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Jess Walsh looks down Monday from one of the oak trees designated for removal by UC Berkeley. Photograph by Richard Brenneman.
Jess Walsh looks down Monday from one of the oak trees designated for removal by UC Berkeley. Photograph by Richard Brenneman.
 

News

Flash: Council Approves First Reading of LPO Revision

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday December 05, 2006

The Berkeley City Council, in a 6-3 vote, approved the first reading of an ordinance Tuesday which preservationists contend will make landmarking historical sites and structures more difficult and will make it easier for developers to demolish older buildings. 

Voting in opposition were Councilmembers Betty Olds, Kriss Worthington and 

Dona Spring. 

About two dozen opponents of the revised ordinance attended the meeting, many of whom had fought the new law at the ballot box with Measure J, an unsuccessful attempt to extend the current Landmarks Preservation Ordinance with minor changes. Some said that they were infuriated when they saw that the ordinance posted on the city web site on Thursday had been revised three times over the weekend in order to add a new clause saying that the ordinance is not “severable”: that if any part of it were struck down the whole law would be considered repealed. 

For those preservation activists who have promised to start gathering signatures for a referendum on the ordinance once the second reading is approved on Dec. 12, this change means that they will be forced to challenge the entire ordinance, instead of just asking the voters to reject the parts of it they dislike.  

Proponents of the new law include the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce Political 

Action Committee, which spent about $100,000 to defeat Measure J in order to 

ease restrictions on private property development. 


Protesters Take to the Trees to Save Threatened Live Oaks

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday December 05, 2006

In the wee, dark hours of Big Game, a Wolf made like a Butterfly and took to the trees. 

By Monday, he had two companions perched in neighboring trees, and the three had drawn a trio of TCV trucks and their telescoping antennae, as well as an assortment of print media types. 

Though he had failed in last month’s run for Berkeley mayor, Zachary Running Wolf had become a media celebrity, eagerly cheered on by neighbors of UC Berkeley’s Memorial Stadium and eager environmentalists. 

Perched in a comfortable hanging cloth chair, the Native American activist has risen to new heights in a media-savvy campaign to save the stand of coastal live oaks that is threatened by the university’s plans to build a $120 million high-tech training gym as the site. 

UC Regents are scheduled to meet this afternoon, Tuesday, to approve plans for the $120 million Student Athlete High Performance Center. 

“I hope we’re going to have something to celebrate tomorrow,” Running Wolf said Monday afternoon, “but if we don’t, I’m going to stay here as long as it takes.” He’s acquired some impressive support. 

“Country Joe McDonald has been a big help,” said Doug Buckwald, a neighborhood activist who has taken a lead role in organizing logistics for the protest. “He talked to the student UC regent for quite a while yesterday, and he brought a whole trunk full of food and water by today. He’s also offered to hold a benefit concert.” 

Running Wolf said his protest was inspired by the example of Julia Butterfly Hill, the young environmental activist who spent 738 days in a California Redwood beginning on Dec. 10, 1997, to protect it and older old growth trees from loggers. 

“I never knew much about tree-sitting until two weeks ago when I started organizing this,” said Running Wolf. 

Should the regents approve the training center and start cutting, “They’re going to have to extract me from this tree, because that’s the only way I’m going to leave this oak grove.” 

Scott Walchenheim applauded. 

The 65-year-old retired Berke-ley public school teacher said the only thing keeping him out of a tree was Parkinson’s disease. 

“For six years I lived in a 100-acre Oak grove on the edge of a wilderness,” he said. “I came to love Live Oaks and all the animals and plants that evolved together and live together. 

“The university says they’ll replace each tree with three saplings. That’s a joke. Each one of these trees had a thousand times the biomass of the saplings and a thousand times the habitat. A flock of bushtits came here yesterday, birds that eat insects they find under the leaves. We would lose all that, along with the last remaining grove in the flat part of Berkeley.” 

“We’re now opposed to the training center,” said Mike Kelly of the Panoramic Hill Association, which represents neighbors who live on the slopes above the stadium. “This is just the wrong place for it.” 

Kelley said he’ll be in attendance at today’s regents meeting, addressing members of the Grounds and Building Committee through a telephone circuit set up in San Francisco. 

Running Wolf’s companions in the trees are Aaron Diek, a UC Berkeley student, and Jess Walsh. 


ABAG: Berkeley Must Double New Housing

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday December 05, 2006

The presence of BART and the invisible hand of UC Berkeley have prompted a powerful but little-known regional government to demand that Berkeley more than double the number of new housing units built in the city. 

Under the guidelines now being proposed by the Associa-tion of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), Berkeley would have a quota of 2,712 new housing units by 2014, up from a goal of 1,269 for the previous seven years, 1999-2006. 

The new figure works out to more than 387 new housing units a year. 

“That would mean we have to find a place to put almost 3,000 new housing units, and remove any policy barriers to that housing being produced,” said city Planning and Development Direc-tor Dan Marks. 

“The result of the pressure is that downtown Berkeley is becoming the dumping ground for new housing in the city,” said Planning Commissioner Gene Poschman. 

A further complication is the presence of UC Berkeley, the city’s major employer and the source of a student body whose low income further skews the city’s demographics. 

ABAG—the layer of government between Bay Area city and county governments and the state—is finalizing its latest housing needs survey, one that could transform the face of Berkeley. 

If the city wants to be assured of receiving government funds for affordable housing, Berkeley must adopt a new housing element for its General Plan that calls for fulfilling the ABAG quotas. 

The proposed draft of the ABAG housing quotas was adopted by the agencies in November, and local agencies and the public has until Jan. 17 to comment on the document, which is available online at www.abag.ca.gov/planning/housingneeds/. 

“One of the problems is that the cities that don’t want affordable housing won’t adopt the quotas and the only penalty is that the state tells them they won’t give them any money for affordable housing,” said city Housing Director Steve Barton. 

“I think the penalty ought to be that if they can find a non-profit that wants to build affordable housing in that city, the state should give them all the money they need,” he said. 

“ABAG’s penalties are largely smoke and mirrors,” said Poschman. “People like me in Berkeley took the quotas seriously and tried to meet them, but others in other cities didn’t and the penalties are almost zilch.” 

While ABAG’s quotas nominally only affect state affordable housing funds, Barton noted that many programs—including tax credit funding—are dispensed through state governments. 

Two factors make the proposed new quotas especially onerous for the city. One is that ABAG has changed its methods of determining which cities should be assigned the highest quotas. The other is the presence of UC Berkeley. 

 

ABAG impact 

ABAG, the state’s first council of regional governments, was formed in 1961, followed four years later by its Los Angeles-based counterpart, the Southern California Association of Governments, SCAG. 

The two organizations have evolved into powerful entities with the power to impose mandates on member governments. 

ABAG is the primary source of the enormous pressure on Berkeley’s city government to build large numbers of new apartments and condominiums, even though the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city’s 2005 population to be 90,432, or 23,559 fewer than in 1970, the first census conducted after ABAG’s creation. 

State law requires periodic elements of city and county plan housing elements, and in the Bay Area, it is ABAG that sets the quotas that governments must approve to win state approval. 

The basis of the quotas is set by ABAG’s Housing Methodology Committee, which Poschman said “is totally dominated by the outer rim” of communities outside the region’s urban core. 

“ABAG’s stakeholders (in the committeee include) the Green Belt Alliance, which believes that if you build studio apartments in Berkeley, people will not want three-bedroom homes in Antioch,” he said. 

ABAG also determined that new housing should be built near rail transit, further increasing the impact on Berkeley, and effectively “railroading” the city, the commissioner agreed. 

The net impact is to more than double the demand on the city for new housing. 

By comparison, the figures have dropped from peripheral jurisdictions like Antioch (4,459 to 2,300), Dublin (5,436 to 3,437), Pleasant Hill (714 to 592), Pleasanton (5,059 to 3,685) and San Rafael (2,090 to 1,490). 

Oakland saw the largest increase in actual numbers, (7,733 to 17,088), and San Leandro also more than doubled, from 870 to 1,903. 

“The only place we can put those new units is downtown and on the city’s major transit corridors,” Marks said, citing Shattuck Avenue, San Pablo Avenue, Telegraph Avenue and University Avenue, “among others.” 

Marks said that in a city already suffering “significant anxiety and difficulty over new development,” the increased quotas are bound to cause still more. 

Barton said another factor that may complicate quota fulfillment is the cooling housing market. “We expect a major investment downcycle during the first part of the next period,” he said. 

The gradual collapse of the inflationary housing bubble and the declining dollar have been cited as causes in the financial press. 

 

Denial hard 

As the law currently stands, the city has little ability to deny housing projects or grant developers density bonuses that lead to more massive projects than otherwise allowed by city zoning ordinances. 

“The laws are complex and unclear,” Barton said, “and we’ll have to wait for a court decision to clarify them.” 

Neighborhood opposition has virtually guaranteed that new projects will focus on the downtown, itself currently subject of a recently mandated new area planning process. 

Marks, who sits on the ABAG Housing Methodology panel, has consistently fought to lower the city’s quotas, which he said will cause the city “a significant challenge finding opportunities and locations for this level of development in its 2009 Housing Element update.” 

Poschman said one result may be more buildings like the high-density, five-story project planned for the northwest corner of the University Avenue/Martin Luther King Jr. intersection. 

“It’s a humongous project,” Poschman said, “and the first of its kind to be built by a residential neighborhood.” 

And while state law doesn’t mandate that the city build the units, it does declare that for those who want to build them, the way must be paved. 

Barton said all that state law requires that the city prove to the state’s satisfaction “that it is zoned such that the private sector could build that many units. There are enough places downtown and on the commercial corridors where one-story buildings could be torn down and replaced with multi-story housing,” he said. 

“It’s like a Sword of Damocles hanging over the city,” said Poschman. “It may be a blunt sword, but it’s still there.” 

 

University complications 

Another complication is the university’s impact on the city. Many of the thousands of people employed at UC Berkeley don’t live in the city, either because they can’t afford the relatively high rents and housing prices or because they want to live elsewhere. 

And the students, most of whom have either no jobs or part-time jobs, further skew the city’s income picture. 

“We’re asking them to take that into account,” Marks said. 

ABAG has responded favorably to repeated city requests that it incorporate methodology that recognizes that many students live in groups, rather than the typical two people or less who otherwise inhabit the city’s apartments. 

Still, no matter how much new housing is added, it’s unlikely that many additional university employees will live in the city, though ABAG counts them in its methodology because of their jobs, Marks said. 

Under the formula used by ABAG, jobs count for half of the projection numbers, with other half consisting of projected household growth and the proximity of housing to mass transit. 

The exact formula weights projected household growth at 40 percent, 20 percent on existing employment, projected employment growth at 20 percent, 10 percent to the projected growth of jobs near mass transit and 10 percent to housing growth near transit. 


UC Berkeley’s Billion Dollar Building Boom Surges Ahead

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday December 05, 2006

UC Berkeley’s building boom is surging forward as the university launches a search for architects for its newest projects—a $42.4 million, seven-level lab and office building and the restoration of Hearst Mining Circle. 

That project, mandated because the building has been listed as potentially dangerous in the event of a major earthquake, is just one small facet of the university’s multi-billion dollar building boom. 

The new building—dubbed for now the Campbell Hall Seismic Replacement Building—would be located on the site of its current namesake just across University Drive from the Mining Circle and immediately adjacent to LeConte Hall on the south and west. 

The existing building was completed in 1959 from a design by architect John Warnecke. 

The Mining Circle—a feature designed by John Galen Howard, the architect who created much of the historic campus, including the Sather Tower or campanile, its most prominent landmark—was sacrificed to the exigencies of constructing the far more massive Stanley Hall, now nearing completion immediately to the east. 

Transformed into a parking facility for heavy equipment during construction of the new Stanley Hall and the earlier renovation of the Hearst Mining Building, university officials now want to restore Howard’s circle. 

Applications must be submitted by Friday, and design work would commence immediately after the architect is selected in January, with all construction and restoration work is to be completed by Sept. 1. 

Applications for the architectural post are due by Friday. 

The university estimated project costs at $250,000 to $300,000. 

 

Building boom 

Stanley Hall is the most expensive of the university’s current building projects, topping even the $125 million Student Athlete High Performance Center UC Regents are expected to approve today (Tuesday). 

If the Regents approve both the controversial Southeast Campus Integrated Projects and the conversion of nearby Bowles Hall into living suites for corporate executives attending special classes at a 50,000 to 80,000 square feet planned executive education facility, those projects added to already approved projects totaling over $925 million would bring the total to over $1.25 billion. 

That number could more than triple if and when regents approve a currently stalled plan to build an additional two million square feet to the university’s Richmond Field Station as an corporate/academic research park. 

That plan was stalled after protesters in Richmond forced a handover of the cleanup of toxic wastes at the site from the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board to the state Department of Toxic Substances Control despite strong objections from the university and the would-be developer, Simeon Properties. 

The university is using its own funds only for replacement of existing buildings found to be seismically weak. All new construction, including the SCIP and Field Station projects, would be paid for with private gifts, corporate donations and developer funds. 

 

Campbell Hall  

Campbell Hall is another of the campus buildings designated unsafe in the event of a major earthquake.  

The current structure, which is seven floors and a basement, encloses 40,327 square feet of space. At 53,450 square feet, the new structure is one floor shorter but would occupy a larger footprint. 

Of the total area, 24,945 square feet would be devoted to research, 15,000 to academic offices, 10,205 to administration and support functions and only 2,400 to instruction—all for astronomy courses. 

Astronomy would also take the largest share of research, followed by physics and the Berkeley Atmospheric Sciences Center. Much of the physics research will occur in a low vibration laboratory in the basement level. 

Of the other current tenants, the offices of the deans of the College of Letters and Science and the Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies program will move to Durant Hall while the undergraduate advisors for the College of Letters and Science will move to the Hearst Field Annex. 

Applications for this position are due Dec. 19. 

 

More Nanotech 

The 285,000-square-foot, $158.6 million Stanley Hall now nearing completion will house labs and offices, including facilities for the California Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Research and the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS). 

Work on the project began on Feb. 3, 2003 and completion is scheduled for Jan. 25. 

One little-noticed Stanley Hall feature certain to provoke controversy is the Bio-Nano Technology Center, which will create prototypes of microrobots and other microscopic and sub-microscopic technology for medical research, treatment and other uses. 

Nanotechnology has become a political minefield in Berkeley, where a small group of dedicated activists opposes siting facilities locally for fear that the invisible products of research could leak into the atmosphere and create health problems for those who live and work nearby. 

While a Google search turns up more than 25,000 hits for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Molecular Foundry nanotech project—including more than 100 dealing with health and environmental concerns—a search for the Bio-Nano Technology Center rates only nine hits, none referring to similar concerns. 

Spurred on by critics the Berkeley City Council is scheduled to take up its own regulations governing nanotechnology during tonight’s (Tuesday) City Council meeting. 


Brown Withdraws Nomination That Drew Fire

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday December 05, 2006

A controversial nomination of a conservative African-American Republican to the Oakland Planning Commission by outgoing Mayor Jerry Brown has been withdrawn under pressure from progressive community activists and Councilmember Jane Brunner. 

Charles Hargrave, who was sponsored by City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente, withdrew his nomination on Friday after Brunner complained to Brown about Hargrave’s conservative political positions. 

“I understand that he is pro-life and anti-gun control,” Brunner said following a community advisory meeting at Peralta Elementary in North Oakland on Saturday. “I told Jerry that I couldn’t support someone like that on the Planning Com- 

mission.”  

The 49-year-old Hargrave, a Berkeley native who grew up in the Brookfield Village community of East Oakland, said in a telephone interview that he withdrew the nomination after speaking with Brown and learning that the nomination had quickly become a controversial issue. “I was told that there would be pickets from pro-choice groups at the City Council meeting,” Hargrave said by telephone. “I can understand it if I was running for governor or state assembly or something, but I don’t see what being pro-life has to do with being on the Planning Commission. That’s ridiculous. All I wanted to do is be on a commission or board that can help change things in Oakland.” 

Noting that there are currently no African-Americans on Oak-land’s Planning Commission, Hargrave said that “now that Mayor Brown appoints one, Ms. Brunner says that she doesn’t want me.” 

Hargrave said that he will now wait until incoming Mayor Ron Dellums takes office in January “and introduce myself to [him] and see if he will appoint me.”  

Oakland Tenants Union co-founder James E. Vann, who opposed Hargrave’s nomination, said that “I don’t think Brown would have made the appointment if he had known about [Hargrave’s] staunch opposition to right-to-choose and his other ultra right-wing positions. It looks like so many of Brown’s appointments [that didn’t get fully vetted] where they simply saw him at a meeting someplace and impressed him, or they had some connection who lobbied for them.” 

Vann said he first came in contact with Hargrave in 2004 when Hargrave attempted to get a variance to Oakland’s condo conversion ordinance. Vann said that a group of builders represented by Hargrave wanted the city to exempt them from the requirement that housing taken off the rental market by conversion to condominiums must be replaced by the owners with a comparable number of rental units. The Tenants Union eventually opposed the city granting Hargrave’s group the variance. 

The withdrawl of the last-minute nomination was a political embarassment for Brown, who had complained eight years ago about then-outgoing Mayor Elihu Harris making similar last-minute appointments in the period after Brown won the mayor’s election but before he took office. Last June, San Francisco Chronicle political reporters Matier and Ross wrote that “despite [incoming mayor] Ron Dellums' call to hold off, outgoing Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown said he plans to make board and commission appointments right up to the very end of his term. Right now, there is one vacancy on Oakland's Port Commission, two vacancies on the Planning Commission and three on the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board—all potentially key appointments when it comes to development deals. Dellums, who will replace Brown in January, asked the mayor to leave the Port Commission appointment till he takes office. … Brown spokesman Gil Duran said … that while the mayor would be open to discussing the matter, he planned to continue the ‘settled practice of the mayor exercising his authority through the end of the term, just as they do in San Francisco and in Sacramento.’” 

It is not clear whether Brown will attempt to make another nomination to the Planning Commission prior to his departure at the end of the year. Duran, Brown’s media representative, did not return a telephone message in connection with this story.  

Hargrave is a homeownership consultant for the Oakland office of Operation Hope, a non-profit public benefit organization founded in Los Angeles in 1992 in the aftermath of the Rodney King riots. He has twice lost badly against incumbent District 7 Congressman George Miller (D-Contra Costa/Solano) in recent years, 71 to 27 percent in 2002 and 76 to 24 percent in 2004. He graduated from Laney College in Oakland in 1981 with an associate's degree in finance. He currently serves as the tenant alternate on Oakland’s Housing, Residential Rent and Relocation Board, voting only when the regular tenant representative is not present at board meetings.  

Hargrave said the abortive Planning Commission appointment came after he attended a commission meeting earlier this year and talked with an aide to Council President De La Fuente. 

“I told him there should be African-American representation on the Commission,” Hargrave said, “and he asked me if I was interested. I told him I was, but it was my understanding that there would be no vacancies until May of next year. I had been looking at some of the boards and commissions earlier because I wanted to be on a commission to help Oakland.” 

Hargrave said that he had previously met De La Fuente while he [Hargrave] was seeking a Spanish-speaking counselor to work in the Operation Hope office. The office is in De La Fuente’s fifth Council District in the Fruitvale. 

With De La Fuente’s sponsorship, Hargrave was nominated by Brown late last month to serve on the seat vacated by real estate agent Nicole Franklin for a term ending in May, 2007. The nomination letter from Brown mistakenly indicated that “upon nomination of the Mayor, the following person is hereby appointed…” However, nominations for the seven-member Oakland Planning Commission are made by the mayor and must be approved by a majority of the City Council. 

The nomination set off a flurry of emails among Oakland community activists that included a 2002 candidate’s bio from the SFGate website listing Hargrave’s political positions taken during his Congressional run that year. That prompted Brunner to have the item pulled from its original December 5 City Council agenda date and rescheduled for December 19. Brunner said on Saturday that “Jerry [Brown] called me and asked why I pulled it.” After she explained her opposition to Hargrave’s conservative political positions contained in one of the emails she had received, Brunner said “he told me to send him the email. An hour later, he called back and said that Charles had pulled his name from consideration.”  

 


Revised Landmark Ordinance Back Before Council

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday December 05, 2006

The City Council will consider a revised Landmarks Preservation Ordinance at its meeting tonight (Tuesday), likely kicking off a fight to repeal the law before it takes effect. 

The revised ordinance was approved by the council in July, but put on hold when a ballot initiative that would have instituted some minor revisions in the current law was placed on the November ballot. The initiative, Measure J, lost at the ballot box and so the July ordinance is back before council today.  

The vote is being repeated because of a date change and the addition of a section explaining the need for revising the ordinance: “As a result of the extensive public process and negotiations, this chapter as reenacted in 2006 includes numerous compromises intended to address the legitimate concerns and aspirations of all stakeholders,” the new section states.  

Due to a city staff error, the July version of the ordinance, rather than the December version, was placed on the city website and in the council agenda packets. As of Monday morning, councilmembers had not been advised they had the wrong version in their packets, according to Councilmember Kriss Worthington, who said the vote should be delayed because of the error. 

A significant change from the original ordinance to the version before the council tonight (and in July) is the strict timeline during which the public is permitted to bring its weight to bear on the process, said Laurie Bright, one of the authors of Measure J. 

“It’s going to virtually eliminate public participation,” Bright told the Daily Planet. “The timeline is so short that neighbors will not have a chance to organize themselves to prevent demolition.”  

Bright plans to kick off a referendum drive against the law as soon as the second reading is approved, which is expected to be Dec. 12 unless the first reading is further delayed.  

The draft ordinance outlines the following steps to landmarking a property: (The steps below have been simplified. The full text of the ordinance marked “supplemental” can be found in the council agenda on the city website at http://www.ci.berke ley.ca.us/citycouncil/agendaindex.htm.) 

• A property owner asks the city whether or not a property merits consideration as a landmark in a process called a Request for Determination. 

• When it receives such a request, the city contracts with an independent consultant from a Landmarks Preservation Commission-approved list to complete a historic assessment. The applicant bears the cost. Alternatively, applicants can write their own reports, which would then be reviewed by an LPC-approved consultant at the applicant’s expense. 

• The LPC considers the completed Request for Determination at a public hearing to take place at its first regular meeting no less than 21 days after completion of the document.  

• If the LPC doesn’t initiate the property at this meeting (initiation is the beginning of the process by which the commission considers whether a property merits a historic designation), it can consider initiation at its next regular meeting. At that meeting the commission initiates the property or takes no action. 

• If it isn’t initiated at the second meeting, members of the public have 30 days to collect enough signatures to initiate it by petition. (Exceptions are made for environmental review.) 

• If no determination has been made within the above timeline, no initiation or designation can be made of the property within two years. 

Landmarks Commissioner Carrie Olson helped write the compromise ordinance and contended, in an interview Monday, that the timeline is “something to be encouraged.” Many times, in an open-ended process, interested people don’t come back to the commission, she said.  

Still, she said, she understands that in unusual cases—for example, in discussions with Native Americans, archeologists, neighbors and other groups around landmarking the shellmound under the Spengers parking lot—the commission may need to hear from several groups, which takes time. The city attorney’s advice was, however, that strict timelines were a legally mandated part of the revision, Olson said. 

Opponents of the revised ordinance say developers could flood the commission with applications, impeding the commission’s ability to deal with them within the mandated timeframe.  

But Olson said she thinks that would not happen. And if it were to happen, commissioners “would have to go to council to have the provision suspended,” she said. If the public didn’t get a proper hearing by the commission, they would be able to fight the city in court, she said. 

Olson further argued that if the consultant report says to tear down a structure that has historic merit, “my hope is that we have a strong enough commission to say we disagree.”  

Bright, however, calls RFD “Request for Development,” and says he believes he will be able to get the approximate 4,500 to 5,000 valid signatures necessary to put the measure on the November 2008 ballot. Referendum proponents have thirty days from the second reading to collect signatures. 

“Unfortunately it works out—probably by design—that signature gathering is happening during the holidays,” Bright said. If he gets the required signatures, Bright said he believes the original ordinance will be in effect until the November 2008 election. 

 

 

 

 


DAPAC, Landmarks Commissions Meet

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday December 05, 2006

The Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee (DAPAC) and the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) are both meeting this week. 

DAPAC is meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave., to consider themes for the evolving plan and to consider a draft outline for the plan prepared by city staff. 

Also on the agenda is a request by six members of the committee to establish a subcommittee focused on UC Berkeley’s plans for developing the property it owns in the downtown area. 

The new plan being drafted under DAPAC’s auspices was mandated in the settlement of a city lawsuit filed against the university’s long range plans for development through 2020. 

The university plans to add a millions square feet of uses in the city center, with the enlarged boundaries encompassed by the planning effort. 

Landmarks commissioners are scheduled to meet the following evening and hold hearings on: New development at the Public Storage facility at 1120 Second St., a site that includes the landmarked Municipal Incinerator building; a home designed by noted architect Bernard Maybeck at 1300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way; the addition of an electrical room to the landmarked Webb Building at 1987 Ashby Ave.; and a proposal to alter the building at 2114 Center St. for a food service tenant. 

That meeting, also held in the North Berkeley Senior Center, begins at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.


UC Regents Set to Vote on Massive Southeast Campus Development

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday December 05, 2006

The University of California Regents are scheduled to meet this afternoon (Tuesday) to approve the controversial document that will pave the way for massive development in the southeast campus. 

The environmental impact report slated for approval at the regents’ Committee on Grounds and Buildings focuses on the Southeast Campus Integrated Projects (SCIP) at and around UC Berkeley’s Memorial Stadium. 

The committee is also scheduled to approve plans for the Student Athlete High Performance Center, a four-story SCIP project to be built along the western wall of Memorial Stadium. 

The public can attend the 4:30 p.m. telephone conference meeting by appearing at the UC San Francisco Mission Bay campus Community Center, 1675 Owens St., San Francisco. 


City Posts Wrong LPO Revison on Website

Judith Scherr
Friday December 01, 2006

A controversial revision to the city’s Landmarks Preservation Ordinance will be on the City Council agenda Tuesday. However, the city attorney’s office said Friday afternoon that it had the wrong landmarks ordinance revision posted on its website, but would have the revision posted late Friday. (It’s not likely to be identified differently than the one on the current website, according to a staff secretary.) The ordinance is available on the agenda site at http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil/agendaindex.htm


BHS Mourns Student Killed in Shootings

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday December 01, 2006

Yonas Mehari did not live to attend the second meeting of the Ethiopian Eritrean Students Union (EESU) he had helped established at Berkeley High, but his friends were there to carry on the dream he had left behind. 

“Exactly one week ago, Yonas and I were standing in this very spot, Room No. 309 in Building C,” said Raheil Drar, a sophomore and president of the EESU, Wednesday. “Yonas was disappointed about the turnout for the first meeting but I told him that there’s always next week. One day later he was shot.” 

Yonas, 17, his mother Regbe Baharengasi, 50 and sister Winta Mehari, 28, were killed by gunfire in their Keller Plaza Apartment complex in North Oakland on Thanksgiving Day.  

According to police reports, two of Winta Mehari’s brothers-in-law had shot the three family members in order to avenger the death of their brother Abraham Tewolde, who had been married to Ms. Mehari. 

Two of Mehari’s brothers were also wounded in the attack.  

One, a 22-year-old, was shot in the foot. The other, 20, is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital for breaking his back while jumping out of the third-floor-apartment to avoid getting shot. A Berkeley High parent at the meeting said that there was a possibility he could be paralyzed. 

The suspected gunman, identified as Asmeron Tewolde Gebreselassie, 43, and his brother, Tewodros Tewolde Gebreselassie, 39, who police reported helped plan the shooting, have been arrested and charged on three counts of suspicion of murder. Both brothers have admitted their roles in the shooting, according to police. 

