands on the water supply that EBMUD is seriously considering building desalinization plants. Do we really want to build ourselves into a perpetual drought? 

As for Bates’ argument that we need to line the major traffic corridors with five-story apartment buildings in order to provide housing for Berkeley workers, the ones built in recent years always seem to have vacancies. Why aren’t Berkeley workers snapping them up? My guess is they’d rather commute as far as necessary to give their kids the benefit of growing up in a single-family house with a yard—just like Bates’s kids did. 

Robert Lauriston 

South Berkeley, District 3 

 

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HYPOCRISY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Funny how your paper failed to cover the illegal use of city e-mail addresses by certain city council candidates (See the Daily Cal). 

It’s nice to protect your friends—even it does make you a hypocrite. 

Joseph Brooks 

 

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ANTI-GAY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

From the recent revelations about Ted Haggard, Mark Foley, and James McGreevey, back to the uncloseting of Michael Huffington and before him, J. Edgar Hoover, we see some of the loudest anti-gay bullies are themselves homosexual. Next time one hears homophobic hate-mongering, one should ask, “where is this person coming from?” 

Bruce Joffe 

Piedmont 

 

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ROVE-IAN TACTICS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The tactics of the GOP which we abhor in Berkeley appear to have infiltrated our city. 

What a very sad few weeks it has been as Berkeley voters have been deluged with what amounts to hate-mail, filled with lies and distortions, from the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce PAC. 

And none of the people running for re-election who names are on these hit pieces—Bates, Wozniak and Maio— have denounced them. 

If they win, GOP tactics and ethics will have found a safe harbor in Berkeley. 

Anne Wagley 

 

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PROPOSITION 89 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

By the time you read this letter voters will have largely decided the fate of Proposition 89 for public funding of elections. This “Clean Money” proposal has not been doing well in the polls because, while voters agree our elective system has been taken over by big money and no longer represents the public interest, giving tax money to politicians to run their campaigns is too bitter a pill to swallow (although, in the case of Proposition 89, corporations pay). Yet, with record amounts of special interest money being spent on elections on all levels and not much of it coming from constituents, our disenfranchisement can only get worse. A just published study by MAPlight.org found an average of 78% of State legislators’ campaign funding comes from outside their districts, with some getting as much as 99% from outside sources. If Proposition 89 fails, it will show how difficult it is to overcome the cynicism that our present system has created. If we ever wish to reclaim our democracy, however, the public needs to realize that it’s much better to have public money finance campaigns than allow our fate and the fate of our community, state, country and world be determined by those who put their special interests above ours. This is one solution all of us, whether “red” or “blue", should be able to agree upon.  

Tom Miller 

 

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HOUSING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Fern Leaf claims in her Nov. 3 Daily Planet commentary that “Berkeley has thousands of market rate rental vacancies.” If true, there are three obvious conclusions: the market rate is too high; these landlords prefer to take depreciation over income; and these landlords form a large cohort who’d love to see Measure I pass because no tenants means no 2 percent pay out.  

I’d have a lot more respect for the Measure I backers if they’d just say “I’d like to sell my rental properties but the current terms for condo conversions are unfair.” 

If anyone actually cared about “affordable housing,” they’d sell their property at a discount to market rate. 

John Vinopal 

 

• 

CORRECTION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I just read Judith Scherr’s Nov. 3 article “KPFA Listeners Race for Station Board Spots.” The Espanol-language program “Rock and Rebellion” is actually titled: “Rock en Rebelión.” 

Michael Manoochehri 

 

• 

MORE ON PROP. 86 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

This letter will probably come too late for many of you to consider when casting your votes, but it’s been in the back of my mind to write for a week or so even though I didn’t quite feel right about doing so. 

I am a smoker—of some 45 years now—not proudly, but rather acknowledging the strength of my addiction in that I have yet to be able to give up cigarettes. I am also a low-income earner. In that, I am like most cigarette smokers. So those of us who are caught in the vice are also the least able to absorb further taxes on it. And who is Prop. 86 going to benefit? Surely not me and my fellow smokers! Rather, it seems it’s just a politically correct way of raking in taxes from those of who are least able to afford to pay them to fund all sorts of other “health-related” activities, including fighting obesity. 

As a smoker, Kaiser told me I couldn’t get health insurance unless I were to register as someone with “a pre-existing condition.” I’m actually blessed with great health, so I don’t know what they had in mind except pure prejudice. In the meantime, obesity rates in this country are through the roof—with the resultant implications for diabetes, etc., and the next time you’re in a Kaiser facility, take a look at the physical condition of it’s employees! I wonder if they’re charged through the roof for their health care (I can’t afford it). 

We’re all in this together, smokers, fat people, average joes. Please think about that when you vote on whether or not to hurt me with higher taxes from which I, as a smoker who intends to quit when she can, to pay for all of our sins. 

Nicola Bourne 

 

• 

THE YOUTH VOTE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

On Nov. 7, young people will be heading to the polls across the state to cast their ballots. The value of the youth vote has never been more important. This year while we vote on local measures and candidates, it’s also said that we’re issuing a referendum on the federal government. While the urgency is not lost on young people, the main barrier to getting us registered and voting has been the sentiment that our votes don’t count. And this year, our peers may be proven right. New e-voting machines are being used across the country, regardless of their well-documented problems, including easy hacking and ballot deletion. In addition, many young people never got as far as Nov. 7, thanks to registration difficulties which made joining the ranks of voters all the more difficult. Voting should be one of the easiest things to do as a citizen of this country, yet it seems to become increasingly difficult year after year. 

If this country is serious about civic participation, we must take steps to make sure every vote counts. If not, we risk losing our democracy. 

Natasha Marsh 

California State Director 

League of Young Voters Education Fund, Oakland 

 

• 

ANIMAL SHELTER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It’s gratifying to see the letters expressing concern about the failure of the City of Berkeley to move forward with the voter mandated new animal shelter. It is one of the few municipal building projects that could be providing much needed construction jobs and could also be a key component in the regeneration of the Gilman corridor. An animal shelter is not a “pound” any longer—it is a community resource providing ample opportunities for volunteering, education and inspiration. A real vision for Gilman would not center on car dealerships or outlet stores, but on an artisan district, which respects the industrial heritage of the area and encourages some of the more “industrial” arts. The animal shelter would have been a fantastic focal point for community pride and renewal. 

Instead the site at Sixth and Gilman sits bare, the Macauley Foundry remains on the market and neither the BUSD nor the animal shelter have a place—in spite of funding being in place for both. Time for new leadership in Berkeley. 

Jill Posener 

Chair, Animal Shelter Bond Campaign 2002 

Chair, Animal Shelter Sub Committee 

 

• 

PERALTA TRUSTEES FOR  

ABEL GUILLEN 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As current members of the Peralta Board of Trustees, which governs Laney, Merritt, Alameda and Berkeley City colleges, we enthusiastically urge voters to support Abel Guillen, who is running for the Area 7 seat (Temescal, Chinatown, Lake Merritt, and West Oakland).  

Abel has distinguished himself as a civic leader, community organizer, and school finance advisor who has helped raised billions in bonds for California schools and community colleges. He brings with this set of professional skills a commitment to diversity and a strong history of community involvement, especially on behalf of under-represented and under-served students. 

As the first member of his family to attend college, he knows the value of education and the importance of making sure that young people have access to our colleges and a program for success. He has met with countless numbers of students and staff members on the Peralta campuses to learn first hand what’s working and what’s not. In the many debates held so far, he has demonstrated a command of the issues and articulated a student-centered vision far superior to his opponent. It is this vision that has earned Abel the strong endorsements of Peralta’s faculty and staff unions and that of Peralta’s two Student Trustees Marlene Hurd and Reginald James. 

Mr. Guillen’s strong history of public service, financial expertise and first-hand experience with community colleges more than qualify him for the Peralta Colleges Board—a board charged with providing quality programs for nearly 30,000 students and overseeing an annual budget of $100 million along with $390 million in new bond money the voters recently approved.  

In 2004 we were overwhelmingly elected to the Peralta Board with the solid backing of a community dissatisfied with a dysfunctional Peralta Board that had for years engaged in poorly considered and badly executed decisions. Weak planning, poor oversight, lack of transparency and accountability, even outright arrogance, led to the wasted spending of millions of dollars and years of low morale and negative press.  

For the past two years, we are happy to report, the District has greatly improved. But, there is much more that needs to be done. The same groups that supported us two years ago, among them The Peralta Federation of Teachers and SEIU 790, recognize the work ahead and the need for a progressive, responsible, and diverse board majority to accomplish our goals. They have overwhelmingly endorsed Abel Guillen, as have Oakland City Council member Nancy Nadel, most East Bay Democratic Clubs, the Alameda County Central Labor Council, the Green Party, the Oakland Chamber of Commerce PAC, the Oakland Tribune, the Bay Guardian, and our fellow Peralta Trustee, Bill Withrow. We are pleased to join in these endorsements and urge you to vote for Abel Guillen for the Peralta Colleges Board. As trustees, we need Abel’s vote to complete the reforms we have begun. 

Cy Gulassa, Peralta Trustee Area 6  

Nicky González Yuen, Peralta Trustee Area 4 

 

• 

SIMPLISTIC 

Editors, Daily Planet:  

As usual, J. Douglas Allen-Taylor gives a rather simplistic and one-dimensional view of the challenges in a city like Oakland and the results produced by Mayor Jerry Brown. 

I have watched the Mayor walk outside of his apartment while calling 911 in the midst of a nearby shootout. He was the first person on the scene of the gang violence, telling police what happened and, yes, even showing them where the shell casings were and where the shooters stood. 

Mr. Allen-Taylor suggests this is posturing even though he, like most people, would probably hide indoors. Despite his celebrity, the Mayor does not surround himself with guards, handlers and chauffeurs. He refuses to isolate himself from citizens on the street. 

He recently called his staff at 10 p.m. on a Saturday night to report that a dozen bulbs needed to be changed on Lake Merritt’s “Necklace of Lights.” Such interventions on the Mayor’s part are not unusual. 

According to Mr. Allen-Taylor, it’s all a show, but maybe show business is Mr. Allen-Taylor’s job. 

Even the Mayor’s most ardent critics have acknowledged that there were over 50 acres of vacant unused land in downtown Oakland eight years ago. They lay blighted for decades. Now they are all filling up—bustling with people, businesses, restaurants, art galleries and cafes. If Mr. Allen-Taylor prefers empty lots and holes in the ground, I’ve got an extra shovel for him. 

Dave Grenell 

Aide to Mayor Jerry Brown 

 

• 

MEASURE A 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

What does it say that, throughout Berkeley, so many “Yes on A” supporters proudly display their signs in living room windows, front gardens, private cars and even on their clothing, while the “No on A” folks placed their few placards high above the ground on anonymous telephone poles? 

Is the “No on A” crew ashamed of itself? Perhaps it should be… Surely there must be a more productive way to advocate for what you want in our schools than to cut essential funding. 

Support the measure that Berkeley voters are proud to stand by.  

Vote yes on Measure A. 

Mary Patterson 

BUSD Teacher 

 

“The business of America,” said Calvin Coolidge, “is business.” Backers of District Four challenger Raudel Wilson reflect “Silent Cal’s” wisdom to a tee. 

Wilson hails himself as a “consensus builder.” Now we heard this six years ago from the Texan in the White House so we know that just saying something doesn’t make it so. But that isn’t the point. Wilson faults incumbent Donna Spring for being in a minority - on the losing side of votes. To quote from his interview in the Berkeley Planet of October 17 - 19: “...if you’re always voting ‘no’ when others are voting ‘yes’ it seems like you’re on the wrong side...” Never mind what you or I may think of that comment , what would a psychiatrist make of it? If you lose, you’re wrong -like Al Gore or John Kerry. If you win... 

There’s something to be said for a candidate who equates losing with being wrong - and therefore winning with being right. After all, might makes right. 

And in Wilson’s view other things make right to. For example, telling the electorate in the voter’s handbook that he has “lived and worked in the fourth district for nine years.” In fact, Wilson admits that he moved to Berkeley—not just District 4—only two years ago. Misleading? No, sir. The statement was written that way to conserve words since there was limited space in the statement. 

Let’s look at that closer. He has “worked and lived.” This is a conjunctive use. It means that he did both for nine years. It does not lend itself to any other construction. If Wilson had written that he had “worked” in District Four for nine years it would have been accurate. But then it would have led to the question where did he work and as what? 

As the manager of a downtown bank. 

Which would lead to the question of why did he move to Berkeley - District Four in particular, what is his purpose in running and in whose interest does he run? The reality is that every work day, forty hours a week, before he goes home to sleep it off, Wilson is a banker, concerned with what concerns...banks. You can study sociology at UC for four years and pick up a remarkable vocabulary of over-refined definitions of human behavior and what influences it. But when you sift through it, it all comes down to this crude historical materialist fact: “You are what you eat.” 

It is a truth universally acknowledged that “You don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” 

Who are the investors in this banker’s campaign? Check the periodic “Campaign Disclosure Statements” on file with the City of Berkeley—accessible via the net. Bankers, realtors, financial planners and consultants. 

They didn’t make a campaign contribution to Raudel Wilson, they made an investment. 

Raudel Wilson—nice guy, affable manager, good family man. That’s what the glossy photographs portray. Expensive productions for a campaign seemingly so humble. Look beneath the wrapping. You may get what you vote for. 

Wayne Collins 

 

 

• 

PERALTA RACES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Why should Berkeley residents care about a race for an Oakland seat on the board of the Peralta Community College District? 

Because the board in its entirety controls Berkeley City College (formerly Vista College). 

Because Berkeley citizens are eligible to take courses at Laney, Merritt, and the College of Alameda. 

Because Berkeley and Oakland are very closely linked. The fate of Oakland youth could hardly be more important to us. No institution offers more hope for them than the community colleges. 

Because the district has just passed a $390 million-dollar bond issue, and we need to make sure the money is spent to best effect. 

Because there is a first-class candidate running for the seat. 

His name is Abel Guillen. Abel is young, and the first in his own family to go to college. He works hard. He cares deeply, He knows a lot about how to run college districts. He wants to make sure that every high school student in the district learns well in advance of graduation about opportunities through Peralta. He knows how to listen to the faculty, students and staff rather than outside contractors when it comes to making key decisions. 

To find out how to support Abel go to www.abelforperalta.com.  

Michael H. Goldhaber 

 

• 

DOING THE OPPOSITE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I read with Mayor Bates’ article titled “Let’s Talk About Development” with amazement. It is impressive that he can make such claims in public while doing the exact opposite in practice. 

For example that “any major new development must be in the downtown or along a major transit corridor” yet 2901 Otis was not on a corridor. Bates apparently defines “transit corridor” as anything within a 15 minute walk to the nearest bus stop i.e, 90 percent of the city. 

He also says “we expect and demand that all new buildings be well designed and attractive” yet no such standard was applied at MLK and University, Harrison and San Pablo, University and Sacramento, or any of the other new developments. 

This is at least consistent with Bates’ other so-called accomplishments. For example Project Build for Kids, which netted some lucky bookseller thousands of dollars, but no kid I know has heard of the program, received any books, or knows anyone who has. Don’t forget the environmental progress Bates claims, reducing city-generated landfill for example, while ignoring the cancellation of trash pickup day and the subsequent shift of that cost to residents. 

Fact is nearly everything Mayor Bates says is tailored to sell his election and hide the fact that he has been responsive only to big real estate and big developers. These special interests are, in turn, more than happy to fund the Chamber PAC and otherwise leverage their return from corporate welfare. I will say that Bates’ years in Sacramento have taught him how to sell himself, despite the voting record. It should come has no surprise that his college major was rhetoric, which he has developed into a PhD in influence peddling. 

Mickey Hayes 

 

• 

MEASURE J 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

One argument for Measure J, which contains the most obvious fallacy, is that designation of a Landmark is like zoning—that every property owner is subject to zoning restrictions on use, height, setbacks, size of building, lot coverage, etc. Of course, but all of those restrictions are known in advance. If I plan to buy a property, I know how it’s zoned, what the setbacks are, what the height limit is, etc., so I can make clear and definite plans for the use of that property. 

But if there is a structure on the property, it may be a booby-trap that at any time can wreck those plans and render the property useless. That’s why the Request for Determination, contained in the Council’s alternate measure, is essential. I must be able to say to the LPC, I’m planning to buy this property that includes a structure, and I need to know now, before I invest in it, if I will have the option to remove or replace that structure. In my opinion, if the LPC can not, within two and a half months, find clear and obvious reasons to designate that property, then those reasons are too obscure and trivial to matter to any reasonable person, and I should have two years (or ten years) to use it as I please. 

Jerry Landis 

 

• 

ANIMAL SHELTER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

While I certainly agree with Dr. Feldman and Ms. Van Nes (Nov. 3) that the city should use the allotted funds, and more, to improve its animal services, let’s give credit where credit is due. The Berkeley Animal Shelter on Second Street does a heroic job with its limited resources. 

Unlike private shelters that can choose which animals to accept, it takes all comers, keeps them indefinitely, works with adoption services, and only resorts to euthanasia when it is indeed “mercy killing.” Although they strive for sanitary conditions, some disease is inevitable–look at the statistics for the best human hospitals. 

Much of the work is perforce done by volunteers; managing them can be as hard as herding cats, and yes, BAS does that too; rounding up feral cats is one of its several proactive programs. These include providing special training for pit bulls, whose overpopulation and aggressive tendencies have become a societal problem. Sad indeed that BAS has to hold garage sales to provide funds for its services. 

The current facility leaves much to be desired, yet when I (as a volunteer) take dogs out for much-needed exercise, at the end of the walk they are willing, even joyful, to return “home.” They and their dedicated carers deserve a better deal from the city. 

Jeanne Pimentel 

• 

LIES, SECRETS AND  

CONSEQUENCES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Governments lie for the same reason that people do, to protect secrets. If governments and people continue lying once the secret is out they are guilty of pathological self-deception. Furthermore, where grave matters are involved the person or the body politic responsible for concealment will suffer critical self-inflected wounds from which recovery will be long and painful.  

Some of us remember how government deceit about Vietnam drove LBJ from office and how persistent lying about Watergate caused Nixon to resign. George W has done these two hapless predecessors one better. Last month W’s administration asked U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton to keep secret something that all the world knows because, it claimed, if “alternative interrogation methods” are made public the nation’s security is at risk. 

Given that the drip-drip of information emanating from Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere have accumulated to form a bottomless lake named “Abu Graib,” the position taken by W’s administration is self-deceptive in the extreme. More importantly, those of us who remember must dread the effort it will take to mend our damaged Constitution and cringe at the prospect of yet another long and painful recovery.  

Marvin Chachere 

San Pablo  

 

• 

OFF THE MARK 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The Oct. 31 article on Measure I by J. Douglas Allen-Taylor is accurate in some ways but off the mark in others. For example: 

1. The article implies that a building with “serious safety, health or building code violations” could be approved for conversion under Measure I. Not true. Section 21.28.110 specifically states that any defect that “adversely affects the habitability of the property” must be corrected prior to conversion. 

2. The article says that less money would be transferred to the affordable housing trust fund. Again this is not true. The current law sets an unreasonably high fee for a pitifully small number of conversions. The fee is not payable until and unless the converted unit is sold on the open market. The key fact is that after eighteen months, no condos have been converted under the current law and no one has paid anything to the trust fund. Measure I sets a lower fee (payable up-front) for a higher number of units. This is real, immediate cash to the fund. Over and above this are increased transfer taxes and property taxes, which city analyists measure at more than $200 million over the next two decades. 

3. It is said that the 5 percent cash payment to purchasing tenants is “in effect ...a five percent discount on the purchase price. It’s a lot more than that, since actual cash can be used for a down payment. A simple discount could not. 

4. It is said that Measure I gives tenants “only thirty days from the date they are notified of the proposed conversion to make up their minds.” Again, not true. Section 21.28.060 requires a detailed written notice to tenants when the owner first files an application to convert. This notice (for which there is no current equivalent) describes all of the tenant’s potential options, including the right of first refusal. When the application is granted, a second notice must be sent. Finally a third notice is required when and if the owner wants to sell to a third party. It is only after the third notice (which at the current pace of city action could be as much as two years following the first notice) that the tenant’s thirty day decision period begins. 

It would also have helped if your reporter had spoken to the major problem in Berkeley. There is a surplus of rental housing, but no home ownership opportunities left for the middle class in Berkeley. The city has bankrupted itself subsidizing developments (nearly all rental units) which please no one, but has spent nothing on affordable homes for first-time buyers. Result? Three quarters of the City’s work force commutes into town, and spends its money elsewhere. UC graduates, many of whom would like to stay, and raise their families here, have no way to do it. Property taxes go ever upward, with fewer and fewer homeowners to pay them. 

Measure I offers real hope on all these fronts, and real cash assistance that comes from the private market, not the city treasury. It is a good idea whose time has come. 

Kathy Snowden 

 

• 

BEIER’S BROKEN PROMISE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

During the summer, George Beier knocked on my door and told me he’d be running a clean campaign based on the issues. 

He hasn’t kept his word. His campaign literature has repeatedly distorted Councilmember Kriss Worthington’s record on Telegraph Avenue, crime, and small businesses. As a neighborhood activist, I’ve seen firsthand how hard Kriss has worked to support our Neighborhood Watch, get more funding for increased levels of police and social workers, and rally the community to work together to win more resources for Telegraph. Kriss has been an incredibly responsive councilmember when it comes to basic constituent services, in addition to his widely recognized leadership on progressive issues (George pretends to be a progressive, but his record and list of endorsers suggest the opposite). 

And now day after day my mailbox is full of expensive direct mailpieces from George that are short on his own proposals but long on negative insinuations about Kriss’s record, some of them featuring quotes taken completely out of context along with simpleminded graphics. Blaming Kriss for the closure of Cody’s was particularly egregious. If Kriss were to blame for Cody’s Telegraph closing, why would my neighbor Pat Cody (co-founder of Cody’s) be working so hard to re-elect him? 

