UC Berkeley’s controversial plans to convert its historic six-acre Laguna Street extension campus in San Francisco into a private development featuring condominiums and a shopping center are moving forward. -more-
The Berkeley Chamber of Commerce PAC broke local campaign laws when it left its name and identification number off of a political mailer, but the omission was inadvertent, the city’s Fair Political Practices Commission ruled 6-0-1 on Thursday. -more-
With Oakland’s proposed new condominium conversion law set for a return to the Oakland City Council’s Community and Economic Development Committee on Nov. 28, and then to the full council on Dec. 5, the issue is heating up among politicians and tenant groups in the city. -more-
Anyone attending the panel charged with producing a new downtown Berkeley plan on Wednesday night would have heard a lot of words and paper flying over a very short statement. -more-
Vacant office space in Berkeley is growing scarce, says commercial real estate broker John Gordon. -more-
The Library Board of Trustees huddled in closed session Saturday afternoon and evening to interview finalists for the director position. -more-
Users of People’s Park met Sunday to discuss the future of the berms which UC wants to remove on both ends of the Community Garden in the park. -more-
Nine people were elected to the KPFA Local Station Board using ranked choice voting, where voters rank candidates according to their preferences. -more-
Berkeley’s first and most nationally honored landmark, the First Church of Christ Scientist, is $118,000 richer this week, thanks to Internet voters. -more-
Jane Micallef’s name was spelled incorrectly in the Nov. 14 article “One-Stop Homeless Shelter Opens in Oakland.” -more-
LOS ANGELES—A couple of years ago Fox News duked it out with NBC to see which one would be the first to land and air a Simpson interview on the 10th anniversary of the murder case. So Fox’s latest Simpson media dance was not merely a cheap stunt by a network to cash in on the notoriety of a disgraced superstar turned double-murder defendant. The case punched and continues to punch every hot button in the book: race, class, celebrity and sports idolatry, domestic violence and especially tabloid sensationalism. -more-
When it’s past time for rising, cold wet noses find their way under the covers. They know all the drills, days set aside for work and non-work, time of day for meals, snacks and play. You’re always their best friend; warm eyes and wagging tail hold nothing back. Dogs can be loving, stubborn, a comfort and a trial and are usually all four. -more-
Trent Lott, the new Senate minority whip! At first glance it seemed the Republicans had gone completely cuckoo when they narrowly voted to elevate the once-disgraced senator from Mississippi to Republican second-in-command in the Senate. -more-
In his Nov. 14 commentary, “Why Measure J Lost,” Alan Tobey left out the elephant in the room. The “City Attorney’s Impartial Analysis of Measure J” in the county’s voter pamphlet was written by Zach Cowan, the author of the revisions designed to gut our Landmarks Preservation Ordinance, which Measure J would have continued. Is it surprising that the ballot language turned out to be hopelessly confusing to voters? -more-
At Berkeley Food & Housing Project, giving is the most important part of Thanksgiving. -more-
Initiatives and referenda are often viewed as the purest forms of democracy, removing issues from the control of fallible legislators and placing them directly before the electorate. (An initiative is newly drafted legislation submitted directly to voters; a referendum is a popular vote to overturn legislation already passed.) -more-
We drove to Sacramento on Sunday afternoon, through a dense tule fog which made seeing the road a dicey proposition. The fog lifted just as we came into town, and was still gone when we came back to the Bay Area. The trip seemed a bit like the current political perspective. -more-
An old friend sent me a free plane ticket to Phoenix, Arizona, and I went. Pam lives in Lexington, Kentucky, but she was attending a veterinary-chiropractic meeting at the Scottsdale Chaparral Suites, located not on the chaparral but along a six-lane boulevard lined with imported palm trees and newly constructed strip malls. -more-
You may have noticed last month that the Ig Nobel laureates for 2006 included Ivan Schwab, a professor of ophthalmology at UC Davis, recognized for his explanation of why woodpeckers don’t get headaches. -more-
Editorial: A Few Rays of Sunshine Pierce the Fog 11-21-2006
Editorial: Free Press, Free Papers and Free Advice 11-17-2006
Letters to the Editor 11-21-2006
Commentary: Measure J Language Deceptive By Gale Garcia 11-21-2006
Commentary: Giving is the Most Important Part of Thanksgiving By Terrie Light 11-21-2006
Commentary: Measure J Initiative Was Anti-Democratic By Adam Block 11-21-2006
Letters to the Editor 11-17-2006
Commentary: Public Library Director Selection Process: Bad Process, Wrong People, Outsourcers By Peter Warfield and Gene Bernardi 11-17-2006