Students at the meeting expressed disbelief at the incident and shared fond memories of Yonas. 

“When I first heard about this, my first reaction was to discontinue with the EESU,” Raheil said. “Yonas was the guiding light. He was the one who always got everything organized. It’s hard to imagine this without him. But I decided to take over as president from him and continue his work because this is what he would have wanted.” 

Students also talked about setting up a scholarship fund for Eritrean Ethiopian students at Berkeley High and in the East Bay. 

“Once a year the cities in the Bay Area pay you money if you turn in your guns to the government. If we can lobby the cities of Richmond, Oakland and Berkeley to do this for a few more days it would be really great,” said Abdul Shemse, a junior who came to the United States from Ethiopia in 1996. “The money could help students who have experienced violence in their lives and help them have a future.” Abdul will be co-presiding over the union with Raheil. 

Abdul told the Planet that one of the reasons Yonas had wanted to create the EESU was to try and bridge the gap between Eritreans and Ethiopians. 

“Our countries are in dispute over land,” he said. “But it’s our respective governments who are creating this conflict. Eritrean and Ethiopian students work together, eat together and play together under the same roof in Berkeley High. And the club is a way to continue to make that happen.” 

The EESU will be visiting Yonas’ family on Friday to hand over the donations and the condolence messages that hundreds of students had written for Yonas at school. 

“We have collected $3,200 so far,” Abdul said. “We would like Yonas’ family to use it toward medical expenses, which are over $50,000.” 

There are also plans to collect money for the rural regions of Ethiopia and Eritrea—something that Yonas wanted to do, and also set up a fund for Children Aid Ethiopia (CHAD-ET) which works with sexually exploited children in Addis, Ethiopia’s capital. 

Besides being active in student clubs, Yonas was also was a member of the BHS varsity soccer team and excelled in academics. 

According to his tutor, Carlos Bustamante, Yonas wanted to become a doctor. 

“He wanted to study medicine at UC Davis. He had a great math mind and helped to tutor kids,” Bustamante said. “I was aware of the drama going on with his sister and her in-laws, but he was making such great progress in school that it was hard to imagine there could be any violence lurking in the background at all.”  

Yonas’ soccer coach, Eugenio Janu Juarez, told the Planet during a memorial service at the Berkeley High football fields on Monday that the shooting did not come out of the blue. 

“There has been a long time festering between the families over Abraham Tewolde’s death,” he said. “Abraham’s family thinks that he was poisoned and this was their way of taking revenge. What happened is horrible.” 

Juarez dedicated the 2006-2007 soccer season to the memory of Yonas.  

 

 

 

 

 


UC Regents Ready to Vote on Stadium Plan

By Richard Brenneman
Friday December 01, 2006

University of California Regents are expected to approve Tuesday an environmental document authorizing 451,000 square feet of new construction at and around UC Berkeley’s Memorial Stadium. 

The Regents are scheduled to adopt plans for a controversial high tech athletic training center adjacent to the landmarked stadium. 

“They will be meeting to vote to certify the EIR (environmental impact report) and approve the design,” said UC spokesperson Jennifer Ward.  

Word of the meeting came two days after the stadium itself was named to the National Register of Historic Places, a federal listing maintained by the National Parks Service. 

But the newest honor accorded the building—which was also recently designated a City of Berkeley landmark—affords no new leverage for opponents of UC Berkeley’s massive expansion plans in the area, say state and local officials. 

“It doesn’t change much,” said Berkeley Planning and Development Director Dan Marks, who is spearheading the city’s opposition to the scope of the projects outlined in the Southeast Campus Integrated Projects (SCIP) plan. 

Stephen Miksell, California’s Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, agreed. 

“The most protections that would be afford would be through the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and the university acknowledged the stadium’s historic properties in their CEQA documents,” he said. 

Michael Kelly of the Panoramic Hill Association (PHA), which along with the city is preparing to file a lawsuit if the EIR is approved, said one of the most significant aspects of the federal listing is its inclusion of a threatened oak grove at the training center site. 

CEQA mandated the preparation of the EIR which the regents’ Grounds and Building Committee is expected to approve Tuesday, Ward said.  

That document includes not just the Student Athlete High Performance, but a complex of projects and massive new construction at and near the stadium. 

The meeting will take place over the phone at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, and area residents may attend electronically by appearing at the UC San Francisco Mission Bay campus Community Center, 1675 Owens St., San Francisco. 

Marks said a city representative would attend. 

Committee approval of the EIR guarantees that one and possibly two lawsuits will be filed in the following 30 days, the statutory period for filing legal challenges once an EIR is approved. 

City Councilmembers voted Nov. 14 to sue if the EIR was approved, and the PHA, representing neighbors who live on the hillside above the stadium, has also retained an attorney. 

Kelly said the association has a crucial role to play in litigation because the area was recently designated a National Historic District because it includes many historic dwellings designed by renowned architects, including Julia Morgan, Bernard Maybeck, Ernest Coxhead, John Hudson Thomas and William Wurster. 

He said representatives of other neighborhood groups are planning to attend, along with many advocates who oppose destruction of the stand of trees at the training center site, which include coast live oaks. 

The National Register application was drafted by John English, a retired planner who also drafted the city landmark nomination. Both include the oak grove. 

Paul Lusignan, the National Register historian responsible for listings in the Western U.S., said the listing became official Monday. 

“It’s a very good example of an early 20th Century large-scale athletic stadium, one of the few remaining examples in the state and in the country,” he said. “It has great architectural and engineering qualities,” he said. 

One of the most controversial elements in the EIR slated for approval Tuesday is a plan to build additional rows of seats above the stadiums eastern rim and to add a press deck and a row of luxury sky boxes above the western rim. 

Proof that historic designations don’t bar similar additions comes from two well-known stadiums where even more radical vertical additions have been authorized—Soldier Field in Chicago and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. 

Both stadiums have been accorded the highest national historic designation, that of one of the fewer than 2,500 National Landmarks. By contrast, there are more than 79,000 entries on the National Register. 

Berkeley has two federal landmarks—the First Church of Christ, Scientist and Room 307 of Gilman Hall on the UC Berkeley campus—compared to 57 National Register listings, some including multiple buildings. The room was named because within those walls in 1941 the element Plutonium was first identified, leading directly to the first nuclear weapon ever detonated. 

Any objection from a property owner blocks a listing under National Parks Service rules, but UC officials didn’t act. 

The 142,000-square-foot training center and office complex the regents are expected to approve Tuesday is four stories tall in places, but all beneath the base level of the landmark stadium building.  

All of the estimated $112 million in construction costs would be paid from corporate and private donations and grants. Regents have already approved the project budget and authorized using up to $12 million in standby financing if needed during fund-raising. 

Other projects included in the EIR raise the total construction costs to over $300 billion, and include a nearby 912-car underground parking lot, an even larger new building joining functions of the UC Berkeley law and business schools and streetscape changes for Piedmont Avenue/Gayley Road—itself a city landmark. 

UC Berkeley officials told the regents earlier this month that approval was essential by January at the latest so preliminary excavations wouldn’t interfere with the coming fall football season. 

City officials and neighbors have argued that impacts of the projects, along with the heavy traffic they would generate both during and after construction, would place an intolerable burden on already heavily trafficked streets and the city’s overburdened infrastructure.


Residents Rally To Save Oaks Around Stadium

By Judith Scherr
Friday December 01, 2006

A rally to save oaks is not where you’d expect to find a guy who makes his living cutting down trees. 

But Tuesday evening Ric Costales, who calls himself a timberfeller, stood microphone in hand on the steps of Berkeley’s Old City Hall, supporting some 40 people who had come to a rally called by Save the Oaks at the Stadium to rescue 38 oak trees from the UC Berkeley ax.  

The university, which is not obliged under state law to follow local regulations such as the ordinance against removing oak trees without a permit, plans to cut down an oak grove to make room to expand the football stadium and build an athletic training facility.  

“When we cut trees, they grow back, but in an area like this, you cut them down and they’re gone,” said Costales, who lives and works near the California-Oregon border and learned of the pending uprooting of the trees while visiting a Bay Area relative during the Thanksgiving holiday. 

“It seems like a university could figure out how to save the oaks,” he said, calling for a rational process through which discussions could be carried out with the university. “We should all know what rules we’re playing by. We’ve got to engage in intellectual debate.” 

Emma Fazio of the Student Coalition to Save the Oaks also spoke: “I don’t want to pay tuition to a university that looks at a woodland and sees a place to put a gym.” 

Before the rally Fazio told the Daily Planet that the students were preparing for training by Rainforest Action on tree-sitter rights. 

Doug Buckwald who helped organize the rally told protesters the university was playing a public relations game, saying it would plant three trees for every one removed. “You cannot replace the eco-system with gardening projects,” he said. 

Former mayor Shirley Dean also took a turn speaking to the rally. She called on the “number one public university in the world” to abide by the local oaks ordinance. 

“We are a diverse group of people,” she said. “The University of California has united us.” 

University spokesperson Marie Felde underscored that no trees will be cut until the Regents of the University of California certify the environmental impact report on the stadium project. A Regents’ subcommittee that can certify the report will meet Tuesday. 

Buckwald told the Daily Planet that he is encouraging people to speak out at the subcommittee meeting, which will be conducted via phone. The public can join the meeting electronically at 4:30 p.m. at the UC San Francisco Mission Bay Campus Community Center, 1675 Owens St., San Francisco. 

 

To reach the Save the Oaks group, email: info@saveoaks.com or call 510-841-3493. 

 

 

Former mayor Shirley Dean speak to crowd opposing UC’s plan to cut the Oaks. Photograph by Judith Scherr. 


Mayor Vows to Battle Court Move to Oakland

By Richard Brenneman
Friday December 01, 2006

Mayor Tom Bates vowed Thursday to do everything in his power to reverse the impending move of the city’s traffic and small claims courts to Oakland. 

City officials are still struggling to determine the impact of the move, which was revealed only Monday following a tip from a Daily Planet reader. 

Starting today (Friday) all tickets issued in Berkeley, Albany and within the boundaries of the East Bay Regional Parks District will call for appearances at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse in Oakland. 

Other agencies affected with be BART Police of the California Highway Patrol, said Berkeley Police spokesperson Officer Ed Galvan. 

Also moving south will be the court’s small claims calendar, which handles lawsuits for plaintiffs not represented by attorneys and seeking damages of less than $7,500. 

City Manager Phil Kamlarz said he first learned of the court move in a phone message from a reporter Monday afternoon. 

“There’s usually much better communication,” he said. “We’re still trying to figure out what’s going on.” 

“This will have a potentially huge impact,” said Officer Galvan. 

In addition to extended travel times for law enforcement officers summoned to testify in traffic cases, parking will also be a problem—especially for defendants and small claims litigants. 

“There’s no place to park within blocks except for the parking structure,” which is not inexpensive, Galvan said. 

Kamlarz said the city had just finished refurbishing the courthouse and is in the midst of negotiating a new lease contract with the courts. 

One of the immediate challenges the city faces is to see if there is a way to “bundle” citations for individual officers so their court appearances can be concentrated in specific periods. 

Without bundling or some similar process, an appearance for one traffic citation could cost between an hour and an hour and a half of an officer’s time, compared with the 10 to 20 minutes it now takes. 

Cisco DeVries, chief of staff to Mayor Tom Bates, said news of the move had come as a surprise to him and the mayor. “We were all surprised,” he said. 

Bates said the move probably resulted from the City Council’s rejection six years ago of a county plan to build a new courthouse in Berkeley. 

Five councilmembers rejected a plan to build the facility at the site of the Pacific Gas & Electric building at the northeast corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Center St., and an alternative location between the Berkeley Public Library and the High School, which is now occupied by the Library Gardens apartment complex , was rejected by the property owners. 

“When the council decided not to put in the full courthouse, the court probably decided to start phasing out operations here,” Bates said. 

First to go was the court’s criminal division. The move of small claims and traffic will leave only one civil court, which Alameda County Superior Court Executive Officer Pat S. Sweeten said will remain in Berkeley. 

Bates said the move of the criminal court to Oakland has been costing the city $100,000 a year, while the move of the traffic court could cost even more. 

“I am going to do everything I can to fight this, and if it goes through, I am going to do everything within my power to get it back,” Bates said. “The people of Berkeley need to have this court here.” 

Another foe of the move is Assemblymember Loni Hancock, the mayor’s spouse. “Loni’s prepared to do whatever she can,” Bates said. 

The mayor said he has already called Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson to enlist his help. 

While tickets issued this morning will call for appearances at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse at 661 Washington St. in Oakland after the first of the year, the court itself will be moving between Christmas and New Year’s Day, and will be open for business at its new location on Tuesday, Jan. 2.


Merritt College Class Celebrates Black Panthers’ 40th Birthday

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday December 01, 2006

One of the enduring legends of both Oakland and the Black Panther Party is that Oakland’s Merritt College was the birthplace of the party, and that it was formed in 1966 by two Merritt students—Huey Newton and Bobby Seale. 

Merritt was certainly a swirl of radical political activity in the mid-’60s, with its campus and students prominent in the mix of the Black Power, black nationalist, civil rights, Free Speech, and anti-Vietnam War movements. 

Merritt, in fact, was the birthplace of one of the first black student unions in the country—the SoulStudents Advisory Council (SSAC)—of which Newton and Seale were active members. 

While many of the ideas that later became the founding principles of the Panther Party were hammered out in Merritt’s cafeteria or on the college’s front steps—where students regularly held heated political debates—it is likely that the party itself was officially formed in Bobby Seale’s North Oakland house, which was located within walking distance of the college 

In addition, while the old Merritt College building still exists on what is now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the college itself has gone literally upscale, moving some years ago out of the North Oakland flatlands community where it was born and up into the Oakland hills, where it commands a breathtaking view of the San Francisco Bay. 

Still, as Merritt English instructor John Drinnon says, “Merritt is still Merritt,” and this year being the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Panthers in October of 1966, Drinnon’s English 5 Critical Thinking class held what it called a “belated birthday celebration” on the campus this week. 

Two of the three featured former Panther members scheduled for the scheduled two-hour long panel discussion and question-and-answer session did not show. 

Mary Williams was represented by her daughter, Theresa Williams, a professor at Merritt, who spoke briefly from the audience about her experiences growing up in the party. 

The featured speaker, Billy X (formerly Billy Jennings), who joined the party while at student at Laney College in 1968, simply did not appear. Drinnon said that he had spoken with Billy X by telephone on the morning of the event, and had expected him to attend. “I don’t know what happened,” he said. “I’m disappointed.” 

That left the burden of the presentation, with some 150 students in attendance in a cavernous room in Merritt College’s A Building, on Kevin Johnson, a Merritt teacher’s aide. Johnson’s association with the Panthers began when he was 9 or 10 years old, when the Panthers international headquarters on Shattuck Avenue was next door to his parents’ home. 

“There was a hair parlor down the street where the pimps used to get their hair done,” the soft-spoken Johnson said. “And they got into a clash with the Panthers, which ended up in a firefight in our backyard. That’s when my father decided we needed to move.” 

But Johnson said he was inspired by the image of the Panthers—young, armed black men with pistols and rifles in their hands, wearing their inner city uniform of black berets and black leather jackets—and said he used to march around in his new back yard and repeat the familiar Panther chants, “Bobby Is Free,” and “Free Huey.” 

Eventually he joined the party, with several other relatives. One brother, Fred Noldan, was killed on Shattuck Avenue in 1988, with Johnson saying he had a “sneaking suspicion that it was the work of the police.” A cousin, Don Cox, eventually went into exile with Panther leader Eldridge Cleaver, first to Algeria, and then to France. 

“To this day, if he steps foot on United States soil, he will be arrested on various charges” stemming from his days with the Panther Party, Johnson said. 

While Johnson praised the work of the Panthers, saying how armed party members patrolled the streets of West Oakland “looking out for the people,” and called the organization’s free breakfast program “genius,” he also did not shy away from the errors that led to the group’s eventual downfall. 

“Huey had a drug problem, and that led him into malaise and downfall,” said Johnson, who admitted that he had to beat a 37-year drug habit himself. “That was a problem with a lot of the Panthers. They had a great idea and they attacked a giant monolith of an enemy, but eventually, many of them became their own enemies.” 

Much of the question-and-answer session of the mixed-age group ranged back and forth between older students who remembered the Panther days, and younger students eager to know how it was and what it meant. 

Pointing to a handout of a recent Laney College Tower newspaper article that reprinted a 1970 picture of Huey Newton speaking at Merritt College in 1970, one older man who identified himself only as Ron said that he had attended that 1970 meeting, and was a longtime follower of the Panthers. 

“It was more of an exciting experience for me than fearful,” he said. “It was exciting seeing the Panthers going up to the state capitol with guns, seeing black men standing up.” 

Speaking directly to the younger students, he said, “We paved the way for y’all to have everything you have now. All the little freedoms you have, don’t take them for granted. It came with a cost.” 

Following the meeting, Drinnon, a ‘60s era Berkeley activist himself, said that he was pleased with the event. “It turned out fantastic,” he said. 

Noting that two semesters ago, his class organized a teach-in at Merritt on the Iraq War, Drinnon said that “if the opportunity presents itself” to do a another, similar event “I would love to do that.” 

 

Kevin Johnson, a Merritt teacher’s aide and former member of the Black Panther Party, speaks to the students at the party. Photograph by  

Ted Overman/ Progressive MediaWorks 

 


Council Reappoints Trustee, Sustains Creeks Vote

By Judith Scherr
Friday December 01, 2006

Despite the community’s pleas asking the City Council to solicit new applications for the post, the City Council Tuesday night approved 8-1 Terry Powell’s bid for a second four-year term on the Board of Library Trustees, with only Councilmember Kriss Worthington voting in opposition. 

Also at the Tuesday meeting, the council upheld the Landmarks Commission’s designation of a structure of merit at 2411 Fifth St., sustained re-inspection fees for rental safety inspections for landlord Vijay Lakireddy and upheld votes on the Creeks Ordinance revision and Zoning Ordinance amendment. 

The call for new blood and a more open library trustee selection process was not a reproach to Powell, speakers said, but directed to the five trustees in general, who self-select fellow board members to recommend for city council approval in a closed process. The exception is one City Council-appointed trustee, who is a city councilmember.  

“I’m asking you not to go ahead and appoint the trustee,” Gene Bernardi of SuperBOLD, Berkeleyans Organized for Library Defense, told the council before they discussed the issue. “Change is needed. There’s a lot of turmoil at the library.” 

Bernardi said the nomination should go back to the trustees, with a request to solicit applications. “Ask for someone with experience in working with unions,” she said. Powell would be considered among the other applicants. 

The library has had three years of difficult times, library worker Roya Arasteh told the council, similarly urging an “open process” soliciting new applications. That would “restore trust and confidence of the staff,” she said. “Our concern is the ‘public’ part of the Berkeley Public Library.” 

While Trustee Chair Susan Kupfer spoke in glowing terms of Powell’s work as a trustee, she agreed with the community speakers. “We should try to design a new process,” she said, calling for the creation of a committee of two trustees and two councilmembers to study the question. 

Councilmember Betty Olds favored the reappointment. “We should give people respect [and reappoint them] if they’re doing good during their first term,” she said. “Terry Powell has done an outstanding job.” 

But Councilmember Kriss Worthington said that during Powell’s tenure, a library tax measure failed. Further, there’s been an “enormous negative reaction to the way librarians are treated,” he said. “It’s time to open this up and consider multiple people.” 

Councilmember Darryl Moore, who also sits as a library trustee, shot back with uncharacteristic vehemence that it was the council’s fault that the 2004 library tax measure hadn’t passed, because they put a number of tax measures on the ballot at the same time. (Moore was not yet elected to the council.) 

Moore said, however, that he planned to bring to the council the creation of a trustee/council committee of four to formulate a new trustee-selection process. 

 

Creeks, zoning ordinance revisions move forward 

Councilmember Laurie Capitelli had hoped to make some changes in the newly adopted Creeks Ordinance—which came back to the council for a first reading in its final format—and amendments to the Zoning Ordinance, which came back to the council for a second reading.  

The councilmember was concerned that creeks and culverts were being addressed in the same ordinance and that the Zoning Ordinance amendment gave a property owner the right to rebuild a structure of four units or fewer when the destruction was involuntary. Capitelli wanted to remove the distinction between voluntary and involuntary. 

The Council, however, approved both items as originally written. The second reading of the zoning ordinance amendment passed 8-1, with Capitelli in opposition, and the first reading of the revised Creeks Ordinance was approved 6-1-1, with Capitelli abstaining, Councilmember Gordon Wozniak voting in opposition and Councilmember Betty Olds absent. 

 

Structure of merit upheld 

Despite pleas from the owner of a home at 2411 Fifth St., calling for the City Council to overturn a structure of merit designation by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, the council voted 9-0 to uphold the designation.  

“It’s a dangerous structure,” owner Laura Fletcher told the council. “It’s a public taking of a private property,” she said, arguing that the structure cannot be repaired. 

But neighbor and architect Erick Mikiten argued that the structure of merit designation included “a lot of development potential” and that repairs were possible. 

 

Upheld fines for Vijay Lakireddy 

The council turned down a request from landlord Vijay Lakireddy to reduce fees for slow compliance in fixing violations under the city’s Rental Housing Safety Program in 47 of 60 units he owns at 2033 Haste St.  

Lakireddy argued that because he had so many repairs to do he should be given some leeway. “A lot of items were flagged. We did our best,” he said. 

“When a property owner has far flung real estate holdings, he bears some responsibility for upholding safety laws of the city,” Councilmember Max Anderson responded. 

Mayor Tom Bates addressed Lakireddy directly: “We hope this is a wake up call.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Community Ponders Planned Changes to People’s Park

By Judith Scherr
Friday December 01, 2006

On Wednesday, Dale Rich was where he can often be found, crouched on a slope bordering the south side of People’s Park, wrestling the weeds away from the flowering plants; songbirds chatted noisily in a tree over the head of the volunteer gardener.  

“If you didn’t read the papers, you’d think the park was a little bit of heaven,” he said. “It can be enjoyed by the wealthy or poor—it’s a savior for some.” 

The mound where Rich was working and others nearby could be flattened. A People’s Park Community Advisory Board meeting will be held Monday addressing crime and drug use at park by modifying vegetation and berms. (A berm is a mound or wall of earth.) The meeting is at Trinity Methodist Church 2362 Bancroft Ave. 7-9 p.m. 

University and Berkeley police chiefs believe that by eliminating the mounds and thinning the trees, they could get a better view of what’s going on in the park and decrease drug dealing and use. 

According to Nov. 13 Advisory Committee minutes, the concept, introduced by Berkeley Police Chief Doug Hambleton, is called Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, CPTED. The goal is to remove obstructions so that police can see what’s going on in the park from their patrol cars. 

At the woodsy west end of the park, a reporter was engaged in conversation with three men, one of whom had a pit bull on a leash. A UC Berkeley bike cop rode up, smiling and amiable: “It smells like marijuana here,” she said, then joked with the men in a friendly way.  

Asked what she thought about cutting back the vegetation and getting rid of the mounds to see better into the park, the officer, who declined to give her name, commented: “that’s lazy policing,” then sped off on her bike. 

Unperturbed by the officer’s brief presence, the men continued to chat among themselves and with the reporter. Asked what they thought of the plan to cut back vegetation and remove the hills, one man, who identified himself only as a park regular, said he thought it should be kept as it is. 

“This is a real natural place to get away from the city,” he said, pointing to a squash and green tomatoes half-hidden under thick leaves nearby. “It’s a nice, quiet space.” 

After Cody’s on Telegraph shut its doors last summer, city government focused on Telegraph Avenue problems. Some—particularly City Council candidate George Beier, a member of the People’s Park advisory board—pointed to People’s Park as a magnet for criminals and the fundamental reason for vacant storefronts on Telegraph Avenue. 

Led by Councilmember Kriss Worthington and Mayor Tom Bates, the council voted to restore bicycle police patrols and mental health services to the Telegraph area. 

“Violent crime in the park is down slightly over the previous year, but liquor violations and simple assaults are up,” according to Nov. 13 advisory committee minutes. 

Terry Compost, longtime People’s Park volunteer gardener and supporter, differentiated between perceived and actual personal safety. Many of the park users are homeless or have mental health issues. “A lot of them make (other) people very nervous,” Compost said.  

She fears the university is taking advantage of the current debate over park safety to take over the space the community has fought to preserve over some 40 years. 

“The university jumps on every opportunity to try to take control, to get rid of vestiges of community control. It’s sad that growing out of fear, people are willing to give up freedoms,” Compost said. 

There is little disagreement that the best thing for the park is use, said Community Relations Director Irene Hegarty. There’s a chess tournament on Sunday. Music events, literary readings and theatre have been suggested both by Compost and the university. 

On Wednesday, around noon, the park was well-used. Some 35 people scattered around the park. Two men slept on the stage, about 10 university-looking young men were playing basketball, small groups of people sat scattered on the grass or on blankets reading books or newspapers, chatting, eating or sleeping.  

A couple of moms pushed toddlers through the park in strollers; Thomas, who declined to give his last name, was selling the newspaper Street Spirit. One man was putting together a 1,000-piece puzzle over near the park office.  

“There are no puzzles that cannot be solved,” he said. 

 


Withrow Expected to Take Helm of New Peralta Board

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday December 01, 2006

 

With Area 1 (Alameda) trustee Bill Withrow widely expected to take over as board president in December, the Peralta Board of Trustees will have a decidedly different character and look in the coming year than it had as recently as two years ago. 

After years at the center of scandal and turmoil, the Peralta Board has seen a complete turnover in two years, with only Area 5 (Oakland hills) trustee Bill Riley as the lone holdover from the years when former chancellor Ron Temple ran the district. 

Current board president Linda Handy won her Area 3 (Central East Oakland) seat in 2002 against incumbent Brenda Knight, a Temple supporter, and four of the current board members—Withrow, Marcie Hodge, Nicky Gonzalez-Yuen, and Cy Gulassa—came on in 2004 when the incumbents in their districts chose not to run. Area 7 (Downtown/West Oakland) trustee Alona Clifton lost her seat to challenger Abel Guillen in the election earlier this month. Guillen does not take office until mid-December. 

Meanwhile, beginning with Handy’s election in 2002, the board began to tighten up operations at the four-college district, firing Temple and replacing him with Elihu Harris. Those reforms escalated following the 2004 election, with added fiscal oversight and controls slowly put into place. 

While several board members contacted for this story called Withrow the odds-on-favorite to become the new board president, the election to replace Withrow as the board’s vice-chair was still up in the air on Thursday, with Cy Gulassa considered the front runner, but not a lock for election. 

Handy, whom Withrow is expected to replace as board president, called Withrow “one of the best members of the board. He has the time to put into the district. He’s a really smart guy, with a vast amount of experience.” 

Withrow, one of the leaders of Peralta’s fiscal reform movement, says he intends to continue that work in the next year as the expected head of Peralta’s board. 

“We’re reaching the end of the strategic planning process,” Withrow said, explaining the district’s goal of reducing its plans and projects to a single document. “The top priority will be its implementation. We want it to be a living document. We don’t want it just to sit on the shelf.” 

A second goal, Withrow said, will be to begin spending the money from the district’s $390 million Measure A facilities construction bond, which was passed overwhelmingly by area voters in June but has recently come under criticism from board members and staff for a lack of clearly-stated projects. 

“The building programs authorized by the bond need to get underway,” Withrow said. With the exception of the newly-completed Berkeley City College, he noted that “our colleges are in dire need of refurbishment and restructure so that they fit the needs of today, rather than the needs of 40 years ago.” 