The fact that George has already spent more than any Council candidate in Berkeley history is bad enough. (Do we really want City Council seats to come with $100,000 price tags?) But even worse is his willingness to let others provide misleading information on his behalf. Examples include the Berkeley Democratic Club’s picture of George with Barbara Lee (when Lee has not endorsed him) and the Chamber of Commerce’s unattributed and illegal mailing implying that Mayor Bates has endorsed George (he hasn’t), to say nothing of the vicious hit pieces sent by the Chamber full of blatant lies about Kriss’s votes on City Council. 

Sorry, George, that’s not a clean campaign. 

Susan Hunter 

 

• 

MESSAGE FOR  

OAKLAND VOTERS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It is bad enough that this fake mailer disguised itself as coming from the Democratic Party, but it also misrepresented several of the official positions of the Democratic Party. The Alameda County Democratic Party strongly supports Measure O (instant runoff voting in Oakland) (see www.acdems.org/endorsements.html for proof). And the California Democratic Party supports instant runoff voting (see www.cadem.org/ site/c.jrLZK2PyHmF/b.1193757/k.A452/Political_Reform.htm for proof). Yet this fake slate card told Oakland voters to vote “no” on this measure. That kind of sleazy, underhanded tactic is what really turns off voters to politics. And ironically, it’s that kind of mudslinging that Measure O /instant runoff voting is trying to stop.  

As San Francisco’s experience with instant runoff voting has shown, IRV decreases negative campaigning because candidates may need the second or third ranking from the supporters of other candidates to win. So you have to be more careful what you say about those candidates in order to attract their voters’ support. 

Setting the record straight: the Democratic Party, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, and over 20 Democratic elected officials from Oakland and Alameda County all strongly support Measure O. 

Suzi Goldmacher 

Chair, 16th Assembly District 

Member, California Democratic Party State Central Committee 

 

Steve Chessin 

Member, California Democratic Party State Central Committee and 

Member, California Democratic Party Executive Board 

 

Rob Dickinson 

Member, California Democratic Party State Central Committee 

Alternate Member, California Democratic Party Executive Board 

Founding Member, San Mateo County Democracy for America 

 

Donald Goldmacher 

Member, California Democratic Party State Central Committee 

 

Sherry Reson 

Member, California Democratic Party State Central Committee 

Founding Member, Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club 

 

• 

CERRITO THEATER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The Planet’s two Oct. 31 articles will hopefully help make a good start for the new Cerrito Theater. It will be interesting to see if it helps bring some much needed “life” to our town, or turns into a white elephant. The theater owners have an interesting concept, they are mucho sympatico, and even our town’s sceptics should wish the moviehouse well. Still, in the interest of balanced reporting, missing from the commemorative plaque which thanks the City Council, staff and contributors, is the following: 

“The theater was mainly financed by 10,000 El Cerrito households, who without being consulted were required to pay over $700 each, for a “theater rent return” of $1 per household per month. The city/Redevelopment Agency should acknowledge that site acquisition, feasibility studies, design and construction costs add up to over six milllion dollars. And include interest payments on loans the agency did not repay, in order to have “the cash at hand.” So a $7 million total cost is a fair estimate, even if we forget the fact the theater is the only redevelopment project in years. From an agency that costs $500,000 a year in staff costs and another $500,000 a year for consultants. Residents can be thankful the money went into a “benign” project; the main potential damage is to worsen the area’s parking shortage, and possibly drive the AlbanyI/II theaters out of business. And of course, the promised new library is now unlikely to happen, unless residents vote to increase taxes.” 

Keep reporting, the Cerrito theater is a good experiment and learning experience, successful or not. And meanwhile enjoy the movies, they cost us plenty. 

Peter and Rosemary Loubal 

El Cerrito 

 

• 

SATAN’S  

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BEREKELY VOTERS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

For pity sakes, stop being so squeamish! Lying, cheating and stealing are just the way it’s done these days. Berkeley just took a bit longer to get with my program, that’s all. Thank heavens for the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce and their PAC, Business for Better Government—they’ve made my work so much easier! Join these unimpeachable (heh, heh) community leaders and give your vote to all candidates and initiative supporters who spend huge sums of money on their campaigns; benefit from large contributions from undisclosed sources; use last-minute campaign mailers that are packed with lies; and place the needs of big developers above the needs of neighborhood residents who chronically whine about their “quality of life.” Oh please, some people just find it so difficult to cope with positive change that results in the complete destruction of their neighborhoods. Miscreants! After we brush this riff raff away, I hope I can count on you to work with me and my colleagues to build the new Berkeley—or, as I like to call it, “Berkeley at its Beastliest!” 

Yours truly, 

The Devil* 

 

* The Devil sometimes goes by the name of Doug Buckwald. 

 

• 

PROFESSOR YOO 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thank you very much for covering the protest against Professor Yoo of Boalt school of Law. I am both horrified and disgusted by our governement’s continued support for the torure of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere. I was deeply saddened by congress’s decision to perpetuate this unconstitutional activity through the passing of the Military Commisions Act. I have never been so ashamed of my governement. Your Article gave me the opportunity to learn about Professor Robert Cole’s role in the protest at UC. Thanks for reporting on this matter of such importance. Thank you also for such a plethora of coverage of local candidates.  

Nancy Braham 

 

• 

NO QUOTAS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The Alameda County Grand Jury, in its Final Report for 2005-2006, page 48, says that “there are no quotas for ticket writing in Berkeley.: 

Quotas are prohibited by Section 41600 et seq of the California Vehicle Code.  

The Berkeley police chief, with the agreement of the city manager, city attorney, and city clerk, requires parking enforcement personnel to issue 1,200 citations a month, which they have determined to be a reasonable “goal.” 

A copy of the vehicle code is on file in the reference section, second floor of Berkeley Main Library. 

Charles Smith 

 


Commentary: Hurricane Katrina, the CNA and our Community College

By Stephen Kessler
Tuesday November 07, 2006

Sitting before our TV’s witnessing the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, the nation stunned, incredulous, in shock. Conversation, public and private, a mix of anger and disbelief. How could the flood victims—disproportionately poor and black—be treated so badly, deserted, left to fend for themselves, to die? The Bush administration went AWOL—absent without leave—revealing itself as having committed what can fairly be called malign acts of criminal negligence. This was in sharp contrast to the generous outpouring of volunteer help and contributions from around the country. A prime example: hundreds of RNs went down to New Orleans within days to respond to the horrible plight of the flood victims. 

Much attention and public commentary focused on FEMA which continues to be a disaster instead of a response to one. At present do we have faith that the people of New Orleans will be allowed to return and rebuild their homes and their lives? Do we have faith in a different outcome or the possibility of one for those hit by the next disaster? What would a different outcome look like? How do we think about and engage in open, public conversation discussing these matters in an intelligent and useful manner?  

A place to start is with these same nurses and their union, the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/ NNOC), who coordinated much of the Katrina response. Their righteous action—ordinary people doing the extraordinary—gave many of us hope and needed inspiration; we seldom see such demonstrations of solidarity in our society. There is hope and broad recognition that serious change needs to be made, encouraging the possibility of a real conversation as to what direction our country should go. 

The CAN/ NNOC has recently established RNRN, the Registered Nurses Relief Network. This is an ambitious, indeed heroic effort that will bring together some 200,000 nurses from around the country organized to respond to emergencies resulting from natural (and unnatural) disasters. So we, the rest of us, that broader public, might do well to follow the lead of the nurses. (Remember, the nurses of CNA, the ones who kicked Arnold’s butt, are based in Oakland, for that we can be proud).  

We can initiate concrete action and useful conversation right here in Oakland, Berkeley and the East Bay. Namely, how we as local residents can join in with the nurses and figure out how to prepare and respond to disasters that might befall us here in our own community—like the ever present threat of an earthquake or breaks in the levee system of the Delta?  

 

The place to have the conversation 

A good place to have that conversation is at our community colleges, those of the Peralta Community College District (Laney, Merritt, College of Alameda and Berkeley City College). The community colleges are the place to upgrade the disaster response skills of the healthcare workforce and so train students in the RN, LVN and paraprofessional programs offered by the District. This would mean working with CNA and the other healthcare unions (i.e. the United Healthcare and Hospital Workers Union and the Social Workers Union—both of SEIU, and the Doctors and Dentists of AFSCME), to develop this skill upgrading and training capacity of the colleges. Other types of training related to disaster preparedness and response should be offered at the colleges in collaboration with locals of the International Federation of Firefighters.  

The various local, regional and State jurisdictions of government and the unions can be brought together along with others in conversation that can be the beginning of a public works planning process. To this end the Building Trades Council and the Steel Workers Union can play key roles determining necessary public works projects and address issues like how many new apprentice workers will need to be recruited and trained. The civil engineers, planners, and architects working for local governments and represented by the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers or SEIU, would likely seize upon the opportunity to engage their fellow workers and members of the public to figure out the options involved in rebuilding our infrastructure.  

Likewise, the community colleges can provide a unique forum. Assuming a sponsorship role for these essential discussions will allow the colleges to undertake their mission as a resource center for community development. Public policy conversations, discussions and debates that more likely characterize the academic environments of liberal arts programs, can also be directed to members of the community who would not typically be so engaged by the colleges. Attracting this broader, more diverse constituency may well become an exemplary way for us, as local residents to exercise our obligations of citizenship. 

I’m encouraged by the prospect of these possibilities, having recently had a conversation about these ideas with Abel Guillen, who is running for the Peralta Community College Board. Abel is what they call a “quick study.” He immediately grasped the notion that the District can both provide opportunities for training and promote an exchange of ideas and conversations amongst the broad public and interested parties who can be served by the District’s colleges. I’m optimistic that he and the other Board members will take advantage of the opportunities before us and follow the lead of the nurses. 

 

Steve Kessler worked with victims of the Loma Prieta Earthquake, he is a community development planner and a Berkeley resident. 


Commentary: My Jail Term

By Rob Browning
Tuesday November 07, 2006

The most diverting feature of my jail cell was the handsome stainless-steel console attached to one wall that cleverly combined the functions of washbasin, drinking fountain, and toilet. In its economy of line, its satisfying serviceability in all its functions, and its efficient and hygienic separation of those functions, it was the kind of thing one might encounter in the design galleries of the Museum of Modern Art. A very distant second place goes to the disposable toothbrush. After removing it from its sanitary package, I followed instructions to push the handle toward the brush head, which broke a seal and squeezed rather tasty toothpaste up into the bristles. My cell offered three of these. But even in the tedium of my two and a half hour confinement I used only one. 

Other diversions were slender. Nothing to read. No Gideon Bible. No Reader’s Digest. No TV. Through the plexiglass wall at the front of my cell I could observe activity in the central reception area, but alas I’d drawn a rather lethargic, crime-deprived season for my sojourn. 

I was able to watch the fingerprinting of the thirtyish woman with the wake-up fountain of hair spritzing Versailles-like from the crown of her head. She had arrived in the booking chamber a few minutes after I did, wonderfully enlivening the sociability of that grim place. Before I was taken to my cell, she and I sat near one another on a bench along one wall, each with our hands cuffed behind our backs. The ice was broken when one of her captors glanced casually at the paper showing the charge against me and asked me if I were that person. My fellow inmate seemed to approve of my achievement. I asked her what she was in for. “All kinds of shit,” she confessed. I said I hoped she’d enjoyed it all. “Very much,” she grinned. 

My crime spree began when I parked my van parallel to the street in the broad driveways of some garages that I rent. The van was slightly on the sidewalk but in no way impeded the use of the sidewalk. In a neighborhood where many of my neighbors travel in wheelchairs, I am super-sensitive to the blocking of sidewalks. In this case I had parked so that two wheelchairs could easily have sashayed past performing intertwining figure-eights. I left my van there for perhaps five minutes and when I returned found a citation on the windshield. It was for parking “on or across sidewalk.” 

Spotting the parking enforcement vehicle about a block away, I drove there. “Did you put this on my windshield?” I asked the officer. “Yes,” she said, “you were parked on the sidewalk.” I said, “I was in no way blocking the sidewalk.” “You were parked on the sidewalk,” she repeated. I asked her to take back the ticket. She refused. The stupidity and unfairness of it overcame me and I stuck the crumpled citation under the epaulet of her jacket. It was not a wise gesture. 

Driving a couple of blocks to where I had business to do, for a few minutes I enjoyed some deep sense of injustice answered. It was a fleeting satisfaction. 

I parked and was walking toward my destination when an armada of police cars appeared. In short order, I was halted by a very severe officer, who commanded me gruffly to “Give me those things,” referring to the looseleaf binder and highlighter markers I was carrying. I couldn’t imagine what might seem dangerous about them. I suggested he might say “Please” and he barked still more gruffly to “Give me those things.” I did that. He threw them on the sidewalk and stepped on the binder. I suggested no further courtesies. 

A small battalion of officers assembled, one of them wearing devil’s horns (it was Halloween). The neighbors were impressed. I was told that I was to be charged with battery on a police officer. I was frisked and handcuffed. In the course of this, several officers spoke civilly with me and asked me to describe my exchange with the traffic officer. The exception was the barking one, who at one point snarled in my face something like: “Are you a mental case? Are you on drugs?” The questions were probably rhetorical, but I answered, as honestly as I could, “no” to both. Later, as he was hustling me toward a police car, another officer said to him, “Don’t play with him. Just put him in the car.” 

I was released from jail after a very few hours. I sent a note to the traffic officer acknowledging that I knew she was just doing what she regarded as her job and apologizing for any distress I may have caused her. Judging from the magnitude of the reaction, I caused a lot. 

In retrospect I’m a little ashamed that my jailing resulted from so paltry an infraction. It rises nowhere near the stature of Henry Thoreau’s one-day incarceration for tax-refusal over the Mexican War. It lacks any of the sordid passion that put the poet Paul Verlaine in prison for shooting the provocative Arthur Rimbaud in the wrist. And Mohandas Gandhi’s life-long readiness to face imprisonment for the noblest principles brilliantly eclipses my fleeting and unanticipated acquaintance with the lockup. 

I did learn something. If you are ever handcuffed, relax your arms. Handcuffs punish resistance. But one can settle into them rather cozily if the arms and wrists just dangle. 

 

Rob Browning is a Berkeley resident whose court date later this month will presumably determine how the case he describes here is resolved. 

 


Commentary: Will Our Votes Count?

By Jinky Gardner, Helen Hutchison and Susan Schroeder
Tuesday November 07, 2006

Will our votes count in this election? The short answer is yes.  

Members of the League of Women Voters in Alameda County have been observing and working closely with the Registrar of Voters Office (ROV) for more than a year an a half to make sure that our election system is working well. Guiding our work have been the LWVUS standard—SARA—voting systems should be Secure, Accurate, Recountable and Accessible, and the basic League tenet that voting is a fundamental citizen right that must be guaranteed. 

Four League members serve on the ROV’s Citizen’s Advisory Committee; two League members serve on the ROV’s Logic and Accuracy Board.  

Overall, League observers found the ROV conscientious and meticulous in carrying out its work. Election equipment and software are only part of an election system. Well trained staff and systematic procedures are key elements; they are essential to carry out a secure and accurate election. Acting ROV Dave Macdonald, who also heads the County’s IT Department, has expanded and improved the tracking and testing of equipment and systems, upgraded the training of the existing staff and brought with him from IT additional staff with computer expertise. An independent firm was hired to do a vulnerability assessment. The firm identified only a few weak points that the ROV needed to correct. The report is posted on the web at http://accurate-voting.org/wp content/uploads/2006/10/alameda_sequoia_vuln.pdf.  

A full report of League observations of the November 2005 election, “How Our Votes Are Counted,” is posted on the Web at www.lwvbae.org/ acc_rov.htm. Although some details of the system described in this report will change at this election, the descriptions are still relevant to citizen observers. During the canvass following the June election, the ROV posted large sheets explaining to citizen observers exactly what processes they were observing. 

This election will provide a strenuous test for the ROV since the County has brand new voting machines and a new voting system, from a new vendor, Sequoia Voting Systems. The Board of Supervisors made their purchase decision only just in time for the fall election; equipment began to arrive at the end of August. The Registrar of Voters staff had to work very quickly to learn the new system, to adapt existing training for poll workers and temporary staff, to train them and to study and test the new systems. Because of concerns raised by citizens about the security of electronic systems, the Board of Supervisors required the ROV to add extraordinary safeguards for this election—including independent testing and a full hand recount of all votes cast on touch screen machines. 

All voters will be able to review their ballots before casting them; all ballots will have a paper backup. Most votes will actually be cast on paper ballots. Disabled voters—or voters who wish to do so—will vote on new touch screen machines which will also print their vote on a paper roll; those who vote with an audio ballot will be able to listen to an audio replay.  

Voters in Alameda County can vote with confidence. 

 

Jinky Gardner is president of the Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville chapter of the League of Women Voters; Helen Hutchison is president of the Oakland chapter; and Susan Schroeder is presdient of the Piedmont chapter.


Commentary: A Student For Beier

By Evan Bloom
Tuesday November 07, 2006

As a fourth year student at Cal I have never voted in a local Berkeley election. I never cared too much for the local style of sandbox politics and seemingly little action. From my perspective, and other students I’ve spoken to, Berkeley politicians don’t really do all that much. But then again, why should I care? I’m here four years and then I’ll never live in Berkeley again. However, recently a chance encounter with City Council candidate George Beier has changed my mind. 

Two weeks ago, someone broke into my apartment in the middle of the day and cleaned out all of my valuables. When the police arrived at my apartment—which is two blocks south of campus—they shrugged and I have not heard from them since. They said that there was really nothing they could do because this kind of crime happens all the time. 

It was that moment that I realized how dire the situation in Berkeley really is. All you have to do is observe the streets as you walk to class in the morning. Drug deals take place every day on my corner. Women have been raped on my block, students are mugged, property is stolen. It’s no secret that more crimes occur in the neighborhoods surrounding Telegraph Avenue than anywhere else in Berkeley. All this makes me think, does the City of Berkeley even care about us? I feel like a second class citizen. 

Walk down the once-famed Telegraph Avenue. Just going down the street, I have to hold my breath, stepping over gutter punks drinking 40s, dodging drug induced transients, and systematically avoiding other shady characters lazing on the sidewalk like it’s Miami Beach. Businesses are closing left and right and the situation looks bleak. Business revenue on Telegraph has declined 22 percent in the last 10 years. That also happens to be the same amount of time Kriss Worthington has sat on the City Council. Ironically, his campaign office sits in one of those vacant storefronts! 

The City of Berkeley needs an activist who will push for tangible goals and not simply give lip service to pressing issues that affect all of us.  

George Beier has tangible plans to transform People’s Park, creating a safe environment for students. He is calling for action. His opponent recently claimed that the Park is a safe place, but I literally walk 3 blocks out of my way to avoid the Park because several of my friends have been harassed, mugged, or violated near the Park. Mr. Worthington puts the blame on the University for telling students to stay away. It seems ridiculous, but the last time I walked through the park I saw someone with a needle shooting up, a fist fight, and men cat-calling a female student on her way to class.  

Students, it’s time for change.  

It’s about time that the City of Berkeley start cleaning up its act and realizing the importance and value of the University of California and its students. 

It’s about time students didn’t have to worry about finding the safest route home from the library, a friend’s house, or a bite to eat.  

On Tuesday, Nov. 7 we have the opportunity to start making Berkeley a safer place for students. Safety starts with a vote for George Beier. 

 

Evan Bloom is a UC Berkeley student and former ASUC senator. 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Commentary: Prop. 89 a Chance for Clean Elections

By Steve Koppman
Tuesday November 07, 2006

Many Californians dread the mass of complex propositions on every imaginable subject that confronts us every statewide election. This November, though, features a system-changing initiative that must not be allowed to get lost in the clutter, a measure that offers fundamental change to the system of legalized bribery that has too long passed in this state for representative democracy. 

What would we call it if a baseball player gave the umpire a $25,000 check before sliding into home plate? What would we call it if a lawyer offered a judge a similar payment before he announced his verdict? What do we call it when corporations give public officials such checks before they make the public policy that shapes the context of our lives?  

Proposition 89 would establish for the first time in California a statewide system of public campaign financing. Not another hodgepodge of hard-to-enforce restrictions on donations, or new “reporting requirements” for reports few read, but a system where most campaign expenses would be paid with public funds, modeled on systems working well in Maine and Arizona.  

Prop. 89 would dramatically reduce the power of corporations who have been able to shape the Sacramento political environment, using money to elect people who owe them something and will keep needing their help—whether these obligations are made explicit or not. 

Most of the political establishment will oppose this reform at first—because, if nothing else, they’re not used to it. This applies even to many politicians with a strong sense of the public interest. They’ve gotten where they are under the current system. Change is disorienting. The new law will also give unknown challengers a better chance.  

So this was never going to pass the Legislature, let alone the Governor. But this issue, so central to what our democracy is, is too important to leave to politicians any longer.  

Opponents note Prop. 89 means a slight increase in the tax on corporate profits, which will still be below its 1996 level. Corporations already spend on campaigns. Now it will be through taxes, rather than buying politicians’ good will. That will mean savings for the state’s people much greater than the system’s modest cost.  

Any proposition requires many detailed provisions, each debatable and potentially flawed. Opponents will seek to sap support through pointing out details that may seem imperfect to various voters. The comparison will be between this measure’s details and a mythical ideal rather than the grossly corrupt system now in place. The law’s details can be “fine-tuned” into the future. Let’s not let the imaginary perfect be the enemy of the good. 