Commentary: Pelosi’s Connection To AIPAC Deplored By George Aid 11-17-2006
Commentary: The Pre-Election Distortions of the Chronicle, Tribune By Paul Rockwell 11-17-2006
Commentary: Bulldozer Threat to People’s Park Berms By Terri Compost 11-17-2006
Commentary: ‘Wait Until After Election Time...’ By Carol Denney 11-17-2006
Commentary: Police Display Unnecessary Violence By Jaime Reyes 11-17-2006
Commentary: A Glimpse at What It’s Like To Be Homeless By Glen Kohler 11-17-2006
UC Extension Building in SF May Become Mall, Condos By Riya Bhattacharjee 11-21-2006
Chamber PAC Campaign Violation Ruled a Mistake By Judith Scherr 11-21-2006
Battle Gears Up for Changes to Oakland Condo Law By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 11-21-2006
Downtown Plan ‘Vision Statement’ Generates a Lot of Words and Paper By Richard Brenneman 11-21-2006
Berkeley Office Vacancies Plunge; City Has Lowest East Bay Rates By Richard Brenneman 11-21-2006
Search for New Berkeley Library Director Continues By Judith Scherr 11-21-2006
Meeting Held to Discuss Fate of Berms, Vegetation at People’s Park By Riya Bhattacharjee 11-21-2006
KPFA Elects New Board By Judith Scherr 11-21-2006
Berkeley Landmark Awarded $118,000 By Richard Brenneman 11-21-2006
Police Blotter By Richard Brenneman 11-21-2006
Clarification 11-21-2006
Why O.J. Doesn’t Go Away By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, New American Media 11-21-2006
The Scoop on Why Dogs Dig Berkeley By Marta Yamamoto, Special to the Planet 11-21-2006
News Analysis: Method to GOP Madness In Trent Lott Rehabilitation By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, New America Media 11-21-2006
Green Candidate’s Lead for Richmond Mayor Grows By Richard Brenneman 11-17-2006
Downtown Hotel Plans Call for 19 Stories By Richard Brenneman 11-17-2006
Richmond Council Drops Chamber Membership By Judith Scherr 11-17-2006
UC Regents Delay Vote on Stadium EIR By Richard Brenneman and Judith Scherr 11-17-2006
Oakland Battles Over Condo Conversions By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 11-17-2006
Judge Hears Arguments on Open Police Complaints By Judith Scherr 11-17-2006
Library Director Finalists Named, Will Face Public Saturday By Judith Scherr 11-17-2006
People’s Park Group Prepares To Defend Park From UC Plans By Riya Bhattacharjee 11-17-2006
City Council Approves Revised Creeks Ordinance By Judith Scherr 11-17-2006
Capitelli Challenges Creeks Vote 11-17-2006
Council Reviews City’s Financial Health, Gaia Building By Judith Scherr 11-17-2006
Toxic Trucks: Smog Means Asthma For Low-Income Californians By Viji Sundaram, New America Media 11-17-2006
Police Blotter By Richard Brenneman 11-17-2006
BUSD President Terry Doran Leaves With Warm Wishes By Riya Bhattacharjee 11-17-2006
BUSD Applauds Strong Support for School Bond By Riya Bhattacharjee 11-17-2006
BAM/PFA Gets Grant to Help Students Use Film Resources By Riya Bhattacharjee 11-17-2006
Report: California Lawmakers Fail to Bridge Racial Divide By Andre Banks, ColorLines 11-17-2006
2006: Anything But ‘The Year of the Black Republican’ By Hazel Trice Edney, New American Media 11-17-2006
Column: A Phoenix, Rising from the Ashes By Susan Parker 11-21-2006
Do Woodpeckers Get Headaches? If Not, Why Not? By Joe Eaton, Special to the Planet 11-21-2006
Column: The View From Here: Dare We Dream About Democracy? By P. M. Price 11-17-2006
Column: Undercurrents: Progressives Must Start Thinking About What To Do About Iraq By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 11-17-2006
News Analysis: America’s Election: Daddy’s Swagger vs. Mommy’s Care By Ruth Rosen, openDemocracy.net 11-17-2006
East Bay Then and Now: This West Berkeley Landmark Is a Proud Survivor By Daniella Thompson 11-17-2006
Garden Variety: Attack of The Mildew Kingdom By Ron Sullivan 11-17-2006
About the House: Soft Stories, Line-Wire Stucco and Seismic Retrofitting By Matt Cantor 11-17-2006
Arts Calendar 11-21-2006
Arts and Entertainment: Around the East Bay 11-21-2006
The Theater: Berkeley Native Eisa Davis Returns Home By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 11-21-2006
The Theater: Two East Bay Troupes Join ‘365 days / 365 Plays’ By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 11-21-2006
Do Woodpeckers Get Headaches? If Not, Why Not? By Joe Eaton, Special to the Planet 11-21-2006
Berkeley This Week 11-21-2006
Arts Calendar 11-17-2006
Arts and Entertainment: Around the East Bay 11-17-2006
Arts: SF Symphony Takes a Lighter Approach By Justin DeFreitas 11-17-2006
Arts: Ackerman’s ‘Ice Glen’ at Aurora Theatre By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 11-17-2006
Moving Pictures: Examining the Most Notorious Expletive By Justin DeFreitas 11-17-2006
Moving Pictures: PFA Screens a New Wave Classic By Justin DeFreitas 11-17-2006
East Bay Then and Now: This West Berkeley Landmark Is a Proud Survivor By Daniella Thompson 11-17-2006
Garden Variety: Attack of The Mildew Kingdom By Ron Sullivan 11-17-2006
About the House: Soft Stories, Line-Wire Stucco and Seismic Retrofitting By Matt Cantor 11-17-2006
Berkeley This Week 11-17-2006
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