While Withrow said that the Peralta district should be praised for slightly increasing enrollment at a time when enrollment in most of California’s community colleges is declining, “we’ve got to have a concerted effort to increase it.” 

Withrow noted that while the population from which the City College of San Francisco draws its enrollment is almost identical in number to Peralta’s, 675,000, CCSF has an enrollment of 125,000, while the four Peralta colleges total only 30,000. 

“There’s no simple answer as to why there is such a difference between the two,” he said. 

One of the ways Withrow believes Peralta can increase enrollment is by recruiting area students earlier in the process. “We need to brand Peralta at the middle school level,” he said. “If we can convince 20 percent of the students attending middle schools in our service area to entertain postsecondary education, there is no doubt that it will encourage more of them to get through high school, and some of those will make their way to the Peralta schools.” 

A final goal, Withrow said, is the reduction of book costs for students. “We already have a tremendous tuition cost,” he said, noting that by “tremendous” he meant “good for the students.” “Our students average $600 a year for a full course load, compared to a $3,000 national average for two year institutions. Given the student population we serve, $600 is a lot of money, but California has by far the cheapest two year institution tuition in the country. Nobody else comes close to us.” 

But Withrow said that the cost of textbooks tends to be higher in California than in other states, citing the fact that some Peralta students can pay between $250 and $350 for a single textbook. 

The problem, he added, is not with the textbook companies. “It’s not a very profitable industry,” he said. “There’s not a lot there to squeeze.” 

Instead, Withrow said that he wants Peralta to cut book costs by such methods as contracting with books-on-demand publishers, or by limiting the number of book titles that can be assigned in a different course area, giving more opportunity for students to be able to purchase used books. He admitted that this would be a “controversial area,” since “faculty members want to be able to choose their own books.” 

 


The Future of Historic Downtown Buildings Debated

By Richard Brenneman
Friday December 01, 2006

The future of historic buildings in downtown Berkeley is gradually taking shape as members of two city panels work to hammer out the details. 

A struggle over the fate of older downtown buildings may be shaping up in the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee (DAPAC), the body helping city staff develop a new plan for an extended downtown area. 

While the existing downtown plan, created in 1990, places a strong emphasis on preserving the downtown’s historic character, some DAPAC members—most notably retired UC Berkeley executive Dorothy Walker—had stressed their beliefs that some older buildings need to make room for taller, newer structures. 

Others in DAPAC, like former Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) Patti Dacey, argue strongly for preservation, while expressing a willingness to modify existing historic buildings. 

The new plan at the center of the struggle was mandated in the settlement of a city lawsuit challenging the university’s expansion plans through the year 2020, which call for massive growth of university space within the confines of the downtown. 

Members of a subcommittee formed from members of the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) and the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee (DAPAC) met Wednesday night to examine the work done by consultants hired to assist on the plan’s section on historical resources. 

Architectural Resources Group (ARG) of San Francisco is the same firm that is working on a restoration of Berkeley’s landmarked First Church of Christ, Scientist. 

Subcommittee chair Jill Korte represented the LPC Wednesday, along with Lesley Emmington and Robert Johnson. Dacey and Wendy Alfsen attended for DAPAC, and have both indicated support for the preservationist position. 

Not present Wednesday were DAPAC members Raudel Wilson and Carole Kennerly, whose previous statements at DAPAC have indicated more sympathy for Walker’s position than Dacey’s. LPC member Steven Winkel was also absent.  

ARG senior associate Bridget Maley presented the subcommittee with a preliminary draft of context statement that will provide the framework for calling out specific buildings and features. 

“It is very good and very helpful,” said John English, a preservationist who belongs to neither body but has been faithfully attending the meetings of both. 

The document presented Tuesday doesn’t deal with specific buildings as much as with patterns and themes of development, mentioning individual buildings only as examples. 

Later, more details will be added on individual structures, and maps identifying the individual historical structures within the planning area, as well as those structures identified as notably historical by public and private agencies. 

Wednesday’s subcommittee was notably harmonious for a Berkeley meeting dealing with old buildings—especially in light of the heated battle that ended earlier this month with defeat of the preservationist-backed Measure J after a barrage of negative campaign mailers bankrolled by the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee. 

The subcommittee plans at least one more session Dec. 13 before bringing its work to a joint meeting of its two parent bodies on Jan. 17. 

The final document will identify buildings that are significant in their own right, along with buildings that contribute to the historic significance of the downtown and—probably—a list of potential historic districts within the planning area.


ZAB Postpones Trader Joe’s Building Vote Again

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday December 01, 2006

The Zoning Adjustments Board continued the hearing for the Trader Joe’s building project on 1885 University Ave. until Dec. 14 because city staff requested more time to prepare the staff report, findings and conditions.  

The modified project—after being approved by the Design Review Commission—had been returned to ZAB on Nov. 9. At that meeting, Berkeley-based developers Evan McDonald and Chris Hudson had asked the board to give preliminary consideration to a design of a mixed-use development with 14,390 square feet of retail, and 157 parking spaces in a two-level parking garage. 

ZAB members have asked staff to prepare a report outlining density bonus options and a traffic analysis as well as provide conditions for approval of the project. Member Dean Metzger had requested more details of the project, including areas of commercial space and usable open space.  

Residents opposing the project had expressed concerns about how the city would apply the state’s affordable housing density bonus statute to the project and address issues related to traffic and building size.  

Those in favor of the project had said that it would reduce the number of daily car trips by a large margin and provide much-needed affordable housing in Berkeley. 

 

BUSD bus depot 

The ZAB also heard a request from the Berkeley Unified School District for a use permit to establish a bus depot at 1325 Sixth St. (including bus and staff/visitor parking, office and classroom space, and a mechanical shop). 

Eric Smith, deputy superintendent for the BUSD, said that the proposed transportation facility included the construction of a 4,100-square-foot single-story administrative office building with a classroom, a 6,550-square-foot single-story mechanical shop, a vehicle washing station and associated surface parking area. 

The surface parking would provide space for 19 large school buses, 13 small school buses, a district van, and 37 staff and visitor parking spaces. The proposed classroom space would be used for teaching bus drivers emergency and other safety techniques. 

West Berkeley neighbors who appeared in opposition to the project cited air quality, noise, pollution and traffic issues and said they did not want to see another “industrial facility” in the area. 

“West Berkeley is not the best place for this,” said Gary Parsons, a neighbor. “This was not the long range vision plan for this corridor. In a neighborhood that is battling with Pacific Steel Casting, here we are facing a lot of diesel everyday.” 

Smith told the body that the school district had selected the site after deliberation with the city staff. 

“When we look at it from an operational point of view there is no alternate site,” he said. “We are traveling on several of those streets right now. So as far as the traffic is concerned, it is already there.” 

The board asked the staff and the applicant for the exact number of buses that would be running on diesel but a definite number could not be given. Staff said that they would be coming back with the relevant findings at the next meeting. 

 

Residential units 

ZAB members continued the request for a use permit for a proposed project at 2701 Shattuck Ave./2100 Derby St. to Dec. 14. 

Todd Jersey, the architect for the project, described the plan as a 34,894-square-foot, five-story mixed-use building with 24 residential units (five inclusionary), 3,198 square feet of commercial floor area within up to 4 ground floor tenant spaces (to include a 2,000 square foot quick-service food use) and 24 parking spaces. 

Metzger said that he was interested to know how the design would impact the neighborhood. With the exception of the 60-foot-tall UC Storage building at the corner of Ward Street, the predominant architecture of the immediate vicinity is made up of one to three story buildings. 

The height of the proposed building is 54 feet. Members of the LeConte neighborhood association expressed concerns about the height, density and shape of the building. A neighbor objected to the project especially because it was a dwelling unit close to the eighteen cell phone towers that have been proposed to be located on top of UC Storage. The board continued the project to Dec. 14. 

The board declined the request of Jim Novosel of The Bay Architects for a use permit to demolish an existing single-family dwelling and construct four new dwelling units. The City Council had directed ZAB to consider the project subject to inclusionary housing requirement. The applicant had requested a variance from these requirements, which the board denied. 

 

Bookstore to crisis unit 

ZAB also approved a use permit for the City of Berkeley Mental Health/ Health and Human Services Division to change the use of an existing commercial tenant space on 2433 Channing Way from a retail bookstore to administrative office space for the City of Berkeley’s Health and Human Services mobile crisis team. 

 

Food services 

ZAB approved a use permit for the Hummingbird Cafe to operate a carry-out food service store (no seating) in an existing commercial space at 1842 Euclid Ave. with no off-street parking.  

ZAB also approved a use permit for the Vanessa Bistro on 1715 Solano Ave. to add the sales of spirits to the existing sale of beer and wine in the existing full-service restaurant and provide to outside seating, but denied a variance to allow it to close at midnight.


Mike Alcalay (1941-2006) Remembered on World AIDS Day

By Judith Scherr
Friday December 01, 2006

Countless lives have been touched by Dr. Mike Alcalay who died Nov. 18 in Oakland from a rare and aggressive leukemia, after surviving AIDS for more than 20 years. 

“He was not a person to be defeated by the obstacles of life. In fact, they became a creative hurdle,” said his friend Sherry Gendelman.  

Born into a working class family in Los Angeles in 1941, Alcalay won full scholarships to UC Berkeley and UCLA medical school. He served as a military doctor for a year in Vietnam, where he became radicalized, according to an obituary written by Alcalay’s family and his longtime friend Charlie Hinton. 

Hinton writes: “Mike played the saxophone and spoke Spanish. He was a gay man who transcended gay politics; a Jew who demonstrated against the Israeli occupation of Palestine two months before he died; a doctor who asked to be called ‘Mike,’ because he thought the title ‘doctor’ separated him too much from his patients, a generous anarcho-communist who grew marijuana to give it away, and enrolled more than 1,000 patients for medical cannabis, never asking a penny in return.” 

In the 1970s he founded a clinic in a Watsonville storefront that has grown into the clinic Salud Para la Gente, serving Pajaro Valley farmworker families and the poor. Today, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, the clinic gets 100,000 patient visits each year. 

“Anyone who was disadvantaged through no fault of his own, he took under his wing,” Gendelman said. 

Alcalay was diagnosed with AIDS in the mid-1980s and in 1987 began to produce the KPFA radio show “AIDS in Focus,” which aired through 1993. “He made sure people were aware of the issues around HIV,” said Berkeley resident Gerald Lenoir, board chair of the HIV Education & Prevention Project of Alameda County, on which Alcalay also served. 

Lenoir, former director of the Black Coalition on AIDS, said that at a time when it was hard to find a way to educate people about HIV, Alcalay provided access to the airwaves. And Alcalay wasn’t afraid to tackle difficult issues such as “exposing the government’s role in the lack of funding for AIDS,” Lenoir said. 

Jeff Jones, co-founder and executive director of the Oakland Cannabis Buyer’s Cooperative, recalls that Alcalay first came to the clinic—when it was dispensing medical marijuana before legal issues arose to prevent it from doing so—for personal use of the medicine to combat nausea brought on by AIDS drugs. 

He became the co-op’s medical director and a spokesperson for medical marijuana. “He looked at medical marijuana as a civil rights problem,” Jones said. 

In a 1998 opinion piece published in The San Francisco Chronicle: “The 57-year-old Alcalay is a good advertisement for the medical benefits of marijuana. He is on a harsh regimen of protease inhibitors. He takes 40 to 60 pills a day, including three experimental drugs, and he credits pot for keeping him alive and healthy. 

“’It’s hard to define how because it helps in so many modes,’ [Alcalay] says. ‘It gives you an appetite, eliminates queasiness, nausea and helps with pain. I call it a wonder drug.’”  

Alcalay also worked with the Santa Cruz Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana, where he wrote recommendations for the medicine for seriously ill patients. “He never charged his patients for visits,” said Wo/Men’s Director and Co-founder Valerie Corral, describing Alcalay as “one of the few physicians who really lived the Hippocratic oath.” 

Oakland attorney Robert Raich worked with the doctor on legal issues around medical marijuana. Raich remembers him especially for daring to work with children. “He broke through the barrier preventing children from having access to medical marijuana,” Raich said, noting that now numerous pediatricians recommend the medicine.  

“He was so selfless,” Raich said. “He could have tried to make a lot of money—not Dr. Alcalay—he was committed to social justice.” 

Outspoken AIDS activist John Iversen recalls that in 1998, Alcalay was instrumental in forcing Alameda County to renovate a new AIDS ward at Fairmont Hospital. “I have lost a friend and a true ally,” writes Iversen in an email sent from out-of-town. 

“Just a week before his death Mike got a call from Nick [Lazaredes], inviting him to work with the new English language Al Jazeera network. Mike wanted to do this … and so much more,” writes Charlie Hinton and Alcalay’s family. “He fought and refused to accept death until, always the doctor, he read his own diagnosis in the hospital after completing his fourth round of chemo and understood he was not going to make it. He died five days later.” 

Alcalay is survived by twin sons, Nolen and Aaron Edmonston, his mother Charlene Herbert, stepfather Alvin Lau, two brothers and a sister. 

A memorial celebration will take place Sunday, Jan. 14, Vista Room at Lake Merritt’s lakeside Park Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. 2-10 p.m.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Group Travels to Swaziland In Battle Against AIDS

By Heather Tuggle, Special to the Planet
Friday December 01, 2006

In the global fight against the AIDS pandemic, Africa is the most high profile battleground. Southern Africa is particularly hard hit. 

Swaziland is a small kingdom about the size of the state of Massachusetts. One in every five Swazis is HIV positive, according to the United Nations. That amounts to some 200,000 men, women and children infected with HIV—twice the population of Berkeley. 

As World AIDS Day observances propel the plight of Swaziland into the global conscience, volunteers from the Bay Area are traveling there to address the issue themselves.  

They call themselves Project Comm“Unity.” On Dec. 1, they will begin a 30-day visit to Southern Africa. During this trip, they hope to secure the land they will use for an ambitious project benefiting Swazi children affected by HIV and AIDS. 

Project Comm“Unity” was founded by Kim Vereen, of Salinas, and her sister, Beth Kane, of Columbia, South Carolina. Last December, they made their first trip to Swaziland. 

The sisters knew the need was great when they began their journey. However, once they arrived, they were overwhelmed by the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS, particularly on the children orphaned by the pandemic. 

United Nations statistics show 69,000 children in Swaziland have lost their parents to AIDS. By 2010, the number of AIDS orphans is expected to reach 120,000. 

After their trip to Swaziland, Vereen and Kane started making plans to build an entire community devoted to Swazi families affected by AIDS. Their plan includes building an orphanage for 5,000 children, along with schools, a health care complex, and a hospice center where dying parents can maintain contact with their children. 

“The children lose everything once their parents die,” said Vereen. “They need everything.” 

The Project Comm“Unity” Africa team consists of 14 volunteers in the Bay Area and in South Carolina. With the help of the Ethiopian Christian Fellowship Center in San Jose and Celebration Worship Center in Salinas, the volunteers are working to raise $70 million over the next five years. So far, they have raised about $30,000. 

One fundraising effort encourages Bay Area school children to help build the Swazi schools one brick at a time, by raising money in $10 increments. The school that raises the most money will have a Swazi school named in its honor. 

Anindya Kar, of Oakland, is one of the volunteers heading to Swaziland this week. 

The 33-year old UC Berkeley alumnus has always been active in community service. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Oakland and has worked as a mentor with Girls, Inc. However, this is Kar’s first foray into service on a global scale. 

Kar said she’s not sure what to expect. 

“I’m just sort of going because I know I’m supposed to,” she said. “I’ve actually kind of kept myself in the dark.” 

Kar said her knowledge about the pandemic in Southern Africa consists mainly of what she’s read in the newspaper or seen on television. Since she joined Project Comm“Unity,” Kar said she has intentionally limited her exposure to news from the region. 

“I think if I knew too much, it might scare me a little. Just the idea of housing 5,000 kids, that’s huge,” she said. “I think the more I knew before going the more my feet would drag.” 

Kar said the Swaziland project is just the beginning for Project Comm“Unity.” 

“It’s planting those initial seeds in me about what’s necessary and how we can really help and then carrying that vision beyond where we start in Swaziland to other parts of the world.” 

Kar said the group’s next project likely will be in Calcutta, India, where her parents were born. 

“We are a nation that’s very blessed in our resources, in our infrastructure, in our modern conveniences, and most of the world doesn’t have that,” she said. “So, if we can share some of that with other people then I think that’s our responsibility to do that.” 

 

For details on Project Comm“Unity” see www.freewebs.com/sisters05. 

 


Police Blotter

By Richard Brenneman
Friday December 01, 2006

Choked, punched 

Two teenagers choked, punched and robbed a 63-year-old Berkeley man as he walked along Fulton Street near the corner of Stuart Street a few minutes before 7 p.m. on the 21st, 

The two youths, both tall and clad in dark hoodies, were last seen walking north on Fulton. 

 

Strong-arm trio 

Three teen toughs robbed a 23-year-old Berkeley man of his wallet as he walked along Shattuck Avenue just north of University Avenue at midnight on 20th, reports Berkeley police spokesperson Officer Ed Galvan. 

Police arrived on the scene moments later, and spotted one of the three walking along Shattuck at Center Street. After an identification by the robbed man, police took the youth into custody. 

 

Stabs self 

An anguished South Berkeley mother called police just after 9 a.m. last Thursday to report that her 16-year-old daughter was holed up in her bedroom with a knife, having just stabbed herself in the leg. 

Officer Galvan said officers spent a long time talking through the closed door before they convinced the young woman to come out. 

She was taken to a mental health facility for evaluation, he said. 

 

Clubbed 

A bizarre attack by a gang of club-and-bat-swinging gang of teens in the Hs Lordship’s parking lot moments before midnight last Friday left a 23-year-old El Sobrante man more shaken than injured. 

The man—backed up by several witnesses—said he had been sitting in his car when one of the youths suddenly swung his club, shattering the window and striking his shoulder. 

The youths then fled in a white van and a car believed to be a blue Chevrolet Cavalier. The El Sobrante man said he didn’t need help from paramedics, said Officer Galvan. 

 

Two crimes solved  

When a young Berkeley man called police to report that he’d just been robbed, the officers who responded found themselves solving two crimes at once. 

The call came in at 10 p.m. Saturday from near the corner of Shattuck Avenue and Bancroft Way.  

The 17-year-old victim said he’d just been robbed of his sweatshirt, cell phone and CD player by a pair of bandits who threatened to pound him to a pulp unless he forked over his goodies. 

Police searched the area and found two young men with the missing items, one from Oakland and the other from Alameda. 

But they also had other belongings, including identification belong to a 19-year-old Berkeley woman had called police 23 hours earlier to report that she’d just been robbed by a pair of hoodie-clad bandits near the corner of Parker and Regent Streets. 

Police promptly booked them for that offense as well. 

 

Peet’s heist 

Two masked men, each wearing a baseball cap and waving a pistol, stormed into the Peet’s Coffee at 2916 Domingo Ave. at 5:18 Monday morning and demanded cash. 

The gunmen, both tall and thin, gathered up the cash and fled. 

 

Odd wheels 

A three-bandit team, two in a brown sedan and a young teen riding a moped, robbed a 22-year-old Berkeley woman of her cell phone as she walked along Telegraph Avenue near the corner of Haste Street just before 10 a.m. Sunday. 

 

Flees with Flea funds 

A lone gunman, clad all in black—including his hoodie—burst into the offices of Community Services United at 1937 Ashby Ave. Sunday morning and demanded cash. 

When he got what he wanted, he fled on foot. 

Community Services United is the nonprofit organization that administers the Berkeley Flea Market, held every weekend on the parking lot of the Ashby BART station. 

 

Rape 

A 36-year-old Berkeley woman called police At 7 a.m. Saturday, reporting that she had just been raped by a former acquaintance, said Officer Galvan. 

She was taken to a local emergency room and identified a 22-year-old suspect to the officers. The investigation is continuing. 

 

 


Opinion

Editorials

Council to Look at Telegraph, BIDs, Nanoparticles

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday December 05, 2006

When Cody’s on Telegraph announced its closure about six months ago, the City Council stepped in to upgrade the area by restoring police and social services. But the funding’s about to run out and the council will consider extending it tonight (Tuesday). 

Also tonight, the council will hold public hearings before renewing the downtown and Solano Avenue business improvement districts, address creating a nanoparticle policy and look at changing the definition of arts and crafts for purposes of zoning in West Berkeley 

 

Telegraph Avenue 

The six-month Telegraph Avenue Economic Assistance Program, approved by the council as part of the budget approved in July, funded police and mental health workers that had been slashed from the budget three years ago, provided sidewalk cleaning and included a push to streamline how new businesses in the area get permits. 

In a phone interview, City Councilmember Kriss Worthington acknowledged that the restoration of dedicated bike cops would not be in place for about 18 months. New officers have been hired and are being trained for the positions, he said. Meanwhile various officers working overtime patrol Telegraph, sometimes on bikes, sometimes in cars.  

“Without the assistance on Telegraph, we would have been in real trouble,” said Al Geyer, owner of Annapurna and founder of the new Telegraph Merchants Association, calling for renewed funding.  

But police services need to be tweaked, he said. Undercover police have been successful in addressing some of the problems. But now what is needed is more visible police, and a shift to crime prevention.  

“What I’d like to see are walking police, police who know who the regulars are and who see people who are new and problematic,” he said. 

Police, however, have told Geyer they want officers on bikes or in patrol cars so that they can respond to emergency calls. 

Geyer also wants officers assigned to Telegraph who want to work there. 

There’s still much to do for the homeless. Geyer pointed out that there are 900 chronically homeless people and about 250 beds for them in Berkeley. And, because of Berkeley’s tolerance of the mentally ill, they flock to the city—but Berkeley and the county need to put more resources into serving their needs and containing their unsociable behavior. 

Worthington said other improvements on Telegraph are moving ahead. Regulations to streamline permitting for new businesses have been approved by the Planning Commission and will come before the City Council in the next two months, he said.  

Restoration of 22 parking spaces eliminated on Telegraph is under way. Nine spaces have been brought back to Channing Way in front of the First Presbyterian Church. And there are plans to restore evening and weekend parking on Durant. 

However, parking in the yellow zones on Telegraph is still prohibited at all times. Worthington said he’s trying to work with the City Manager’s office to get short-term parking there. 

 

Business improvement district renewal 

Public hearings will be held on the Downtown and Solano Avenue business improvement districts (BID). The districts are funded through assessments of businesses within each area and administered through the business association of each area. The larger downtown BID has a $250,000 budget and the smaller Solano Avenue BID has a budget of $35,000. Some merchants in the Solano Avenue area have questioned the effectiveness of the BID, which performs services such as sidewalk cleaning and installation of planter boxes.  

 

Safety disclosure for nanoparticles 

The Community Advisory Commission wants the council to approve a health and safety disclosure for manufacturers who use nanoparticles. 

These are materials 100 nanometers in size or smaller—a nanometer is one-trillionth of a meter.  

Nanoparticles are used in health, technology and military applications, according to a report by city toxics staff. Robert Clear, chair of the Community Environmental Advisory Commission, said they can be used in products such as suntan lotion and cheese puffs. 

They can be inhaled and absorbed through the skin, which is the reason, says the city’s toxics staff, that there should be mandatory health and safety disclosure associated with their use. 

Without further understanding of nanoparticles, they “need to be treated as potent toxics. They need to put a safety plan into place,” Clear said. In the staff report, the precautionary principle is recommended—that is, treating nanoparticles as toxic unless they are proved not to be so. 

The proposal requires all businesses that manufacture or use nanoparticles to submit a report on methods for safe handling, monitoring, containing, disposing and tracking the inventory, “thus assisting with prevention and mitigation of releases,” says the staff report. 

UC Berkeley labs at Stanley Hall and Lawrence Berkeley Labs as well as private businesses in Berkeley use or manufacture nanomaterials.  

 

Revision of arts and crafts studio  

designation proposed 

The council is also scheduled to vote on a revised definition of an arts and crafts studio that would add computer graphics to the mix. 

The addition was requested by former Peerless Lighting owner Don Herst, the developer of a planned 5.5-acre West Berkeley project, who has proposed transforming his old factory site into a business and residential complex with live/work units for artists, condos, a large biotech building and storefront galleries. 

Under existing law, people who work with computer graphics are not considered artists under Zoning Ordinance provisions of the 1989 West Berkeley Plan. Herst asked for the changes to include them in his project.  

The Civic Arts Commission, prompted by a June 13 recommendation from City Council, drafted the proposed ordinance the council will consider tonight. 

 

 

Richard Brenneman contributed to this report.


Editorial: Elections Don’t Change Much

By Becky O’Malley
Friday December 01, 2006

The Planet’s not the only publication that gets letters from obsessive people. The big metro daily is more concerned than we are about filtering them out, but a few fanatics sneak into their letters columns too. Thursday they ran a letter from a guy down the peninsula who’s annoyed that Berkeley-based national columnist Robert Scheer continues to spotlight the lunacy of the national administration. His beef with Bob: 

“Is it my imagination, or does Robert Scheer write about the same thing week after week? Every Wednesday, it seems the thrust of his column is that Iraq is a disaster and Bush is a fool and a liar. Aren’t there any other subjects to write about?” 

The obsessive correspondent even put his computer to work as a critic, running a program that counted how many times various words were used in 54 Scheer columns. Discarding small grammatical connectors, the computer confirmed his direst suspicions about Scheer’s topics: “….the word ‘Bush’ ranks way up there as No. 13 (used 324 times or an average of six times per column). Also high on the list are ‘Iraq’ (ranked No. 16), ‘president’ (No. 24), ‘war’ (No. 32), ‘U.S.’ (No. 33), and ‘administration’ (No. 41).”  

Well, yes, Scheer does write about Bush a lot. Bush is still, unfortunately, the president of the United States, last time we checked, and he’s still screwing up on a daily basis, in Iraq in particular, which might explain why that country’s name is also high on Bob’s topic list.  

In contrast, the national columnists who live and work inside the Beltway in Washington are fascinated by the small-town gossip aspects of their local legislature, somewhat in the same way the Planet might seem to be fascinated by the interlocking shenanigans of Berkeley’s developers, Chamber of Commerce and councilmembers. The “who’s up, who’s down” aspect of political bodies (will Nancy and Steny play well together? Is Darryl in Tom’s pocket?) is the thinking person’s sports page. But over the long haul the pundits who are supposed to be tracking the national and international scene (including the Planet’s own Conn Hallinan and Bob Burnett) must pay special attention to old No. 43, the administration. It’s tempting, with the Democrats poised to take over in Congress next month, to think that a big rain’s gonna come, that justice will rain down like water in 2007. Not much, however, will change in the next two years, in Washington, in Sacramento, or in Berkeley. It’s the administrations—the folks on the ground—who will still be calling the shots, and the new electeds won’t be able to do much about it in two years. 

The word “administration” has taken on a dual meaning in recent years. It covers both the permanent bureaucracies which run the country at the national, state and local levels and the increasingly small percentage of government executives who are elected or are appointed by elected officials. The power of the professional bureaucratic class grew in the twentieth century because of the perceived misdeeds of political appointees in executive jobs, so that now things are mostly run by people who aren’t held accountable in elections.  

This change was spearheaded by the “Goo-Goos,” a grand old epithet revived in Tom Wolfe’s delicious send-up of New York’s impotent Landmarks Preservation Commission in last week’s Sunday Times. He defined Goo-Goo as “an old City Hall term for believers in Good Government, by which the regulars meant idealistic lightweights whose feet seldom touched the ground.” 