Under 89, accepting public money is voluntary. Candidates for state office get allotments based on office at primary and general election stages. Primary candidates show public support to qualify by raising a specified number of five-dollar “seed money” contributions. Third parties get proportional support. Beyond seed money, “clean money” candidates get no private contributions and must agree also to debate opponents. Prop. 89 dramatically reduces maximum contributions to non-participating candidates by corporations, unions, committees, and. Candidates can reject public funds and use their own. If self-funded candidates outspend “clean money” guidelines, publicly funded opponents can get five times their normal allotment to match them. 

Similar measures in Maine and Arizona have facilitated passage of legislation long blocked by corporations, reduced rates at which incumbents are re-elected, and produced a far more diverse candidate pool.  

Passing Prop. 89 is the reform that will make other reforms possible. Perhaps most importantly, it will make the system one we don’t have to be ashamed to explain honestly to our children. It is a rare chance, in the welter of propositions, to make democracy real. 

 

Steve Koppman is an Oakland resident.


Columns

Column: Dispatches From the Edge: Coming Home: War and Remembrance

By Conn Hallinan
Friday November 10, 2006

“It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell.”  

—Union General  

William Tecumseh Sherman 

 

Clearly the U.S. Civil War is not on the reading list of psychiatrist Sally Satel, a scholar at the right-wing American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Indeed, Satel sees war less as hell, than as a golden opportunity for veteran lay-abouts to milk the government by “overpathologizing the psychic pain of war.”  

Satel, whom the AEI trots out anytime the Bush administration needs cover for cutting veteran services and benefits, says the problem for former soldiers is not Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). “The real trouble for vets,” she writes, is “once a patient receives a monthly check based on his psychiatric diagnosis, his motivation to hold a job wanes.” Her solution? “Don’t offer disability benefits too quickly.” 

The commentary makes an interesting contrast to a powerful piece in the October 2006 magazine Registered Nurse titled “The Battle at Home” by Caitilin Fischer and Diana Reiss. Fischer is a Bay Area writer and teacher at Berkeley City College, and Reiss is a physician assistant and an associate at the Center for Investigative Reporting.  

What they found was that “In veterans’ hospitals across the country—and in a growing number of ill-prepared, under-funded psych and primary care clinics as well—Registered Nurses… are treating soldiers…and picking up the pieces of a tattered army.” 

According to the authors, RNs across the country “have witnessed the guilt, rage, emotional numbness, and tormented flashbacks of GIs just back from Iraq and Afghanistan,” as well as older vets from previous wars, “whose half-century-old trauma have been ‘triggered’ by the images of Iraq.” 

How many soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan will eventually fall victim to PTSD is not clear, although a U.S. Defense Department study in 2006 found that one in six returnees suffer from depression or stress disorders, and 35 percent have sought counseling for emotional difficulties. The Veterans Administration (VA) treated 20, 628 Iraq vets for PTSD in just the first quarter of 2006 and is currently processing a backlog of 400,000 cases.  

Out of 700,000 soldiers who served in the 1991 Gulf War, 118,000 are suffering from chronic fatigue, headaches, muscle spasms, joint pains, anxiety, memory loss and balance problems, and 40 percent receive disability pay. Gulf vets are also twice as likely to develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig Disease), and between two and three times more likely to have children with birth defects. 

Modern battlefields are toxic nightmares, filled with depleted uranium ammunition and exotic explosives, and strewn with deadly cluster bomblets. The soldiers are shot up with experimental vaccines, some of which have dangerous side effects from additives like squalene. In short, soldiers are not only under fire, they are assaulted by their own weapons systems and medical procedures. 

Satel need have no worries about the VA rushing to hand out cash to veteran couch potatoes. According to Fischer and Reiss, a returning vet must wait an average of 165 days for a VA decision on initial disability benefits. An appeal can take up to three years.” 

Reserve and National Guard troops—who make up between 40 and 50 percent of the front line troops in Iraq and Afghanistan—have a particular problem, because their military medical insurance benefits only cover conditions diagnosed in the first 100 days. PTSD sometimes takes years, even decades to kick in. 

When they do complain, vets can expect that their ailments will be dismissed, or their cause stonewalled. 

When Gulf War vets complained about a variety of symptoms which has come to be called “Gulf War Syndrome,” the DOD told them it was in their heads, in spite of studies by the British Medical Journal and the U.S. Center for Disease Control that showed the returnees were suffering illnesses at 12 times the rate of non-Gulf vets. 

For five years after the Gulf War the Pentagon denied that any troops have been exposed to chemical weapons. It took pressure from veterans’ organizations and Sen. Donald Riegle (D-MI) to get the DOD to finally admit that as many as 130,000 troops (the vets say the number is higher) were exposed to chemical weapons from the destruction of the Iraqi arms depot at Kamisiyah. 

Veteran organizations are currently fighting the Pentagon over its refusal to screen returning soldiers for mild brain injuries. Figures indicate that up to 10 percent of the troops suffer from concussions during their tours, a figure that rises to 20 percent for those in the front lines. Research shows that concussions can cause memory loss, headaches, sleep disturbances, and behavior problems. 

The DOD, however, argues that though the long-term effects of brain injuries needs more research, it is unwilling to fund a screening program. Given the wide use of roadside bombs, “Traumatic brain injury is the signature injury of the war on terrorism,” George Zitnay, co-founder of the Brain Injury Center, told USA Today. And according to researchers at Harvard and Colombia, the cost of treating those brain injuries will be $14 billion over the next 20 years. 

Upwards of 20,000 Americans have been wounded in Iraq, some of those so grotesquely that medicine has invented a new term to describe them—polytrauma. Estimates are that 7,000 vets have severe brain and spinal injuries, and amputations. For the blind, brain damaged and paralyzed, war is indeed hell.  

But the hell we bring home is only a pale reflection of the hell we leave behind.  

According to a recent estimate by the British medical journal, The Lancet, upwards of 650,000 Iraqis have been killed since the invasion. Most of the country’s infrastructure—already damaged in the first Gulf War or degraded by a decade of sanctions—has essentially collapsed. 

Iraq’s experience is not unique. The Vietnam War ended more than 30 years ago, but according to a recent study: “Vietnam: A Natural History” (Yale University Press), Laotians, Vietnamese and Cambodians are still dying from it.  

From 1964 to 1973, over 14 million tons of bombs were dropped on those three countries, including 90 million cluster munitions on tiny Laos alone. Somewhere between 30 to 40 percent of those fiendish devices never exploded, and, according to the British Mines Advisory Group, they have killed or maimed 12,000 Laotians since the end of the war. They continue to extract a yearly toll of 100 to 200 people, many of them children. 

Traces of the 20 millions of gallons of Agent White, Agent Blue and Agent Orange herbicides that the U.S. sprayed over Vietnam still poison the water, soil, vegetation, animals and people of Southeast Asia, producing cancer and birth defect rates among the highest in the world.  

Calculating the cost of war is tricky, but Nobel Prize winning economist John Stiglitz recently calculated that the long-term health care for Iraq war vets will exceed $2 trillion.  

So war is indeed hell—for those who fight it, for those caught in the middle of it, and for those who eventually pick up the pieces. 

 

 

For a copy of The Battle at Home, contact the California Nurses Association, 2000 Franklin St., Oakland, 94612, 273-2251. 


Column: The Public Eye: After the Celebration: The Democrats’ To-Do List

By Bob Burnett
Friday November 10, 2006

When Democrats quit celebrating their victory in the mid-term elections and begin to consider their priorities for the 110th Congress, they need look no further than Iraq. The basic issues that plague Iraq--security, infrastructure, and governance--are the same that beset the United States. Due to a devastating combination of managerial ineptitude and ideological inflexibility, the Bush administration has lost Iraq and severely damaged the United States. They couldn’t stop the looting there and refuse to stop the looting here. 

Shortly after American forces occupied Baghdad, on April 9, 2003, widespread pillaging broke out; the first indication the public got that things weren’t going to be hunky dory in Iraq. When queried about our troops’ failure to stop the looting, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld quipped: “democracy is messy”—a remark intended to deflect attention from the fact that the Pentagon hadn’t sent enough troops to handle the occupation. But also, a comment that revealed the grim ideology of the Bush administration: Democracy—in the minds of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and others in the White House inner circle—is synonymous with unbridled capitalism. They see the world as a battleground, where individuals engage in a vicious, winner-take-all struggle for existence. From this perspective, Democracy is indeed messy. And looting is a commonplace occurrence, an inevitable consequence of life on the edge of a violent frontier. 

As a consequence of their philosophy, the Bush administration did nothing to stop the looting of Baghdad and other cities in Iraq. This shouldn’t have surprised the American public; since 2000, the administration encouraged the ravaging of America. Now it’s time for Democrats to put an end to this looting. 

In both America and Iraq, Republican pillaging followed a pattern: it began with petroleum resources. Next, under the camouflage of “privatization,” the Bush administration gave lucrative contracts to Republican donors. Finally, the White House legalized despoiling the environment, as they consider the environment a free resource to be sold to the highest bidder. 

In April 2003, one of the only Iraqi public buildings to be guarded by American troops was the oil ministry. No surprise. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, “Iraq contains 112 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, the second largest in the world (behind Saudi Arabia).” A recent article described how the Bush Administration conspired with the big-four oil companies—Exxon-Mobile, Chevron-Texaco, BP-Amoco, and Royal Dutch-Shell--to control Iraq’s oil. The same energy company executives that encouraged the Bush Administration to invade Iraq, and helped write the Iraqi constitution to ensure the United Stats would control Iraqi oil, were also involved in Dick Cheney’s infamous energy task force. They’ve been favored with billions of dollars of oil subsidies. As a result, their companies enjoyed record profits. 

The invasion and occupation of Iraq gave the Bush Administration an opportunity to give their biggest supporters thousands of sole-source contracts: in July of 2004 Halliburton had Iraqi contracts worth $11,431,000,000. This war profiteering is documented in Robert Greenwald’s Iraq For Sale. Now, the $22 Billion Congress allocated in 2003 has run out and less than half the authorized projects have been completed. “Huge amounts of funds were wasted because of bureaucracy, corruption, incapacity and the spending of money on unimportant projects,” reported Ali Baban, planning minister in Iraq’s six-month-old government. On Aug. 3, the top auditor of the U.S. reconstruction effort complained to Congress about the failed reconstruction. As a consequence, the Republican Congress eliminated the auditor and his Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. 

The Bush administration doesn’t believe in the Federal government. Therefore, they’ve treated our treasury as an executive expense account, which they use to provide gifts for their supporters. The principal advisers to the Administration typically have been lobbyists: the president’s chief environmental adviser was a lobbyist for the Chemical Manufacturers Association. It’s not surprising that they’ve written legislation that favors corporate profits over the common good. 

What should the priorities of the new Democratic Congress be? First of all, they should publicize the widespread looting condoned by the Bush Administration. Then, they must hold Congressional hearings and press for criminal investigations by the Department of Justice. Third, they should take steps to limit the power of lobbyists over Congress. Last December, Democratic Representatives David Obey, Barney Frank, David Price, and Tom Allen introduced a reform package that would deal with many of the procedural abuses that plagued the Republican Congress. Their 14-point proposal Amending the Rules of the House to Protect the Integrity of the Institution is a good starting place. Finally, what the corruption of the Bush Administration illustrates is the need for fundamental reform in our political system. Democrats must begin to change the rules that govern our elections to reduce the power of big money and big corporations. Democrats must take concrete action to stop the looting of America. 

 

 

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


Column: Undercurrents: The Politics of Citizen Access in Oakland

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylo
Friday November 10, 2006

It’s doubtful that politics brings out more silliness in the human character than any other human endeavor—it just seems that politicians, and the people they employ, seem so much more intent than anyone else on broadcasting the odd things that are sometimes on their minds. 

And so, in response to a recent UnderCurrents column criticizing the Jerry Brown administration, we have Dave Grenell, aide to Mayor Jerry Brown, writing a letter to the last Daily Planet that “Despite his celebrity, the mayor does not surround himself with guards, handlers and chauffeurs. He refuses to isolate himself from citizens on the street. He recently called his staff at 10 p.m. on a Saturday night to report that a dozen bulbs needed to be changed on Lake Merritt’s ‘Necklace of Lights.’ Such interventions on the Mayor’s part are not unusual.”  

One wonders why Mr. Grenell bothered. His letter was appearing about the same time that California voters were roundly rejecting my long and many criticisms of Mr. Brown if even they read any of them, predictably electing the former governor, former secretary of state, and outgoing mayor by a 57 percent to 38 percent margin over Republican State Senator Chuck Poochigian. 

Still, when your defense of your two-term tenure as mayor is that you walked around the city in the evenings making sure the lights were turned on, you know you’re working on a thin résumé.  

Meanwhile, I’m not sure how long Mr. Grenell was on the team, but actually Mr. Brown once surrounded himself with at least one guard, chauffeur and handler, the since-disappeared Jacques Barzaghi, who once received a concealed weapons permit through the Oakland Police Department in order to carry out those duties. Mr. Barzaghi, who seemingly could not be physically separated from Mr. Brown from the early 1970s on, left the country and disappeared from public view about the time Mr. Brown’s Attorney General’s campaign was gaining public attention. Mr. Barzaghi, it seems, was a political albatross and embarrassment because—while on the job given to him by Mr. Brown—he had been reprimanded and punished for sexually harassing City of Oakland staff members. 

Interestingly, Mr. Barzaghi surfaced in the newspapers again about the time it became apparent that Mr. Brown was a shoo-in for the attorney general’s office, talking to a Los Angeles Times reporter by telephone from his new home in Morocco about the sexual harassment charges.  

In any event, now that the children have gotten through playing with Oakland’s problems, it’s time for the adults to step in and clean up the considerable mess left behind. 

Even before his scheduled inauguration in January of next year, incoming Mayor Ron Dellums has been attempting to deliver on his campaign promise for a more inclusive Oakland government, first over the summer organizing task forces of active and interested citizens to work up policy recommendations in several areas of city life, then convening a series of mass workshops this fall to open up the conversation to a larger layer of citizens. 

The efforts have met with some grumbling, of course, as is our right. Oakland grumbles with the best of them. 

Last September, San Francisco Chronicle East Bay columnist Chip Johnson wrote in a column called “Dellums’ Panels Are Hush-Hush” that he was having difficulty finding information about the task forces. Mayor-elect Ron Dellums… said [the task forces] would be a completely open government process,” Mr. Johnson wrote. “But the people serving on those committees since Dellums' election have not been announced. And while some of their meetings have been held on the third floor of Oakland City Hall, very little information has been released to the public—or to the media. … As with the fraternal order of Masons, you apparently have to be a member to know what's going on.” 

Given that the task forces involved close to a thousand volunteers, and given that Oakland is a town irredeemably addicted to political gossip, it’s difficult to see how a newspaperperson of Mr. Johnson’s caliber could not track down information about task force activities.  

And, in fact, a week later, Mr. Johnson admitted that in response to his “Hush-Hush” column he “received so many e-mails, phone calls and comments from participants in the citizen task forces created by Oakland's Mayor-elect Ron Dellums that it's only fair to devote more space to the process.” And though his second column on the task forces was equally as critical of the process as the first, to his credit, Mr. Johnson did grudgingly admit that the Mr. Dellums’ “task-force project is a purely democratic exercise, not one of the 800 applicants was rejected,” also noting that “no one can say is that there was a lack of interest in the mayor-elect's task-force project. The council chambers were absolutely packed for the first meeting of the groups, and organizers ran out of pencils, introductory folders and other supplies.” 

What was true of the task force process—an abundance of interest—was also true of Mr. Dellums’ “Neighbor to Neighbor” mass strategy sessions last month.  

Held in various sections of the city in late October (Calvin Simmons Middle School and Castlemont High School in East Oakland, Oakland Tech in North Oakland, and McClymonds in West Oakland), the gatherings invited citizens to share their thoughts and ideas on a wide group of topics ranging from health care, economic development, housing, diversity, and transportation to education, arts, youth affairs, and public safety. The idea was to have members of the various mayoral task forces come and mainly listen to the conversation, taking back information on community attitudes and policy and implementation suggestions to the task forces. 

Mr. Dellums himself has been conspicuously absent during the Neighbor-to-Neighbor meetings, and that has prompted some grumbling, at least in some quarters. On one local email list, one woman, saying that she supported Councilmember Nancy Nadel in last June’s election, wrote that “Dellums—like most other smooth-talking politicians—likes to use homespun phrases like ‘neighbor to neighbor’ but it takes a bit more than that to deal with the myriad crises that face Oakland today. Besides that, when my neighbors plan a neighborhood meeting, my neighbors actually show-up.” 

The sentiment is understandable. After the Jerry Brown years there is considerable touchiness in Oakland about mayoral accessibility, and not having been in close proximity to Ron Dellums for many, many years—members of Congress, after all, do most of their work in Washington—Oakland residents have a right to wonder how extensive will be the ability to have direct citizen communication with the newly-elected mayor. We won’t know that for a while. 

The Neighbor-to-Neighbor meetings, however, were not the proper forum for direct chats with the mayor. They were designed for citizens to break up into small meetings and speak among themselves, to ourselves, and had Mr. Dellums begun wandering in and out of the meeting rooms, it would have led some to the conclusion that the time for “important” pronouncements was only when the new mayor was present, and the time when he was not was just so much wasted space. Keeping away—while trusting his aides to get back unfiltered reports to him—was probably the best thing Mr. Dellums could do to keep the mass meeting process going. 

Citizen participation is, however, a dangerous leap for any officeholder who does not intend on keeping it up. For many years, the average Oakland citizen has been shut out of much of Oakland decision-making, relegated to two-minute presentations before City Council to speak on too many issues that were long-ago decided once the pay-to-play big boys and girls in the business had their input and say. By operating on a whomsoever-shall-let-them-come policy so early in the process, Mr. Dellums gives Oakland citizens the distinct impression that they have a right to be heard on and participate in city decisions. History has taught us that once having taken hold, such a notion of democratic rights is hard to take away, even by the ablest politician. We know Mr. Dellums to be a keen student of history, and so we can only assume, for the present, that he intends to keep his “inclusive government” word. 


About the House: Ask Matt: Addressing House Foundations, Shingle Roofs

By Matt Cantor
Friday November 10, 2006

Dear Matt, 

I read your article about house foundations, and I was wondering how do I tell if my house is bolted to the foundation. I live in the Seattle area, and my house was built in 1972, so I’m pretty sure that it is bolted, but I’ve torn apart a few small drywall piece, and haven’t seen any bolts. Is there an easy way to tell?  

I’m asking because I am looking at getting earthquake insurance, and it is one of the requirements.  

—Tom  

 

Dear Tom, 

This is a toughie as there are a number of questions you have to ask yourself to get a clear answer. The first one is, Do you have a crawl space? If there is a space between your floor and the ground then your removal of drywall isn’t going to tell you what you need to know. If you’re on a slab, where the foundation and your floor is the same thing, then it will. If you are on a slab, and there are plenty of those from the 70’s, you will probably have to remove drywall along the floor for up to 6’ before you see a bolt and possibly further. Bolt spacing in this time was roughly at a 6’ spacing and the bolts are usually 1/2” with small washers (if there ARE washers). The nuts may be square or hex and these are likely to be quite rusty since they were almost always non galvanized. Your insurance company probably doesn’t care how many bolts are present, just so long as some can be sighted.  

If you have a crawl space, you will notice that your floor is a) usually raised above ground level any where from 2’ on up and you’ll usually have to walk up some stairs to get into the house from at least one side. If you have a crawl space, you’ll also usually see vent on the side of the building just above ground level. If you have a crawl space, you will also, generally, be able to hear a drum-like sound when you jump up and land on the floor. A slab won’t make any sound beyond the sound of loose flooring. It will also feel very hard and unforgiving.  

If you have a crawl space, you’ll need to get inside of it to see the bolts and they will be on the top of the foundation around the perimeter of the building. They hold the bottom piece of wood that makes up the framework of the house, called a mudsill, to the foundation. This board literally lies flat on top of the footing and is held in place by an occasional bolt. Since bolting was a requirement in virtually all of the U.S. at that time, you can expect to see a small compliment of 1/2” bolts just as I’ve described above. Keep in mind that with a slabbed house, you’re only going to be able to see a sampling. Bolting frequency may vary and the spot you see won’t tell the entire picture. That said, it’s a good idea to find out for your insurance company and for yourself. I hope you’ll consider upgrading the bolting since almost all of the bolting done this long ago, is now considered to be far too weak and Seattle is much like Berkeley in its seismic activity.  

Say hi to Bill and Melinda for me,  

Matt  

 

Dear Matt:  

I have a 15 year old composite shingle roof. About five years ago I noticed that all the mineral granules on the ridge shingles were gone. The ridge shingles are two or three shingles thick to give a perky profile. Another roofer doing my garage said the problem is the shingles on the ridge get too hot because the heat in the unventilated attic crawl space is hottest at the ridge. 

Does this make sense to you? the flat shingles that start at the edge of the ridge shingles, just a few inches down from the apex of the ridge look fine.  

Sam Craig  

 

Dear Sam, 

That roofer of yours is a pretty sharp fellow and there’s a darned good chance that a lack of roof venting is involved in the wear on those shingles, however, I’m going to ask you to take a closer look at the shingles to see if there’s something else going on, perhaps in addition to the problem with heat and very possibly the root cause of the problem. I’ve seen a similar condition on quite a few occasions. You may be looking at a problem that occurred as a result of folding the shingles. When shingle get folded over the ridge they tend to more rapidly shed their mineral coating. Some roof ridges, such as the one you’ve described even involve a complex fold in which the shingle is folded in half and THEN folded partially once again to bend over the ridge.  

This creates a more elaborate ridge detail that sort of puffs up like a bird’s crest. It’s pretty but it involves paying a price. This folding immediately knocks some mineral granules off and then promotes more failure of the mineral coating over time. If the mineral is only missing (to a significant degree) on the ridge shingles and the adjacent ones, which lie flat, seem completely fine, I’ll bet that the folding is the primary problem. If heat is the problem, I would expect the top 2-5 courses to have a graduated effect in which the top is most strongly effected and the next few courses have a decreasing but noticeable loss of the granules. Heat in the attic, if this involved, will also tend to curl the shingles and I’ve seen cases where all the shingles had some lift to them as the heat waves were driving them upward. The shingles also become quite brittle in these cases and begin to crack and break prematurely.  

If it’s just the ridge shingles that are badly worn and the rest looks all right, I’d suggest replacing the ridge shingles with new ones. It’s not hard to get a similar color. At 15 years, you may only have a few years left on the whole roof so consider this when you think about putting money into a repair. I DO think that roof heat is an issue that should be addressed during the next roof replacement by the installation of vents (they can go in several places and are best distributed somewhat over the height of the roof (some near the top and some near the bottom). You can also consider a fan (and solar fans are nice in that they don’t require any wiring).  

Good luck, Matt  

 

Got a question about home repairs and inspections? Send them to Matt Cantor at mgcantor@pacbell.net.


Garden Variety: Get Your Supplemental Sunshine on University Avenue

By Ron Sullivan
Friday November 10, 2006

I just had to ask. The charming young salesperson at Berkeley Indoor Garden did have list of what, other than the obvious, customers grow using B.I.G.’s wares: orchids and other tropicals, carnivorous plants, some rare and picky succulents, sometimes lettuce and herbs and baby greens just to have them handy.  

She showed me some Hawai’ian kalanchoes that drop baby plants from their leaf edges, roots already a-reaching, the way good old mother-of-millions does. (M-o-m, a Bryophyllum hybrid, reproduces as advertised in pots outdoors here, as I’ve found out. Want some? Keep it away from wildlands.) 

She showed me dinosaur kale growing in styrofoamy blocks, and calendulas in a test bed with a Brazil-style octopus of silver ductwork—“Not the best way to arrange ducts; they should be straight”—slithering between the light hoods and whooshing fans overhead.  

She showed me a rig with a light fixture in a sort of zippered fabric: just the thing for a few prize poinsettias. They need measured doses of darkness to bloom, and that’s becoming harder to get as city and “security” lights get more obnoxiously ubiquitous.  

I have seen other plants in indoor hydroponics stores: tobacco, chili peppers, a boisterous banana tree that bore several big hands of fruit for its staff. I’ve also explored indoor hydroponics as a possibility for immunocompromised friends, especially one passionate gardener whose beloved cats had bad habits about her potted plants. 

I suppose it’s cheap irony that free light is getting hard to take for granted too, as those trendy “dense” buildings mushroom all over town. 

You can grow mushrooms in the backyard after one such monolith goes up on your south or west border, but good luck with the squash and beans. So maybe we’ll need these elaborate indoor set-ups for food security.  

They’ll certainly drive the utility bills up. Handily, B.I.G. has a chart that tells you how much, for a number of possible setups. There are also lots of growing media—from something approximating soil to something approximating red clay hailstones—and a bewildering assortment of organic fertilizers, including (pricey!) mycorrhizal inoculants.  

The varieties and intensities of light get bewildering, too. This is gardening for wonks, I guess, and though I have wonkish tendencies myself I suspect I’d be flipping coins instead of crunching numbers after a few layers of this chemistry and engineering. If you like that stuff and don’t mind all that fluorescent light, well, you’re trimming your consumption by growing things instead of getting them trucked to you, I suppose.  

When I want a sunshine supplement I go just up the street to the Templebar, especially since they’ve started serving lunch four days a week. 

Time your shopping right and you can catch comedy, or better yet some wonderful Hawai’ian slack-key guitar and song from the duo Pulama, Wednesday the 15th from 7 to 9 and one Wednesday a month through January. And have dinner there to take care of the munchies.  

 

Berkeley Indoor Garden 

844 University Avenue, Berkeley 

(510) 549-2918 

Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. 

Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. 

Sunday 12 p.m.-5 p.m. 

 


Quake Tip of the Week

By Larry Guillot
Friday November 10, 2006

Have You Met Your Neighbors? 

 

Back in the 1950s, everyone on the block knew everyone else. Unfortunately, that’s rarely the case now. 

The Big One in our future, however, now makes it more important than ever to be on a first name basis with everyone on the block.  

For example, if you’re not at home when the Big One hits, you’ll want a neighbor to check inside your home for gas and water leaks. 

Why? It’s in everyone’s self-interest: if one home has a gas build-up and catches fire, it puts the rest of the block at risk (remember, the fire department won’t be there!). 

Note: if each house has an automatic gas shut-off valve installed, it makes it safer for the entire block.  

Someone needs to get all the neighbors together—why not you? 

 

 

Larry Guillot is owner of QuakePrepare, an earthquake consulting, securing, and kit supply service. Call him at 558-3299, or visit www.quakeprepare.com.


Column: I am Thankful, I am Blessed, And You Are So Aloha

By Susan Parker
Tuesday November 07, 2006

I’ve never had so many visitors in my life. Within hours of Ralph’s death, my friend Ann arrived from Idaho. My parents flew in from the East Coast, and in a few days the house was full: a brother from Minnesota and another from New Jersey, Ralph’s twin from San Diego and an ex sister-in-law from Seattle. More followed: people I hadn’t seen in years, friends of friends, former co-workers, links with the distant and not-so-distant past. Most had known Ralph when he could walk, move his fingers and toes, pick up a sandwich and take a bite, swing a hammer over his head, or expertly read a backcountry ski map. It was both wonderful and sad—consoling to see so many friends, disappointing not to have Ralph here to share in their visits.  

Each houseguest brought his or her own agenda. Ann is on a special diet. She eats only raw foods and consumes them in specific, military-like sequences: fruit in the morning, nuts at noon, salads between 4 and 6 p.m. I took her to Café Gratitude on Shattuck Avenue and she ordered just dessert. “Don’t get much raw chocolate in Northern Idaho,” she said. I watched her down a fat slice of I Am Bliss chocolate cream pie and a thick wedge of I Am Rapture live layered cake, while I sipped my I Am Succulent grapefruit-apple-celery-fennel-and-mint elixir and waited for I Am Insightful live samosas.  

My 80-plus-year-old parents came to clean and comfort. My mother scrubbed until her hands were raw, my father ran up and down the stairs so many times he had to take a nap. Mom fainted after a particularly vigorous encounter with the grout between the bathroom floor tiles. Dad fell asleep in front of the TV. We played several games of Scrabble but couldn’t agree on how to spell certain words. Dad swore that the dictionary I consulted was wrong.  

My brother Dan from St. Paul came a week early by mistake, therefore missing Ralph’s memorial service and the arrival of my brother Bill. Bill flew in late on a Friday night and left early the following Sunday. There wasn’t much time to converse.  

My parents departed after 24 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 5 seconds. A few hours later my friend Amy arrived from Manhattan. A former corporate lawyer, and now an Equal Justice Fellow at the Bronx Defenders, Amy subsists on a diet of gourmet coffee, dry martinis, and Kobe beef. I took her to Café Gratitude to relax, but it didn’t work out. One look at the menu and she freaked. “This,” Amy shouted, pointing at the list of entrées, “is why I cannot move to California.”  

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I shouldn’t have—”  

“And that’s another thing,” she said, slamming the menu shut. “This sorry shit has got to stop. Pull yourself together, get some decent clothes, and comb your hair differently. No more fleece and don’t wear that denim jacket with denim jeans. Your life has changed. You don’t need to wear so much blue.”  

“I’m ordering an I Am A Bit Giving Kale-sea veggie salad,” I said, “and I’m not sorry about it.”  

“That’s the spirit,” said Amy. She re-opened the menu and asked for an I Am Sassy virgin margarita edged with Himalayan crystal salt, and the I Am Magical stuffed mushrooms topped with Brazil nut parmesan.  

“What you need to order is an I Am Accepting stir fry,” I said. “Accompanied by the I Am Aloha fresh coconut milk in anticipation that you will be aloha very soon.”  

Just then the waitress came by. “Tell me more about the I Am Celebrating special,” I said.  

“Yes,” said Amy, smiling at me over the top of her menu. “And bring me some of those I Am Surrendering fudge squares. They sound absolutely perfect.”  

 

Café Gratitude: 1730 Shattuck Avenue, 10 a.m.—10 p.m., seven days a week, (415) 824-4652, ext. 3, www.cafegratitude.com.  

 

 

 

 

 


Coyote Point Museum Offers Rewarding Excursion

By Steven Finacom, Special to the Daily Planet
Tuesday November 07, 2006

Only about an hour’s travel southwest of Berkeley, there’s a little piece of bayside nature where you can view some seldom-seen native treasures, learn about the Bay Area’s natural environment, and appreciate the ongoing struggle to save it. 

This is the Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education, on the San Mateo shoreline, south of San Francisco International Airport. 

Opened in 1981, the main museum building is a low-slung, angular, structure with a richly finished wood interior. 

Inside the main Environmental Hall visitors follow the path of a drop of water heading downhill from the ridgelines that that bisect the Peninsula. The ridges tend to divide and define not only the natural but the human culture and character of the land from San Francisco to Santa Cruz.  

Switchback ramps lead from gallery to gallery. On the left-hand side the exhibits descend through oak woodland and chaparral to the Bay marshes.  

On the right side of the room the journey runs from redwood forest to grassland to the rocky San Mateo coast and Pacific Ocean. 

Freestanding displays in each gallery describe the natural environments the visitor passes through. Wall displays articulate threats to those environments, from water pollution to logging and urban sprawl. 

At the lowest level there’s a windowed space with views over the Bay, and a live beehive exhibit under glass, with an access tube to the outside world. 

The main exhibit area includes a life-sized marsh diorama, wooden columns that branch into stylized trees, a quarter-scale fiberglass whale suspended from the ceiling on the ocean side, and a towering “food pyramid” of grassland creatures. 

Though most exhibits are engaging, the Museum has clearly been experiencing some hard financial times. Some displays are broken or worn; contents of others are dated. A small aquarium area has dark, empty, tanks.  

If the Environmental Hall itself were the only thing to see at the museum, I might be tempted to suggest waiting until the displays undergo refurbishment and regeneration. 

However, there are other appealing aspects of Coyote Point Museum that can suitably fill out an excursion. 

Next to the main building is the “living” half of the museum, a fine, small, indigenous zoo with about 150 birds, mammals, and reptiles, most of them native or endemic to the Bay Area. 

We share the region with these creatures, but never see most of them up close—except for raccoons, of course. 

A coyote ambles down to sniff at visitors through a fence, while a silvery bobcat lazily grooms itself atop a rock and a river otter does underwater arabesques in a tank that can be viewed through glass walls.  

There are porcupines, snakes, raptors, badgers, ravens, newts, and even banana slugs. A snowy egret peers down from a perch atop a redwood bough in an expansive outdoor aviary. 

Perky, pint-sized, burrowing owls will make you instant partisans for this habitat-beleaguered, ground-dwelling, species. 

A meandering tunnel provides views into dens and interior enclosures, while an exterior path circles back to take in the enclosures from the outer side.  

Most of the animals and birds are once-injured “rescues” or former pets, now unable to return to the wild. 

Back indoors, there’s a small traveling exhibit area currently hosting “Green Dollhouses” made out of recycled materials, on display through December. See greendollhouse.org for more details. 

Outside the exhibit grounds, Coyote Point is a county park offering other attractions. Large picnic areas and a playground spread down the slopes under the eucalyptus canopy.  

Coyote Point is one of the few places in the Central or South Bay where you can get right up to the water but still be some distance above it. 

As a result, reasonably clear days offer impressive views over the Bay, taking in San Bruno Mountain, San Francisco’s office towers to the north, San Mateo’s shore side towers and the San Mateo Bridge to the south, as well as Mt. Diablo and the Oakland/Berkeley Hills to the east. 

Coyote Point itself is a rocky, chert, outcropping rising above the flat Bay tidelands, looking rather like an Albany Hill of the Peninsula 

If you’ve ever flown into San Francisco International Airport from the south, you’ve probably looked down on the eucalyptus-topped promontory just before landing. The Bayside overlook below the museum provides a first-class vantage from the other perspective, viewing up close the ceaseless stream of commercial jets descending low over the water on approach to SFO. 

Once it was an island—Bay on one side, tidal flats on the other. The flats were later filled for grazing land, now a golf course.  

After various commercial uses—dairies, a lumber pier, amusement parks—the Point was sold to San Mateo in 1940.  

A wartime U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet School occupied the Point, which then became the first campus of the College of San Mateo. In 1963 the college moved and the current county park was established.  

The San Mateo County Junior Museum opened in 1954 in a Quonset hut atop the Point, and in 1974 became the Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education, leading to the current facility.  

Coyote Point Museum was in the news this summer when, after financial stresses, the Board of Trustees voted to shut it down. A published rumor had a high-powered private group maneuvering to take over the property for a global warming education center.  

Fortunately, friends of the existing museum organized a quick and successful emergency fundraising campaign to cover operating expenses and the board rescinded its vote. 

Coyote Point has a key place in promoting regional environmental awareness, in the same way that the Randall Museum educates San Franciscans and the Lindsay Museum serves much of the East Bay. It should be rejuvenated, not removed.  

Fortunately, there is now renewed hope that, even with global warming, the Coyote Point Museum will still be there. Go see it, before the oceans rise. 

 

Find the eastbound Peninsula Avenue overpass across Highway 101, which leads into Coyote Point Park.  

There’s a $5 car admission fee to the park (seniors free on weekdays). Road signage and the entry kiosk staff can direct you past the golf course and along the winding drive to the museum. 

Open Tuesdays through Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday and most holidays from noon to 5 p.m.. Wheelchair accessible. 

Admission: $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and students (through high school age), and $2 for children 3-12. Free the first Wednesday of the month, and always free to teachers (with school I.D.) 

Call (650) 342-7755 for recorded information, or see www.coyotepointmuseum.org. 

 

Photograph by Steven Finacom 

A basking bobcat blends in against the rock background in the outdoor animal display area at the museum.


Tarantula Season: In Search of the Bay Area Blond

By Joe Eaton, Special to the Planet
Tuesday November 07, 2006

Another season has come and gone, and I still have not connected with the tarantulas of the East Bay Hills. Mount Diablo in October was supposed to be a sure thing. So I hiked about a mile up Mitchell Canyon at dusk, scanning the trail ahead for dark objects that might be wandering male tarantulas. (Dusk and dawn are when the questing males are most active, and dawn was not in the cards.) But all the dark objects turned out to be pinecones or piles of horsecrap. 

It’s a big deal for the male spiders, their one chance for reproductive success. Male tarantulas mature at about 7, set out in search of a female, mate (or don’t), and expire. Females may live to be 24, surviving multiple partners.  

Our local species appears to be Aphonopelma smithi, the Bay Area blond tarantula. Its life history is probably pretty much like that of its relative A. hentzi, the Texas brown tarantula, immortalized by William J. Baerg, an entomology professor at the University of Arkansas, in his slender book The Tarantula. Baerg was the best friend a big hairy spider ever had. “The very general opinion that the tarantula ‘looks so horrible’ is … obviously without any basis”, he wrote. “To anyone who has learned to know this spider, it is as handsome as a goldfinch and fully as interesting.” 

He went to considerable lengths to rehabilitate the tarantula’s image. 

After his death (not spider-related) in 1980, his colleague William Peck remembered: “Such was his devotion to the tarantula that he considered that all of his students of entomology should at least make its acquaintance. 

For some 30 years that he taught beginning entomology he would introduce the students to the large native species by having them pass one from hand to hand around the class. Only one person was ever bitten, he averred, and many a character was strengthened.” Baerg was known to complain of the difficulty of getting tarantulas, or spiders of any kind, to bite him in the interest of science. 

Baerg turned his Fayetteville home into a spider sanctuary, with tarantulas wandering the grounds. His lab tarantulas were kept in battery jars, fed on grasshoppers, caterpillars, and cockroaches, and meticulously observed through their life cycles. Once, for whatever reason, he added alcohol to a spider’s drinking water and noted: “Tarantulas will drink of this to the extent that intoxication becomes evident in spite of the eight legs to keep them steady.” 

Back to the wandering male: after undergoing his final molt, he spins a special web in the privacy of his den, deposits sperm in the web, and, with repeated dipping motions, charges the bulblike tips of his pedipalps—the pair of appendages preceding the eight legs. And off he goes. How the nearly blind male actually locates the female in her burrow remains unclear. 

In a 1928 article, Baerg described what happens when male and female tarantulas meet, after the male has announced himself by tapping out a precise sequence on the collar of silk at the mouth of her burrow: “Frequently when the male has just touched the female with one of his front legs, and she does not show any visible response, he will slap her vigorously several times, which brings prompt action.  

She at once rises, spreads her fangs, and the male proceeds.” The female’s fangs are secured by spurs on the male’s forelegs while he transfers the sperm from his pedipalps to her pocketlike spermathecae. 

Afterward, whether or not the female appears hungry or aggressive, he disengages very carefully and gets the hell out of Dodge. 

That would be just about his last hurrah in any case. Males “begin gradually to fail” after the mating season, their abdomens shrinking away. The female, meanwhile, stores his sperm until the following summer, when her 200 to 800 eggs are fertilized. Her offspring are only 4.2 millimeters long at hatching, but, according to Baerg, they “have a certain unmistakable dignity in their walk.” 

Sibling cannibalism is common. The survivors disperse to new homes, digging a burrow or appropriating a ready-made mammal burrow where they’ll spend the rest of their lives—at least until the males are ready to take up their quest. 

A tarantula’s venom, although deadly to an insect, typically produces nothing worse than a mild burning sensation and slight swelling in a human victim. Rather than bite when threatened, they’re more apt to dislodge a cloud of barbed hairs by rubbing their abdomens with their back legs; the hairs can irritate a predator’s skin or eyes. Baerg said the hairs caused him only a mild irritation, but his patient wife Eloise had symptoms over a period of several weeks.  

So if you happen to meet a tarantula, give him—and it will likely be a him—a break. He means you no harm; he’s just looking for a little action. Let him go on his way, and the ghost of Professor Baerg will smile. 


Arts & Events

Arts Calendar

Friday November 10, 2006

FRIDAY, NOV. 10 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “Hedda Gabler” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. through Nov. 18 at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. at Berryman. Tickets are $12. 525-1620. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Albany High School Theater Ensemble “Pretend-O-Cide” Thurs. at 7 p.m., Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Albany High School Little Theater, 603 Key Route Blvd, Albany, through Nov. 11. Tickets are $5-$10. www.myspace.com/ahsuburoi 

Altarena Playhouse “Merrily We Roll Along” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at 1409 High St, Alameda, through Nov. 12. Cost is $15-$18. 523-1553. www.altarena.org 

Azeem’s “Rude Boy” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at The Marsh, 2120 Allston Way, through Nov. 25. Tickets are $15-$22. 415-826-5750. www.themarsh.org 

Aurora Theatre “Ice Glen” Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St., through Dec. 10. Tickets are $38. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

Berkeley Rep “Passing Strange” at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. through Dec. 3. Tickets are $45-$61. 645-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Central Works “Andromache” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. through Nov. 19. Tickets are $9-$25. 558-1382. 

Chorus Repertory Theatre “Nine Hills One Valley” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $24-$48. 642-9988.  

Contra Costa Civic Theater, “And Then There Were None” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. Sun. at 2 p.m. at 951 Pomona Ave., at Moeser, El Cerrito, through Dec. 9. Tickets are $11-$18. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Impact Theater “Jukebox Stories” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave., through Dec. 10. Tickets are $10-$15. 464-4468. www.impacttheatre.com 

Masquers Playhouse “Company” by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2:30 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond, through Dec. 16.. Tickets are $18. 232-4031. www.masquers.org  

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. 12. Sliding scale $15-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

TheatreFirst “Criminal Genius” Thurs.-Fri. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. at Old Oakland Theatre, 481 Ninth St., at Broadway, Oakland, through Nov. 19. Tickets are $19-$25. 436-5085. www.theatrefirst.com 

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 

Youth Musical Theater Company “Guys & Dolls” Fri.-Sat. at 7:30 p.m. at Longfellow Middle School, 1500 Derby St. Tickets are $6-$15. 595-5514. www.ymtc.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“R.S.V.P.” Art for the Table Opens at 6 p.m. at ACCI Gallery, 1652 Shattuk Ave. and runs through Dec. 2. 843-2527. 

The Photography of Matt Heron “Voting Rights: The Southern Struggle, 1964-1965” on display in the Catalog Lobby, Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St., through Jan. 6. 981-6100. 

FILM 

“Iraq in Fragments” A documentary film by James Longley opens at Landmark Shattuck Cinema, 2230 Shattuck Ave. 464-5980. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

William L. Fox reads from “Driving to Mars: In the Arctic with NASA on the Human Journey to the Red Planet” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

T. J. Clark introduces “The Sight of Death: An Experiment in Art Writing” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. 

Elizabeth Rosner will read from her novel “Blue Nude” at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble 6050 El Cerrito Plaza, El Cerrito. This event is a fundraiser for the Friends of the Contra Costa College Library. 524-0087. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oakland East Bay Symphony “Made in America” A new work by Joan Tower at 8 p.m., pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m. at Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $15-$62. 625-8497. www.oebs.org 

Donna Lerew, violin, Miles Graber, piano perform works of Bach, Schubert, Ravel and Rochberg at 8 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery 2911 Claremont Ave. Tickets are $10-$15. 848-1228. www.giorgigallery.com 

“Past, Post, and ... Now!” Mills College Repertory Dance Concert at 8 p.m. Fri. and Sat. at Lisser Hall, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland. Tickets are $12-$15. 430-2175. 

African Sabar/Tannebeer Drum and Dance Festival at 10 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10. 548-1159.  

Slammin All-Body Band at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $13-$15. 849-2568.  

Melanie O’Reilly & Tir na Mara at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ.  