Term limits is Sacramento’s Goo-Goo problem, coupled with the results of gerrymandering. Thanks to “reforms,” every couple of years a new class of naifs shows up, and the savvy old legislators join the ranks of the permanent lobbyists. That’s why we have ex-senator Dion Aroner now fronting for Pacific Steel Casting, while her ex-boss, ex-representative now-mayor Tom Bates, has been appointed to the regulatory body which seems unable to clean up PSC and his wife the ex-mayor now-assemblymember keeps things under control in Sacramento. Outsiders don’t stand a chance against such well-oiled and experienced machines, the likes of which are operating all over the state. Calling these slick organizations machines does not mean that they’re taking graft, of course, but simply that they’ve optimized the process of producing the right results for the right people.  

The Goo-Goos in California long ago got rid of partisan elections for local office. The result is that you don’t really know what you’re voting for, so elections turn into beauty contests and the professionals continue business-as-usual regardless of who wins. The Green Party has been trying to change this scenario, with some recent successes, particularly in Richmond, but in most places staff rules. 

Anyone masochistic enough to watch the Berkeley City Council in action (or more properly The Berkeley City Council Inaction) can see the results of the leave-them-alone school of governance. Staff delivers, sometimes at the council meeting itself, lengthy (and costly) reports which should form the basis for votes, but in subsequent council discussions it’s painfully apparent that most of the participants haven’t even read their weekend packets, let alone the last minute submissions. Nevertheless—surprise, surprise—what the staff endorses almost always passes with few changes. 

The recent byplay over the Creeks Ordinance was a good demonstration of how councilmembers miss the action. The new ordinance was passed in concept a week or so ago with the usual late-night fancy footwork by the mayor, but then three councilmembers, presumably after hearing from irate constituents, charged that they wuz robbed and wanted to start over. They don’t seem to have understood what was on the table, nor did they seem to get it the second time around. Sadly, this is far from unusual.  

 

 

 


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Tuesday December 05, 2006

TRADER JOE’S 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Much opposition to the Trader Joe’s project understandably focuses on the prospect of added traffic congestion in that area. I suggest that this offers a significant opportunity. MLK/University is one of many major Berkeley intersections that suffer from lack of modern traffic control. I propose that congestion from the TJ project could be almost totally offset by providing adequate control signals—coordinated left-turn arrows in all four directions at both University and Berkeley Way. Though Berkeley seems disinclined to spend money on modernizing our traffic control system, which is at least 50 years out of date, to bring it up to the standards of Albany, El Cerrito, or Emery-ville, let me suggest that you make it a condition of the TJ project that the developers be required to pay for the traffic control system. 

Jerry Landis 

 

• 

ASPHALT FOREVER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I can’t agree more with Art Goldberg’s opposition to the North Berkeley Plaza! Anything that will make Berkeley more like Paris and less like the San Fernancdo Valley must be stopped! Join us for our march and protest song: 

Asphalt forever! 

Where the car is king. 

Asphalt forever! 

Never change a thing ... 

Mitchell Gass 

 

 

• 

ANNOYING WEEDS IN PEOPLE’S PARK 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Concerning “Community Ponders Planned Changes to People’s Park” (Daily Planet, Dec. 1), it seems there are all kinds of annoying weeds lurking behind those berms! How long before we, who are lucky enough to hide our behaviors behind house walls, are subjected to such police abuse? 

Gerta Farber 

 

• 

FUZZY MATH 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I continue to read in Riya Bhattacharjee’s coverage of the Trader Joe’s project at 1885 University Avenue that “those in favor of the project had said that it would reduce the number of daily car trips by a large margin.” At no time has any one of these pro- 

ject supporters satisfactorily explained how this miracle might occur. The Bay Area has the highest per capita car ownership of all of California, not to mention the entire United States. There is no guarantee that tenants of this project will not own cars, nor is there any guarantee that tenants of 1885 University will work in the immediate neighborhood and use public transportation. The continuing  

fantasy of a pedestrian-only housing project is but a pipe dream. 

Further, according to the traffic study attached to this project, a residential project of this size containing a Trader Joe’s will generate an estimated 1,300-plus extra car trips per day in this neighborhood. So please, Ms. Bhattacharjee, I implore you to investigate further the transparently false claim that car use will be dramatically reduced by this project. This is clearly fuzzy math! 

Regan Richardson 

 

• 

TRAFFIC COURT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The dissolution of Berkeley’s traffic and small claims courts is indeed a disaster, for all of the reasons given in the Daily Planet article. And the experience of attending court is going to be far more arduous to unsuspecting Berkeley drivers than Pat Sweeten at Alameda County Superior Court is letting on. 

According to Richard Brenneman, Ms. Sweeten asserts that the experience in Oakland is convenient—supposedly because Oakland has more parking. But convenient for whom remains to be seen. My occasional liberties with traffic laws in recent years have lead me to sample the service in both courts. If you are used to settling up in Berkeley, you won’t like going to Oakland. 

Oakland handles a lot of “cases” (people). It has a bigger building with more sheriffs, who use a noticeably higher profile to “make ’em behave” than the quiet crew in the lobby at Berkeley. It is really crowded. And seriously cold in the morning (late fall through early spring) at 6:30 or 7 a.m.—which is when you must get there for same-day court. Cold air from the Alameda Estuary, funneled by the police building on one side and the Manuel W. Wiley Courthouse on the other, picks up speed right where you wait on the sidewalk for the sheriffs to process you. Which takes a while. You find yourself praying that a guy 10 people in front will finally get through the metal detector, so that in 10 more minutes you can step halfway into the breezy doorway, which you hope is better than the breezy sidewalk but isn’t really until you get all the way inside. 

Commissioner John Rantzman is a fair and compassionate judge who goes as far as he can to put people at their ease while discussing the business at hand. He and the helpful Berkeley court clerks are an irreplaceable loss to our community, which every day I reach out to feel for, as if in a dark room. 

Richmond is beefing up police and fire services. The CHP is hiring. And Oakland expands, while incredible, shrinking Berkeley wastes away under the eagle eye of Tom Bates, et al: stalwart and silent in the game of keep-away from the public vital decisions about our city and society. 

And all due respect to Mr. Silber-Becknell, for whom the only word that stood out in a diatribe about the homeless was “gypsies”: a stock term in our language for those not served or bound by societal conventions. 

Glen Kohler 

 

• 

LIBRARY DIRECTOR 

SELECTION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The position of library director seems very important these days, with our recent history of the old director installing a very expensive “surveillance” technology, radio frequency identification (RFID), against the wishes of the public and cutting hours and staff at all the libraries in Berkeley, not to mention throwing out thousands of books so as not to have to put in the 60-cent RFID tags. So I was quite alarmed to hear that Dubberly and Garcia had been chosen by the advisory committee of librarians to select among a number of director candidates. (Dubberly and Garcia is a head hunting firm know for its role in privatizing libraries in the United States.) 

I was at the library early on Saturday Nov. 18 to hear statements by the four candidates winnowed down by some secret process from the 13 chosen by Dubberly and Garcia and to see for myself who they were and ask  

some questions. I heard an announcement over the PA system about some other event about to take place somewhere in the library that morning, however, it was never announced over the PA system that the public was invited to hear and question the candidates running for director. 

The only announcement I had come across about the meeting was on the calendar page of the Berkeley Daily Planet amid all the other events going on in Berkeley that week. Were the trustees really taking seriously what the public’s reaction to the candidates was and will they take our opinions and desires into consideration? Doesn’t look too hopeful. 

Jane Welford 

 

• 

LIBRARY TRUSTEES  

VIOLATE BROWN ACT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The Board of Library Trustees, in their rush to select one of the candidates for director of our public library, have shunned the public by failing to properly notify members of the public of a candidates forum followed by a special closed meeting and a soiree held in connection with the candidates selection process. Failure to notify persons who have requested that a copy of the agenda of any meeting of the Board of Library Trustees be mailed to them, is a violation of Section 54954.1 of the 

 

Brown Act. Persons, requesting notification by mail, did not receive a notice of the Saturday, Nov. 18 special closed meeting preceded by a 20-minute public comment period held to discuss the selection of a new library director. 

Some may consider it iffy whether members of the community, who have so requested, should have received notification by mail of the Saturday, Nov. 18 candidates forum at which the candidates made presentations to the public and answered questions. However, since all five trustees were present at that forum, it was, therefore, a meeting by definition in the Brown Act, requiring prior notification, including by mail, to those so requesting. The Brown Act states a “ ‘meeting’ includes any congregation of a majority of the members of a legislative body at the same time and place to hear, discuss or deliberate upon any item...within the...jurisdiction of the legislative body.…” 

And, again, there was the Nov. 17, 7p.m., Friday night wine and cheese soiree in the lobby of the Berkeley Public Library to which the four candidates for library director, the members of the three review panels (held Thursday and Friday), members of the Friends of the Library, the Berkeley Public Library Foundation and the library trustees were invited. A majority of the trustees attended this occasion. But, could it be said to be “purely social” considering the party was wedged in between two days of interviewing candidates until 6 p.m. Friday and more candidate presentations on Saturday? According to the Brown Act [54952.2 (c) (5)] even if an event is considered “purely social” it is an illegal meeting if a majority of the members of a legislative body are present and they discuss among themselves business within their jurisdiction. At least four of the library trustees were present at the party and trustees Moore and Kupfer were observed having a “pow-wow.” Considering the circumstances, can it be credible that no trustees discussed the matter at hand, selection of a new library director? 

If you are concerned about the selection of a new library director, we heard via the grapevine, over two weeks ago, that there will be a third special closed meeting of the library trustees preceded by a public comment period, on Wednesday, Dec. 6, possibly at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Please call Library Administration at 981-6195) to confirm time and place and attend and express your concerns. 

Gene Bernardi 

SuperBOLD (Berkeleyans Organizing For Library Defense) 

 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Many of us in the community are following with interest and some trepidation the process for selection of Berkeley’s next library director. Thanks to last Friday’s commentary piece in this paper, as well as an articles in the Nov. 17 and Nov. 21 issues, we know that the four finalists gave presentations two weeks ago. Most comments coming to light since then are not enthusiastic. 

Meanwhile, the Board of Library Trustees who are entrusted with making the selection, have met twice: once on Nov. 18 (from 3 p.m. long into the evening) and again on Nov. 29 for at least several hours. Still, there’s no decision. What is taking them so long? At this point in the process, it should be absolutely clear! What’s going on in those hours and hours of closed meetings? What’s clear is that there’s no front-runner. What’s clear is that Berkeleyans are concerned. 

Our fear is the Board of Library Trustees is debating the lesser of the four evils. After three years of struggle and damage to our library, including cutbacks in hours and an unwanted expenditure of $1-2 million (depends on who you ask) on a useless RFID system, isn’t it worth a few more months to go out and look for the undeniably right person for the job? Undeniably, the wrong person for the job is candidate Rivkah Sass who is quoted in Library Journal as saying she cleaned out a floor of her currently library in Omaha, because it was “filled with old junk.” We’ve had enough of that in Berkeley. Let’s preserve our history, our library, our community. Surely, if we can pay $150,000 plus, annually for a library director, there must be better candidates out there. 

The Board of Library Trustees meets again this Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. (though they sometimes change the time at the last minute) at the South Berkeley Senior Center. The meeting begins with 20 minutes of public comment, so please, come out and speak to this issue.  

Rosemary Vimont, Sarah Kotzamani, H. Garabedian, S. Culver 

 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Art Goldberg claims that the proposed North Shattuck Plaza is a “stalking-horse for high-rise development” because “Laurie Capitelli, a prime mover of the plaza project, annexed a stretch of city property into his condo development on Hearst Street between Milvia and Henry Streets.” The facts belie this claim. 

When Capitelli proposed that project, he expected to get it through the Zoning Adjustments Board without delay, and he was disappointed that it was sent to mediation after neighborhood residents (including me) asked him to widen the sidewalk and add landscaping. It was only later that he began to back the neighborhood proposal and helped to move it through the city bureaucracy. At the time, I got the impression that he backed it because he was convinced it was a real improvement to the city, and all his work for the city since then confirms my impression. 

Before this change, this stretch of Hearst had four lanes. Traffic was fast, dangerous and noisy. Between Henry and Shattuck, there was no parking on the south side of Hearst, so traffic passed only a few feet from residents’ windows. 

After the change, this stretch of Hearst was narrowed from four lanes to two lanes plus bicycle lanes, slowing traffic and increasing the distance between the traffic and residences. The change has made the neighborhood quieter, safer, and more attractive. 

No land was “annexed” by the condo development: there is a fence at the property line that divides the development from the public right-of-way, which is in the same location as in the original proposal. The added landscaping did not allow more development: the condo development itself is no different than it would have been if the roadway had not been narrowed. The only differences are in the public right-of-way, where on-street parking has been restored east of Henry St. and a 10-foot-width of asphalt has been replaced by a ten-foot-width of landscaping west of Henry Street. 

It seems that Art Goldberg dislikes development so much that he even dislikes improvements in the public right-of-way that a developer provided because local residents said they would make their neighborhood more livable. Or maybe he just dislikes grass and trees and prefers asphalt. 

Charles Siegel 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

On Wednesday, Pearl Harbor anniversary eve, Random House Inc. will publish the Iraq Study Group report just in time to become the essential gift for the political junkie on your Christmas list. 

Pre-publication hoopla started two weeks before the November elections and quickly moved past the Woodward precedent to that National Book Award stature attained not long ago by publication a prequel in the same genre titled The 9/11 Commission Report. Expectations are again stimulated by assorted page one leaks and peeks—pull back as many as 15 brigades, enlist help from Iran and Syria, etc. 

IGS will almost certainly outsell 9/11, not because it’s cheaper and shorter or because it may be brutal in rejecting current policy but because the stars who produced it have long out-shown all others in the political firmament. Your Christmas present is guaranteed, therefore, to get a gleeful reception; celebrities know how to sell.  

Grouped with James A Baker III (intimate of presidents) are two tokens: Sandra Day O’Connor (female) and Vernon Jordon (black), two Democrats: Leon Panetta and William Perry. plus five top-flight Republican formers: Guliani (mayor), Gates (CIA), Simpson, Hamilton and Robb (Senators). The convergence of persons of comparable experience and versatility for an independent bipartisan endeavor is rare. If there were some procedure for measuring collective experience and political brain-power, like a group IQ, this group would rate in the genius category. 

Caveat emptor; let the Christmas shopper be aware, however. Like many bestsellers the title is slightly misleading for despite our nation’s widespread ignorance of Iraq the group did not study Iraq itself but rather they pondered what to do about the ongoing tragic bloody mess. Rumors have it that the ISG report will set down alternatives for a change of course. Wow! 

Rumors aside, the nation’s history with investigations, commissions and study groups, on every conceivable subject—education, crime, medical care, drugs, security etc. indicates caution. Whether independent, partisaned, bi-partisaned, or blue ribboned, all reports arrive in the end at exactly the same conclusion. “Further study is needed,” which, like “Amen,” actually means “to be continued.”  

Marvin Chachere 

San Pablo 

 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a progressive who became all too familiar with the Black Panthers, I find it appalling that institutions of higher learning—such as the recent “celebration” at Merritt College—continue to create the illusion that there is much to celebrate about that less-than-admirable organization. While the Panthers’ articulated goals were honorable, and some young, idealistic black people joined the organization, in reality the Panther leadership exhibited a level of corruption, misogyny and outright murder that render fraudulent the many attempts, such as the recent Merritt colloquium, which depict the Panthers as praiseworthy. Young, impressionable students deserve the truth about the Panthers, not a ”whitewashing.” 

Merritt’s students should be encouraged to read honest reports about the Panthers, by fine journalists like Kate Coleman, among others. They should be told of numerous viscious crimes committed by that organization such as the well-known story of a young bookkeeper sent by Ramparts magazine to help the Panthers with their accounting. Not long after she determined that the Panthers were cooking the books for their ballyhooed breakfast program, the body of the single mother of three was discovered floating in the bay. This and innumerable other stories of the violence attendant to the Panthers’ leadership and its patently phony revolutionary rhetoric do not merit the praise professors like John Drisson and former Panthers continue to promulgate. 

Dan Spitzer 

Kensington 

 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: Revan Tranter’s Dec. 1 letter challenging my earlier Nov. 28 commentary on the Green Party of California’s election successes, missed the proverbial forest for the single tree in his criticism of the party. 

Mr. Tranter correctly states that elected municipal and county-level offices across California are—technically speaking—“nonpartisan” positions. However, it is an obvious axiom of politics that most, if not all, elected offices (at any level) are inherently political, and the purpose of political parties is to democratically win these positions. 

In fact, the very definition of “political party” is “an organization seeking political power” (Dictionary.com). 

California’s “nonpartisan” status for municipal and county-level offices is a direct legacy of the state’s Progressive Era reforms between roughly 1910 and 1920. At the time, California’s political parties and their elected officials were transparently corrupted and controlled by railroad and oil companies like Southern Pacific and Standard Oil that dominated the state economically and politically. 

Elected municipal and county-level offices such as Sherriff, Auditor, Fire Chief, etc were also controlled/tainted by these same corrupt political parties and corporate monopolies. Progressive, clean government reformers such as Governor Hirim Johnson (1910-1918) spearheaded the effort to rectify this situation. One reform measure established that all municipal/county-level elected offices be declared nonpartisan. 

Another Progressive Era reform measure is California’s current ballot proposition system: the idea at the time was to enable voters to circumvent the power of corporate monopolies over politicians and legislation, and allow the voters themselves to pass necessary legislation directly by ballot. 

Finally, regarding Mr. Tranter’s claim that Florida Green Party voters purportedly enabled George W Bush to win the 2000 presidential election (by voting for Ralph Nader): this myth represents the bitter and hypocritical musings of frustrated Al Gore supporters. It needs to be remembered that roughly half a million Florida Democratic Party members voted for George W. Bush rather than Al Gore during the 2000 election. 

Chris Kavanagh 

 

 

Save the Oaks for the Whole Team 

 

Without a doubt, UC Berkeley’s Jeff Tedford is one of the most talented and dedicated coaches working in collegiate athletics today. His record of success speaks for itself. As a teacher, I know how difficult it is to gain the trust and respect of young people, and then inspire them work as hard as they can to reach their true potential. Coach Tedford is the real deal, and his players and assistant coaches know it. He genuinely cares about the program and is trying to do his best for the team. 

The problem is this: Coach Tedford has forgotten that the community is also an important part of his team. As taxpayers, we provide Coach Tedford’s salary. In fact, we provide the salaries of all of the assistant coaches, trainers, and athletic medical staff—not to mention the funds to maintain Memorial Stadium. We pay to maintain the roadways that fans use to drive to the game, and our neighborhoods provide the parking spaces for thousands of fans for each game. Many of us must plan our schedules around the football games, because we have limited access to our residences due to the major traffic jams that accompany each home game. We must also contend with noise disturbances from parties that last for hours both during and after the game—and often extend until the early morning hours. Now, blasting noise also accompanies many of the practices in the form of “simulated crowd noise,” so the noise disturbances extend throughout the week. The talented football players that represent UC Berkeley are only part of Coach Tedford’s team: we, the members of the Berkeley community, are also an important part of his larger team. We’re all in this together. 

Coach Tedford certainly understands the he would not achieve any success on the field if he responded to the needs of only half of the football players on his team. When he ignores the interests of the larger community, he is ignoring the needs of the members of his larger “team”—including most everybody living in Berkeley, to be sure—who are impacted by the decisions he and his staff make about our lives.  

Coach, the vast majority of the members of your larger team do not want you to harm the oak grove by Memorial Stadium. They would like you to find another way to build a new gymnasium—one that does not require the destruction of this irreplaceable grove of trees, the last remaining oak woodland in the entire Berkeley lowlands. Because there are good alternative sites available for the gym that will not require the destruction of the oak grove, they would prefer that you pursue one of these alternatives and spare these beautiful trees. It will be impossible for you to achieve the success you dream of if you ignore the wishes of half your team.  

Doug Buckwald 

 

 

IDs Come Home to Roost: The UCPD Taser Case in a Global Context 

By now many people have seen the shocking YouTube images of a UCLA student being tasered by UCPD while refusing to be “escorted” out of the library because he didn’t have his student ID on him. Several weeks out, an ironic twist has emerged in the case. 

Since Mostafa Tabatabainejad, the student who got electro-shocked multiple times by UCPD, is an Iranian-American, the Iranian government has been quick to express shock at this show of US police aggression against “one of its own.” 

The twist is that Mostafa is a Baha’i, which is a religious minority in Iran that is heavily persecuted by the Iranian state, clergy, and your run-of-the mill zealots. Routinely denied civil rights and frequently arrested and even killed for identifying as Baha’is in their homeland, members of this faith, are part of a world-wide diaspora. Their crime: belief in Baha’u’llah and his teachings of oneness and unity, under a state that mandates that Muhammad was the Seal of the Prophets. 

The fact that the Iranian state would express consternation at the ill-treatment of a Baha’i is one layer of irony. The fact that Mostafa’s ill-treatment is a result of failing to show his identification is even more poignant, since Baha’i’s in Iran are persecuted precisely for failing to renounce their identification. 

To speak nothing of the Iranian police violence against non-Baha’I students at Tehran University a few yrs back, the ongoing harassment and penalization of Baha’i’s there, adds an amazing twist to the Iranian government’s intervention in Mostafa’s case. Even while they may very well have plans to throw his (hypothetical) Baha’i cousins in jail next wk for simply practicing their faith, the minister of foreign affairs or whoever is busy faxing Washington about their “outrage” at Mostafa getting tasered. 

Note: At this writing, the UN confirms that a new governmental surveillance program has been initiated to monitor the activities of Baha’i’s, and that 129 Baha’is are awaiting trial on false charges, targeted solely because of their religion. 

Ruha Benjamin 

 

Alameda Landing. 

Action Alameda urged Alameda citizens today to appear at the city council meeting Tuesday night to ask council to defer approval of the new proposed Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA) for Alameda Landing until both citizens and city council have had sufficient time to review this new agreement. 

Although the concept of re-development of the property has been discussed in public for some time, on Tuesday, Dec. 5 the council is being asked to approve a new financial proposal that has not had sufficient circulation to allow a full review by citizens. 

Action Alameda co-founder Denise Brady said “We are not necessarily opposed to the project. Our biggest concern is a process that negotiates agreements with developers behind closed doors, then announces the agreement while at the same time asking for approval of the agreement. While there has been public input on the concept of Alameda Landing, there has been no public input on this new agreement.” Brady recommends a public workshop to allow citizens to understand the true cost to the city of the proposal and to determine if it helps accomplish the goals of the city. 

At the same time Action Alameda announced some specific concerns related to the proposal itself, including: 

The city also has plans to develop Alameda Point which will rely on the same traffic corridor and access point as Alameda Landing. Alameda Landing traffic may consume much of the available capacity leaving little for Alameda Point. 

The original proposal called for Catellus to provide a “Tinker Avenue” connection to their development which would route traffic more efficiently to and from island access points. The current proposal calls for Catellus to pay "in lieu fees." Instead of in lieu fees the developer should pay for this infrastructure upgrade to Tinker Avenue. 

The current “revised configuration” includes 300 new homes with increased retail space and reduced commercial office space. The newly proposed retail mix includes potential for several big-box-type stores which tend to bring mostly minimum wage job opportunities. Commercial space would bring higher paying jobs that would allow more Alameda residents to live and work on the island, reducing traffic pressure on our access points. 

The city council meeting takes place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5 at City Hall at 2263 Santa Clara Ave. 

Action Alameda is a grassroots community action group that welcomes Alameda residents of any race, home ownership status or political party registration. 

David Howard


Commentary:The Full Story on Derby Field Discussions

By Mark Coplan
Tuesday December 05, 2006

It is my opinion that one of the most effective ways to get the word out in Berkeley is through the letters section of our local papers. I know that it’s the first place I look after I’ve read the front page, so I am asking for your assistance in getting the word out for this important event. This is a citywide issue, and we encourage everyone’s participation. 

The first of two community meetings to discuss the options for the Derby Street Athletic Field has been scheduled for Thursday, December 7, 7 p.m.–9 p.m. at the Berkeley Technical Academy (formerly Berkeley Alternative High School), 2701 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The tentative date for the second meeting (January 11th) will be decided at the first meeting. 

The origin of these meetings 

When the Board of Education asked the City of Berkeley to assist in paying for the environmental impact report that had been requested for the Closed Derby Option, the COB asked the board to schedule community meetings first, so that neighbors and other interested groups or individuals would have the opportunity to include their input for the record. To date all of the comments to the board regarding the Closed Derby Option have been delivered during Public Comment at school board meetings. Because we now have the Curvy Derby Plan that to date has only been shared at one of the quarterly 2x2 meetings attended by two representatives from the City Council and from the Board of Education, it only makes sense to solicit feedback on that as well, but that can only take place after the community has finished making their comments regarding the Closed Derby Option, as the board has committed to meeting the COB’s request for that process, and asked staff to schedule these meetings. 

The last action by the board was to pursue the Closed Derby Option, so that is the only direction to staff. For the Curvy Derby Option to formally enter the picture, it has to come before the board for their consideration. If the meetings allow time for the community to include their input on this option, then that can also be included in the report that goes to the board. The third option still has to go before the board if it is to become a part of their discussion. 

Here are some good follow up questions we have received and want to share: 

 

Derby Field Community Meetings  

follow-up questions 

 

• Who is presenting each of the plans? 

BUSD Director of Facilities and Maintenance Lew Jones will give an overview of the two conceptual plans that the board has already seen, the Open Derby Plan and the Closed Derby Plan. Derby neighbors Susi Marzuola and Peter Waller have developed a third option called Curvy Derby, and Suzi will give an overview of that plan. 

• How long do they have to present? 

Each plan will have five minutes. The City Council and Board of Education called for these meetings to give the community the opportunity to give formal input on the Closed Derby Street plan, which is the plan that the board has conceptually approved, before we proceed together with the environmental impact report (EIR) for the Closed Derby plan. It is our hope that we will be able to receive everyone’s comments and any written material people wish to give to the board early enough in the two meetings to allow a more in-depth presentation of the Curvy Derby plan in the second meeting, as well as discussion and comments. If the public comments regarding the Closed Derby Street plan take all of the time we have, then we will have to schedule another opportunity for everyone to get together to discuss the alternative plan offered by the neighbors. We have to remember that the Curvy Derby plan has never been formally presented to the board, and for staff to move beyond these two meetings we will have to have it directed by the board. In the event that we have sufficient time to explore the possibility of everyone coming together before the board in support of the new option in these meetings, then that can be included in the report from these meetings. 

• How are the plans being presented?  

Just plans on boards or will there be a PowerPoint presentation or some other format? The plans should be presented with the display boards already created. The second presentation on the Curvy Derby plan could be a PowerPoint presentation, and while we know that city staff will be limited in what they can tell us about the effect of this plan from their perspective at this early stage, we are hoping that they will be able to give some general idea of what we might be able to expect if this plan were to move forward. 

• Who is running the public comment process and preparing and distributing minutes? 

BUSD Public Information Officer Mark Coplan will be facilitating the meeting, and we have asked Max Anderson to assist with that. We will have someone scribing the comments and taping to be sure they get it exactly. We will distribute the notes prior to the second meeting to give people a chance to doublecheck their comments. We will take revisions at the second meeting, before the script goes to the board. 

• What are the goals and desired outcomes for these meetings?  

The purpose of these meetings as directed by the board is to formally receive community input on the Closed Derby Street plan, which the board approved conceptually last year. It is clear that many in the community want to begin discussion of the Curvy Derby plan, and staff is hopeful that there will be time for us to move on to that discussion. As this is an opportunity for community input, that really is a process of the community from both sides of the discussion (Open Derby/Closed Derby), meeting to see if they can come together with an alternative to present to the board. The board will be given all of the information collected, and if they decide to change their current direction it would require board action at a scheduled board meeting. 