Duck Baker, American fingerstyle guitarist, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Elaine Lucia Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

The Nomadics, jazz, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

With River, Rick Hardin, Fred Odell & the Broken Arrows at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Lights Out, Have Heart, Go It Alone at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

Electric Vardo “ShadowDance” at 8 p.m. at Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway, at 2nd, Oakland. Cost is $10-$15. 415-259-8629. www.darkerstill.com  

Broun Fellinis at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Cedar Walton Trio with guests Steve Turre and Vincent Herring, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $20-$24. 238-9200.  

SATURDAY, NOV. 11 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Bonnie Lockhart in an autumn sing along at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Jen Miriam Puppets and Music at 11 a.m. at Studio Grow, 1235 10th St. at Gilman Cost is $6, children under 1 free. 526-9888.  

EXHIBITIONS 

International Arts and Crafts on display and for sale from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Finnish Kaleva Hall, 1970 Chestnut St. 

FILM 

Matinees for all Ages: “The General” with Buster Keaton at 2 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Young Performers Celebrate “The Whole World’s Watching You” in coordination with Berkeley Art Center’s exhibit of photos from the peace & social justice movement of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Readings at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., between Eunice & Rose Sts., behind Live Oak Park. 527-9753. 

Tom Hayden reads from “The Lost Gospel of the Earth: A Call for Renewing Nature, Spirit and Politics” at noon at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Kenyan novelist, playwright, and poet will read from “Wizard of the Crow” at 2 p.m. at the African American Museum and Library, 659 14th St., Oakland. 637-0200. 

Piano Seminar on the Taubman Approach Sat. and Sun. from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Berkeley Piano Club, 2724 Haste St. Cost is $110-$220. 523-0213. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“Metanioa, A Universalist Mass” by Daniel Zwickel at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. Donation $10, benefit for School of the Americas Watch. 925-427-9611.  

“L’Dor Va Dor” Jewish Composers in the Renaissance English Court at 8 p.m. at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. at Garber. Tickets are $10-$25. 

Piano Concert on the Taubman Approach at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Piano Club, 2724 Haste St. Cost is $20. 523-0213. 

Works in the Works Dance performance by Leigh Riley, Rebecca Johnson, Kirsten Wilkinson and others at 7:30 p.m. at Eighth Street Studio, 2424 Eighth St. Tickets are $10 at the door. 527-5115. 

Gamelan Sari Raras at 7:30 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $4-$12. 642-9988. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Fronteras Flamencas at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $18-$20. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Walter Savage Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Aux Cajunals at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Caribbean Party at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $15. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

Joshua Eden and Mike Gibbons at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Eddie From Ohio, folk, at 5 and 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

John Zorn, saxophone, an evening of improvisation with Ikue Mori, at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $20-$25. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Wire Graffiti, Castles in Spain, the Judea Eden Band at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

Vernon Bush Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Red Fang, from Portland, at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $8. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

Melissa Rivera, world/Latin rock at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7-$10. 558-0881. 

Joshi Marshall Project at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Aggression, Verbal Abuse, The Sick, Troublemaker 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. 

SUNDAY, NOV. 12 

CHILDREN 

Children’s author Daniel San Souci talks about how he develops his stories and sketches at 3 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, James Moore Theater, 1000 Oak St. Co-sponsored by the Oakland Public Library. 238-3615. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Winter Bright” Ceramic sculptures by Elizabeth Orleans, and acrylic paintings by Rosalie Cassell and Diane Rusnak at the Community Art Gallery, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, 2450 Ashby Ave. through Jan. 5. 204-1667.  

Works by April Hankins opens at 2 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Semina Culture: Wallace Berman and His Circle Guided tour at 1 p.m. in Gallery 2, Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Reading with Diane DiPrima, Michael McClure, David Meltzer and Ron Loewinsohn at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

Cecile Andrews reads from “Slow is Beautiful: New Visions of Community, Leisure and Joie de Vivre” at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Nahid Rachlin reads from her memoir “Persian Girls” at 6:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

20th Century Music and Beyond: Composer John Zorn at 3 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32. 642-9988. 

Laurel Ensemble Music from Russia and Eastern Europe at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Tickets $12 at the door www.laurelensemble.com 

Kingston Players String Quartet performs Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven at 4 p.m. at United Methodist Church, 201 Martina Street, corner of W. Richmond Ave., Point Richmond. Suggested donation $5. 236-0527. 

Four Seasons Concerts with Amadi Hummings, violin, and Wendy Law, cello, at 7:30 p.m. at Regents Theater, Holy Names University, 3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Tickets are $35-$40. 601-7919. www.fourseasons concerts.com 

Sheila Alix and the Dan Damon Trio at 5:30 p.m. at the Baltic, 135 Park Place, Point Richmond. 237-4782.  

“When I Was a Boy in Brooklyn” Songs by Gary Laplow at 4 p.m. at the JCC, 1414 Walnut St. Tickets are $12-$15. 848-0237. 

Works in the Works Dance performance by Evangel King, Ruth Botchan, Minoo Hamzavi and others at 7:30 p.m. at Eighth Street Studio, 2424 Eighth St. Tickets are $10 at the door. 527-5115. 

Sparky & Rhonda Rucker at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Weber Iago Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Coco Linares, guitarist from Peru at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Erik Jekabson at 4:30 at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Bandworks, band recitals at 1 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $5. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Gift Horse at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

MONDAY, NOV. 13 

CHILDREN 

National Children’s Book Week with presentations and illustrator workshops for children at various Oakland Public Library Branches. For details see. www.oaklandlibrary.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Christopher Robin and & Joe Pachinko read at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Douglas H. Chadwick introduces “The Grandest of Lives: Eye to Eye with Whales” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Poetry Express with The Pasedena Poets at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Fruit at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Khalil Shaheed, all ages jam, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Blue Monday Blues Jam at 8 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

Tribute to Shirley Horn with Frankye Kelly, Babtunde Lea, Glen Pearson, Ron Belcher and Michael O’Neill at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $6-$12. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com  

TUESDAY, NOV. 14 

CHILDREN 

P&T Puppets “Just So Stories” in celebration of children’s book week at 6:30 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

FILM 

“Generations of Women” with filmmaker Gunvor Nelson in person at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Susan Dunlap reads from her newest Darcy Lott mystery “A Single Eye” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Poet M.K. Chavez reads at Works in Progress Women’s Open Mic at 7:30 p.m. at the Montclair Women’s Cultural Arts Club, 1650 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. 276-0379. 

Freight and Salvage Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $4.50-$5.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Stone-Zimmerman Duo, violin and piano, performs works by Brahms, Enescu, Rohde and Critten at 8 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Tickets are $20. 525-5211. www.berkeleychamberperfrom.org 

Bandworks, band recitals, at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $5. 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 

Frank Jackson at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $6-$12. 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, NOV. 15 

EXHIBITIONS 

“At Thadeus Lake” by Sherri Martin, winner of the 2006 Kala Board Prize at Kala Art Institute, 1060 Heinz Ave. Exhibition runs to Nov. 25. 549-2977. www.kala.org 

“Full-Plate Tintypes: Painted Puzzles” at The Ames Gallery, 2661 Cedar St., through Jan. 10, Mon.-Fri. 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 845-4949. www.amesgallery.com 

FILM 

“Lottery of the Sea” with filmmaker Allan Sekula in person at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Bettina F. Apthekar reads from “Intimate Politics: How I Grew Up Red, Fought for Free Speech, and Became a Feminist Rebel” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

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

 

 

 

 

 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, with music from the graduate seminar in jazz improvisation at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Diana D. Zamba and Aaron Sage, jazz at 1 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst. Free. 981-5190. 

Danceworx Showcase at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $5-$8. 925-798-1300. 

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

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

Balkan Folkdance at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $7. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

Kids and Hearts, soul, punk, jazz at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Liz Caroll & John Doyle, Irish fiddle and guitar, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Tito y su Son de Cuba at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$15. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, NOV. 16 

EXHIBITIONS 

Winter Dreams Reception at 5 p.m. at Transmission Gallery, 1177 San Pablo Ave. 558-4084. 

Semina Culture: Wallace Berman and His Circle Guided tour at 12:15 and 5:30 p.m. in Gallery 2, Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

“Drawings” by Amy Sollins opens at North Berkeley Frame and Gallery, 1744 Shattuck Ave. and runs through Jan. 13. 549-0428. 

FILM 

“Dog Day Afternoon” with screenwriter Frank Pierson in person at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Guerrilla Radio: The Hip-Hop Struggle Under Castro” at 6:30 p.m. and “Las Comnatientes” at 8:15 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $6-$8 for each film. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Barbara Sjoholm reads from “Incognito Street: How Travel Made Me a Writer” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Heriberto Yepez, Mexican poet, at 6:30 p.m. in the Maude Fife Room, 315 Wheeler Hall, UC Campus. holloway.english.berkeley.edu 

“The Politics of Music” A panel discussion wth Mat Callahan, Golnar Nikpour and Joel Schalit at 7 p.m. at AK Press Warehouse, 674 A 23rd St., Oakland. 208-1700. www.akpress.org 

Judy Yung will give a slide talk of historical photographs from her new book “San Francisco’s Chinatown” at 7 p.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave. 526-7512. 

Joseph McBride, in conversation with Jim Kitses on “What Ever Happened to Orson Welles? A Portrait of An Independent Career” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

The Blue Roots, New Orleans blues, jazz, gospel, and soul, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Gidon Kremer, violin with Andrei Pushkarev, percussion and Andrius Zlabys, piano, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $36-$68. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Girlyman, contemporary folk, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

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

Paufve Dance “8 x 8 x 8” at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

Jazz Mine at 6:30 p.m. at King Tsin Chinese Restaurant, 1699 Solano Ave. 525-9890. 

Hubert Laws at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $14-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

The Trucks, electroclash from Seattle, at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $8. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com


Arts and Entertainment Around the East Bay

Friday November 10, 2006

50 YEARS OF GREAT ARTHOUSE CINEMA 

 

Pacific Film Archive continues its series of classic foreign and arthouse cinema from Janus Films with three screenings this weekend: Roman Polanski’s Knife in the Water (1962) at 7 p.m. Friday; Juan Antonio Bardem’s Death of a Cyclist (Spain, 1955) at 9 p.m. Friday; Carl Dreyer’s Day of Wrath (Denmark, 1943) at 3 p.m. Sunday; and Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal (Sweden, 1957) at 6-5 p.m. Sunday. 2575 Bancroft Way. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu.  

 

‘METANOIA, A UNIVERSALIST MASS’ 

 

Local composer Daniel Zwiekel ben Avram will premiere “Metanoia, A Universalist Mass” as a benefit for the School of the Americas Watch at 7 p.m. Saturday at St. Joseph the Worker Church. $10 donation.1640 Addison St. (925) 427-9611. 

 

KENYAN NOVELIST READS IN OAKLAND 

 

Kenyan novelist, playwright and poet Ngugi wa Thiong’o will read from his latest novel, Wizard of the Crow, at 2 p.m. Saturday at the African American Museum and Library. 659 14th Street, Oakland. 637-0200. 

 

‘WHEN I WAS A BOY IN BROOKLYN’ 

 

Gary Lapow brings his multi-media musical memoir of life in the 1940s and ’50s—Coney Island, stickball, doo wop, and the Brooklyn Dodgers—to the Jewish Community Center at 4 p.m. Sunday. $12-$15. 1414 Walnut St., Berkeley.848-0237.


Exhibit, Book Capture 100 Years of the Bancroft

By Dorothy Bryant, Special to the Planet
Friday November 10, 2006

“I did not stop to consider, I did not care, whether the book was of any value or not; it was easier and cheaper to buy it than to spend time in examining its value. The most worthless trash may prove some fact wherein the best book is deficient, and this makes the trash valuable.”  

 

That was the attitude of H. H. Bancroft (1832-1918) in 1860, when he began collecting and storing California “stuff”: books and newspapers, business directories, account books, handbills, ships logs, train tickets, letters written by the famous and the obscure. When written records were lacking he took oral histories that he called “dictations.” By 1870, 16,000 volumes of materials were housed in a building on Valencia Street in San Francisco. He expanded his search to the southwest and Mexico, then East and to Europe—wherever colonial lines of the Americas led. 

By the time of the 1906 quake Bancroft had completed negotiations to sell this motley, unorganized mountain of material to the University of California. Fortunately, the Valencia Street building came through the quake undamaged, and the university quickly moved everything to the Berkeley campus, where graduate students began the never-ending work of sorting and classifying its materials to make them accessible. In later years the University Archives and the Regional Oral History Office came under the Bancroft’s wing. In 1970, Bancroft absorbed the Rare Books Department of the UC Library, “expanding its reach to include the entire sweep of Western civilization,” and in 1972 the History of Science and Technology Program further broadened its view. Meanwhile, valuable gifts were coming from all over the world, as respect for this collection of “stuff” grew. The advent of the internet and on-line access in the 1990s continues to bring new possibilities and challenges. But the philosophy of Bancroft remains the same: collect everything and anything within the defined collecting areas, and let future generations interpret what it all says about us.  

This story and more is contained in a well-designed and readable, large-format book published in celebration of the centenary of Bancroft: Exploring the Bancroft Library, edited by Charles B. Faulhaber, Director of the Bancroft, and Stephen Vincent, poet and essayist. The book manages to divide the vast holdings of the Bancroft into a manageable few categories of collections, research programs, technical services, and outreach, accompanied by brief essays by historians connected to Bancroft in one way or another, and by scores of illustrations. (The 100th birthday of the The Bancroft Library comes during an extensive enlarging, renovating, retrofitting construction project to be completed in 2008. Until then, scholars may visit the temporary headquarters of the Bancroft at 2121 Allston, most of its collection in storage.) 

Anyone age eighteen (sooner, with a high school diploma) or older can use the Bancroft. Security measures make you feel kind of important: surrender bags, purses, pens, backpacks (you get a locker for a quarter, refundable when you leave); provide two IDs, one with photo; take a pencil and paper provided at the desk, and you’re in. I’ve done minor research for my writing: old photos of the Santa Clara Valley, or of old Californios, or oral histories by California Indians before 1900, or Japanese Americans after the World War II internment. Usually I ended up spending an extra two hours getting sidetracked into something irresistible, like the oral history of one of my (and everyone else’s) heroes, Walter Haas (Levi-Strauss). 

I asked Deputy Director Peter Hanff about unusual researchers. He recalled one “very old, very large, very addled” lady who came repeatedly, always calling herself by a different name, Washington one time, Lincoln the next. She was delving into old Spanish land grants, which, under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, were still technically valid (with daunting documentation and court action). “One day two federal agents appeared with some questions on the same subject. I mentioned this lady to them. They smiled and said they knew her. One of them said, ‘I bet you thought she was just some eccentric character haunting the Bancroft, but she actually is part of the family with a credible claim to the land under the Oakland Airport.’” 

While I’m sitting in Bancroft, examining the papers of some California writer, the people sitting nearby may be scholars, not only from the university, but from Germany, the Netherlands, Egypt, or Japan. Collected at the Bancroft are original Rube Goldberg cartoons and a fragment of a Sophocles play on papyrus—and everything imaginable and unimaginable in between: 600,000 volumes, 60,000,000 manuscript pieces, 43,000 microforms, 23,000 maps, 2,800,000 pictures and photos, 2,000 oral histories, many on video as well as in print.  

Samples of these images—people, landscapes, designs, ancient book pages, maps, letters—appear on almost every page of Exploring the Bancroft Library. (A personal discovery: I knew Yoshiko Uchida and had read her books, but I had never seen her watercolor of the internment camp at Topaz, Utah (page 37). 

When I mentioned this to Peter Hanff, I triggered another memory. In 1987 Peter was asked to arrange the first “ethnic” exhibit for the Bancroft Library Gallery, on Japanese and Chinese in California. “I said, well, I’ll have to borrow some stuff,” which was against Bancroft policy in those days. Peter had to defend his plan to borrow items to exhibit. “It wasn’t hard. All I had to do was to cite the early historical material we had, all written by white people—newspapers, handbills, cartoons about ‘orientals.’ It would have been an exhibit of white racism. I got an introduction to Seizo Oka, then the unofficial historian of Japan Town, and Tom Chinn, authority on Chinese culture in America. Brilliant men, they generously provided wonderful things. I learned a lot from them, and so did everyone who saw the exhibit.” 

Eight years ago Peter began teaching a research workshop with no pre-requisites, one of the special courses where lower division UC students are exposed to senior faculty in research instead of a T. A. “The assignment is to pick a subject, do research only in primary sources, then do an oral report to the group. So off they go to Bancroft, and they come back with a report—well, I still remember the look of wonder on the boy who stood in front of the group and said, ‘I held it in my hand! A letter by Albert Einstein!’ He had been bitten. No one will ever convince him that research is dry, dusty, dispassionate work.” 

If the illustrations and lists in the book whet your appetite for the real thing, trek up to the UC Museum, where, all this year (closing December 3), Gallery 4 is showing hundreds of acquisitions of the Bancroft: Thomas Jefferson’s letter to Meriwether Lewis, suggesting the exploration that became the Lewis and Clark expedition; the beribboned army jacket of “General-Waste-More-Land” worn in 1967 by Thomas Michael Dunphy to protest the Vietnam War; the astonishing 16th century Codex Fernandez Leal, a pictographic scroll illustrating the lineage of Cuicatec rulers in Oaxaca; a fragment of the Iliad in Greek on 2nd century A.D. papyrus; a 1906 painting by Theodore Wores— spectral ruins of San Francisco with a few gleaming white flowers sprouting in the foreground. Or watch a video of a recent oral history session. (A welcome feature—no hard-to-read printed captions on the walls or the sides of display cases. You can pick up a small catalog with concise descriptions of all 353 items, and you even get to keep it.) 

Then you can stop at the Museum Bookstore—or any local bookstore—and buy a copy ofExploring the Bancroft Library. (There’s at least one more chance to hear and question the editors at Book Passage in Corte Madera, December 6 at 7 p.m.) 

This is what a coffee table book ought to be, full of surprises for people (even librarians) who thought they knew what The Bancroft Library has and does. If I had a teenager in the house, I’d want to have the book lying around so s/he could dip into it now and then, absorbing some idea of what there is to know from archived “stuff.” And some time after the renovated Bancroft re-opens, and s/he turns eighteen, s/he’ll probably be waiting at the door, ready to surrender pen and backpack, and to enter an unimaginably larger world. 

 

 

 

Ira Nowinski’s San Francisco 

The Berkeley Art Musuem will host its final program commemorating the Bancroft Library’s centennial exhibition on Sunday, Dec. 3 at 3 p.m., the day the exhibit closes. 

Ira Nowinski has been photographing the people of San Francisco—opera divas, tenant organizers, North Beach poets—since 1970, making work that speaks eloquently of dignity, courage, and everyday life. 

BAM will celebrate his humanist photography and the latest publishing collaboration between the Bancroft and Heyday Books, Nowinski’s San Francisco: Poets, Politics, and Divas. 

Nowinski will give a brief visual presentation in the Museum Theater orienting the audience to his work while essayist Rebecca Solnit shares her thoughts on the cultural possibilities expressed in his images. 

Jack von Euw, the Bancroft’s curator of pictorial collections, will place Nowinski’s photographs in the context of the library’s holdings. Jack Hirschman, San Francisco’s prolific poet laureate, offers reflections on the city from his years of portraying it in words. Heyday Books publisher Malcolm Margolin will moderate the discussion. 

Seating is limited at the panel; first come, first served. A book-signing with the panelists will follow the program.  

 

 

Image: Book Cover:  

EXPLORING THE  

BANCROFT LIBRARY 

Edited by Charles B. Faulhaber and Stephen Vincent.  

Bancroft Library/ Signature Books. 

$29.95


Moving Pictures: Buster Keaton’s ‘General’ Pulls In To PFA

Friday November 10, 2006

In 1998, amid an orgy of end-of-the-millenium top 100 lists, the American Film Institute released its list of the 100 best American films, a list that included three Charlie Chaplin movies but inexplicably no Buster Keaton films, despite the fact that several of his works, most notably The General (1926), rank among the silent era’s best and frequently hover near the top of many critics’ lists of the best films ever made.  

But this has been Keaton’s lot in life, both during his career and since his death: to toil away in the shadow of the most famous comedian who ever lived. Though a late-career rediscovery of his work saw Keaton hailed as a cinematic genius, even Chaplin’s superior as a director, Keaton still retains his underdog status.  

Pacific Film Archive will show The General and One Week (1921), Keaton’s first independent film, as the first installments in a new series: “Movie Matinees For All Ages.” The series debuts at 2 p.m. Saturday with Keaton and will be followed over the next couple of Saturdays with the Marx Brothers’ Horse Feathers (1932) and Victor Fleming’s The Wizard of Oz (1939). 

These films may be available on DVD, but there’s no substitute for the shared experience of comedy on the big screen. Especially The General, for the silent masterpiece will feature live accompaniment from pianist Judith Rosenberg.  

The General is essentially one big chase sequence, brilliantly constructed and expanded to feature length. The story, based on a true incident from the Civil War, concerns a Southern train stolen by Northern soldiers, who spirit the engine back into Northern territory, burning bridges and destroying telegraph wires as they go. Buster, as Johnnie Grey, is the General’s engineer, and sets out to recapture his beloved locomotive. Along the way, Keaton stages a series of beautifully choreographed and increasingly dangerous stunts until he arrives in enemy territory, rescues his train—and, almost by accident, his girl—and then heads back to Southern territory while hounded by Northern soldiers. Thus the chase folds back on itself, like an arc that delivers Keaton back where he began—the “Keaton Curve,” as critic Walter Kerr put it—with gags and stunts from the first half now expanded upon in the second.  

The General and Chaplin’s The Gold Rush (1925) are unique among screen comedies in that they combine two seemingly incongruous genres: the comedy and the epic. Such a pairing had never been attempted before, as the grand scale of the epic seemed at odds with the smaller, more personal nature of character-based comedy. But whereas Chaplin’s film only contained a few outdoor shots in the early scenes before retreating to the comfort of studio sets, Keaton preferred to shoot on location; few of his comedies take place in studio sets. And though location shooting and period costumes were nothing new in Keaton’s work, The General dwarfs his previous efforts in scale and detail. Many critics consider it the most convincing celluloid recreation of the Civil War, the imagery recalling Matthew Brady’s photographs from the period.  

Keaton instructed his crew to make it “so authentic it hurts” and carefully replicated the trains, uniforms, styles and terrain of the era. There were no special effects; Keaton’s desire for authenticity extended to every shot, culminating in the dramatic scene in which a train crashes through a burning bridge as scores of Northern soldiers pour over the hillside to converge on the Southern army’s front lines.  

Critical reception was mixed. Some critics thought it a solid picture while others considered it Keaton’s weakest effort, taking offense at the notion of making light of the Civil War. Ultimately the considerable expense of the production caused Joseph Schenk, Keaton’s producer, to intervene with the usually autonomous director-star, requiring that his next feature be decidedly less extravagant. Keaton dutifully followed up with College (1927), one of his most restrained efforts, before embarking on the more elaborate Steamboat Bill, Jr (1928). It was while making Steamboat that Keaton learned that Schenk had sold his contract to MGM, bringing an end to Keaton’s independent career.  

Under MGM, Keaton struggled to keep control over his work but quickly became subsumed by the studio system after his first feature, The Cameraman (1928). Thus Keaton, like Erich von Stroheim before him and Orson Welles after him, became something of a victim of his own success as the expense of and lack of contemporary public appreciation for his greatest achievement ultimately undermined his career. 

PFA’s screening of The General will be preceded by One Week, the first two-reeler Keaton released as an independent artist after his apprenticeship with Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. One Week was hailed as the year’s best comedy upon its release, establishing Keaton as one of cinema’s most innovative artists. The film is an excellent introduction to Keaton’s work as it features many of the characteristics that would become his hallmarks: a fascination with machinery, a semi-surrealist perspective, trains, and of course, the Keaton Curve, as the efforts of Buster and his bride to construct a pre-fabricated house eventually leave them homeless once again. 

 

 

Photograph: Buster Keaton struggles to tame an errant cannon in his 1926 epic comedy The General.


Moving Pictures: Iraq Documentary is Stirring, Poetic

Friday November 10, 2006

Now that the election is over, with all its slogans and clichés and simplistic solutions for myriad complex problems, along comes a documentary that provides a solid, sobering dose of geopolitical reality. 

Iraq in Fragments, opening today (Friday) at Shattuck Cinemas, is like a Terrence Malick celluloid tone poem, an epic tale in three chapters examining the hope, despair, fear and tragedy of occupied Iraq. But most of all it is about humanity, about people of all ages and walks of life reflecting on what it means to be an Iraqi under the most difficult and tenuous of circumstances.  

Director James Longley has fashioned a documentary that plays like the most meticulously planned fictional narrative, taking the words of Iraqis and draping them over his lush photography. Lines of great beauty and poignancy adorn a continuous stream of stunning imagery that captures the essence of the land and its people at a time when the nation’s fate is at best uncertain.  

Longley’s compositions are lovely, his images haunting, and his subjects are the most engaging of characters. The film could not be more striking and affecting had it been crafted with great foresight and care in a Hollywood studio.  

Longley himself never intrudes, not upon the images and certainly not upon the words. There is no narration other than the words spoken by the Iraqis onscreen; the photography never draws attention to the photographer, the images never betray his presence. It is easy to forget there is a camera there at all; it’s as though we are simply catching glimpses into everyday lives, the lives of anonymous everyday Iraqis, the poor and the powerless, people whose names will never spread beyond their small villages, but lives which, under the patient gaze of Longley’s lens, take on epic proportions. Iraq in Fragments elevates each life by respecting its inherent dignity and beauty.  

The film recalls Malick’s Thin Red Line, the 1998 movie that tracked soldiers in battle in World War II and made audible their private thoughts, memories and fears. Iraq in Fragments has that quality; the words of the subjects almost seem to be flowing directly from their minds to ours, as though we are not hearing them but receiving them—a sort of stream-of-consciousness documentary. 

There have been many documentaries made by filmmakers who have spent time in Iraq over the past few years, and several of them have been excellent. But none has covered the terrain staked out by James Longley in this film. He has adopted much of the cinema verité style while bringing to it an eye for imagery that calls to mind the dramatic landscapes of Godfrey Reggio’s Koyaanisqatsi trilogy. He has transformed the words and lives and visuals of the Iraqi people into poetic incantations that provide an impressionistic glimpse of the struggle to retain one’s dignity and humanity in the face of global machinations over which they have no control. 

 

 

IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS 

Written, directed and photographed by James Longley. 94 minutes. Playing at Shattuck Cinemas.


About the House: Ask Matt: Addressing House Foundations, Shingle Roofs

By Matt Cantor
Friday November 10, 2006

Dear Matt, 

I read your article about house foundations, and I was wondering how do I tell if my house is bolted to the foundation. I live in the Seattle area, and my house was built in 1972, so I’m pretty sure that it is bolted, but I’ve torn apart a few small drywall piece, and haven’t seen any bolts. Is there an easy way to tell?  

I’m asking because I am looking at getting earthquake insurance, and it is one of the requirements.  

—Tom  

 

Dear Tom, 

This is a toughie as there are a number of questions you have to ask yourself to get a clear answer. The first one is, Do you have a crawl space? If there is a space between your floor and the ground then your removal of drywall isn’t going to tell you what you need to know. If you’re on a slab, where the foundation and your floor is the same thing, then it will. If you are on a slab, and there are plenty of those from the 70’s, you will probably have to remove drywall along the floor for up to 6’ before you see a bolt and possibly further. Bolt spacing in this time was roughly at a 6’ spacing and the bolts are usually 1/2” with small washers (if there ARE washers). The nuts may be square or hex and these are likely to be quite rusty since they were almost always non galvanized. Your insurance company probably doesn’t care how many bolts are present, just so long as some can be sighted.  

If you have a crawl space, you will notice that your floor is a) usually raised above ground level any where from 2’ on up and you’ll usually have to walk up some stairs to get into the house from at least one side. If you have a crawl space, you’ll also usually see vent on the side of the building just above ground level. If you have a crawl space, you will also, generally, be able to hear a drum-like sound when you jump up and land on the floor. A slab won’t make any sound beyond the sound of loose flooring. It will also feel very hard and unforgiving.  

If you have a crawl space, you’ll need to get inside of it to see the bolts and they will be on the top of the foundation around the perimeter of the building. They hold the bottom piece of wood that makes up the framework of the house, called a mudsill, to the foundation. This board literally lies flat on top of the footing and is held in place by an occasional bolt. Since bolting was a requirement in virtually all of the U.S. at that time, you can expect to see a small compliment of 1/2” bolts just as I’ve described above. Keep in mind that with a slabbed house, you’re only going to be able to see a sampling. Bolting frequency may vary and the spot you see won’t tell the entire picture. That said, it’s a good idea to find out for your insurance company and for yourself. I hope you’ll consider upgrading the bolting since almost all of the bolting done this long ago, is now considered to be far too weak and Seattle is much like Berkeley in its seismic activity.  

Say hi to Bill and Melinda for me,  

Matt  

 

Dear Matt:  

I have a 15 year old composite shingle roof. About five years ago I noticed that all the mineral granules on the ridge shingles were gone. The ridge shingles are two or three shingles thick to give a perky profile. Another roofer doing my garage said the problem is the shingles on the ridge get too hot because the heat in the unventilated attic crawl space is hottest at the ridge. 

Does this make sense to you? the flat shingles that start at the edge of the ridge shingles, just a few inches down from the apex of the ridge look fine.  

Sam Craig  

 

Dear Sam, 

That roofer of yours is a pretty sharp fellow and there’s a darned good chance that a lack of roof venting is involved in the wear on those shingles, however, I’m going to ask you to take a closer look at the shingles to see if there’s something else going on, perhaps in addition to the problem with heat and very possibly the root cause of the problem. I’ve seen a similar condition on quite a few occasions. You may be looking at a problem that occurred as a result of folding the shingles. When shingle get folded over the ridge they tend to more rapidly shed their mineral coating. Some roof ridges, such as the one you’ve described even involve a complex fold in which the shingle is folded in half and THEN folded partially once again to bend over the ridge.  

This creates a more elaborate ridge detail that sort of puffs up like a bird’s crest. It’s pretty but it involves paying a price. This folding immediately knocks some mineral granules off and then promotes more failure of the mineral coating over time. If the mineral is only missing (to a significant degree) on the ridge shingles and the adjacent ones, which lie flat, seem completely fine, I’ll bet that the folding is the primary problem. If heat is the problem, I would expect the top 2-5 courses to have a graduated effect in which the top is most strongly effected and the next few courses have a decreasing but noticeable loss of the granules. Heat in the attic, if this involved, will also tend to curl the shingles and I’ve seen cases where all the shingles had some lift to them as the heat waves were driving them upward. The shingles also become quite brittle in these cases and begin to crack and break prematurely.  

If it’s just the ridge shingles that are badly worn and the rest looks all right, I’d suggest replacing the ridge shingles with new ones. It’s not hard to get a similar color. At 15 years, you may only have a few years left on the whole roof so consider this when you think about putting money into a repair. I DO think that roof heat is an issue that should be addressed during the next roof replacement by the installation of vents (they can go in several places and are best distributed somewhat over the height of the roof (some near the top and some near the bottom). You can also consider a fan (and solar fans are nice in that they don’t require any wiring).  

Good luck, Matt  

 

Got a question about home repairs and inspections? Send them to Matt Cantor at mgcantor@pacbell.net.


Garden Variety: Get Your Supplemental Sunshine on University Avenue

By Ron Sullivan
Friday November 10, 2006

I just had to ask. The charming young salesperson at Berkeley Indoor Garden did have list of what, other than the obvious, customers grow using B.I.G.’s wares: orchids and other tropicals, carnivorous plants, some rare and picky succulents, sometimes lettuce and herbs and baby greens just to have them handy.  

She showed me some Hawai’ian kalanchoes that drop baby plants from their leaf edges, roots already a-reaching, the way good old mother-of-millions does. (M-o-m, a Bryophyllum hybrid, reproduces as advertised in pots outdoors here, as I’ve found out. Want some? Keep it away from wildlands.) 

She showed me dinosaur kale growing in styrofoamy blocks, and calendulas in a test bed with a Brazil-style octopus of silver ductwork—“Not the best way to arrange ducts; they should be straight”—slithering between the light hoods and whooshing fans overhead.  

She showed me a rig with a light fixture in a sort of zippered fabric: just the thing for a few prize poinsettias. They need measured doses of darkness to bloom, and that’s becoming harder to get as city and “security” lights get more obnoxiously ubiquitous.  

I have seen other plants in indoor hydroponics stores: tobacco, chili peppers, a boisterous banana tree that bore several big hands of fruit for its staff. I’ve also explored indoor hydroponics as a possibility for immunocompromised friends, especially one passionate gardener whose beloved cats had bad habits about her potted plants. 

I suppose it’s cheap irony that free light is getting hard to take for granted too, as those trendy “dense” buildings mushroom all over town. 

You can grow mushrooms in the backyard after one such monolith goes up on your south or west border, but good luck with the squash and beans. So maybe we’ll need these elaborate indoor set-ups for food security.  

They’ll certainly drive the utility bills up. Handily, B.I.G. has a chart that tells you how much, for a number of possible setups. There are also lots of growing media—from something approximating soil to something approximating red clay hailstones—and a bewildering assortment of organic fertilizers, including (pricey!) mycorrhizal inoculants.  

The varieties and intensities of light get bewildering, too. This is gardening for wonks, I guess, and though I have wonkish tendencies myself I suspect I’d be flipping coins instead of crunching numbers after a few layers of this chemistry and engineering. If you like that stuff and don’t mind all that fluorescent light, well, you’re trimming your consumption by growing things instead of getting them trucked to you, I suppose.  

When I want a sunshine supplement I go just up the street to the Templebar, especially since they’ve started serving lunch four days a week. 

Time your shopping right and you can catch comedy, or better yet some wonderful Hawai’ian slack-key guitar and song from the duo Pulama, Wednesday the 15th from 7 to 9 and one Wednesday a month through January. And have dinner there to take care of the munchies.  

 

Berkeley Indoor Garden 

844 University Avenue, Berkeley 

(510) 549-2918 

Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-7 p.m. 

Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. 

Sunday 12 p.m.-5 p.m. 

 


Quake Tip of the Week

By Larry Guillot
Friday November 10, 2006

Have You Met Your Neighbors? 

 

Back in the 1950s, everyone on the block knew everyone else. Unfortunately, that’s rarely the case now. 

The Big One in our future, however, now makes it more important than ever to be on a first name basis with everyone on the block.  

For example, if you’re not at home when the Big One hits, you’ll want a neighbor to check inside your home for gas and water leaks. 

Why? It’s in everyone’s self-interest: if one home has a gas build-up and catches fire, it puts the rest of the block at risk (remember, the fire department won’t be there!). 

Note: if each house has an automatic gas shut-off valve installed, it makes it safer for the entire block.  

Someone needs to get all the neighbors together—why not you? 

 

 

Larry Guillot is owner of QuakePrepare, an earthquake consulting, securing, and kit supply service. Call him at 558-3299, or visit www.quakeprepare.com.


Berkeley This Week

Friday November 10, 2006

FRIDAY, NOV. 10 

City of Berkeley Offices Cosed Today 

Hopalong Animal Rescue of Oakland Annual Fur Ball, with an international buffet, live music and a silent auction benefitting homeless dogs and cats of the Bay Area, from 6 to 10 p.m. at the International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave. Tickets are $45. 267-1915 ext. 500. www.hopalong.org  

Impeachment Banner Fridays at 6:45 to 8 a.m. on the Berkeley Pedestrian bridge between Seabreeze Market and the Berkeley Aquatic Park, ongoing on Fridays until impeachment is realized. www. Impeachbush-cheney.com 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Dr. James Hanson on “Successful Healing at Children’s Hospital of Oakland.” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 526-2925.  

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour “75 Years of the Lawrence Berkeley Lab” at 10 a.m. Cost is $8-$10. To register and learn meeting place call 848-0181.  

Womansong Circle with Betsy Rose A participatory circle of song for women with guest Edie Hartshorne at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Cost is $15-$20. 525-7082. 

“Our Synthetic Sea” presented by Jan Lundberg at 8 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., between Broadway and Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 

African Market and Sabar Party at 10 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $5-$10 . 

SATURDAY, NOV. 11 

March and Rally “Tell Pacific Steel Casting to Stop Polluting” Meet at 11 a.m. at 9th and Gilman. Sponsored by Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice, Ecology Center, West Berkeley Alliance for Clean Air and Safe Jobs and others. 415-248-5010. 

Mini-Farmers in Tilden A farm exploration program, from 10 to 11 a.m. for ages 4-6 years, accompanied by an adult. We will explore the Little Farm, care for animals, do crafts and farm chores. Wear boots and dress to get dirty! Fee is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Goats are Great Come meet the Nubian goat twins, Cleo and Lily, at 2 p.m. at the Little Farm in Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Stream Study Day for the whole family on a two-mile hike. Wear layered clothing that can get wet and muddy. Meet at 2 p.m. at Lone Oak Picnic Area, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Veterans Day Ceremony at 2 p.m. on board the Red Oak Victory Ship at 1337 Canal Blvd., Richmond. Tea Dance and Dinner follows the ceremony for $25. For information and reservations call 222-9200. 

“Enemy Combatants” Robert Harmon of the National Lawyers Guild Military Law Task Force on “Repealing the Constitution: The Military Commissions Act of 2006,” at 7 p.m. at Home of Truth, 1300 Grand St., Alameda. An Alameda Public Affairs Forum. www.alamedaforum.org 

Vegetarian Cooking Class “Thanksgiving is for the Birds” from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St., at Castro, Oakland. Cost is $50. To register, please call 531-2665.  

“Lifting the Fog: The Scientific Method Applied to the World Trade Center Disaster” from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Room 2050, Valley Life Sciences Bldg., UC Campus. www.liftingthefog.org 

Nourishing Your Aging Parents and Yourself with Edward Bauman at 10 a.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Bilingual Storytime Stories in English and Spanish for toddlers and preschoolers at 10:30 a.m. in the Edith Stone Room at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Produce Stand at Spiral Gardens Food Security Project from 1 to 6 p.m. at the corner of Sacramento and Oregon St. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

“Healing the Mind” a workshop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Dzalandhara Buddhist Center, 953 Arlington Ave. Cost is $25. 559-8183. 

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, NOV. 12 

Farm Stories and Songs Learn some new songs, then meet the animals, at 10 am. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Hike to Find the Monarch Butterfly in the eucalyptus groves, and learn about the incredible migration of these insects. Meet at 1:30 p.m. at Pt. Pinole. 525-2233. 

Open Garden at the Little Farm Join the gardener for composting, planting, watering and harvesting at 2 p.m. at the Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Rain cancels. 525-2233. 

“Orchid Identification & Culture” with orchid expert Jerry Parsons from 9 a.m. to noon at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $40-$50. Reservations required. 643-2755. 

“Women in Overdrive” with author Nora Isaacs at 1 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

“Rites of Passage” Fundraiser with jazz, and speakers at 6 p.m. at Swarm Studios, 560 Second St., Oakland. Tickets are $50-$100. https://secure.suntoria.com/ritesofpassage.html 

Handmade Holiday Cards on sale from 10 a.m. at 2 p.m. at Kensington Farmer’s Market, 303 Arlington Ave. Benefit Katrina victims at the Progress Elementary School in Lousiana. kensingtonfm@yahoo.com  

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712.  

Tibetan Buddhism with Donna Morton on “Relaxing Tension through Kum Nye” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. 

MONDAY, NOV. 13  

“Heart Disease: Risks, Diet and Therapy” with Diedre Warren of Kaiser Oakland at 7 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group for people aged 60 and over meets at 9:45 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. Donation $3. 524-9122. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. 548-0425. 

TUESDAY, NOV. 14 

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 Sobrante Ridge. For meeting location or to borrow binoculars, call 525-2233.  

“The Way To Win: Taking the White House in 2008” with ABC News political director Mark Halperin and Washington Post editor and author John Harris at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500.  

“GMOs and the Law: One Farmer’s Battle with Monsanto” with Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser at 7 p.m. 121 North Gate Hall, UC Campus. 643-3840.  

Berkeley High School Governance Council meets at 4:15 p.m. in the Berkeley Community Theater Lobby. Topics will include Attendance Policy, Homework Inequity, CAHSEE Funding, Student Placement Demographics, Late Start Schedule. 644-4803. 

Haymarket Commemoration with Barry Pateman speaking on the history and legacy of the Haymarket Martyrs, and live music by the Devin Hoff Platform at 7 p.m. at the AK Press Warehouse, 674-A 23rd St., Oakland. Suggested donation $5-$10, no one turned away for lack of funds. 208-1700. 

American Red Cross Blood Services volunteer orientation at 6 p.m. at the Oakland office. Advanced sign-up is required. 594-5165.  

Choosing Infant Care A workshop for parents at 7 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Registration required. 658-7353.  

Choosing a Pre-School for Your Child at 6 p.m. at Habitot Children’s Museum. Registration required. 647-1111, ext. 14. 

“Population Policy in Senegal and Nigeria: Framing the Future Through Health and Progress” with Rachel Sullivan, doctoral student, at 4 p.m. at 652 Barrows Hall, UC Campus. 642-8338. 

Berkeley School Volunteers Training workshop for volunteers interested in helping the public schools, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. 644-8833. 

Free Prostate Cancer Screening for men age 40-70 at Alta Bates Herrick Campus. To schedule an appointment call 869-8833. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991.  

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15 

“A Glimpse of South Berkeley” with Sarah Shen on “Pixar in the Neighborhood” at 7:30 p.m. at South Berkeley Community Church, 1802 Fairview St. at Ellis. Tickets are $10 and benefit the church’s restoration efforts. 652-1040. 

“These Streets Are Watching” documentary on police misconduct and what to do and say when stopped by police, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Donation $5-$20. Benefit for Copwatch. 415-810-4665. 

“Voices of Courage” Family Violence Law Center Annual Dinner at 6 p.m. at Scott’s Seafood Restaurant, Jack London Square. Cost is $90. 208-0220, ext. 18. 

New to DVD “Word Play” at 7 p.m. at the JCCEB, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

Bayswater Book Club meets to discuss “Drugs, Oil & War” by Peter Dale Scott at 6:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, El Cerrito. 433-2911. 

Open House at Revolution Books from 7 to 9 p.m. at 2425 Channing Way. 848-1196. 

Natural Solutions for Holiday Stress at 7 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. 548-9840. 

THURSDAY, NOV. 16 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll learn about the water cycle, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

“Anatomy of an Oakland Redevelopment Project” The History and Politics of West Oakland’s Central Station Project at 7:30 p.m. at the Piedmont Gardens Residential Center, 110 41sr St., Oakland. Sponsored by the Metropolitan Greater Oakland Democratic Club. www.mgoclub.org 

“How Museums Represent Native People” with Amy Lonetree of Portland State Univ, and a member of the Ho-Chunk Tribe at 7 p.m. at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum, UC Campus. 643-7649. 

Diversity Film Series “Waging a Living” at 7 p.m. followed by discussion, at Frank Havens Elementary School Auditorium, 325 Highland Ave., Piedmont. 835-9227.  

NorCal High School Mountain Bike League presents “Cobbles, Baby!” Scott Coady’s Paris-Roubaix Adventure at 8 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $12. 452-3556.  

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.  

“Natural Solutions to Manage Arthritis” with Dr. Jay Sordean, LAc, OMD., at 1 p.m. at The South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5174. 