• Will this process allow for the possibility of changing the EIR preferred plan to one of the open street plans?  

The only way that this could change is if the Curvy Derby plan goes before the board and is conceptually approved, taking the current Closed Derby plan off of the table. 

 

 

 

Mark Coplan is the Berkeley Unified School District’s public information officer.


Commentary: Urban Realities Ever Present on Oakland-Berkeley Border

By Christopher Cherney
Tuesday December 05, 2006

For the past nine years, my wife and I have lived in Berkeley, on the border of Oakland. We are grateful for the many advantages that come with living in Berkeley. But it is hard to forget, even for a day, that we are living hard up against the sad realities of urban America. 

We are worried about neighborhood violence. Too frequently, we hear the toy-like pop-pop of gunshots. I have gotten into the practice of noting the time on the bedroom clock when I snap awake to the sound of gunshots in the night. Then I wait to see how long it takes before I hear the first police siren. 

More harrowing, I have learned to distinguish whether a shooter is on foot, and running toward or away from our house. If after a gun is fired I hear dogs barking louder and louder, then the shooter likely is heading our way, and I become hyper-alert. Once about six years ago at 2 a.m., two Berkeley police officers entered our yard with guns drawn, announcing their presence and pointing their flashlights. 

About four years ago, a stabbing occurred only a block away. The stabber, we heard, was taken away to a local psychiatric hospital, never to return. 

Last year a close neighbor had her car tires slashed 11 times, always late at night. The slashing ended after the presumed slasher—a near neighbor—died of a drug overdose. 

This year on July 4, a brick was thrown through the passenger-side window of our non-descript, 16-year-old car. 

The late-night car chases never are welcome. Only two years ago, a high-speed police car chase ended directly in front of our house, with the pursued criminal smashing a stolen car into three parked cars. I thought a plane had crashed. Amazingly, the driver got away on foot, outrunning the determined Berkeley police. 

We have come to respect the police. They are uniformly polite, and, when visible, comforting. I just wish they could do something to stop the blaring, thumping car stereos that incessantly ply neighborhood streets. 

There’s more. People smoke pot openly on the sidewalks. Every day we hear profane street language that often includes demeaning putdowns. I feel deeply sad when I hear those hurtful words. 

Our former roommate’s car was stolen three years ago. Four years ago our house was broken into while we slept. The intruder squeezed through a window that we have since replaced with half-inch-thick plexiglas. Miraculously we were not robbed or harmed. 

Here on the edge of Berkeley, people litter. It is common to hear a fast-food bag hit the street as it is flung out the window of a passing car. About once a month I find condoms on the sidewalk. We’re mere blocks from where prostitutes cruise San Pablo Avenue, within sight of the scores of new condos selling for $600,000 and up. 

I resonate with Berkeley’s history and complexity, and I do not shy away from the sometimes sad human parade that passes by our home. My wife and I have been here nine years, and plan to stay in our still-affordable home, raising our children, connecting to our neighbors and to our adopted city. 

Of course we’d like some things to be better. Absolutely we’d like the bullets to stop flying. And certainly we are trying to better understand the roots of the violence, crime, and human suffering that narrates much of the life of our urban Berkeley neighborhood. 

 

Christopher Cherney is a South Berkeley  

resident.


Commentary: Parking Tickets: A Hidden Agenda?

By Steve Tabor
Tuesday December 05, 2006

In the Nov. 28 issue Rob Browning gets yet another chance to explain his behavior during his Oct. 31 parking ticket incident. Mr. Browning’s arrest appears in a different light after Judith Scherr’s report on the City of Berkeley budget in the Nov. 17 issue. Scherr’s report shows an unexpected $500,000 increase in parking ticket fines for 2006, one of only three revenue items on the way up. No figures were given for total fines collected, but if a $500,000 increase is thought to be significant, total fines for the year must be in the millions. My opinion of the Browning incident has now done a 180-degree turn. It seems not all the facts about the incident have come to light. 

One thing missing in the Planet’s pages is the other side of the story. Why haven’t you allowed the parking enforcement officer equal time to tell her own version of the incident? Readers need to know why she thought it necessary to ticket a vehicle with one or two wheels on the sidewalk, a circumstance quite common on streets nationwide. Mr. Browning alleges in his original commentary that he was not blocking the sidewalk. What does the officer say? How much of the vehicle was on the sidewalk? Did she measure the width occupied, either in feet (or inches?) or in percentage of coverage? Was this “blockage” really a blockage, or merely an excuse to pad her statistics? More importantly, was this blockage worth a new addition to her colorful and stylish epaulet? Perhaps she never considered that such an addition to her epaulet (Browning’s ticket) would occur. Perhaps she is now aware that such an addition could indeed happen at any time, now that she knows the likely result of her ticketing such feet or inches of indiscretion. 

I think that this officer needs an opportunity to write her own commentary on the Planet’s pages. In the light of the City of Berkeley’s fervent tracking of yearly, monthly and daily dollars of parking fines, readers need to know if this officer is subjected to a quota of tickets during her daily rounds, and if so, exactly how much in fines she is expected to generate for the city each day. Is there a qualitative measure of what parking actions would warrant a fine and what exactly counts toward her quota? Does she receive a bonus for writing tickets, including tickets for “blockages” such as that of Browning? After all, parking fines are important to the City of Berkeley. Just how much of Berkeley’s $500,000 windfall was this officer responsible for in fiscal 2006? The officer needs an opportunity to state this for the record and to justify her actions. 

If this officer declines to write such a commentary, Planet readers are certainly entitled to at least know her name so they can interview her themselves. If the officer is prevented from telling her side of the story by her superiors, under the theory that she is merely an employee (as, for example, the Nuremberg defendants, “not responsible” for her actions), and anything she says would not represent parking enforcement policy (or whatever other lame excuse the department might give), then an official representative of Berkeley Parking Enforcement should be required to give the department’s side of the story. Perhaps such a representative could explain quotas, incentives, the place of parking fines in City budget projections, etc., and how these fines are used to offset property taxes for owners of homes worth $500,000 or $1,000,000. That’s the least the Planet can do to illuminate this incident further for your readers. I would think it your professional duty as journalists to give equal time to the Parking Enforcement Department. 

A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle described four incidents of assaults on parking enforcement officers and their vehicles in that city in six days. To my knowledge none of the Browning-types in these incidents have apologized for their behavior. In fact, they reveled in it and laughed at the inane officers involved. Is Browning’s apology merely a new form of Berkeley “political correctness,” or is 

the San Francisco method the real way to go? Only Planet readers can decide, but we need more information. 

One has to wonder about a city with a $32 million annual property tax revenue spending so much time and effort collecting parking fines. And we don’t even know how many thousands of dollars each parking enforcement officer is making for her efforts; hopefully each one generates enough fines to pay her salary. Five hundred thousand dollars is an awful lot of pretty epaulets. Let’s hope Mr. Browning’s officer polishes or at least fondles hers daily. 

 

Steve Tabor is an Oakland resident. 

 


Letters to the Editor

Friday December 01, 2006

DOWNTOWN PLANNING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Some cities around the United States have turned their declining downtowns into vigorous, exciting places including pedestrian malls. It is inspiring to read their stories. Success seems to follow a long sustained collaboration of citizens, merchants and government. Trust seems to have been a vital ingredient, from the start. 

How different is the cast of our downtown design “play.” A “commission” of appointed citizens—perhaps chosen because they have no personal stake. The small downtown merchants—with great personal stake—granted “voice” limited to the three minute “public comment period.” The city elite mostly looking on mutely with fingers crossed. 

Setting aside whether such an arrangement can yield a better downtown, what is on my mind is this discrepancy of “voice” and “stake.” No one charged with these decisions is subject to any cost for what they recommend. Every person makes their living by means independent of downtown’s viability. Perhaps this assures there is not bias due to self-interest. But it inevitably becomes a game. “Let’s close Park Place to cars.” “Let’s try this radical, high-risk Feature on Boardwalk.” “Ask the city to do a ‘land swap’ on Marvin Gardens.” This is fun! When the game concludes all walk away with no real-world liability. 

But this isn’t a game for a class of people among us—the small merchants whose livings depend upon the viability of commerce in downtown. The small merchants will pay with real money—with potentially their all—for casually considered moves in the Monopoly game of which they are not players. 

Bruce Wicinas 

 

• 

PARKING PATROL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The Friday after Thanksgiving, just minutes after 4 p.m., I noticed a couple of tow trucks and a Berkeley parking enforcement scooter on Oxford, just north of Hearst. While I did not stop to watch, I assume they were towing cars. There is no parking from 4-6 p.m. Yet, it was a long holiday weekend, at least at UC. There was no traffic to speak of. Why tow? As far as I could see it was completely pointless. The poor souls, the owners of the cars towed, ended up with nothing but grief, wasted time, and expense and for what? This mindless enforcement of rules is part of what generates much animosity and gives parking enforcement staff (and other bureaucrats) a well deserved bad name. 

Chuck Smith 

 

• 

PROPAGANDA 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Chris Kavanaugh’s Nov. 28 propaganda piece for the Green Party, touting the number of party members elected to office in California, omits one critical factor. Candidates for local office in our state must, by law, run on a nonpartisan basis—not as Democrats, Republicans, Greens or anything else. Dona Spring in Berkeley and Gayle McLaughlin in Richmond no more won because they were members of Kavanaugh’s party, than Aimee Allison in Oakland lost. They won or lost as individuals, just as all their colleagues did. 

Why anyone would boast about the Green Party is beyond me. It was their candidate for president of the United States who in 2000 handed victory in the Electoral College to George W. Bush, bringing about the disasters of the past six years. Another six years isn’t enough to forgive them. Two thousand would be about right. 

Revan Tranter 

 

• 

A FEW YEARS AHEAD 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Regarding the surreal reality-check of Ernest Grouns, a Bloomington, Indiana reader, comparing Berkeley folks to Jim Jonesers and Branch Davidians (Letters, Nov. 21): 

Perhaps our Midwestern friend missed the Nov. 10 article from the bigoted Berkeley Sea Scouts asking for donations for dock space rental. The city of Berkeley Legal Department and the U.S. Supreme Court both agree that the Boy Scouts don’t deserve the free ride since they discriminate against gays and atheists. 

Contrary to national impression, we’re not all politically correct here in Berkeley. Neither are we Jonestowners or Davidians. More like you, Ernest, only a few years ahead. 

Joe Kempkes 

 

• 

HELP SAVE THE OAKS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It took a lot of effort, but we were finally able to find out when and where the UC Board of Regents committee will meet to determine the fate of the oak grove by Memorial Stadium—as well as the entire portfolio of six other massive projects that UC plans to inflict on the southeast part of campus and the adjoining neighborhoods. The meeting of the committee will be held at 4:30 p.m. Tuesay, Dec. 5 in San Francisco at UCSF’s Mission Bay campus in the Community Center building at 1675 Owens St. 

Many Berkeley citizens are, understandably, very concerned about the implications of these proposed projects, and they would like to offer public comment about them.  

Why has it been so difficult to find out the time and place of the meeting? 

Why is the meeting at a time when most people will still be at work? 

Why is the meeting about the oak trees in Berkeley being held in San Francisco? 

Answer: Because they don’t want us to show up! 

What should we do? Show up! Let’s all go and tell the Regents how we feel about this plan to destroy a beautiful, healthy grove of oaks that are between 80 and 200 or more years old. How dare they suggest that they will destroy the last remaining oak woodland in the entire lowland area of Berkeley! In fact, let’s all go early and have a “Celebration of the Trees” before the meeting. We can share stories, songs, poems, and anything else that shows how much we value the trees in our community. Please come. Stand up for the oaks! 

Doug Buckwald 

 

• 

NON-PROLIFERATION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am writing to voice my concern about the Department of Energy’s new plan called “Complex 2030.” This plan redesigns and rebuilds every nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal. 

We have no need for such an investment in this destructive weaponry. We have the largest nuclear arsenal in the world as of today. Instead, we need to hold to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, setting an example for other nations to cease developing nuclear weapons. 

There will be public hearings on Complex 2030 on Dec. 12 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Robert Livermore Community Center, 4444 East Ave., Livermore and also on Dec. 12 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Tracy Community Center, 950 East Street, Tracy. 

Attend these public hearings! Speak out against our tax dollars going into a dangerous, polluting project! 

Joanna Katz 

 

• 

LIBRARY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Now that we have had a few weeks of respite from the prolonged uproar about the privacy invasion and health risks of the RFID program installed by departed Berkeley Public Library director Jackie Griffin, we are faced with another potential dilemma. Instead of a return to the more harmonious operation of our beloved library we may find ourselves dealing with a new director whose selection was anything but transparent or participatory or in sympathy with our local culture. 

As noted in the recent Peter Warfield/ Gene Bernardi Commentary piece in this paper’s Nov. 17 issue, the four candidates presented for public interviewing on Nov. 18 turn out to be the selection of a seven member advisory committee of librarians whose libraries either have or are advocating the use of RFID tracking devices. It is worth noting that no members of the reading public, no BPL staff members, no members of the SuperBOLD group were involved in this candidate selection process. Sound familiar? AND Dubberly and Garcia, the search firm that selected all the potential candidates, is owned by the two principals Ron Dubberly and June Garcia who are connected with Library Services and Systems, Inc. a company involved with outsourcing employees for libraries (and company profit). 

So now it appears that not only is it probable that we will have to continue to do battle over the removal of RFID tags on the books, magazines, videos and DVDs in the library but we also have to consider that the further dismantling of the professional and dedicated library staff, their union—and their union wages—will be a possibility while providing a profit to the company that sends in the outsourced. In Berkeley there is no controversy about the imperative of a first class public library staffed by local professional librarians. Our citizens pass almost every money measure for the library and raise still more funds through the Friends of the Library and the Foundation. 

What is happening to our culture that even public libraries, the honored legacy of over a century, have to be corporatized—even in Berkeley. Haven’t we all noticed that a corporatized medical system doesn’t work, that charter schools are rarely superior to our tattered public schools, that privately run for profit enterprises are no less bureaucratic than inefficient government agencies? Why must we repeat the merry go round of finding out the hard way that the systems we have had in place for decades to provide basic human services for the common good are a far better way to maintain and expand a democratic society? 

If Berkeley folks can’t see the folly of these trends—and reject them—we have most certainly lost our minds and our civic soul. 

Joan Levinson 

 

• 

GETTING IT STRAIGHT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Councilmember Dona Spring needs to get her stories straight. It was indicated in a recent article that she would bring the issue of city agencies being part of the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce because of the recent action against the Richmond Chamber.  

Councilmember Spring was referring to a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle which stated that the Richmond Chamber spent $5,000 from their general fund to lobby against a particular local measure. Because of this conflict of interest, the Richmond City Council voted to drop its membership from the chamber. 

If Councilmember Spring had made a simple phone call to the Berkeley Chamber office, she would have found out that no money was ever spent from their general fund for political purposes. Membership dues that Berkeley Chamber members pay are used exclusively for the betterment of the membership. This was affirmed by an e-mail directed to all chamber members by Chamber President Roland Peterson the day after the Chronicle article came out. 

Is there such a thing as a “sore winner”? Councilmember Spring has won the election but continues to accuse the Berkeley Chamber of unverified information. The election is over. It is now time to get on with running the city and working together to ensure that Berkeley strives to be a great place to live and a viable place to do business. Other council members get the picture. Councilmembers Gordon Wozniak and Kriss Worthington recently attended a chamber sponsored mixer at the Rose Garden Inn. Information from the chamber office states that Councilmember Spring has hardly ever attended any function that the chamber sponsors. I would think that all members of the City Council would want to work and support the Berkeley Chamber to improve the business atmosphere in our city. 

Also, in an editorial during the election, it was suggested that Berkeley residents should show their concerns about political actions by the Berkeley Chamber by rethinking doing business with chamber members. People need to realize that the Business For Better Government PAC is a separate entity from the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce. Both groups have separate Boards, budgets, rules and organizational structures. The Berkeley Chamber is more about business than about politics. 

And, if readers of this newspaper want to protest the actions of the Berkeley Chamber by withholding their patronage of Berkeley Chamber members, advertisers in the Daily Planet might want to know that, according to the chamber web site, the Berkeley Daily Planet is a member of the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce. Conflict of interest? 

Richard Hom 

Chamber Member 

 

• 

POLICE INVESTIGATIONS SHOULD REMAIN PUBLIC 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The boundaries crossed by police officers at the University of California, Los Angeles on November 16 should remind all of us of the need for a public accountability process that ensures fair and professional standards for the administration of Justice. 

Last Thursday, a UCLA student was tazed multiple times for not showing a student ID card in the library, as shown on the YouTube.com website and news reports. When a few of the several dozen witnesses asked police to stop, police threatened to taze them too. 

What is unique about this incident is the distribution of video evidence made possible by a cellular phone camera and the Internet. The overwhelming majority of our police do not engage in any miscarriage of justice. Northern Californians far too often remember “Fajitagate,” and the Riders case in addition to Los Angeles experiences of the Rampart scandal and Rodney King beating as the most publicly visible examples of police abuse of authority. Like some of those cases, this incident involves allegations of racial profiling, heightening the importance of ensuring public trust in police conduct. 

These abuses are by far the exception rather than the rule, but it is easy to see in light of these scandals why the accountability process must be conducted in public in addition to internal investigations. The California Supreme Court recently decided in Copley Press v. County of San Diego Civil Service Commission that police disciplinary records are confidential and not available to the public, denying public records access to the San Diego Union-Tribune. 

What this means for cities with citizen police review commissions, including Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco, is that some cities need to evaluate the institutional structure to ensure that they do not conduct disciplinary proceedings, which must now be done in private, and that they focus on investigations. 

Even so, these cities face police association lawsuits for upholding their public mechanisms for police accountability. Positive developments in Oakland and Berkeley to research or revamp the situation to ensure the cities can function outside of the Copley decision mean that local leaders see the importance of the public’s right to know. 

Secondly, the legislature should act to close technical ambiguities in the Copley decision before these institutions are threatened with legal action. As we should learn from the six shocking minutes that the student was tazed multiple times, we can’t afford to sacrifice open and public review of police conduct. 

Keith Carson 

President, Alameda County  

Board of Supervisors 

 

• 

ELECTRIC CARS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I have two minor responses to Richard Brenneman’s Nov. 28 item on the Planning Commission. First, on the City Council’s directive for a zoning change to allow Shattuck dealerships for electric cars: These are cars that must be plugged into electrical outlets to be recharged. And where does the council think that electricity comes from? Mostly from coal-burning generating plants, far more polluting than cars. Of course, it does move the pollution somewhere else, rather than Berkeley—but we all share the global warming. 

Second, a little quibble, but a pet peeve. “Comprise” is a wonderfully economical word—it means “to be made up of.” As it came into vogue in recent years, it was immediately wasted by journalists whose lack of imagination did not grasp its economy and who simply substituted it for “compose,” thinking it sounded more literate. Thus the line, “Comprised of four members each ...” should read, “Comprising four members each ...” Nitpicking, I know, but maybe the Planet can help save this word. If you’re going to use it, try to use it correctly. 

Jerry Landis 

• 

UC ARCHITECTURE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I completely agree with Eric H. Panzer’s letter on UC Berkeley’s architecture. The School of Environmental Design, ironically, is the most hideous building on campus, especially now that its grim, gray exterior is badly stained. It reminds me of photos of Soviet and East German apartment blocks. 

UC hasn’t put up a truly beautiful building since World War II. 

Nancy Ward 

 

• 

SUMMIT HEALTH CENTER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

If you were to pay a visit to the Summit Adult Day Health Center here is some of what you might experience. Abundant laughter and lively conversation coming from a group of seniors sitting around having a second cup of coffee or hot chocolate and discussing their lives, the news in the paper or the art of getting themselves up and going each day. The program aides are serving them up a snack while the PT/OT staff takes a few of them to the exercise room for some much needed exercise.  

Mid-morning, an entertaining adult educator comes in and does a class/session with them sometimes music, dancing, telling stories interactive games and conversation. The RN provides valuable health screening, prevention, ongoing assessment with daily BP checks, blood glucose monitoring, skin checks and liaisons with doctors. There is a full-time social worker who may have a drop-in group that day for wheelchair clients or provide a myriad of other social service needs.  

A hot meal is served at noon with dietary needs and restrictions followed. After lunch, another session with the Program Director or a cooking class or sewing project with terrific teachers. 

Mid-afternoon, the clients ride on vans to their doors helped by a cheerful and friendly bunch of drivers. Down the hall in the Alzheimers/Dementia unit a similar scene takes place toned down to suit the limitations of their clients while meeting their emotional needs, their need for socializing and their health concerns.  

The program is excellent, well-organized, well-attended and the staff “just can’t do enough for you.” 

Of course, when you do something this good, what happens? It gets cut. Just in time for the holiday season, in what Alta Bates Summit Medical Center is calling a “cost-cutting move” the program will shut its doors. 

The center is a valuable community asset serving low-income, underserved predominately African-American seniors. There are only two comparable programs: one in Berkeley and one in East Oakland and they cannot begin to absorb the numbers displaced. 

Is Alta Bates Summit going broke? Or are they choosing to put money towards areas which increase profit, not areas of greatest need? 

This is a heartless decision affecting the lives of a fragile and oft neglected population and the lives of their families and caretakers. Many will be placed in nursing homes as a result of this closure. 

There is also the matter of the employees themselves and their lost jobs, but I think they would all say it is more about the clients. 

We need media attention now—so community leaders, political activists, neighborhood organizations step up and take action. 

Nora Ultreya 

Oakland 

 

• 

PASSMAN’S RESPONSE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

If it ain’t been explained before, the Semites are peoples—both Arab and Jew—of southwest Asia, i.e., those of the “compromised land?” So to be anti-Semitic is a wide-ranging hit, and I believe only our great nosed satirist Darryl Henriques can twistedly straighten this all out; let’s send him over.  

A semite is fun! da? mentally a descendant of Shem (the good, the renowned. . . ) even a virgin birth, like Jesus or Perseus, first or second son of Noah.  

I do confess to be a veteran anti-Zionist and absolute absurdist, but certainly not anti-underdog as the response to my “You Can’t Visit Any Other Country” haikus of Nov. 14 connecting the snots and the war machine between the Bushits, the religious right, and Israel could be permuted or transmuted. (And yes, how could I leave out the bloody Brit source of Middle East madness!). In some event, somewhere between the mess in messenger and the gel in angel, I can only confoundly caution:  

Behind Borat, Dem 

Rout, religious right preys: 

“Bye, bye Jew Zionists.”  

Arnie Passman 

 

• 

THIEVERY AND MURDER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

If our elected representatives, who are supposed to be our “public servants” placed in office by the consent of the electorate (massive ongoing election theft by Diebold, ES and S and Sequoia notwithstanding) ignore the blatant violation of American laws, international law and our constitution by not immediately investigating this administration then we are sending a signal to the world that our country has become a rouge nation operating outside of any sense of conscience or lawful conduct. 

As an American I am deeply ashamed of the incredible thievery and murderous conduct of our leaders and can only hope that an agressive investigation followed by impeachment in the House and conviction in the Senate will set the stage for our nation to start the process of reclaiming our stature by turning over this criminal administration to the world court for proper prosecution on war crimes charges. 

If we, the American people, allow the crimes of this president and his accomplices to go unpunished then we not only cease to be a nation of laws but we are telling the world that any American president may act with absolute impunity to all consequences for any criminal behavior. 

If we do not now act to reclaim the lost morality in our government then we risk losing all that our great nation has strived to achieve during the two centuries prior to the darkness that enveloped us six long years ago! 

Allen Michaan 

Oakland 

• 

OPEN LETTER TO THE  

110TH CONGRESS 

My Fellow Americans: 

Our 220-year-old republic is in critical condition and you will soon be in position to nurse it back to health, or watch it decline further.  

Recall that your founding document, the Constitution, was written in response to post revolutionary conditions and by providing for a new way of governing it not only healed but infused the republic with enough strength to survive wars, civil and foreign, economic ups and downs, westward expansion, and failed domestic policies.  

It may be that the republic has out-grown those daring principles—separation of powers, checks and balances; it can no longer activate them. Perhaps the Constitution is worn out; separation too slow, checks weakened, justice out of balance all on account of new technologies, global supremacy, military deployments. Whatever the cause, history will judge how much you helped or hindered the republic’s recovery.  

Your job, Congresspersons, is heavy. Your new majority party holds a mandate for change. Congressperson Pelosi, House Speaker-in-waiting, proclaimed “a new direction” and enumerated some initial en route markers—minimum wage, Medicare drug prices, student loans, and alternative energy.  

However, the republic’s condition requires more than these band-aid measures and voters expect you to reverse the assaults of the 108th and 109th that brought on the current malady.  

Legislate surgically, delete recklessness in the Patriot Act, restore Habeas Corpus, eschew torture, cut illegal wiretapping, restrain military spending, abandon occupation in Iraq, and above all expose and punish liars.  

When a building is on the verge of collapse it is wise to check its foundation. So should you, therefore, reexamine the list of rights from which, in a sense, the Constitution sprang. Be born again. Reaffirm and strengthen your commitment to the rule of law, to open governance, to equality and justice among all the nations of the world.  

Do this as you conserve without being conservative, persuade rather than bully, lead rather than push. 

Marvin Chachere 

San Pablo


Commentary: Is It Time to Abolish the Editorial Page?

By Eric Alterman, The Nation
Friday December 01, 2006

I was at a book party not long ago when Randy Cohen, who writes the New York Times Magazine’s “Ethicist” column, walked up to New York Governor George Pataki and said, “Please, Governor, where’s New York City’s school aid program? You’ve got to fund that!” Pataki, upon learning of Cohen’s place of employ, said something like, “Yes, the Times would complain about school funding,” and walked away. End of conversation.  

You see, the Times editorial page strongly opposes Pataki’s stonewalling of court-ordered increases in education funding. Pataki therefore feels he can blithely blow off a guy who writes an advice column in the newspaper’s Sunday magazine.  

Why am I telling you this story? Pataki was obviously full of it. He knew that the author of a paper’s Sunday advice column is no more responsible for the opinions expressed on its editorial page than the guy who drops it off at my doorstep each morning. But being a politician, Pataki was also aware that the Times editorial page gives the paper its reputation as a “liberal” newspaper—no matter how sympathetic its reporters try to be to the likes of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney (and no matter that, in fact, the Times editorial page endorsed Pataki himself in his last campaign). Because of this reputation, Pataki thought he could ignore a question from anyone associated with the newspaper without paying a price. And here, unfortunately, he was probably right.  

Fred Hiatt, who heads the Washington Post editorial page, admits that “endorsements by the editorial page can make life difficult for our colleagues who report and edit the news, though in fact we operate totally independently from each other.” Despite this independence, he recognizes that “some readers and campaign workers will always be skeptical of that separation, and the doubts can be a burden on Post political reporters.”  

In the case of the Post, the dynamic is somewhat different. Its editorial page has rushed so far right of late, it has come to mimic the work of the self-described “wildmen” of the Wall Street Journal. Post editorialists apparently feel they are free to ignore inconvenient facts reported in the paper’s news section, and misuse others, to justify the Bush Administration’s campaign against Joe Wilson and other critics—as a careful Media Matters for America report has demonstrated.  

While reporters and editors would like to believe that their readers are fully aware of the split between the news and editorial desks, in fact the distinction matters only to the minuscule minority who read the paper the way journalism professors would wish. Most news consumers do not know or care enough to make such distinctions. The Times is recognized as a “liberal newspaper” because it has a generally liberal editorial page. (For the first time in modern memory, the Times endorsed virtually all Democrats this year.) The Wall Street Journal is seen as the opposite. As a result, Journal reporters are apparently less terrified than their Times colleagues of appearing to confirm suspicions of “liberal bias” in their stories, so they feel slightly freer to tell the truth.  