Easy Does It Disability Assistance Board of Directors meets at 6:30 p.m. at 1744A University Ave. All welcome. 845-5513.  

Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters Club meets at 6:45 p.m. Spud's Pizza, 3290 Adeline at Alcatraz.  

Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 6 p.m. at East Pauley Ballroom, MLK Student Union, UC Campus. 1-800-GIVE-LIFE. 

ONGOING 

Holiday Food Drive Sponsor a Food Drive at your business, school, place of worship or community center. Help the Food Bank reach its goal of collecting 700,000 pounds of nutritious, non-perishable food for families in need during the holiday season. 635-3663, ext. 318. www.accfb.org  

UN Association’s UNICEF & Fair Trade Gift Center Closing Sale, Tues.-Sat. noon to 5 p.m. to Dec. 16, 1403 Addison St., 849-1752. 

CITY MEETINGS 

Youth Commission meets Mon., Nov. 13, at 6:30 p.m., at 1730 Oregon St. 981-6670.  

City Council meets Tues., Nov. 14, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Berkeley School Board meets Wed. Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m., in the City Council Chambers. Mark Coplan 644-6320. 

Citizens Humane Commission meets Wed., Nov. 15, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6601.  

Civic Arts Commission meets Wed., Nov. 15, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7533.  

Commission on Aging meets Wed., Nov. 15, at 1:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5344.  

Commission on Labor meets Wed., Nov. 15 at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7550.  

Downtown Area Plan Advisory Commission meets Wed. Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7487. 

Design Review Committee meets Thurs., Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Anne Burns, 981-7415.  

Fair Campaign Practices Commission meets Thurs., Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6950. 

Transportation Commission meets Thurs., Nov. 16, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7010. 

 

 


Arts Calendar

Tuesday November 07, 2006

TUESDAY, NOV. 7 

EXHIBITIONS 

Wildlife Sculpture by Bob O’Neill opens at the Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park, and runs to Dec. 24. 525-2233. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Charles Mann describes “1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Del Sol String Quartet “Premieres Without Borders” featuring premieres by Reza Vali (Iran), Marc Blitzstein (USA), Jack Brody (New Zealand), and Eric Lindsay (USA) at 8 p.m. at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. Post-concert discussion with the musicians and composers facilitated by Charles Amirkhanian, Executive Director of Other Minds. Tickets are $7-$20 at the door. 415- 831-5672. delsolquartet.com 

Sauce Piquante at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Catie Curtis, contemporary folk originals, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

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

Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca, Election Night Dance Party at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $12-$20. 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, NOV. 8 

EXHIBITIONS 

“At Thadeus Lake” by Sherri Martin, winner of the 2006 Kala Board Prize at Kala Art Institute, 1060 Heinz Ave. Exhibition runs to Nov. 25. 549-2977. www.kala.org 

“The Black Panthers” Photographs by Stephen Shames and posters from the archives of Alden Kimbrough on display at the Oakland Asian Resource Gallery, 310 8th St., Oakland., through Nov. 30. 532-9692. 

FILM 

“Animated Enemies” Selected and introduced by film historian James Forsher at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“We Are the Earth” with David Suzuki at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $10-$12 at independendt bookstores. 415-255-7296, ext. 253. www.globalexchange.org 

Michael Wex will talk about “Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All its Moods” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

David Henkin discusses “The Postal Age: The Emergence of Modern Communications in Nineteenth Century America” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. 

Poetry Flash with Elizabeth Arnold and Graham Foust at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley City College Auditorium, 2050 Center St. 525-5476. 

Jean Ellison, storytelling, at 7 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

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 Takahashi & Imbrie, and an 85th birthday celebration of Andrew Imbrie, at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Musica Antiqua Koln, with Marijana Mijanovic, contralto, at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, Dana at Durant. Tickets are $48. 642-9988. 

The Atmos Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ.  

Akosua, Ghanaian-American singer-songwriter at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568.  

Red Archibald and the Internationals at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Swing dance lesson at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $7. 525-5054. 

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

J Soul at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Beep, jazz jam at 8 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Free. 451-8100.  

Catie Curtis, contemporary folk originals, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Cedar Walton Trio with guests Steve Turre and Vincent Herring, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $20-$24. 238-9200.  

THURSDAY, NOV. 9 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Whitework Embroidery” at Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, 2982 Adeline St. Runs through Feb. 5. Hours are Mon.-Sat. noon to 6 p.m. Free. lacismuseum.org 

Semina Culture: Wallace Berman and His Circle Guided tour at 12:15 and 5:30 p.m. in Gallery 2, Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

THEATER 

Youth Musical Theater Company “Guys & Dolls” Thurs.-Sat. at 7:30 p.m. at Longfellow Middle School, 1500 Derby St. Tickets are $6-$15. 595-5514. www.ymtc.org 

FILM 

“New Work by Gunvor Nelson” with filmmaker Gunvor Nelson at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove reading of “Voices of a People’s History of the United States” at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Community Theater, 1930 Allston Way, Berkeley High Campus. Benefit for the Middle East Children’s Alliance. Tickets are $25. 1-800-838-3006. 

Culinary Authors Read in a Benefit for the Center for Independent Living, with Bruce Aidells, Fran Gage and Peggy Knickerbocker at 6 p.m. at Ginn House, Preservation Park, 660 13th St. at Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. Tickets are $50-$60. 841-4776, ext. 153. 

Anna Moschovakis and Elizabeth Treadwell, poets, read from their latest work, at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Maragret Schaefer reads from her new translation of Arthur Schnitzler’s “Bachelors” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Bocalicious Spoken Word Swap Meet at 7 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“Past, Post, and ... Now!” Mills College Repertory Dance Concert at 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. at Lisser Hall, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland. Tickets are $12-$15. 430-2175. 

Jamie Laval with Ashley Broder, Celtic violin and mandolin, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Pete Yellin Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $9. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Rachel Sage, Joni Davis, Danielle French at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

The Ramana Vieira Ensemble at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Push to Talk, The Attachments at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

Jazz Mine at 6:30 p.m. at King Tsin Chinese Restaurant, 1699 Solano Ave. 525-9890. 

 

FRIDAY, NOV. 10 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “Hedda Gabler” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. through Nov. 18 at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. at Berryman. Tickets are $12. 525-1620. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Albany High School Theater Ensemble “Pretend-O-Cide” Thurs. at 7 p.m., Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Albany High School Little Theater, 603 Key Route Blvd, Albany, through Nov. 11. Tickets are $5-$10. www.myspace.com/ahsuburoi 

Altarena Playhouse “Merrily We Roll Along” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at 1409 High St, Alameda, through Nov. 12. Cost is $15-$18. 523-1553. www.altarena.org 

Azeem’s “Rude Boy” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at The Marsh, 2120 Allston Way, through Nov. 25. Tickets are $15-$22. 415-826-5750. www.themarsh.org 

Aurora Theatre “Ice Glen” Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St., through Dec. 10. Tickets are $38. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

Berkeley Rep “Passing Strange” at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. through Dec. 3. Tickets are $45-$61. 645-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Central Works “Andromache” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. through Nov. 19. Tickets are $9-$25. 558-1382. 

Chorus Repertory Theatre “Nine Hills One Valley” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $24-$48. 642-9988.  

Contra Costa Civic Theater, “And Then There Were None” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. Sun. at 2 p.m. at 951 Pomona Ave., at Moeser, El Cerrito, through Dec. 9. Tickets are $11-$18. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Impact Theater “Jukebox Stories” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave., through Dec. 10. Tickets are $10-$15. 464-4468. www.impacttheatre.com 

Masquers Playhouse “Company” by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2:30 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond, through Dec. 16.. Tickets are $18. 232-4031. www.masquers.org  

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. 12. Sliding scale $15-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

TheatreFirst “Criminal Genius” Thurs.-Fri. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. at Old Oakland Theatre, 481 Ninth St., at Broadway, Oakland, through Nov. 19. Tickets are $19-$25. 436-5085. www.theatrefirst.com 

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 

Youth Musical Theater Company “Guys & Dolls” Fri.-Sat. at 7:30 p.m. at Longfellow Middle School, 1500 Derby St. Tickets are $6-$15. 595-5514. www.ymtc.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“R.S.V.P.” Art for the Table Opens at 6 p.m. at ACCI Gallery, 1652 Shattuk Ave. and runs through Dec. 2. 843-2527. 

FILM 

“Iraq in Fragments” A documentary film by James Longley opens at Landmark Shattuck Cinema, 2230 Shattuck Ave. 464-5980. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

William L. Fox reads from “Driving to Mars: In the Arctic with NASA on the Human Journey to the Red Planet” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

T. J. Clark introduces “The Sight of Death: An Experiment in Art Writing” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. 

Elizabeth Rosner will read from her novel “Blue Nude” at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble 6050 El Cerrito Plaza, El Cerrito. This event is a fundraiser for the Friends of the Contra Costa College Library. 524-0087. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oakland East Bay Symphony “Made in America” A new work by Joan Tower at 8 p.m., pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m. at Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $15-$62. 625-8497. www.oebs.org 

Donna Lerew, violin, Miles Graber, piano perform works of Bach, Schubert, Ravel and Rochberg at 8 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery 2911 Claremont Ave. Tickets are $10-$15. 848-1228. www.giorgigallery.com 

“Past, Post, and ... Now!” Mills College Repertory Dance Concert at 8 p.m. Fri. and Sat. at Lisser Hall, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland. Tickets are $12-$15. 430-2175. 

African Sabar/Tannebeer Drum and Dance Festival at 10 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10. 548-1159.  

Slammin All-Body Band at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $13-$15. 849-2568.  

Melanie O’Reilly & Tir na Mara at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ.  

Duck Baker, American fingerstyle guitarist, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Elaine Lucia Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

The Nomadics, jazz, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

With River, Rick Hardin, Fred Odell & the Broken Arrows at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Lights Out, Have Heart, Go It Alone at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

Electric Vardo “ShadowDance” at 8 p.m. at Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway, at 2nd, Oakland. Cost is $10-$15. 415-259-8629. www.darkerstill.com  

Broun Fellinis at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Cedar Walton Trio with guests Steve Turre and Vincent Herring, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $20-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, NOV. 11 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Bonnie Lockhart in a autumn sing along at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Jen Miriam Puppets and Music at 11 a.m. at Studio Grow, 1235 10th St. at Gilman Cost is $6, children under 1 free. 526-9888.  

EXHIBITIONS 

International Arts and Crafts on display and for sale from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Finnish Kaleva Hall, 1970 Chestnut St. 

FILM 

Matinees for all Ages: “The General” with Buster Keaton at 2 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Young Performers Celebrate “The Whole World’s Watching You” in coordination with Berkeley Art Center’s exhibit of photos from the peace & social justice movement of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Readings at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., between Eunice & Rose Sts., behind Live Oak Park. 527-9753. 

Tom Hayden reads from “The Lost Gospel of the Earth: A Call for Renewing Nature, Spirit and Politics” at noon at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Kenyan novelist, playwright, and poet will read from “Wizard of the Crow” at 2 p.m. at the African American Museum and Library, 659 14th St., Oakland. 637-0200. 

Piano Seminar on the Taubman Approach Sat. and Sun. from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Berkeley Piano Club, 2724 Haste St. Cost is $110-$220. 523-0213. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“L’Dor Va Dor” Jewish Composers in the Renaissance English Court at 8 p.m. at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. at Garber. Tickets are $10-$25. 

Piano Concert on the Taubman Approach at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Piano Club, 2724 Haste St. Cost is $20. 523-0213. 

Works in the Works Dance performance by Leigh Riley, Rebecca Johnson, Kirsten Wilkinson and others at 7:30 p.m. at Eighth Street Studio, 2424 Eighth St. Tickets are $10 at the door. 527-5115. 

Gamelan Sari Raras at 7:30 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $4-$12. 642-9988. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Fronteras Flamencas at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $18-$20. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Walter Savage Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Aux Cajunals at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Caribbean Party at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $15. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

Joshua Eden and Mike Gibbons at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Eddie From Ohio, folk, at 5 and 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

John Zorn, saxophone, an evening of improvisation with Ikue Mori, at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $20-$25. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Wire Graffiti, Castles in Spain, the Judea Eden Band at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

Vernon Bush Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Red Fang, from Portland, at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $8. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

Melissa Rivera, world/Latin rock at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7-$10. 558-0881. 

Joshi Marshall Project at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Aggression, Verbal Abuse, The Sick, Troublemaker 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. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SUNDAY, NOV. 12 

CHILDREN 

Children’s author Daniel San Souci talks about how he develops his stories and sketches at 3 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, James Moore Theater, 1000 Oak St. Co-sponsored by the Oakland Public Library. 238-3615. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Winter Bright” Ceramic sculptures by Elizabeth Orleans, and acrylic paintings by Rosalie Cassell and Diane Rusnak at the Community Art Gallery, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, 2450 Ashby Ave. through Jan. 5. 204-1667.  

Works by April Hankins opens at 2 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Semina Culture: Wallace Berman and His Circle Guided tour at 1 p.m. in Gallery 2, Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Reading with Diane DiPrima, Michael McClure, David Meltzer and Ron Loewinsohn at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

Cecile Andrews reads from “Slow is Beautiful: New Visions of Community, Leisure and Joie de Vivre” at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Nahid Rachlin reads from her memoir “Persian Girls” at 6:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

20th Century Music and Beyond: Composer John Zorn at 3 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32. 642-9988. 

Laurel Ensemble Music from Russia and Eastern Europe at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Tickets $12 at the door www.laurelensemble.com 

Kingston Players String Quartet performs Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven at 4 p.m. at United Methodist Church, 201 Martina Street, corner of W. Richmond Ave., Point Richmond. Suggested donation $5. 236-0527. 

Four Seasons Concerts with Amadi Hummings, violin, and Wendy Law, cello, at 7:30 p.m. at Regents Theater, Holy Names University, 3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Tickets are $35-$40. 601-7919. www.fourseasons concerts.com 

Sheila Alix and the Dan Damon Trio at 5:30 p.m. at the Baltic, 135 Park Place, Point Richmond. 237-4782.  

“When I Was a Boy in Brooklyn” Songs by Gary Laplow at 4 p.m. at the JCC, 1414 Walnut St. Tickets are $12-$15. 848-0237. 

Works in the Works Dance performance by Evangel King, Ruth Botchan, Minoo Hamzavi and others at 7:30 p.m. at Eighth Street Studio, 2424 Eighth St. Tickets are $10 at the door. 527-5115. 

Sparky & Rhonda Rucker at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Weber Iago Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Coco Linares, guitarist from Peru at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Erik Jekabson at 4:30 at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Bandworks, band recitals at 1 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $5. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Gift Horse at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

MONDAY, NOV. 13 

CHILDREN 

National Children’s Book Week with presentations and illustrator workshops for children at various Oakland Public Library Branches. For details see. www.oaklandlibrary.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Christopher Robin and & Joe Pachinko read at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Douglas H. Chadwick introduces “The Grandest of Lives: Eye to Eye with Whales” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Poetry Express with The Pasedena Poets at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Fruit at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Khalil Shaheed, all ages jam, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Blue Monday Blues Jam at 8 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

Tribute to Shirley Horn with Frankye Kelly, Babtunde Lea, Glen Pearson, Ron Belcher and Michael O’Neill at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $6-$12. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com  


Around the East Bay

Tuesday November 07, 2006

SCIENTIST-AUTHOR TELLS US “WE ARE THE TRUTH” 

 

Internationally renowned scientist and host of many popular Canadian television series David Suzuki will deliver a lecture entitled “We Are the Earth” at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Suzuki is the author of more than 40 books, including The Sacred Balance, Tree, Good News for a Change and the just released David Suzuki, The Autobiography. Tickets are $10-$12 and can be purchased at independent bookstores. 415-255-7296, ext. 253. www.globalexchange.org. 

 

OAKLAND SYMPHONY “MADE IN AMERICA” 

 

Oakland East Bay Symphony will peform “Made in America,” a new work by Joan Tower, as well as works by George Gershwin and Aaron Copeland at 8 p.m. Friday at the Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. The concert will be preceded by a lecture at 7 p.m. $15-$62. 625-8497. www.oebs.org. 

 

“THE WHOLE WORLD’S WATCHING YOU” 

 

Young performers will participate in “The Whole World’s Watching You,” poetry readings hosted in coordination with Berkeley Art Center’s exhibit of photos from the peace and social justice movement of the ‘60s and ‘70s, at 7 p.m. Saturday at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., between Eunice and Rose, behind Live Oak Park. 527-9753.


Walton, Turre Team Up at Yoshi’s

By Ira Steingroot, Special to the Planet
Tuesday November 07, 2006

Cedar Walton may not be a household name to everyone, but in his half-century as a professional jazz pianist, Walton’s talents have been called upon by almost every major jazz musician. 

Born in Dallas in 1934, Walton studied music at the University of Denver. It was there, while playing at the Denver Club, that he first worked with visiting luminaries like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane.  

It was not long before he moved to New York where he was playing with Lou Donaldson, Gigi Gryce and Sonny Rollins. A stint in the Army took him to Germany where he worked with Leo Wright and Eddie Harris. By 1958, he was back in the United States and touring with J.J. Johnson. His first recording, with Kenny Dorham on Orin Keepnews’ Riverside label, soon followed. He recorded with Johnson as well and then joined the Art Farmer/Benny Golson Jazztet for two years. 

In 1961, he joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, which at that time included Wayne Shorter, Curtis Fuller and Freddie Hubbard. He left Blakey in 1964, although he returned in 1973 for a tour of Japan, and finally made his first album as a leader in 1966 for Prestige. 

Prestige liked him so much they hired him as their house pianist from 1967-69. He then organized a bebop quartet, often with Clifford Jordan on tenor sax, that performed as Eastern Rebellion for many years. In the ‘70s, he experimented with funk and the electric piano in a group called Soundscapes. In the ‘80s, he worked with the Timeless All-Stars, a sextet that included Harold Land, Bobby Hutcherson, Curtis Fuller, Buster Williams and his long-time associate, the late Billy Higgins.  

This still leaves out his various gigs with Abbey Lincoln, Dexter Gordon, Lee Morgan, Milt Jackson, Ron Carter, Sam Jones and Louis Hayes as well as his long list of original compositions like “Mosaic,” “Promised Land,” “Fantasy in D, Firm Roots,” “Bolivia” and “Clockwise,” all of which have become jazz standards. 

Most importantly, all of these great players want Cedar to accompany them because he is among the greatest living jazz pianists. His technique is virtuosic, allowing him to improvise flowing strings of bebop lines at a breakneck speed that would daunt anyone other than an Art Tatum or Bud Powell. It is a pure delight to hear someone’s mind and fingers thinking and playing with this kind of speed, elegance and lyricism. 

For his current gig at Yoshi’s, he will be bringing along some equally great sideplayers, most notably trombonist Steve Turre. Turre was born in Omaha, but grew up in the Bay Area playing in the Latin aggregations of Carlos Santana and the Escovedo Brothers. Like Cedar, he also worked with Dizzy Gillespie, J.J. Johnson and Art Blakey. He is probably best known, though, as the trombonist since 1984 with the Saturday Night Live Television Band. Equally noteworthy is his work on conch shells, which he can play with the same facility he applies to the sliphorn. You have to see and hear it to believe it. 

 

Cedar Walton, along with Steve Turre on trombone and conch shells, Vincent Herring on saxophone, David Williams on bass and Lewis Nash on drums, appears Wednesday, Nov. 8 through Sunday, Nov. 12 at Yoshi’s, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. For more information call 238-9200 or see www.yoshis.com.


The Theater: Masquers Brings ‘Company’ to Point Richmond

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Tuesday November 07, 2006

“It’s my childhood, all over again!” one playgoer gushed, as the canned strains of a Blood, Sweat & Tears number came over the sound system at the Masquers Playhouse in Point Richmond, followed by other pop radio tunes circa 1970, before the curtain went up on Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company. 

Of course, the musical wasn’t originally offered as nostalgia—and it plays well enough, over 35 years (the birthday of its protagonist that it opens up on) after its debut on Broadway. 

But the profusion of period fashion (Diane Beaulieu-Arms’ costumes), as well as the now-quaint mores represented as the social (and breeding) habits of the Manhattanites depicted in action and song, do bring out a sepia tone in the picture posed onstage. The only thing that hasn’t changed significantly—not even in most details—is the self-referential (and reverential) character of New York. 

Company is, in fact, a triumph of the eponymous company, the chorus, although as a pun. The title and its recurrence in song and dialogue refer to the company of another person, the only ostensible reason anyone in the play can come up with for marriage, as the five sets of wedded partners that comprise the chorus openly confide the limitations of the marital contract to their token single friend-in-common Robert (Kyle Johnson), and all try cloyingly to get him, too, to couple up.  

The dynamics of the story revolve around trios, as Robert, the third wheel, accepts the ongoing cycle of invitations to visit his friends, whose wedded bliss fractures before his eyes: a karate demo that turns into a husband-wife melee (Kathleen Dedarian and Robyn David Taylor); a little pot party of three that has the straitlaced wife giggling profanities—and touching on a few touchy issues (Jacqueline Andersen and Michael Cassidy); an unctuous moment of complimenting the hostess, offering a proposal “if you two ever break up,” only to find out those two (Michelle Pond and Steve Yates) are getting a divorce. 

And in between tableaux is Robert alone, insouciantly brooding over his lack of commitment, or squiring The Girlfriends around. One in an Op-Art dress (Amy Nielson) tells him on a bench in Central Park that she’s leaving The City to get married; another (Jennifer Stark), an elective New Yorker, valorizes her adopted town in all its diversity in “Another Hundred People”; the third, a dizzy stewardess (to use the idiom of that time), turns arch bedtime stories into a slapstick seduction pas-de-deux in Bobby’s safari-themed boudoir—a dancer (Amy Nielson) taps and sways around the bed, the couple hidden under the covers—and the morning after sings that she must be off to “Barcelona.” 

As Robert, Kyle Johnson adroitly navigates the reefs and shoals of a lead part that’s paradoxically a straight man’s role, to set up a crowd for laughs—his friends and the audience. Bobby’s both attractive enough and yet a little bit bland, both charmer and sychophant. Johnson has a brash edge to his voice, yet plaintive undertone, that puts him out in front in numbers like “Marry Me a Little.” 

As befits the mission of a community troupe like The Masquers (though eight of the cast are first-timers), the actors-singers weigh in as themselves, and the ensemble gains in charm from it. It’s very much a group effort, under G.A. Klein’s direction, but there are some standouts: besides Johnson, and funny Steph Peek as April the Stewardess, Tamara Plankers returns after a long hiatus to the Masquers stage as acerbic Joanne, probably the most enduring character, trashing her genial mate (Larry Schrupp) for enjoying himself publicly, and delivering “The Ladies Who Lunch” (”I’ll Drink to That”) like a sardonically staccato Ethel Merman. 

Most of the fun, though, is in the war of nerves, like Bobby standing up for his long-cohabiting friends (Leah Tandberg-Warren and Peter Budinger), as the groom grows courtlier and the bride fantasizes dodging the altar. But all the couples stick together, hovering like a choir of seraphim behind all their friend’s most intimate moments, mother-henning him, as he seems eternally poised to blow out the candles on yet another cake. 

Rob Bradshaw’s sets ranged from the preposterous “complementary” colors of Bobby’s bachelor pad to pleasing rosy-tinged skies; Kris Bell’s choreography kept a cast of 14 in motion to Sondheim’s score, as Pat King led Barbara Kohler, Jo Lusk, Ben Strough and fine trumpeter Jim Ware ably in the pit, as The Masquers dust off this Tony winner about loneliness, togetherness and “Being Alive.” 

 

COMPANY 

8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:3170 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 16 at the Masquers Playhouse, 105 Park Place, Point Richmond. $18. 232-4031. 

 


Coyote Point Museum Offers Rewarding Excursion

By Steven Finacom, Special to the Daily Planet
Tuesday November 07, 2006

Only about an hour’s travel southwest of Berkeley, there’s a little piece of bayside nature where you can view some seldom-seen native treasures, learn about the Bay Area’s natural environment, and appreciate the ongoing struggle to save it. 

This is the Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education, on the San Mateo shoreline, south of San Francisco International Airport. 

Opened in 1981, the main museum building is a low-slung, angular, structure with a richly finished wood interior. 

Inside the main Environmental Hall visitors follow the path of a drop of water heading downhill from the ridgelines that that bisect the Peninsula. The ridges tend to divide and define not only the natural but the human culture and character of the land from San Francisco to Santa Cruz.  

Switchback ramps lead from gallery to gallery. On the left-hand side the exhibits descend through oak woodland and chaparral to the Bay marshes.  

On the right side of the room the journey runs from redwood forest to grassland to the rocky San Mateo coast and Pacific Ocean. 

Freestanding displays in each gallery describe the natural environments the visitor passes through. Wall displays articulate threats to those environments, from water pollution to logging and urban sprawl. 

At the lowest level there’s a windowed space with views over the Bay, and a live beehive exhibit under glass, with an access tube to the outside world. 

The main exhibit area includes a life-sized marsh diorama, wooden columns that branch into stylized trees, a quarter-scale fiberglass whale suspended from the ceiling on the ocean side, and a towering “food pyramid” of grassland creatures. 

Though most exhibits are engaging, the Museum has clearly been experiencing some hard financial times. Some displays are broken or worn; contents of others are dated. A small aquarium area has dark, empty, tanks.  

If the Environmental Hall itself were the only thing to see at the museum, I might be tempted to suggest waiting until the displays undergo refurbishment and regeneration. 

However, there are other appealing aspects of Coyote Point Museum that can suitably fill out an excursion. 

Next to the main building is the “living” half of the museum, a fine, small, indigenous zoo with about 150 birds, mammals, and reptiles, most of them native or endemic to the Bay Area. 

We share the region with these creatures, but never see most of them up close—except for raccoons, of course. 

A coyote ambles down to sniff at visitors through a fence, while a silvery bobcat lazily grooms itself atop a rock and a river otter does underwater arabesques in a tank that can be viewed through glass walls.  

There are porcupines, snakes, raptors, badgers, ravens, newts, and even banana slugs. A snowy egret peers down from a perch atop a redwood bough in an expansive outdoor aviary. 

Perky, pint-sized, burrowing owls will make you instant partisans for this habitat-beleaguered, ground-dwelling, species. 

A meandering tunnel provides views into dens and interior enclosures, while an exterior path circles back to take in the enclosures from the outer side.  

Most of the animals and birds are once-injured “rescues” or former pets, now unable to return to the wild. 

Back indoors, there’s a small traveling exhibit area currently hosting “Green Dollhouses” made out of recycled materials, on display through December. See greendollhouse.org for more details. 

Outside the exhibit grounds, Coyote Point is a county park offering other attractions. Large picnic areas and a playground spread down the slopes under the eucalyptus canopy.  

Coyote Point is one of the few places in the Central or South Bay where you can get right up to the water but still be some distance above it. 

As a result, reasonably clear days offer impressive views over the Bay, taking in San Bruno Mountain, San Francisco’s office towers to the north, San Mateo’s shore side towers and the San Mateo Bridge to the south, as well as Mt. Diablo and the Oakland/Berkeley Hills to the east. 

Coyote Point itself is a rocky, chert, outcropping rising above the flat Bay tidelands, looking rather like an Albany Hill of the Peninsula 

If you’ve ever flown into San Francisco International Airport from the south, you’ve probably looked down on the eucalyptus-topped promontory just before landing. The Bayside overlook below the museum provides a first-class vantage from the other perspective, viewing up close the ceaseless stream of commercial jets descending low over the water on approach to SFO. 

Once it was an island—Bay on one side, tidal flats on the other. The flats were later filled for grazing land, now a golf course.  

After various commercial uses—dairies, a lumber pier, amusement parks—the Point was sold to San Mateo in 1940.  

A wartime U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet School occupied the Point, which then became the first campus of the College of San Mateo. In 1963 the college moved and the current county park was established.  

The San Mateo County Junior Museum opened in 1954 in a Quonset hut atop the Point, and in 1974 became the Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education, leading to the current facility.  

Coyote Point Museum was in the news this summer when, after financial stresses, the Board of Trustees voted to shut it down. A published rumor had a high-powered private group maneuvering to take over the property for a global warming education center.  

Fortunately, friends of the existing museum organized a quick and successful emergency fundraising campaign to cover operating expenses and the board rescinded its vote. 

Coyote Point has a key place in promoting regional environmental awareness, in the same way that the Randall Museum educates San Franciscans and the Lindsay Museum serves much of the East Bay. It should be rejuvenated, not removed.  

Fortunately, there is now renewed hope that, even with global warming, the Coyote Point Museum will still be there. Go see it, before the oceans rise. 

 

Find the eastbound Peninsula Avenue overpass across Highway 101, which leads into Coyote Point Park.  

There’s a $5 car admission fee to the park (seniors free on weekdays). Road signage and the entry kiosk staff can direct you past the golf course and along the winding drive to the museum. 

Open Tuesdays through Saturdays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday and most holidays from noon to 5 p.m.. Wheelchair accessible. 

Admission: $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and students (through high school age), and $2 for children 3-12. Free the first Wednesday of the month, and always free to teachers (with school I.D.) 

Call (650) 342-7755 for recorded information, or see www.coyotepointmuseum.org. 

 

Photograph by Steven Finacom 

A basking bobcat blends in against the rock background in the outdoor animal display area at the museum.


Tarantula Season: In Search of the Bay Area Blond

By Joe Eaton, Special to the Planet
Tuesday November 07, 2006

Another season has come and gone, and I still have not connected with the tarantulas of the East Bay Hills. Mount Diablo in October was supposed to be a sure thing. So I hiked about a mile up Mitchell Canyon at dusk, scanning the trail ahead for dark objects that might be wandering male tarantulas. (Dusk and dawn are when the questing males are most active, and dawn was not in the cards.) But all the dark objects turned out to be pinecones or piles of horsecrap. 

It’s a big deal for the male spiders, their one chance for reproductive success. Male tarantulas mature at about 7, set out in search of a female, mate (or don’t), and expire. Females may live to be 24, surviving multiple partners.  

Our local species appears to be Aphonopelma smithi, the Bay Area blond tarantula. Its life history is probably pretty much like that of its relative A. hentzi, the Texas brown tarantula, immortalized by William J. Baerg, an entomology professor at the University of Arkansas, in his slender book The Tarantula. Baerg was the best friend a big hairy spider ever had. “The very general opinion that the tarantula ‘looks so horrible’ is … obviously without any basis”, he wrote. “To anyone who has learned to know this spider, it is as handsome as a goldfinch and fully as interesting.” 

He went to considerable lengths to rehabilitate the tarantula’s image. 

After his death (not spider-related) in 1980, his colleague William Peck remembered: “Such was his devotion to the tarantula that he considered that all of his students of entomology should at least make its acquaintance. 

For some 30 years that he taught beginning entomology he would introduce the students to the large native species by having them pass one from hand to hand around the class. Only one person was ever bitten, he averred, and many a character was strengthened.” Baerg was known to complain of the difficulty of getting tarantulas, or spiders of any kind, to bite him in the interest of science. 

Baerg turned his Fayetteville home into a spider sanctuary, with tarantulas wandering the grounds. His lab tarantulas were kept in battery jars, fed on grasshoppers, caterpillars, and cockroaches, and meticulously observed through their life cycles. Once, for whatever reason, he added alcohol to a spider’s drinking water and noted: “Tarantulas will drink of this to the extent that intoxication becomes evident in spite of the eight legs to keep them steady.” 

Back to the wandering male: after undergoing his final molt, he spins a special web in the privacy of his den, deposits sperm in the web, and, with repeated dipping motions, charges the bulblike tips of his pedipalps—the pair of appendages preceding the eight legs. And off he goes. How the nearly blind male actually locates the female in her burrow remains unclear. 

In a 1928 article, Baerg described what happens when male and female tarantulas meet, after the male has announced himself by tapping out a precise sequence on the collar of silk at the mouth of her burrow: “Frequently when the male has just touched the female with one of his front legs, and she does not show any visible response, he will slap her vigorously several times, which brings prompt action.  

She at once rises, spreads her fangs, and the male proceeds.” The female’s fangs are secured by spurs on the male’s forelegs while he transfers the sperm from his pedipalps to her pocketlike spermathecae. 

Afterward, whether or not the female appears hungry or aggressive, he disengages very carefully and gets the hell out of Dodge. 

That would be just about his last hurrah in any case. Males “begin gradually to fail” after the mating season, their abdomens shrinking away. The female, meanwhile, stores his sperm until the following summer, when her 200 to 800 eggs are fertilized. Her offspring are only 4.2 millimeters long at hatching, but, according to Baerg, they “have a certain unmistakable dignity in their walk.” 

Sibling cannibalism is common. The survivors disperse to new homes, digging a burrow or appropriating a ready-made mammal burrow where they’ll spend the rest of their lives—at least until the males are ready to take up their quest. 

A tarantula’s venom, although deadly to an insect, typically produces nothing worse than a mild burning sensation and slight swelling in a human victim. Rather than bite when threatened, they’re more apt to dislodge a cloud of barbed hairs by rubbing their abdomens with their back legs; the hairs can irritate a predator’s skin or eyes. Baerg said the hairs caused him only a mild irritation, but his patient wife Eloise had symptoms over a period of several weeks.  

So if you happen to meet a tarantula, give him—and it will likely be a him—a break. He means you no harm; he’s just looking for a little action. Let him go on his way, and the ghost of Professor Baerg will smile. 


Berkeley This Week

Tuesday November 07, 2006

TUESDAY, NOV. 7 

Remember to Vote Today 

“Let’s Go Vote” Voting activities for children from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111. www.habitot.org 

Torture Teach-in and Vigil every Tues. at 12:30 p.m. at the fountain on UC Campus, Bancroft at College. 

“Legacy: Portraits of 50 Bay Area Environmental Elders” with author John Hart and photographer Nancy Kittle at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

“Sacred Sites in Changing Landscapes: Shamans and Commercial Shrines in the Republic of Korea” with Dr. Laurel Kendall of the American Museum of Natural History, New York, at 7 p.m. in the Ges Chapel, 1735 LeRoy Ave. 649-2440. 

“Japan Remodeled: How Government and Industry Are Reforming Japanese Capitalism” with Steven K. Vogel, Professor of Political Science, UC Berkeley at 5 p.m. at IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton St., 6th Flr. 642-2809. 

Discipline Strategies that Really Work with Young Children at 6 p.m. at Habitot Children’s Museum. Registration required. 647-1111, ext. 14. 

Family Storytime at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 6 p.m. at UC Berkeley Tau Beta Pi, on Leroy, between Hearst and Ridge. To schedule an appointment call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE.  

Discussion Salon on Immigration at 7 p.m. at JCC, 1414 Walnut.  

Enhancing Immunity, from chicken soup to echinacea at 1 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm.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. 

Albany Library Homework Center is open from 3 to 5 p.m., for students in third through fifth grades. Emphasis is placed on math and writing skills. 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720 ext 17. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. trips. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 8  

“How We Stopped The War” and “The Vietnam Experience” two films presented by Country Joe McDonald at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. in Live Oak Park. Cost is $5-$10. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

“We Are the Earth” An evening with David Suzuki at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $12 advance, $15 door. 415-255-7296, ext. 244. www.kpfa.org 

“Bi-National State or Jewish State?” with Prof. Joseph Heller, at 7:30 p.m. at Morrison Library, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Magnes Museum. 549-6950. 

“Post 9/11: A Students’ Perspective” at 6 p.m. at FSM Café at Moffitt Library, UC Campus. 643-7742. 

“Transit of Mercury” as it crosses in front of the face of the sun from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Chabot Space and Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $7-$13. 336-7300. www.chabotspace.org 

“All About Osteoporosis and Why We Fall” at 10 a.m., followed by additional workshops at Center for Older Adult Services, 828 San Pablo Ave., Suite 104. To register please call 558-7800. 

Chosing Infant Care A workshop for parents from 10 a.m. to noon at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave., Oakland. To register call 658-7353. 

Dream Workshop at 1 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. 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 

New to DVD “Adaptation” at 7 p.m. at the JCCEB, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

THURSDAY, NOV. 9 

“Voices of a People’s History of the United States” Narration, reading or singing by Alice Walker, Sandra Oh, Steve Earle, Aya de Leon, Leslie Silva, Marisa Tomei, John Trudell, Howard Zinn, Anthony Arnove, Melanie DeMore, Nora el Samahy at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Community Theater, Berkeley High campus, 1930 Allston Way. Tickets are $25-$150. Benefits Middle East Children's Alliance and Speak Out. 1-800-838-3006. www.brownpapertickets.com/event/5473 

“Save the Oaks at the Stadium Day” Join us at 10 a.m. in the oak woodland just west of Memorial Stadium to meet the trees UC plans to cut down. Bring green ribbons to tie around the trees. At noon come to a “Save the Oaks” demonstration outside the chancellor’s office at California Hall, north of Sather Gate. 845-6441, 593-6933. info@saveoaks.com 

“Gathering and Publishing Your Neighborhood History” with authors William Wong (Oakland's Chinatown), Erika Mailman (Oakland Hills), and Annalee Allen (Selections from the Oakland Tribune Archives and co-author of Oakland Postcards) at 7:30 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave. Oakland. Donation $8-$10. 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org  

Center for Independent Living Fundraiser with reception and readings by culinary authors, Bruce Aidells, Fran Gage and Peggy Knickerbocker at 6 p.m. at Ginn House, Preservation Park, 660 13th St. at Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Oakland. Tickets are $50-$60. 841-4776, ext. 153. 

“Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife” A talk by author Mary Roach at 7:30 p.m. at College Prepartry School, Oakland. Tickets are $12.50-$15. www.college-prep.org/livetalk 

“Comparing the Buddhisms of East and Southeast Asia: A World Historical Perspective” with John McRae of The University of Tokyo at 5 p.m. at IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton St., 6th Flr., 643-6536. 

East Bay Mac Users Group meets to discuss “Mindstorms” the next generation of robots at 6 p.m. at Expression College for Digital Arts, 6601 Shellmound St., Emeryville. Free, all welcome. www.ebmug.org  

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.  

Workshops for Seniors Effective Estate Planning at 10 a.m. at Center for Older Adult Services, 828 San Pablo Ave., Suite 104. To register please call 558-7800. 

FRIDAY, NOV. 10 

City of Berkeley Offices Cosed Today 

Hopalong Animal Rescue of Oakland Annual Fur Ball, with an international buffet, live music and a silent auction benefitting homeless dogs and cats of the Bay Area, from 6 to 10 p.m. at the International House, 2299 Piedmont Ave. Tickets are $45. 267-1915 ext. 500. www.hopalong.org  

Impeachment Banner Fridays at 6:45 to 8 a.m. on the Berkeley Pedestrian bridge between Seabreeze Market and the Berkeley Aquatic Park, ongoing on Fridays until impeachment is realized. www. Impeachbush-cheney.com 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Dr. James Hanson on “successful Healing at Children’s Hospital of Oakland.” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 526-2925.  

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour “75 Years of the Lawrence Berkeley Lab” at 10 a.m. Cost is $8-$10. To register and learn meeting place call 848-0181.  

Womansong Circle with Betsy Rose A participatory circle of song for women with guest Edie Hartshorne at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Cost is $15-$20. 525-7082. 

“Our Synthetic Sea” presented by Jan Lundberg at 8 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., between Broadway and Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 

African Market and Sabar Party at 10 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $5-$10 . 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 548-6310, 845-1143. 

SATURDAY, NOV. 11 

March and Rally “Tell Pacific Steel Casting to Stop Polluting” Meet at 11 a.m. at 9th and Gilman. Sponsored by Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice, Ecology Center, West Berkeley Alliance for Clean Air and Safe Jobs and others. 415-248-5010. 

Mini-Farmers in Tilden A farm exploration program, from 10 to 11 a.m. for ages 4-6 years, accompanied by an adult. We will explore the Little Farm, care for animals, do crafts and farm chores. Wear boots and dress to get dirty! Fee is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Goats are Great Come meet the Nubian goat twins, Cleo and Lily, at 2 p.m. at the Little Farm in Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Stream Study Day for the whole family on a two-mile hike. Wear layered clothing that can get wet and muddy. Meet at 2 p.m. at Lone Oak Picnic Area, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Veterans Day Ceremony at 2 p.m. on board the Red Oak Victory Ship at 1337 Canal Blvd., Richmond. Tea Dance and Dinner follows the ceremony for $25. For information and reservations call 222-9200. 

Vegetarian Cooking Class “Thanksgiving is for the Birds” from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St., at Castro, Oakland. Cost is $50. To register, please call 531-2665.  

“Memories of Macdonald: Let’s Dance” Community dance swap from 3 to 5 p.m. at East Bay Center for the Performing Arts Winters Building, 339 11th St., corner of 11th and Macdonald, Richmond. 540-6809. www.ci.richmond.ca.us 

“Lifting the Fog: The Scientific Method Applied to the World Trade Center Disaster” from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Room 2050, Valley Life Sciences Bldg., UC Campus. www.liftingthefog.org 

Nourishing Your Aging Parents and Yourself with Edward Bauman at 10 a.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Bilingual Storytime Stories in English and Spanish for toddlers and preschoolers at 10:30 a.m. in the Edith Stone Room at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Produce Stand at Spiral Gardens Food Security Project from 1 to 6 p.m. at the corner of Sacramento and Oregon St. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. and Sun. at 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732.  

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755.  

“Healing the Mind” a workshop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Dzalandhara Buddhist Center, 953 Arlington Ave. Cost is $25. 559-8183. 

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, NOV. 12 

Farm Stories and Songs Learn some new songs, then meet the animals, at 10 am. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Hike to Find the Monarch Butterfly in the eucalyptus groves, and learn about the incredible migration of these insects. Meet at 1:30 p.m. at Pt. Pinole. 525-2233. 

Open Garden at the Little Farm Join the gardener for composting, planting, watering and harvesting at 2 p.m. at the Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Rain cancels. 525-2233. 

“Orchid Identification & Culture” with orchid expert Jerry Parsons from 9 a.m. to noon at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $40-$50. Reservations required. 643-2755. 

“Women in Overdrive” with author Nora Isaacs at 1 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Handmade Holiday Cards on sale from 10 a.m. at 2 p.m. at Kensington Farmer’s Market, 303 Arlington Ave. Benefit Katrina victims at the Progress Elementary School in Lousiana. kensingtonfm@yahoo.com  

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712.  

Tibetan Buddhism with Donna Morton on “Relaxing Tension through Kum Nye” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. 

MONDAY, NOV. 13  

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group for people aged 60 and over meets at 9:45 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. Donation $3. 524-9122. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. 548-0425. 

ONGOING 

Holiday Food Drive Sponsor a Food Drive at your business, school, place of worship or community center. Help the Food Bank reach its goal of collecting 700,000 pounds of nutritious, non-perishable food for families in need during the holiday season. 635-3663, ext. 318. www.accfb.org  

CITY MEETINGS 

Homeless Commission meets Wed., Nov. 8, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Jane Micallef, 981-5426.  

Planning Commission meets Wed., Nov. 8, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7484.  

Police Review Commission meets Wed., Nov. 8, at the South Berkeley Senior Center, 981-4950. 

Commission on Early Childhood Education meets Thurs., Nov. 9, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5428.  

Mental Health Commission meets Thurs., Nov. 9, at 6:30 p.m. at 2640 MLK Jr. Way, at Derby. 981-5213.  

West Berkeley Project Area Commission meets Thurs., Nov. 9, at 7 p.m., at the West Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7520. 

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., Nov. 9, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. 981-7410.