Hiatt is on to something then, but he flatters himself when he claims endorsements are one of a newspaper’s “most important responsibilities.” In my judgment this importance exists largely in the minds of editorial and campaign staffs. This year strong endorsements by the Times of Ned Lamont over Joe Lieberman and Democrat Diane Farrell over moderate Republican Chris Shays in Connecticut failed to sway exactly the kind of voters one would expect to swear by the Times. And it’s hard to imagine a Washington Post editorial swaying many votes in the District of Columbia, where Democrats always win, no matter what. Perhaps the Post editors’ views are of interest to a few Maryland or Virginia voters, though the Post’s endorsement of Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich Jr. apparently failed to impress there as well. And just why the Post board found itself reaching into the Lieberman primary remains a mystery. Who, among Connecticut Democrats, takes orders from a newspaper with no stake whatever in the community?  

Of course, editorial writers would argue that their authority rests not on any inherent influence, but on the power of their prose to persuade. But if so, why not sign your name to your argument? Lord knows, nobody reads committee-written and vetted editorials for their scintillating prose. Too often, the stentorian voice of the collective editorial acts as a condom against effective communication—a prophylactic against the accidental conception of wit or irony.  

Sure, it’s fun to pretend to be powerful and influential and to have politicians play along. But sadly, readers see editorials touting certain policies and politicians and assume the entire paper--including the news columns--is slanted the same way. For Murdoch’s New York Post or the Moonies’ Washington Times (or, um, The Nation) that’s fine, because they are. But in the so-called objective press, editorials taint the reporting in the minds of many readers. And while I can’t prove this, I think this leads reporters and editors to bend over backward to prove they don’t share the biases of their editorial boards, which in a time of “faith-based” public policy-making by Republicans, makes said reporters look increasingly “liberal” merely for taking reality into account.  

Wouldn’t most papers be immediately improved by dropping their editorial page and increasing the ideological range and informational expertise of their contributing columnists? I’ll go even further. Why not heed the examples of Britain’s universally admired (liberal) Guardian and (conservative) Economist and drop the frequently phony distinction between “fact” and “opinion”? Why not just let reporters tell us what they know to be true and how and why they know it? Such a solution would borrow what’s most engaging from the blogosphere without sacrificing the crucial function of newspapers in a democratic society. What’s more, it would offer the potential to re-engage people in a (Deweyite) discussion and debate without dumbing down their sources of (Lippmann-like) information.  

Have a better solution? Let’s hear it.  

 

This article first appeared in the Nov. 27 edition of The Nation. Reprinted with permission.


Commentary: Plaza Proponents Out of Touch With Community

By Art Goldberg
Friday December 01, 2006

The proponents of North Shattuck Plaza (NSP) seem to think there’s something wrong with the idea that “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” in relation to Shattuck Avenue between Vine and Rose streets (Daily Planet, Nov. 24). They view the area as “ugly and wasteful.”  

This only shows how out of touch they are with the community. For what the developer-dominated plaza board doesn’t realize is that the vast majority of North Berkeley residents like the area pretty much as it is. They think it may benefit from some minor sprucing up, but the overwhelming reaction from neighbors has been “we like it just the way it is,” and “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” 

What most concerns residents is the loss of the angled parking between Black Oak Books and Long’s Drugs and the effect this would have on the local, neighborhood-serving businesses located there. The owner of one of these stores told me recently that the projected nine month construction period to build the plaza “would put me out of business.”  

At an October community meeting, a Black Oak representative expressed “great concern” about the project. Neighbors worry that if the plaza is built, the local businesses would be driven out and replaced by high-end establishments, and North Shattuck will become another Fourth Street. 

A written question submitted at the NSP-sponsored meeting asked if the project would attract more cars, more people and therefore create more congestion. The answer on the NSP website was, “Perhaps, but most of the users will be the ones already there.” Is that doublespeak, Bushspeak or just an incomprehensible non sequiter? 

The NSP meeting was indicative of that group’s mentality. As we walked in there was a uniformed Berkeley police officer standing conspicuously in the back, and we were told only written questions, selected by the convenors, would be answered. Fortunately, Berkeley’s free speech tradition prevailed and questions shouted from the audience were often answered, but seldom satisfactorly.  

Most questions expressed serious concerns about parking and traffic problems, but there was no indication from the NSP people that they would be willing to make modifications to their plan to alleviate them. One written question asked how disabled people would deal with the lack of parking near the shops.  

That question was not answered at the meeting, but the NSP website response weeks later was that the owner of Saul’s Deli said most of his disabled customers are dropped off in front of the restaurant and the drivers then leave and park elsewhere. But it is one thing to drop a disabled person off on a limited access side road 12-14 feet from a store, and quite another to have to double park on busy Shattuck Avenue and drop them off 50-55 feet from their destination as the NSP plan would require. 

Plaza proponents assert that a 50-foot wide sidewalk is necessary to accommodate tables and benches, etc. for their proposed walkway. Yet Center Street between Shattuck Avenue and Oxford Street which accommodates several outdoor eating areas, as well as heavy foot traffic between BART and the UC campus, is only about 22 feet wide. 

The proponents say my deduction that the plaza is a stalking horse for high-rise development is untrue, because the walkway is to be built on public right-of-way, not private property. But some 16 years ago, councilmember/realtor Laurie Capitelli, a prime mover of the plaza project, annexed a stretch of city property into his condo development on Hearst Street between Milvia and Henry streets. At about the same time, the apartment building on the northeast corner of Shattuck and Rose Street also annexed a part of the public right-of-way. This could easily happen again with our pro-development City Council. 

Right now, the Jewish Community Center at Rose and Walnut streets is planning to partially demolish its landmarked building and rebuild with three or four stories of housing above it. And one city official has indicated that City Hall envisions highrises running from University Avenue to Rose Street all along Shattuck Avenue. 

Anyone who knows the area forsees serious traffic problems on Rose Street where the already difficult ingress and egress from the Long’s lot already produces backups and near accidents, which a second lot close by as envisioned by NSP, will only exacerbate. Yet the Plaza developers baldly assert that a 2000 traffic study done for a far different proposal in 2001 will suffice in 2007, with only minor updating by the pro-development city planning staff.  

And they further maintain that they need not go before the Planning Commission again despite the fact that their new plan is far more drastic than the 2001 version. Nor is there any indication that their new proposal conforms to the North Shattuck Area Plan, built with real community participation some 25 years ago.  

Another major problem with the NSP proposal is that it does not provide parking for the trucks that bring in produce for the Farmers’ Market, and it will remove 40 parking spaces while the market operates. The NSP website acknowledges that it has not solved these problems. Neighbors fear the trucks and displaced cars will clog nearby streets on market days.  

The proposed new, treeless, parking lot between the Bel Forno Café and Long’s will have about forty spaces aligned perpendicular to the sidewalk. There will be lanes from Shattuck Avenue running in both directions through this lot, as drivers pull in and back out. More accidents waiting to happen.  

Finally, the question of what will happen to the drive-up mailbox, now located on the access road and heavily used by seniors and disabled people has not been addressed. NSP says it is up to the Post Office, meaning it has no plan for it. 

It seems obvious that the Plaza proposal creates many more problems than it solves. It reflects the narrow interests of the small group of developers, merchants and realtors who drew it up and not the desires of people who live nearby.  

Fortunately, this is Berkeley and neighbors are talking about a real community meeting in January to come up with a neighborhood alternative to the seriously flawed plan put forth by North Shattuck Plaza, Inc. 

 

Art Goldberg is a 30-year resident of North Berkeley. 

 


Commentary: Big Game Yes, New Stadium No

By Christopher Adams
Friday December 01, 2006

I love the Big Game, even though I haven’t gone to one since Cal won “The Play.” I figure that even Stanford will keep their band under control to forestall such a disaster again. I love the Big Game because I am an alumnus of both schools, so no matter who wins I can cheer. I love watching the old Stanford alums in their red pants and little kids in their blue and gold caps and T-shirts walking by my house on the way to Memorial Stadium. But I think the idea of spending $110 million to renovate the stadium is an appalling idea.  

Forget for a moment the beautiful oak trees that will go as part of the project. Forget that the stadium will still be on top of an earthquake fault which the experts promise will give us the “Big One” (plus 7.0 on the Richter scale) in the next 30 years. All this is discussed and whitewashed in the University’s Environmental Impact Report. Instead, think for a moment of what $110 million means. If that amount were put into the University’s endowment, it would generate enough income to provide full tuition scholarships for 735 Berkeley students every year, forever. If that amount were given to UC’s newest and neediest campus in Merced, it would be enough for a school of management building, with money left over to endow a full tuition scholarship for every freshman expected next year.  

Why are we spending $110 million renovating the stadium? Presumably it’s because Stanford, with no fault to contend with and a lot of rich alumni, just spent $90 million on their stadium. What kind of scholarship help would an endowment of $90 million have created? I figure that even at Stanford tuition rates it would have been enough for 365 full tuition scholarships, forever. 

What we are facing here is simply an Athletic Arms Race, and it’s just as immoral as any other arms race. Sure, there are billionaires out there who may be ready to pay millions for the vanity of a stadium but not for a scholarship endowment. (Will it be renamed for one of them, thus forgetting the World War I dead which it now commemorates?) Sure, the tax code will give them a big break. But my question is: Is it moral to even propose spending this kind of money for this kind of purpose?  

Enjoy the game. May the best team win! (I can cheer whomever.) May the Big One wait until at least the day after the Big Game. But don’t rebuild the stadium. 

 

Christopher Adams is an architect and city planner who has lived for many years in Berkeley. 


Commentary: Setting the Record Straight

By Raudel Wilson
Friday December 01, 2006

I was shocked and disturbed by an article I read in the Nov. 28 issue of the Berkeley Daily Planet. In this issue I read that Councilmember Dona Spring was planning to file a complaint against the Business for Better Government Berkeley Chamber of Commerce PAC. I know that Ms. Spring has every right to file a complaint against the PAC and she feels that her personal reputation and integrity was put at risk by the mailers sent out during the last week of the election. What I was disappointed to see is Ms. Spring’s allegations against me in the paper.  

Ms. Spring accuses me of collaborating with the Chamber PAC to coordinate mailers and messages. I want to publicly set the record straight that I ran a positive, clean, and independent campaign. At no time did I discuss campaign tactics or strategies with members of the Chamber PAC. My mailer was designed by volunteers and myself and was printed by a local union printer. Ms. Spring also points to the fact that my campaign treasurer, Stacy Owens, was also the treasurer for the Chamber PAC. I have known Ms. Owens for five five years and when she found out that I was going to run for office she approached me and offered to her professional services. Ms. Owens works for a local CPA office and is a professional political campaign treasurer. During all the times that I met with Ms. Owens she never discussed the campaign efforts of the Chamber PAC. I know Ms. Owens to be an honest person who maintains confidentiality among her clients. Furthermore, it is insinuated that my attendance at the Chamber PAC’s Fundraiser on September 21st means that we were collaborating campaign efforts. The night of Sept. 21 I had my own personal campaign fundraiser at a neighbor’s home. I arrived at the Chamber PAC’s fundraiser around 7 p.m. when more than 50 percent of the guests had already left. I stayed and mingled with guests for about 30 minutes before everyone left.  

The day after the election I called Ms. Spring and congratulated her on her success and I told her that I hoped we could work together to help make District 4 and the City of Berkeley a better place. I continue to serve on the Zoning Adjustments Board and the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee. It seams that instead of Ms. Spring accepting her victory and moving forward to improve Berkeley she has decided to spend her time filing frivolous complaints. What I think Ms. Spring has to consider is why did the Chamber PAC launch such a large and concentrated campaign against her. Whether or not you decide to blame Councilmember Spring for the downtown’s problems the fact remains that over the past 14 years the downtown area has become the lowest generator of tax revenue for the entire City of Berkeley. 

Instead of filing a complaint against the Chamber PAC maybe Dona should reach out to the Chamber and find out why they have lost confidence in her. Maybe Dona should take the time to sit down with members of the business community and hear their concerns. We need to remember that encouraging business growth helps generate tax revenue that allows the city to provide social services, fix infrastructure, provide adequate fire and police coverage, affordable housing, ect. Dona’s district should be the driving force behind our tax base. Instead it is dead last. Dona wants to know why it was pointed out that small businesses are leaving our downtown. It is because downtown merchants (I have worked on Shattuck Avenue since 1997) are tired of seeing business after business leave our downtown. We are tired of watching storefronts stay empty for years. Concerned business leaders want Berkeley to provide a fair chance for businesses to survive and grow in this city. They also want to know that they have the support of their local representative. If Dona is ready to move Berkeley forward and help improve her district’s lagging tax revenue then she should accept her victory and spend her time to mend relationships that have long been ignored.  

 

Raudel Wilson was a candidate for City Council. 

 

 

 


Commentary: UC Stadium Lawsuit Must Move Forward Without Secret Deals

By Hank Gehman
Friday December 01, 2006

The University of California’s SCIP project—the new stadium, training center, business conference center, 911 car parking garage and the Boalt Hall hotel project, all on the Hayward fault zone—is a serious and permanent threat to the safety and livability of the whole city. The city has developed a very strong lawsuit to stop this massive development. To defend itself, Berkeley has no alternative but to follow through with this lawsuit. Secret negotiations like were done over the LRDP to get a few concessions in exchange for dropping that suit would be wrong on all counts. This suit is the only chance to defend the city now and for the next twenty years. 

Alquist-Priolo, which bans state development on earthquake faults is a fundamental law for California. Until now the wisdom of the law has been self-evident and the state has avoided building on fault zones. Suddenly, UC is saying that the law is really only a “technicality” and should not stand in the way of the university concentrating more than a million persons a year on the fault. Beyond all of these lives put at risk, the city will be burdened with the liability of this additional risk and the public safety of all of Berkeley will be compromised. When (not if!) the earthquake happens, there will be serious damage to all of Berkeley. But surely, with the thousands of additional people brought to the fault, the loss of life and injury at the stadium vicinity will be even worse. Inevitably, police and fire services will be diverted from the rest of Berkeley and sent to the stadium area. Just when we need our police and firemen the most, they won’t be available to the rest of us. 

The university intends to make the new stadium a major entertainment venue. Along with moving the football games to night-time starts, there will be seven “Paul McCartney” scale concerts and an unlimited number of events with less than 10,000 spectators. The city will be required to ban parking on the arteries leading to the stadium and ban all parking in the adjoining neighborhoods. These events could happen every weekend for half a year. Again, over one million spectators a year! There will be traffic gridlock, partying with all the underage drinking and the subsequent misery for the residents along with the hits on property values. The garage will bring hundreds of additional cars daily along with the 1,000 cars coming to the new Underhill parking facility. The traffic impacts will spread throughout Berkeley. 

The construction impacts will be massive, citywide and will last 10 years. The city will have almost no control over these construction impacts. For example, just for the excavation of the parking garage, there will be 20,000 trips of double-trailer semi trucks seven days a week clogging the roads of Berkeley. These problems will be compounded when UC’s downtown projects overlap with SCIP.  

The environmental impact report produced by the university for SCIP is deceptive, deficient and in violation of the law and must be redone. For example, the EIR claims that the training facility that the university wants to start construction on immediately is not a part of the stadium project. In fact, the training facility is the first phase of the foundation for the new stadium. That explains why it is sited along the west wall of the stadium and why it costs $125 million. The university’s assessment of the survivability of the new stadium is doubtful, but the EIR withholds the necessary information. The EIR also tries to hide the real impacts on the grove of live oaks. The EIR refuses to even consider an earthquake retrofit of the stadium without lights, luxury boxes and PSL seating. The Oakland Coliseum is now looking for another tenant and would be an excellent alternative for Cal football. The university needs to seriously consider this alternative. No honest negotiations can occur without an honest EIR. 

The university is trying to pressure the city into a quick negotiated settlement. They have spread the rumor that Jeff Tedford, the Cal football coach, will leave if the training facility is not started this year. That rumor is simply not true. Tedford has never said that he would leave. There is no clock ticking. He has only said that new weight rooms would be helpful to recruit out-of-state players. As it is, the current weight rooms haven’t stopped him from recruiting top talent or building an excellent team. 

Nothing in SCIP is to further the educational mission of UC. This is no more than a large, multifaceted commercial project. The sole driving force for each of these individual projects is the millions of dollars they will return. With the continuing scandals of misappropriation of funds, it is obvious that the system of governance of UC is broken. As long as UC believes that it should “try to get away with as much as possible and disclose as little as possible” (UC President Robert Dynes) the city should not expect to find common ground with UC through negotiations.  

The UC spokeswoman has stated clearly that UC has no interest and has no need to accommodate the needs of Berkeley. Our only leverage is with our lawsuit—which is on very strong legal grounds. Any decision taken by the city concerning the suits should take place in an open and transparent manner. There is no rush! A city that has called for President Bush’s impeachment cannot turn around and thumb its nose at the basic tenants of democracy and make secret deals. And there is no reason for any deals to be made because there is no reason that the citizens of Berkeley should have to sacrifice their sanity, safety, property values and fiscal health so that UC can make millions in profit. 

 

Hank Gehman is a Berkeley resident. 


Commentary: Outsourced Library Director Search Draws Inexperienced Candidates

By Peter Warfield
Friday December 01, 2006

Dubberly Garcia Associates brought the library director search to Berkeley’s public the week before Thanksgiving, complete with what appeared to be carefully-rehearsed performing library administrators and happy-talk statements that were short on verifiable facts such as positions held where and when. Subsequent research showed the candidates’ experience as library directors is brief to none.  

Dubberly Garcia is the search firm that the Board of Library Trustees (BOLT) hired to help find a new library director. We think this work is so important that the Trustees should do it themselves, with the help of library or other city employees.  

The public saw the candidates on Saturday, Nov. 18 at the main library from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with no lunch hour. Each candidate had 45 minutes, including questions, then the public had a 15-minute break. 

They final candidates are: Donna Corbeil, deputy director at Solano County Library; Gerry Garzon, deputy diirector at Oakland Public Library; Valerie J. Gross, director of Howard County (Maryland) Library; and Rivkah Sass, head of Omaha Public Library. 

Corbeil and Garzon have never been library directors; they are first-time deputy directors with two years and one year of experience, respectively. The two other candidates are first-time library directors, Sass with only about three years’ experience and Gross having five.  

 

Candidate connections  

Corbeil was chief of Branches under former San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) head Susan Hildreth for about five years until Gov. Schwarzenegger appointed Hildreth state librarian in mid-2004. Hildreth sits on BOLT’s library directors panel. Garzon currently works for Carmen Martinez, head of Oakland Public Library, and she also is a member of BOLT’s library directors panel.  

 

Publicity lacking 

There was no publicity about the presentations outside the library. Inside, there was a single flyer announcing “presentations by the finalists,” but nothing about candidate presentations in the November, 2006 edition of “What’s Happening Here,” billed as the “Newsletter of the Berkeley Public Library.”  

 

Getting started 

June Garcia of Dubberly Garcia, energetic, vigorous, grinning cheerfully, ran the day’s program, and made the introductions. BOLT chair Kupfer announced the special 3 p.m. meeting of BOLT, without mentioning what was on the agenda—action or discussion on the directorship—or that public comment would be taken prior to going into closed session. How much public comment? “Proposed 20-minute limit, with speakers speaking for two minutes each,” said the agenda. 

 

Comment forms omit books, unions 

Garcia invited the public to take two-page candidate statements and Comment Forms, which included 27 criteria and a rating scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high).  

There was nothing at all about books or collections.  

The only two items mentioning staff said “Staff and staff development—values,” and “Visible and accessible to staff”—nothing about working successfully with staff or unions.  

Some criteria seemed redundant: “Service—focuses on responsiveness,” and “Service orientated.”  

And there were two criteria at least arguably related to privatization: “Fundraising—knowledge of,” and “Nurtures Friends and Foundation organizations.”  

I asked Garcia about the criteria. Her answer was surprising. They were standard things that they had thrown in, in no particular order, she said. Yet—the list of criteria was important enough to carry a copyright notice. Dubberly Garcia’s website advertises “opinion surveys and customer research” as one of its services, so one would expect any survey to provide criteria tailored with great care to the qualities sought and to evaluation priorities. 

 

RFID waffling 

Two to four different people asked each candidate questions indicating concern with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. RFID was recently installed in BPL’s books and materials despite opposition from the ACLU, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Library Users Association, and many other groups and individuals, primarily because of the multiple privacy threats as well as potential health risks, high cost, and other problems posed by RFID.  

Yet none of the candidates expressed concern with these issues, although Garzon said he had pulled RFID from Oakland’s only branch because the technology did not work well. (After the presentation he identified the vendor as Libramation.) 

As a retired librarian friend of mine said, “All four of them accepted RFID more or less, or didn’t want to talk about it too much. I cannot imagine that they did not know more about it.” 

Instead of resumes, each candidate had prepared a two-page statement. It was unclear who had specified to the candidates what to do.  

 

Gerry Garzon 

Gerry Garzon wrote, “if we’ve been invited to interview for this job, we’ve all got a number of accomplishments over our professional lives and I won’t detail those here.” Why not? He included more information about positions and dates than the others, but combined two positions in each of his last two libraries, making it impossible to know how long he held each one. 

 

Valerie Gross 

Valerie Gross’s statement had the fewest specifics, trumpeting at the top in large type, “A New Direction for a Great Public Library.” The first sentence: “These are exciting times for public libraries!”  

 

Rivkah Sass 

Rivkah Sass’s statement didn’t mention the names of the libraries she has worked at or for how long, instead naming the states of “Washington, Maryland, Oregon and Nebraska.” Subsequent research indicated that Dubberly Garcia brought her to Omaha in September, 2003.  

 

Donna Corbeil 

Full disclosure: as someone who follows the San Francisco Public Library closely, I know more about her than the other candidates. 

Corbeil’s statement says under the heading “Fiscal Management” that she “managed all aspects of developing a tool-lending center and the ongoing oversight of the operation by contract with a local nonprofit agency.” That agency would be SLUG, San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners, and whatever Corbeil’s role, it ended abruptly when SLUG apparently failed to show up one day and left the SFPL holding the bag. SFPL’s Minutes for Aug. 21, 2003, say City Librarian Susan Hildreth “lauded Donna Corbeil” and the heads of finance and facilities “for quickly and efficiently responding to the unexpected difficulties of SLUG.”  

The city librarian’s report, also provided in the Minutes, says SLUG “stopped operations” in July “due to fiscal difficulties; and the Tool Center temporarily ceased operation. Library staff retrieved tools that were being used and secured all city assets at the Tool Center.” The Library Commission never put a discussion of what happened on its agenda, and there was no formal library investigation. We do not think the library or Corbeil did anything wrong, but to list the SLUG experience under “Financial Management” seems ill-advised. 

 

Summary 

We think that BOLT should start over and do this important job on its own, with a much more public process, more public input, and and greater clarity about desirable qualities including leadership experience. That way there would be no question about who is responsible and whose interests are being served. 

 

Peter Warfield is executive director of the Library Users Association. 


Columns

Barn Owls: House Hunting in Berkeley

By Penny Bartlett, Special to the Planet
Tuesday December 05, 2006

Editor’s note: The following article was submitted to Joe Eaton in response to his call for readers’ stories about barn owls. His column will return the Tuesday after next. 

 

It was just after dark on an evening in late July when I heard that screeching noise again. Raspy and raucous, reminding me of fingernails on a blackboard. It went on into the night with only occasional pauses. I had heard it the previous summer for a couple of months; it seemed to be coming from a tree next door. I never got around to finding out what it was and never noticed when it stopped. 

But now it was back. This time I would find out. I went out the gate onto Sacramento Street, looking at the tall trees in my neighbors’ yards. The screeching was louder but not nearby. I walked down the block, crossed Bancroft and continued into the next block. The sound was obnoxious. 

It was coming from a large Canary Island palm tree in somebody’s back yard. I did some minor stalking to see which yard it was, then knocked on a front door. 

The woman living there told me the palm tree was just over her back fence. Every year a pair of barn owls nested there, and every summer the babies made a huge racket at night, most of the night. Her daughter’s bedroom was close to the tree and sometimes it was hard for the daughter to sleep. I couldn’t imagine sleeping there since I could hear the noise clearly a block away. And who would have thought an owl could make such sounds; owls are supposed to hoot.  

A palm tree in the middle of Berkeley seemed a strange home for a barn owl, but I learned that they will also nest in cliffs, riverbanks, caves, church steeples, haystacks and even duck nesting boxes. Since there aren’t a lot of barns or haystacks in Berkeley, maybe a palm tree is upscale urban housing. If they nest in a tree it’s in a hollow cavity. Maybe under the mop of palm fronds there was a nice invisible hole. 

Now I began hearing other owl sounds almost every night. A short screech above me as I walked down the path to my house. Metallic clicking sounds and the smallest fluff of wings beating close overhead. A series of raspy screeches right outside my bedroom window as I fell asleep. How had I not noticed all this before? 

I had glimpses of a soft shadow sailing over a neighbor’s fence. I stood on the sidewalk in front of the palm tree in the moonlight and saw a shadow fly into the crown of the tree. 

The racket calmed down and I assumed some owlets were gulping rodent delicacies. 

Usually nestlings are quiet when parents are hunting until the parents approach with food, but these barn owlets kept up a continuous squawking. I thought maybe they just didn’t like being left alone; then learned that only the male hunts and mama is always home. The male hands his catch over to her and she tears it up and feeds the chicks and herself. It seemed strange that mama’s presence didn’t quiet the kids. 

During July and August the night chorus got gradually louder, then at the end of summer it stopped. I found another palm tree neighbor who had watched owlets fall out of the nest each year and bump around on the ground until their wings were strong enough to fly. 

She had seen this year’s brood and watched parents feeding them on the ground; now the kids had gone off on their own. 

Early the next summer I was paying attention. Then one night I saw a pair of ghostly white birds doing an aerial dance above Allston Way near Sacramento. Barn owls look brownly speckled from above but seen from below they are white. 

I watched them soaring and swooping around each other in graceful loops, clicking their bills and screeching. It looked like owl love. 

A week later I was sitting outside in the dusk with my neighbors when I heard screeches coming closer. I shouted to everyone to look up, and there came both owls, passing not too far above our heads in looping sensuous flight, shrieking as they went. 

A few weeks later the nighttime rackety chorus began, but this time it stopped sooner than in previous years. 

I wondered if all the chicks had fallen out of the nest early. I also knew the local raccoon posse loved to hang out in palm trees, and raccoons will eat anything. 

That winter I was driving down Sacramento when I noticed a big bare spot where the palm tree had been. It had been cut down. No more owl house.  

That was a year ago. Last summer was quiet. No owls. 

But a few nights ago while working at my computer, I heard a faint sound of fingernails on blackboard. It was far away. Then last night, falling asleep, there was a loud screech outside my window. 

I thought, yay! They’re back! But on reflection: either they’re hunting for food, or in this town, where it’s hard to find a place to live and the landlord can tear your house down, they may just be house hunting. 


Column: Undercurrents: Brown Administration Never Tried to Solve Oakland’s Problems

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday December 01, 2006

The outgoing administration of Jerry Brown-its time left in office now measured in days rather than years or months—continues to recede into the background of Oakland’s consciousness as the city and the region focuses on the excitement of the incoming new mayor. 

That’s a mistake. There were assumptions made and things which occurred in the last eight years which Oakland citizens ought to examine, now, while they are fresh in our minds, to see what was done right and what was done wrong, both how, and why. 

One of the most insidious aspects of the Brown administration—[insidious: 1. characterized by treachery or slyness; crafty; wily 2. operating in a slow or not easily apparent manner; more dangerous than seems evident]—was its masking of its own failure to mount a serious attack on the root core of many of Oakland’s problems by attacking, instead, citizens who were trying to solve those problems themselves. 

To quote a popular ‘70s term, the Brown administration was especially adept at the practice of “blaming the victim.” That was never more on display than in Mr. Brown’s relationships with Oakland’s African-American community. 

Oakland is awash in violence, and the African-American sections of the city is a particular battleground. Mr. Brown never developed or articulated a coherent, organized, comprehensive anti-violence strategy. Instead, he appeared to embrace quick, headline-grabbing solutions at points where the publicity got too bad and/or when his future political goals demanded it. Often that meant attacks on citizens or groups who, in the course of trying to provide alternatives to violence, became victims of violence themselves. 

Most of this is old ground, often covered in this column before. 

One of these instances was with the now-defunct annual Carijama Festival, which once filled North Oakland-West Oakland’s Mosswood Park every Memorial Day weekend with a celebration of Caribbean, African, and African-American culture. Carijama stopped in 2005 after several years of violent incidents. Everybody involved—festival organizers, police and city officials—agreed that there was nothing about the festival itself that promoted violence. Quite the opposite. The festivals were family and community-friendly, giving citizens a free place to go during he holiday, and my memories of the events will always be people sitting or stretched out on blankets across the Mosswood Park lawn, barbecue pits sending out luscious smells, some folks up dancing, children playing in the trees, young men and women exchanging smalltalk and cellphone numbers, and the ever-present Caribbean music coming off the park stage. The violence—and, again, this was agreed to by everyone involved—occurred with young people who came to the events late, almost as they were breaking up, who then got into disputes either among themselves or with police who tried to get them to leave the area. 

Was there a way to prevent the violence by latecomers while preserving the festival itself? I don’t know, because there never appeared to be a concerted effort by the Brown administration to do so. Instead, it was easier to take actions which eventually ended with the closing of Carijama for good. 

That was also the case with Oakland’s downtown African-American club scene. Two of the area’s longstanding clubs—Geoffrey’s Inner Circle and Sweet Jimmy’s-have either severely curtailed their activities or gone out of business entirely because of problems associated with the city’s response to violence near the clubs. Neither Geoffrey’s nor Jimmy’s catered to a crowd or a type of music normally associated with Oakland’s street violence. The two clubs were longstanding anchors of Oakland’s downtown scene, with Geoffrey’s especially bringing positive, national fame to the city as the regular stopover for celebrities and sports figures when they visited Oakland. Despite the fact that both clubs invested heavily in security measures, problems of violence sometimes developed in or around their facilities, as problems of violence often develop around many Oakland events run by responsible, non-violent entities (the arrests at Raider games regularly top at over a hundred, for example). 

Did Mr. Brown recognize that Geoffrey’s and Jimmy’s both provided positive places for people to go downtown at night—supposedly a goal of the Brown administration—and work with the owners to keep the both establishments open while keeping down the violence? They didn’t, if you listen to the owners themselves, who said that police and city officials continuously cracked down on them to do something about violence that was not emanating from their establishments, and that they had no control over. Jimmy’s, sadly, went out of business entirely, and Geoffrey’s eventually dropped his club openings to one night a week, a loss to Oakland’s downtown scene that will be difficult to overcome. (By way of full disclosure, the owner of Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, Geoffrey Pete, is my cousin.) 

As you can imagine, what the Brown Administration treated badly in regard to organizations catering to people not usually associated with Oakland’s violence—Carijama, Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, and Sweet Jimmy’s—was distinctly worse when it came to areas of the community where the violence was centered. 

Nothing illustrated this failure more than Oakland’s sideshow policy in the Jerry Brown years. 

Although the history of the sideshows has been obscured—often deliberately—a minimum of searching easily reveals what happened. Sometime during the 90’s, young African-Americans on Oakland’s east side sought safe places to gather in the midst of the city’s violent-prone street, club, and concert scene. Initially, they gathered after hours in the parking lot at Eastmont Mall, where sometimes several hundred people assembled in their cars to play music, dance, exchange telephone numbers, and, yes, engage in that old-time East Oakland sport of spinning donuts. 

Two things stand out from those early, parking lot sideshow days. The first is that during one of Oakland’s most intensely-violent periods, little violence was associated with the original events. The second is that there was little or no complaint from the community about the events, since they were away from a residential neighborhood, and not taking place in the middle of the street. 

Why and how did the sideshows move from the relatively violence-free, non-obtrusive events of the Eastmont days to the often-violent street events of today? 

The first thing to remember in this sad tale is that it wasn’t the wish of the sideshow participants themselves. Instead, the sideshows were pushed out into the streets by Oakland police, who broke up the events at Eastmont, and then again when they relocated to the Pac’n’Save parking lot lower down on Hegenberger. Once on the streets, the sideshows suddenly became a massive problems within the communities in which they were operating, leading to increased police crackdowns, including mass ticketings, arrests, and towing of cars. This contributed to a downward spiral, a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy in which the police actions drove away many of the saner sideshow participants who were in it for the socializing rather than the illegal aspect. They were gradually replaced by participants to whom the game of running from the police was more attractive. That led to more police crackdowns, tipping the balance in the participants further and further away from the responsible to the irresponsible, leading us to our current mess. 

More than once, former Oakland Police Chief Richard Word said that breaking up the parking lot sideshows had been a “mistake.” Unfortunately, that bit of information got consistently drowned out in the clamor and din to shut the sideshows down. 

A group of the original sideshow participants—led by documentary filmmaker Yakpasua Zazaboi—approached the Brown administration several times with requests for the city to set up a legalized sideshow. That may have been the solution to shutting down the illegal, street sideshows and providing a safe, sanctioned, and legal outlet for many of Oakland’s forgotten youth. Or it may have been unworkable. So far we don’t know, since the proposal was never addressed in an adult, responsible way by the Brown administration. Instead, the original sideshow participants—the young African-Americans who had suffered the most under Oakland’s violence and who had tried to find a place in Oakland to gather where violence wasn’t happening—were rebuffed and dismissed by Mr. Brown and his associates, criticized from the chairs around City Council, in the press, and by many adults in the neighborhoods without ever sitting down and meeting these young people, or listening directly to what they wanted. 

Mr. Dellums has started out on a different foot, with one of his neighbor-to-neighbor meetings scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday, December 1 at Claremont Middle School) aimed specifically at listening to the concerns and ideas of young people in Oakland. Perhaps the sideshow issue will surface then, from a different perspective. 

As my father used to say, there is a many a slip between the cup and the lip. But the Dellums administration, thankfully, appears to be trying to drink from Oakland waters that are far removed from where Mr. Brown used to quench his thirst. Let’s hope he keeps it up. 

 


East Bay Then and Now: Hillside Club Has Left Mark on Berkeley’s Northside

By Daniella Thompson
Friday December 01, 2006

Few Berkeley landmarks are as repeatedly and unjustly maligned as the Hillside Club Street Improvements in the Daley’s Scenic Park Tract. Designated in 1983, this system of public improvements forms a continuous line that stretches over at least six blocks of Berkeley’s Northside. 

Comprising concrete street dividers, planted median strips, stairways, pillars, elevated sidewalks, and retaining walls, the system is invariably derided by opponents of the 1974 Landmarks Preservation Ordinance as “The Wall” and cited as an example of inappropriate designation. 

The most recent instance of such intentional tunnel vision appeared in this newspaper on Nov. 21, when reader Adam Block wrote: “Most citizens would agree that the crumbling retaining wall on Le Conte […] do[es] not merit protection.” 

Block was parroting the decade-long harangues of realtor-developer Mary Hanna. In 1996 (13 years after the Hillside Club Street Improvements were designated a City of Berkeley Landmark), Hanna bought the Bentley property at 2683 Le Conte Avenue for development and resale. Her plans included excavating the hillside on which the house stands and replacing a 30-foot stretch of the street-side retaining wall—part of the designated landmark—with a large garage. 

Hanna thought she was entitled to disfigure a designated public resource for private profit. The neighbors disagreed. The Landmarks Preservation Commission disagreed. The Berkeley City Council disagreed. Hanna sued the City of Berkeley and lost. She appealed the verdict to a higher court and lost again. 

Yet despite having failed to sway the neighbors, the city, and the courts into believing in the justness of her cause, Hanna had no trouble convincing some of the press. Journalists who apparently did not find it necessary to check the facts came out charging against “The Wall.” 

Ten years later, “Wall” rants continue to pop up as ammunition for weakening the LPO. 

So what’s the real story behind “The Wall”? 

It goes back to 1891, when Charles Keeler and Bernard Maybeck met on the 5 o’clock commuter ferry from San Francisco to Berkeley. Keeler, then a 20-year old ornithologist, had dropped out of UC Berkeley to work at the California Academy of Sciences. Maybeck, 29, was employed by the fashionable architect A. Page Brown. 

Four years after their first meeting, Maybeck designed Keeler’s home—the first house on Highland Place, near the northeastern edge of the university campus. It was clad in shingles and surmounted by a series of steep cascading roofs that blended into the surrounding landscape. 

The new homeowner was worried that the house’s effect would “become completely ruined when others come and build stupid white-painted boxes all about us.” 

Maybeck had a solution. “You must see to it,” he told Keeler, “that all the houses about you are in keeping with your own.” 

This was the germ of the Hillside Club, founded in 1898. Its mission was “to protect the hills of Berkeley from unsightly grading and the building of unsuitable and disfiguring houses; to do all in our power to beautify these hills and above all to create and encourage a decided public opinion on these subjects.” 

Among the Hillside Club’s members and supporters were Northside property owners, including the developer of Daley’s Scenic Park, Frank M. Wilson; artists such as the painter Wiliam Keith and the photographer Oscar Maurer; key university officials, among them UC President Benjamin Ide Wheeler and Supervising Architect John Galen Howard; and cultural leaders like Maybeck and Keeler. 

All these people believed that “There is a need of realizing civic pride and making sacrifices for it, sinking personal prejudices for the benefit of the whole.” 

In 1903, the Hillside Club appointed a committee of its members, including Maybeck and Almeric Coxhead, “to draw up plans for laying out the intersection of Bonte [now La Loma] and Le Conte Avenues and to submit same to the Board of Trustees.” At the time, the Northside was still sparsely developed and lacking paved streets. The club strongly advocated using “what is there. Avoid cutting into the hill; avoid filling up the hollow.” 

By 1905, the committee had surveyed Le Conte Avenue from Le Roy to La Loma and the intersecting blocks of La Loma “as a basis for an artistic treatment of grades and retaining walls, which would take into consideration the preservation of the live-oaks and involve as little alteration as possible of the present topography. […] In addition to preparing a charming plan for these two streets, providing for a small bridge across the creek, etc., the committee has interviewed the interested property owners and has obtained the cooperation of practically all who are most directly concerned in the improvement.” 

The committee’s plans were submitted to the City Engineer, who executed them in 1909. 

The Hillside Club Street Improvements can be seen along the 2600 block of Le Conte Ave.; La Loma Ave. between Cedar St. and Ridge Rd.; Le Roy Ave. between Hilgard Ave. and Ridge Rd.; the 2700 block of Virginia St.; the 1700 block of La Vereda Rd.; and the 2600 block of Hilgard Ave. Street improvements in the same style and materials but not included in the Landmark designation stretch along portions of Hearst Ave. and Arch Street. 

Daley’s Scenic Park and the Hillside Club are forever linked—the former being the locale where the First Bay Region Tradition in architecture had its first major expression, the latter being the First Bay Region Tradition’s major advocate. 

Since advocacy was the club’s principal mission, it began as soon as the club came into being. In June 1899, club founder Madge Robinson (later Mrs. Oscar Maurer), published the article “The Hillside Problem” in The House Beautiful, in which she provides practical design solutions to building on a hillside. During the same period, Maybeck, was spreading the word locally. The Berkeley World-Gazette of 28 April 1899 announced that Maybeck would lecture on “Hillside Architecture” for the Hillside Club at the home of Frank Wilson on Ridge Road.  

In 1904, Keeler published the book The Simple Home, followed in 1905 with Hillside Club Suggestions for Berkeley Homes. In 1906, Maybeck published the illustrated booklet Hillside Building. 

Thanks to the efforts of the Hillside Club, the streets of Daley’s Scenic Park were soon lined with shingled redwood homes surrounded by informal gardens, and the term “living with nature” entered the lexicon. The architectural heritage of the Northside had a profound influence not only on the way houses were built in Berkeley and the rest of the Bay Area but on design theory and practice internationally. 

In 1923, the Berkeley Fire wiped out more than half the homes in Daley’s Scenic Park. After World War II, institutional expansion and development pressures began taking their toll on the surviving historic structures in this fragile neighborhood. 

Three seminal Maybeck houses on Highland Place and Ridge Road were torn down in the 1960s to make way for apartment blocks. The same fate befell the house of Mary McHenry Keith (William Keith’s widow) at 2701 Ridge Road. The house of Mrs. Keith’s brother-in-law, Rear Admiral Charles Fremont Pond, formerly at 2621 Ridge Road, was replaced by a modern Beta Theta Pi chapter house, now the Jesuit School of Theology’s Chardin Hall. 

Twelve buildings, representing two-thirds of the block between Ridge Rd., Le Roy Ave., and Hearst Ave. were demolished for the construction of UC’s Etcheverry Hall and the eventual building of Soda Hall. A UC parking structure and lot replaced the historic Newman Hall and College Hall on La Loma Ave. between Hearst and Ridge. 

The pre-fire structures that remain on the Northside represent some of Berkeley’s most precious cultural resources, and for that reason they were all placed on the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s priority list for initiation in 1990. 

Which brings us back to “The Wall.” 

In Daley’s Scenic Park, public amenities and private homes form a harmonious whole by design. This remarkable legacy—the most important in Berkeley’s architectural history—is ours to enjoy and pass on to future generations. 

Today as much as ever, “There is a need of realizing civic pride and making sacrifices for it, sinking personal prejudices for the benefit of the whole.” If the Hillside Club legacy does not merit protection, is there anything in Berkeley that does? 

 

Photograph by Daniella Thomspon 

The “crumbling wall” in front of the Bentley House, 2683 Le Conte Ave. Note the gracefully curving stairs, a feature found in several properties on this block.


Garden Variety: Brooklyn Botanical Garden Book is a Good Passalong

By Ron Sullivan
Friday December 01, 2006

Joe found an interesting book over at the Mechanics’ Institute Library: a Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s “All-Region Guide,” Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants by C. Colston Burrell. The BBG puts out lots of informative short books; this one is a double-sized volume, with lots of color photographs.  

The book is a constructive move toward controlling a serious problem. You’ve probably heard or read lots of carrying-on about invasive exotics. Here in California they’re a real threat to wild places and the unique life these support, even as all wonderful diversity this is being backed over extinction’s cliff by our habits and industrial methods and our sheer numbers. In a Q-and-A preface to this book, the author cites a journal study to say, “About 42 percent of the species on the U.S. List of Endangered and Threatened Species are at risk primarily because of nonnative invasives.” 

Some utter nonsense gets aired when this subject comes up. Just to get past it here: No, advocating for native plants, animals, and ecosystems is not at all like racism. (Some of us have noticed that humans are all one species.) No, fostering natives in their original habitats doesn’t somehow threaten biodiversity.  

In fact, those pretty broombushes and pampas grass and cotoneasters and the others that we gardeners have introduced and allowed to invade wildlands and elbow out natives are what threatens biodiversity. The species that are being pushed out, starved, threatened—they exist nowhere else in the world. If our populations die, that’s it. Gone. Extinct. The invasives, on the other hand, have home ranges where they’re adapted and they thrive with and feed the rest of their habitats. Where they pay their taxes.  

This book was written for gardeners across the country—and, interestingly, for land managers including highway departments. The role of roads and railroads in spreading invasives is one of those odd things. Partly it’s that they’re responsible for “disturbed ground” on which so many weeds thrive; partly it’s that they’re corridors of seed distribution; partly it’s that invasives have been planted along roadsides for erosion control. 

The BBG names nearly 150 villains and where they’re invasive, and adds photographs, descriptions, and growing tips for native substitutes—often more than one for each invasive, to duplicate the characteristics people plant them for. More substitutes are noted in many listings, and the Garden’s website is added there too, with notes to look there for more. Good idea, allowing constant updating.  

The native substitutes I recognized were well handled. We have more local sources here, such as the California Invasive Plants Council’s leaflet and nursery card, and advice from the California Native Plant Society. Many of the invasive plants in the BBG’s book aren’t a problem here—yet—and many of their alternatives are exotic here. It’s the same old problem we Californians have with most general-geographic-interest garden books.  

I’d suggest sending this book to friends and relatives back East, but thumb through it first and note what’s invasive here, and what works in gardens instead. The glossy stock it’s printed on won’t show fingerprints, and everybody will learn something useful.  

 

Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants 

by C. Colston Burrell 

Brooklyn Botanic Garden All-Region Guides 

240 pages, trade paperback 

$9.95


About the House: Choosing Among Three Contractor Bids

By Matt Cantor
Friday December 01, 2006

My friend Lisa seems to be the Maven Plus Grande de Berkeley. Everybody’s query-girl (although she’s happily married to a fella). She even gets calls about contractors, which she confesses isn’t exactly her area of greatest expertise. So we’re hanging out and she plays me a message from her friend (We’ll call her Mildred) and it goes something like this: 

“Lisa, I’ve had three bids for contractors and I just can’t decide on which one to take. I told them each that I was getting bids from the others and they seem to be in a bidding war now. What should I do now?” Beeeeep. 

Turns out this is all about hiring someone to install a furnace. So what could go wrong here? First, competitive bidding is all well and good but as I am so often heard to say “You get what you pay for….if you’re lucky.” Low bids are, all too often, followed by low quality. Now this isn’t true 100 percent of the time but it is definitely a principle that’s worth observing since it’s true much of the time. Also, the lower you drive your contractor, the less eager they’re going to be to try to do their best work. Like all of us, they’re going to see the dollars on the table, look at their time and sweat and try to minimize their losses. Of course, there ARE other principles are work here. 

One is the principle that I’ll call “Inherent Programming Rarely Fails” or Bunnies usually hop and rarely slither. Obsessive-compulsive, perfectionist tradespersons don’t do sloppy work just because the pay is lousy. They tend to work the way they feel internally driven to work. Also, slobs have trouble cleaning up, no matter how much you pay them. You may have noticed that this principle expresses itself in our relationships. No matter how much you cajole, wheedle or beg, you partner is probably going to continue to engage in that annoying behavior that drives you batty for ever and ever. Smoker’s get diagnoses of lung cancer and go right on smoking. Go figure. 

But, and this is a big one, the really talented person, probably won’t do your job when you start trying to get them for cheap or start getting everyone involved in this bidding war. They’ll just walk away seeking “greener” pastures because they know (or believe) they’re worth it. Now the contractor who works fast and loose and leaves messes behind will take what they can get and will try to suck up every job they can. This person will play bidding war with you and guess who losses. Right. You do. You just drove off the one person you want to have do the job and invited all the bottom feeders to your party. 

The person who seeks out the low bidder in this fashion is usually the same person who will try to get the incompetent contractor to come back and fix the work they screwed up. 

Now why would you want to hire (or even accept work for free) from a person who’s already demonstrated for you in graphic terms that they are incapable of doing something properly. You also have to assume, unless you’re an expert in the relevant trade, that you don’t even know the full depths of their undesirability. For every item that you were able to discern as screwed up, there were probably a handful of others that you know nothing about. But I digress. 

Bidding on work should rightly involve more than just an evaluation of costs. In fact, it should be pretty low on the list. If you get three really good furnace installers to bid on the same furnace and everyone agrees on the methods to be used (which they’re more likely to do anyway since you’ve picked very knowledgeable people), the cost difference between the three isn’t likely to vary by more than 10 percent or 20 percent, may be $1,000. Now I realize that money doesn’t grow on trees (although it Xeroxes pretty well!) but that sum gets to looking really good when you’ve just spent your bargain fee and discovered that something about it was botched and you have to figure out how to gain restitution or, more importantly, to get the thing done properly. Paying to do a job twice is really expensive and paying a little extra to do it once with confidence is a bargain.  

Also, the more expensive contractor almost always has some perks in his/her work that you won’t see in the low bid. When I compare the work and think about the hours involved, the higher bid usually ends up looking as though that contractor made less per hour than the “cheap” fellow/gal. No joke. I see this a lot. The better and higher priced person has figured out what has to be done, has streamlined the process and also wants to prevent call-backs that cost money, hurt their reputation and violate their inherent programming.  

Now, it’s true and I hate to say it but from time to time, you will find a really capable individual who will be cheap. I’ve met ‘em, I’ve hired ‘em and I’ve tried to find them 6 months later only to find that they were either out of business (because they couldn’t make it pay) or they had taken a job with someone else. Also some stick it out, raise their prices and become higher end tradespersons. But in almost no case does this person stay cheap and whey should they. After a little while they get to know who the competition is, what that work looks like and how they rank in the pecking order. If you knew that your peer group was charging, on average, twice what you were getting, wouldn’t you raise your rates. Of course you would. 

So back to Mildred and here dilemma. I have to confess to a certain lack of compassion for this person’s situation. Sorry. I’m not very nice. Maybe too many years in the trades. I feel as though this bidding process corrupts everyone. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not opposed to getting several bids on a single job. Actually, I think it’s a good thing, although I feel that the players should know what the playing field looks like and should thus be informed that they’re being asked to be the 12th bidder on the furnace. 

They might want to turn it down and it’s their right to do so if they wish. I do think that you should take each bid on its own merits and not try to wrestle them to the ground by getting them to compete with the bids from other. For one thing, you may be asking a person who does A+ work to compete with a price from a C- contractor. You might just drive them away but you might also get them to lower their quality. It’s good to demand quality and good performance but it’s also good to pay for it.  

When we engage in this cheapening process repeatedly, we lower the quality of all work being done and this is exactly what has happened over the past 50 years. People say “ You just can’t get good help these day” and it’s our own damned fault. We’ve set it up this way and it’s an all McDonalds world now. Lisa say to get three bids and take the middle one. Well, I’m not sure I would always agree but it’s interesting that this is well known as the European model. In the U.S. the model is to get three bids and take the low one. The think is, so much poor quality work is done today that I don’t think that our middle bid is the same as the Italian middle bid.  

Whether you take the top bid or the middle bid (or even the low bid when appropriate), I suggest that you take a good look at the individual. Get reference and call them. Go visit them for heaven’s sake. What’s two hours compared with having a lousy contracting experience? 

Pick someone for their savvy, their chemistry with you and their being “right sized” (a two-person crew might be more right for you than a 30 person crew). Pick someone you’re willing to give a key to your home to. Someone you’d trust your kids with and someone you’ll want to know when it’s all over. If you’ve done all that with three people and you like them all I don’t care who’s the cheapest (and I’ll bet you won’t either!). 

 

 

Got a question about home repairs and inspections? Send them to Matt Cantor at mgcantor@pacbell.net.


You Write The Daily Planet

Friday December 01, 2006

It’s time to submit your essays, poems, stories and photographs for the Daily Planet’s annual holiday reader contribution issue, which will be published on Dec. 29. Send your submissions, up to 1,000 words, to holiday@berkeleydailyplanet.com. The deadline is 5 p.m. on Dec. 20.


Arts & Events

Arts Calendar

Tuesday December 05, 2006

TUESDAY, DEC. 5 

EXHIBITIONS 

“eARTh MATTERS” A exhibition of environmental art opens with a reception at 4 p.m. at the June Steingart Gallery, Laney College Campus, Tower Bldg, 900 Fallon St. and runs through Dec. 22. 841-0588. 

FILM 

Radical Closure “War: The Visible Signs” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Piri Thomas reads from “Stories from El Barrio” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Frank Portman reads from “King Dork” at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Janell Moon, poet, and Kaylah Marin, singer/songwriter, at Works in Progress Women’s Open Mic, at 7:30 p.m. at Montclair Women's Cultural Arts Club, 1650 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $10. 276-0379. 

Sandor Katz on “The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America’s Underground Food Movements” at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220. 

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 

The Canadian Brass at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $24-$48. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Tom Rigney & Flambeau at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun/zydeco dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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 

Jazzschool Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Eddie Palmieri y La Perfecta II at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 6 

CHILDREN 

Fratello Marionettes “Peter and the Wolf” at 7 p.m.. at Oakland Public Library, Main Library Children’s Room, 125 14th St. 238-3615. 

THEATER 

Azeem’s “Rude Boy” Wed.-Thurs. at 8 p.m. at The Marsh, 2120 Allston Way, through Dec. 14. Tickets are $15-$22. 415-826-5750. www.themarsh.org 

FILM 

“Shadya” a documentary of a young Muslim girl in Israel who becomes a karate champion at 6 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

“Still Kicking” a documentary on six older women who are still performing at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Benefit for the Over 60 Health Center. Donation $10. 849-2568.  

“Switch Off” A documentary on the struggle of Chile’s indigenous people to control their water at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Julia Scheeres describes growing up in a Christian fundamentalist family in “Jesus Land” at 7 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way at Telegraph. 848-1196. 

Richard Abrams discusses “America Transformed: Sixty Years of Revolutionary Change 1941-2001” 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 www.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, with Chamber Chorus and University Chorus “A Child Was Born” at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Music for Advent with Ron McKean, organist, at noon at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway. 444-3555. 

WomenSing “Welcome Yule” at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $18-$20. 925-974-9169. www.womensing.org 

Calvin Keys Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $6. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Whiskey Brothers Old Time and Bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Lost Weekend at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Western swing dance lesson at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Rumbache, 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.  

Mysterioso, Gypsy and Klezmer tunes, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

“Music as an Expression of Universal Harmony” Concert and lecture with Chris Caswell and Jon Schreiber at 6 p.m. at the Breema Clinic, 6201 Florio St., Oakland. 428-1234. 

THURSDAY, DEC. 7 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Fresh” New work in a variety of media. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Kala Art Institute, 1060 Heinz Ave. Runs through Jan. 27. 549-2977. www.kala.org 

“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. 

Montclair Artists Group Exhibition Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Montclair Gallery, 1986 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. 339-4286. 

THEATER 

Checkov International Theatre “Twelfth Night” at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Playouse, UC Campus. Tickets are $65. 642-9988. 

FILM 

“Intensive Care” short works from the Middle East on the emotional response to violence and conflict at 5:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Free first Thursday. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

M. Nevin Smith on “Native Treasures: Gardening with the Plants of California” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585.  

Michael Lewis talks about his new novel of football “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Christina Hutchins, poet, at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Lunch Poems with Jack Marshall at 12:10 p.m. in the Morrison Library, in the Doe Library, UC Campus. http://lunchpoems.berkeley.edu 

Tom Laird reads from “Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Nelson Martini’s Laugh-N-Luau Hosted by Bryan Moore at 9 p.m. at Temple Bar Tiki Bar and Grill, 984 University Ave. 524-6403. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

MLK Jr. Middle School Jazz Band and The Potentials Annual Winter Jazz Concert and Fundraiser at 7:30 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School Auditorium, 1781 Rose St. at Grant. Admission is free, donations requested. 

Marlon Asher & The Ganja Farmer, from Trinidad, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is tba. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Cris Williamson with Teresa Trull and Barbara Higbie at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

The Tarabinis with Yancie Taylor at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Eddie Palmieri y La Perfecta II at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Voodoo Economics, Plot Against Rachel, Farwell Typwriter at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

Everyday Stranger, Deep Hello at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

FRIDAY, DEC. 8 

THEATER 

Altarena Playhouse “ The Man Who Saved Christmas” at holiday family musical Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at 1409 High St., Alameda, through Dec. 17. Tickets are $15-$18. 523-1553. www.altarena.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 “All Wear Bowlers” at the Roda Theater, 2015 Addison St. through Dec. 23. Tickets are $45-$61. 647-2949. 

Checkov International Theatre “Twelfth Night” at 8 p.m. Sat. at 2 and 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 and 7 p.m., at Zellerbach Playouse, UC Campus. Tickets are $65. 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  

Naked Masks “Far Away” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. Sun. at 7 p.m. at Berkeley City Club. Tickets are $10-$20. Runs through Dec. 17. 883-9872. www.nakedmasks.org 

Prophecy Theater, “Broken Moments: What’s Your Pleasure?” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Egypt Theater, 5306 Foothill Blvd., Oakland. Tickets are $15. 1-800-838-3006. 

Shotgun Players “The Forest War” Thurs.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Jan 14. Sliding scale $15-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Sacred Flame” An exhibition of menorahs, candelabras and votives opens with a reception at 5 p.m. at ACCI Gallery, 1652 Shattuck Ave. 843-2527. 

FILM 

“Burning Man Festival” at 7:30 p.m. in the 3rd Floor Community Room, Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6100. 

Janus Films: “Il Posto” at 6:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Ballet Theater, “The Nutcracker” at 7 p.m., Sat. at 2 and 7 p.m. and Sun. at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $16-$21. 843-4689. 

Voci Women’s Vocal Ensemble “Voices in Peace” music from the Americas at 8 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Tickets are $15-$20. 531-8714.  

Bella Musica Chorus and Orchestra Bach’s “Mass in B Minor” at 8 p.m. at Arlington Community Church, 52 Arlington Blvd., Kensington. Suggested dontation $10-$15. 525-5393. www.bellamusica.org 

University Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $5-$15. 642-4864.  

California Revels “Christmas Revels” Celebrating the stories, songs, dance, and drama of 19th century Quebec, at 7:30 p.m. at Scottish Rite Theater, 1547 Lakeside Drive near Lake Merritt, Oakland. Tickets are $15-$42. 452-3800. www.calrevels.org 

La Familia Son, contemporary Cuban, at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. 

Yerbabuena Ballet Flamenco at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $24-$48. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Sacred and Classical Turkish Music Necati Celik on oud and Arif Bicer on ney, with American Sufi musicians at 7:30 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $20-$25 at the door. 707-824-2230. 

SFJazz All-Star High School Ensemble at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Hanif & The Sound Voyagers at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Tito y su Son de Cuba at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Cris Williamson with Teresa Trull & Barbara Higbie at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org  

The Nomadics, jazz, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Ragwater Revue, Vermillion Lies, Kira Lynn Cain at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Iron Age, Cold World, Never Healed 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. 

Les Nubians, Jennifer Johns, Femi at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $20 in advance from ticketweb.com . 548-1159.  

Subnautic at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Eddie Palmieri y La Perfecta II at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, DEC. 9 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Colibri, Latin American music for the whole family, at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Gris Grimly reads from “Santa Claws” at 4 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Elmwood Theater Matinee Benefit for local schools showing “Shrek 2” at 10 a.m. and noon, and noon on Sun. Cost is $2. Sponsored by Elmwood merchants. 843-3794. 

EXHIBITIONS 

3rd Annual Albany Community Art Show & Sale from noon to 6 p.m. at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany. Features the work of many local artists. The event is free and wheelchair accessible. 524-9283. 

THEATER 

Checkov International Theatre “Twelfth Night” at 2 and 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Playouse, UC Campus. Tickets are $65. 642-9988. 

“Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” Solo performance by Kristina Wong at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Seldom Seen Acting Company of St. Vincent de Paul “Rock Bottom Hope” at 7 p.m. at Oakland Museum's James Moore Theatre, 1000 Oak St., Oakland. Tickets are $20. 812-9421. 

FILM 

“Rare Rockin’ Film Clips” with rock historian Richie Unterberger at 10 p.m. at Fellini Restaurant, 1401 University Ave. Free. 841-5200.  

Janus Films “La strada” at 5 p.m. and “Seven Samurai” at 7:10 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jeff Norman introduces “Temescal Legacies” at 2 p.m. at the Temescal Branch of the Oakland Public Library, 5205 Telegraph Ave. 597-5049. 

John Scharffenberger discusses “The Essence of Chocolate” at 2 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Ballet Theater, “The Nutcracker” at 2 and 7 p.m. and Sun. at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $16-$21. 843-4689. 

Yerbabuena Ballet Flamenco at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $24-$48. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Oakland East Bay Symphony “Messiah” Singalong at 8 p.m. at Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakand. Tickets are $15-$28. 625-8497. www.oebs.org 

Oakland-East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus “Pacem” at 8 p.m. at Lakedhore Avenue Baptist Church, 3534 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $12-$15. www.oebgmc.org 

Kairos Youth Choir “Choose Something Like a Star” at 7 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, 1325 Portland St., Albany. Tickets are $10-$12. 704-4479.  

Kensington Symphony performs holiday favorites by Handel, Johann Strauss, (pere and fils), Tchaikovsky, Telemann, others, at 8 p.m. at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 545 Ashbury Ave., El Cerrito. Suggested donation $12-$15, children free. 524-9912. 

California Revels “Christmas Revels” Celebrating the stories, songs, dance, and drama of 19th century Quebec, Sat. and Sun. at 1 and 5 p.m. at Scottish Rite Theater, 1547 Lakeside Drive near Lake Merritt, Oakland. Tickets are $15-$42. 452-3800. www.calrevels.org 

Oakland School for the Arts Concert Ensemble performs carols and gospel music at 3 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Free, donations accepted. 228-3207. 

Rhythm & Muse Open Mic features jazz vocalist Felice York with Eliza Shefler, jazz piano, at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St., between Eunice & Rose Sts. 644-6893.  

University Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $5-$15. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

La Pena Community Chorus at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Pete Excovedo & Ray Obiedo with Mambo Caribe at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $15. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Groundation, reggae, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15-$18. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Holler Town and Ronnie Cato at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

 

 

 


Arts and Entertainment Around the East Bay

Tuesday December 05, 2006

THE POLITICS OF WATER 

 

At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Pacific Film Archive will screen Manel Mayol’s 2005 documentary Switch Off. The film documents the efforts of the Pehuenche-Mapuche, the indigenous people of Chile’s Ralco Valley, to stop a Spanish hydroelectric firm from constructing one of the world’s largest dams. The Mapuche have resisted all kinds of intruders over the centuries, including the Incas and the Spanish conquistadors, but the battle against Endesa also means battling the Chilean government, which has used its anti-terrorism laws to put down dissent. 87 minutes. $4-$8. 2575 Bancroft Way. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

 

 

FRESH at KALA 

 

“Fresh,” an exhibit at Kala Art Institute opens with a reception Thursday, 6 p.m., 1060 Heinz Ave. More than 50 artists will be exhibiting their work through Jan. 27. Kala Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday, noon-5:30 p.m., and Saturday, noon-4:30 p.m. For more information, call 549-2977 or see www.kala.org. 

 

 

BERKELEY BALLET NUTCRACKER 

 

Berkeley Ballet Theater presents The Nutcracker Friday, 7 p.m., Saturday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Sunday, 2 p.m., at the Julia Morgan Center, 2640 College Ave. Tickets $16-$21. For more information, call 843-4689. 

 


Wallace Berman and His Circle at BAM

By Peter Selz, Special to the Planet
Tuesday December 05, 2006

Wallace Berman was perhaps the last true Bohemian—a denizen of the Beat counterculture, which was Bohemia’s successor. Berman constructed his life and art outside the establishment, and he and his coterie of many friends were in search of an art that confirmed their nonconformist lifestyle. Berman was a man of many talents: poet, draftsman, sculptor and, as we see throughout the exhibition, a fine, rather conventional portrait photographer.  

He is best known as the inventor of Verifax collages in which a hand holds up a transistor radio in which a photograph has been inserted in the place of the speaker. Mysterious images and Hebrew letters were arranged in grids by the artist. The word itself, derived from Latin, suggests “true facts.”  

Between 1955 and 1964 Berman issued nine editions of his loose-leaf journal, Semina. It was printed in editions of a few hundred copies and sent out irregularly and gratis. It published early translations of Herman Hesse’s poems and poems by Jean Cocteau, Charles Baudelaire and Rabindranath Tagore, together with “Beat” poems by Allen Ginsberg, Philip Lamentia, Diane di Prima, David Meltzer, Michael McClure and Jack Hirshman, among others.  

Berman was also involved in the early avant-garde gallery scene in California. He had a solo show at the Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles in 1957 and was an early partner of the Dilexi Gallery when it opened in San Francisco in 1958. He is seen as the link between the anarchist avant-garde in Venice and North Beach. 

The show at the Berkeley Art Museum was organized by the Santa Monica Museum of Art. Berman lived in Santa Monica and produced the first issues of Semina there where his friend Bob Alexander taught him to print. Baza, as Alexander was called, also founded the Temple of Man and ordained those whom he invited. In 1960 Berman moved to a shack in Larkspur after his ill-fated show at the Ferus in Los Angeles in 1957. 

He had exhibited rather esoteric pieces with the motto: “Art is Love is God” in that space, when police officers, who had heard that the show was pornographic, stormed into the gallery. Ironically, they failed to notice an image of coitus hanging on a sculpture called “Cross” (1956-57). There was, however, an erotic, rather weird, but finely drawn picture of a woman having intercourse with a monster. It was made by Cameron {Marjorie Cameron], but the police arrested Berman, who would never again show in a commercial gallery after being brutalized by the LAPD. 

The show at the Berkeley Art Museum is mostly documentary. It includes, however, many notable and some excellent works of art. The above-mentioned Cameron drawing is there, as well as about a hundred items by Berman himself, including the fabulous Verifax collage, “Untitled (A7-Mushroom, D4-Cross),” (1966). 

There is a superb black and white painting by Jay DeFeo, “Temple (for B.C.)” (1980), and there are several works in different media by Bruce Conner himself. George Herms, the other principal assemblage artist is represented with his “Temple of the Sun” (1964), a large old steamer trunk, holding many esoteric objects. In addition to Joan Brown’s famous “Fur Rat” (1962) from the Berkeley Art Museum’s Funk collection, there is the vulnerable “Man on Horseback” (1957). And there are also collages by Los Angeles’ sardonic Llyn Foulkes. 

Fascinating are the many different artifacts and documents of lesser-known artists, poets, choreographers and performers. And there are works by members of the Berman circle who were, or became movie stars: Dean Stockwell has collages and assemblages of the ‘50s and ‘60s in the show, and there are excellent photographs by Dennis Hopper, including a photograph of Berman sitting triumphant on his motorcycle in 1964. Ten years later Wallace Berman was killed in an automobile accident on his 50th birthday, on the day he predicted he would die. 

 

Photograph: Berman's "Untitled (A7-Mushroom, D4-Cross)" (1966), a 56 -image Verifax collage.


Revels Mark Holiday Season

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Tuesday December 05, 2006

Once again, California Revels celebrates the Winter Solstice holidays with the 21st Christmas Revels: music and song, Morris and step dance, pomp and proclamations, choruses and soloists—as well as the popular participatory sing-along and the line-dance that runs through the entire audience, now a tradition—amid a sumptuous spectacle of holiday customs from other times, other places, all to unfold over the next two weekends at the Oakland Scottish Rite Theater, by Lake Merritt. 

This year the dance, drama, storytelling and “kitchen music” of 19th century Quebec will be celebrated, with guest performers Pierre Chartrand of Montreal, master dancer, dance caller and choreographer, cofounder of Danse Cadence; musician David Cahn of Seattle; and featured dancers Kalia Kliban of Sebastopol and Sarah Brug of Menlo Park (originally Montreal). 

The pageantry will be set in Trois Rivieres, now the province’s second or third largest city, but once a tiny village in the snow-covered forests of the 19th century. “Much of the show is based on a popular folktale, ‘The Flying Canoe,’ or ‘La Chasse galerie,’” said Dirk Burns, California Revels executive director. “There are many versions, but they all entail trappers or lumberjacks far from home, making a deal with the devil to fly their canoe back home in time for the holidays. In our version, there will be a dance-off with the devil to decide the fate of the voyageurs!”  

So join in with the other revelers when the Master of the Revels proclaims that the festivities have begun. 

 

 

The California Revels, Dec. 8-10 and 15-17, Fri., 7:30 p.m. and Sat-Sun., 1 and 5 p.m. at the Oakland Scottish Rite Theater, by Lake Merritt, 1547 Lakeside Drive. Tickets: $15-42. 452-3800 or www.calrevels.org


Other Minds Festival Begins This Weekend

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Tuesday December 05, 2006

The Other Minds Festival of New Music, now in its 12th year, presents concerts featuring the work of composers and improvisors from Norway, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, France—and Emeryville— this Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with composer panel discussions at 7 p.m., and on Sunday at 2 p.m. (panel at 1 p.m.) in Kanbar Hall at the San Francisco Jewish Community Center, 3200 California St. Tickets are $30 ($20 students) with three show packages at $72, through otherminds.org, (415) 292-1233, or at the SFJCC box office. 

“We have no theme, but try to bring older and younger composers together, those with 50 years composing experience with others just starting their careers,” said Other Minds founder and artistic director Charles Amirkhanian. “We have a four-day retreat at the Djerassi Ranch, which creates an internal mentoring situation. That chemistry’s irreplaceable.” 

This year, the “elder statesmen,” Amirkhanian said, include “the leading composers of their respective countries,” Peter Sculthorpe of Australia (whose “Saibai” for violin and piano will be played Fri. and “String Quartet #16 for Strings, with didjeridu,” Stephen Kent on didjeridu, will premiere Sun.) and Per Norgard of Norway (”Harvest-Timeless,” a string quartet, plays Fri. and “Wie ein Kind” for mixed chorus a capella on Sat.). 

Younger Norwegian composer Maja Radtke’s “Gagaku Variations” for accordion and string quartet plays Friday; on Saturday she performs with fellow Norwegians POING. “She’s a phenomenal performer,” Amirkhanian noted, “doing gymnastics with her voice, producing electronic sounds off her laptop to saxophone, accordion, bass ... yet composes string quartets as well. This is the type of new development we’re seeing in the younger composers.”  

Emeryville’s Daniel David Feinsmith’s Other Minds-commissioned “Elohim” will premier Friday. 

Canadian composer Ronald Bruce Smith’s “String Quartet #2, ‘Nostalgia,’” with material from Ravel and Bill Evans, will be played Sunday by Del Sol Quartet, “the house band,” to whom the piece is dedicated. At intermission Sunday, outside Kanbar Hall, VCS Radio, new music ensemble from Vacaville Christian School, under Ralph Martin’s direction, premieres their “Electrical Resonance Symphony,” to the memory of Nicolai Tesla, plated on conventional instruments, Theremin and Tesla Coil. 

Markus Stockhausen, son of renowned composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, performs “Compositions, improvisations and intuitive music” with Tara Bouman on Sunday as well. The other improvisor on the bill, Joelle Leandre, well-known to free jazz fans as a virtuosic double bassist, will play Sat. with Gunda Gottschalk and Xia Fengxia. Among the eminent international musicians performing during the festival will be Swiss pianist Eva-Maria Zimmerman. 

For more information, see www.otherminds.org. 

 


Barn Owls: House Hunting in Berkeley

By Penny Bartlett, Special to the Planet
Tuesday December 05, 2006

Editor’s note: The following article was submitted to Joe Eaton in response to his call for readers’ stories about barn owls. His column will return the Tuesday after next. 

 

It was just after dark on an evening in late July when I heard that screeching noise again. Raspy and raucous, reminding me of fingernails on a blackboard. It went on into the night with only occasional pauses. I had heard it the previous summer for a couple of months; it seemed to be coming from a tree next door. I never got around to finding out what it was and never noticed when it stopped. 

But now it was back. This time I would find out. I went out the gate onto Sacramento Street, looking at the tall trees in my neighbors’ yards. The screeching was louder but not nearby. I walked down the block, crossed Bancroft and continued into the next block. The sound was obnoxious. 

It was coming from a large Canary Island palm tree in somebody’s back yard. I did some minor stalking to see which yard it was, then knocked on a front door. 

The woman living there told me the palm tree was just over her back fence. Every year a pair of barn owls nested there, and every summer the babies made a huge racket at night, most of the night. Her daughter’s bedroom was close to the tree and sometimes it was hard for the daughter to sleep. I couldn’t imagine sleeping there since I could hear the noise clearly a block away. And who would have thought an owl could make such sounds; owls are supposed to hoot.  

A palm tree in the middle of Berkeley seemed a strange home for a barn owl, but I learned that they will also nest in cliffs, riverbanks, caves, church steeples, haystacks and even duck nesting boxes. Since there aren’t a lot of barns or haystacks in Berkeley, maybe a palm tree is upscale urban housing. If they nest in a tree it’s in a hollow cavity. Maybe under the mop of palm fronds there was a nice invisible hole. 

Now I began hearing other owl sounds almost every night. A short screech above me as I walked down the path to my house. Metallic clicking sounds and the smallest fluff of wings beating close overhead. A series of raspy screeches right outside my bedroom window as I fell asleep. How had I not noticed all this before? 

I had glimpses of a soft shadow sailing over a neighbor’s fence. I stood on the sidewalk in front of the palm tree in the moonlight and saw a shadow fly into the crown of the tree. 

The racket calmed down and I assumed some owlets were gulping rodent delicacies. 

Usually nestlings are quiet when parents are hunting until the parents approach with food, but these barn owlets kept up a continuous squawking. I thought maybe they just didn’t like being left alone; then learned that only the male hunts and mama is always home. The male hands his catch over to her and she tears it up and feeds the chicks and herself. It seemed strange that mama’s presence didn’t quiet the kids. 

During July and August the night chorus got gradually louder, then at the end of summer it stopped. I found another palm tree neighbor who had watched owlets fall out of the nest each year and bump around on the ground until their wings were strong enough to fly. 

She had seen this year’s brood and watched parents feeding them on the ground; now the kids had gone off on their own. 

Early the next summer I was paying attention. Then one night I saw a pair of ghostly white birds doing an aerial dance above Allston Way near Sacramento. Barn owls look brownly speckled from above but seen from below they are white. 

I watched them soaring and swooping around each other in graceful loops, clicking their bills and screeching. It looked like owl love. 

A week later I was sitting outside in the dusk with my neighbors when I heard screeches coming closer. I shouted to everyone to look up, and there came both owls, passing not too far above our heads in looping sensuous flight, shrieking as they went. 

A few weeks later the nighttime rackety chorus began, but this time it stopped sooner than in previous years. 

I wondered if all the chicks had fallen out of the nest early. I also knew the local raccoon posse loved to hang out in palm trees, and raccoons will eat anything. 

That winter I was driving down Sacramento when I noticed a big bare spot where the palm tree had been. It had been cut down. No more owl house.  

That was a year ago. Last summer was quiet. No owls. 

But a few nights ago while working at my computer, I heard a faint sound of fingernails on blackboard. It was far away. Then last night, falling asleep, there was a loud screech outside my window. 

I thought, yay! They’re back! But on reflection: either they’re hunting for food, or in this town, where it’s hard to find a place to live and the landlord can tear your house down, they may just be house hunting. 


Berkeley This Week

Tuesday December 05, 2006

TUESDAY, DEC. 5 

UC Regents Meeting in SF to decide the fate of the oak trees in Berkeley. Save the Oaks at the Stadium will arrange carpools to the meeting, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at UCSF’s Mission Bay campus in the Community Center building, 1675 Owens St. in SF. Contact us for information and to share rides info@saveoaks.com or 841-3493.  

The Future of Lower Codornices Creek is in Your Hands The Codornices Creek Watershed Council is sponsoring a meeting so that the public can learn about restoration plans for the lower portion of Codornices Creek above Frontage Road and I-80 to the Union Pacific railroad tracks. It will include a presentation by Far West Restoration Engineering on restoration designs and land use scenarios for this area. From 7 to 9 p.m. at Four Corners Room, University Village Community Center, 1123 Jackson St., Albany. Enter UC Village from 8th St. 452-0901. 

Anti-Torture Teach-in and Vigil with Carlos Mauricio, survivor of torture by a Salvadoran death squad, at 12:30 p.m. at Boalt Hall, School of Law, UC BCAmpus. 649-0663. 

“Surviving the Next Pandemic: Bird Flu and Other Emerging Infectious Diseases” with Michael Greger, M.D. at 7 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Free, but RSVP requested. 925-487-4419. 

“When the Environment and Politics Collide: Recent Developments in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta” With Mike Taugher, environmental raporter, Contra Costa Times, at 5:30 p.m. at Golman School of Public Policy, Room 250, UC Campus. 642-2666. 

Senior Strength Training at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley YMCA, 2001 Allston Way. Free and open to the public. To register call 848-6834, ext. 502. 

Berkeley School Volunteers Training workshop for volunteers interested in helping the public schools, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. 644-8833. 

Wreath Making Workshop from 7 to 9 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $25-$30. Registration required. 643-2755. 

Discussion Salon on Homeland Security at 7 p.m. at JCC, 1414 Walnut.  

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. In case of questionable weather, call around 8 a.m. 215-7672, 524-9992. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991.  

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 6  

“Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill” Benefit screening and discussion with Judy Irving, the film’s producer and Mark Bittner, at 6:30 p.m. at Oakland Zoo, 9777 Golf Links Rd, in Knowland Park, Oakland. Cost is $12-$20 sliding scale, children $5. Proceeds benefit Mickaboo Cockatiel Rescue. 632-9525, ext. 122. www.oaklandzoo.org 

“Liberty and Leviathan” An evening with Robert Higgs discussing his new book “Depression, War and Cold War” and Thomas S. Szasz. Reception at 6:30 p.m., program at 7 p.m. at The Independent Institute, 100 Swan Way, Oakland. Cost is $10-$15. 632-1366.  

“The Role of Petroleum in the International World of High Finance” with Al Goldman at 1 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 981-5190. 

Wreath Making Workshop from 7 to 9 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $25-$30. Registration required. 643-2755. 

“Skiing Colorado’s 14ers” with free skier Chris Davenport at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

New to DVD “40 Up” at 7 p.m. at the JCCEB, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

“Shadya” a documentary of a young Muslim girl in Israel who becomes a karate champion at 6 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200.  

Red Cross Blood Drive from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m at UCB Fiji fraternity, 2395 Piedmont Ave. To schedule an appointment see www.BeADonor.com 

Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation at 10 a.m. at 6230 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Registration required. 594-5165. 

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.  

THURSDAY, DEC. 7 

Rally to Drive Out the Bush Regime and Call for Impeachment at noon at Sproul Plaza, UC Campus. 

Celebration of Human Rights Day and World AIDS Day with spoken word, poetry, dance, drumming and prayer at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Donation $7. 849-2568. 

Derby Street Athletic Field Community Meeting to discuss plan options at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Technical Academy, formerly Berkeley Alternative High School, 2701 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 644-6320. 

Returning the Oakland School Oakland School District to Local Control, with Sandre Swanson, Betty Olson-Jones, Dan Siegel and others, at 7 p.m. at OUSD, 1025 Second Ave., Oakland. 272-6060. 

Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters Club meets at 6:45 p.m. at Spud's Pizza, 3290 Adeline at Alcatraz. namaste@avatar. 

freetoasthost.info 

FRIDAY, DEC. 8 

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 Michael Sturtz on The Crucible, a non-profit educational colaboration of arts, industry at community. 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.  

“The Ground Truth” A documentary about soldiers returning home from Iraq at 7 p.m. at Buena Vista United Methodist Church, 2311 Buena Vista Ave., Alameda, followed by a panel discussion. Sponsored by the Lt. Ehren Watada Support Committee. Suggested donation $5. 527-1401. 

Womansong Circle with Betsy Rose “Fertile Darkness, Winter Light” at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way at Dana. Cost is $15-$20. 525-7082. 

Chai, Pie and Buy Art Party with artwork donated by local artists to benefit homeless children at the Learning Center and the Ursula Sherman Village, from 5 to 7 p.m. at 1208 Peralta at Gilman. Also Sat. and Sun. from noon to 4 p.m. 649-1930. www.self-sufficiency.org 

“The Heart of the Buddha’s Message: The Middle Way and Other Disputed Concepts in Early Buddhism” with Oliver Firberger of the Univ. of Texas, at 5 p.m. at IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton St., 6th flr., 643-6536. 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 548-6310, 845-1143. 

SATURDAY, DEC. 9 

Berkeley Hills Path Walk led by Charlie Bowen, head of Berkeley Path Wanderers Assoc.’s path-improvement efforts. Meet at 10 a.m. at the toddler play area at Glendale LaLoma Park. Wear shoes with good traction and bring a walking stick. www.berkeleypaths.org 

“Holiday Sustainability Event” Make new toys out of reclaimed lumber, sew hats and stockings from salvaged fabrics and produce decorative wrapping paper, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Tinkers Workshop, 84 Bolivar Drive alongside Berkeley’s Aquatic Park. Fees for materials will be minimal or by donation. www.tinkersworkshop.org 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market Holiday Crafts Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Center St. at Martin Luther King Jr. Way with local craftspepole, live music and prepared food. Benefits the Ecology Center. 548-3333.  

Telegraph Avenue Holiday Fair with more than 200 vendors, music and food, Sat. and Sun. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Holiday Fair at California College of the Arts, with live jazz and gifts made by students, alumni and staff, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 5212 Broadway at College Ave., Oakland. 594-3666. 

3rd Annual Albany Community Art Show from 9 a.m. to noon at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany. 524-9283. 

iPride Holiday Craft Celebration with special activities for children, from noon to 5 p.m. at 1581 LeRoy Ave. Benefits iPride’s work with multi-ethnic adopted children. 832-2375. www.ipride.org 

World of Good Development Organization Fundraiser with fair trade handcrafts from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 1380 10th St., near Gilman. www.worldofgood.com 

Folk Art Nativity Exhibit with over 250 creches from 74 countries on display from 5 to 8 p.m., Sat. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sun. from noon to 4 p.m. at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church, 2837 Claremeont Blvd. Donation of $15 goes to St. James Food Pantry. 843-2678. 

“Afghan Women: Victims of War” with Rahima Haya, co-founder of the Afghan Women's Association International at 2 p.m. at Berkeley City College, 2020 Center St., basement auditorium.  

“The State of Surveillance” Government Monitoring of Political Activity in Northern and Central California” with Mark Schlossberg, Police Practices Policy Director, ACLU, at 7 p.m. at Home of Truth Center, 1300 Grand St., ALameda. www.alamedaforum.org 

“Framing of an Execution” A documentary by Danny Glover on the case of Mumia Abu Jamal at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Unitarian Universalists Hall, 1924 Cedar St. at Bonita. Suggested donation $5-$10, no one turned away. 526-4402. 

Dimond Winter Festival “An Interfaith Celebration” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Fruitvale Presbyterian Church, 2735 Mac Arthur Blvd. & Coolidge, Oakland. Donation $5. Canned goods appreciated, also. All ages welcome. 336-0105. 

Berkeley Lighted Boat Parade at 6 p.m. at the Berkeley Marina and Pier. 

Tree Trimming Contest from 1 to 6 p.m. at Expression Art Gallery, 2035 Ashby Ave. 644-4930. 

Vegetarian Cooking Class “A Healthful Holiday Feast” 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. www.compassionatecooks.com 

“Solar Electricity For Your Home” A seminar from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. at Building Education Center, 812 Page St. Cost is $75. 525-7610. 

Wreath Making Workshop from 7 to 9 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $25-$30. Registration required. 643-2755. 

“Temescal Legacies...” with Jeff Norman, Temescal resident and artist at 2 p.m. at Temescal Library, 5205 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 597-5049. 

“Local Wildlife and Habitat” with naturalist Josiah Clarke at 10 a.m. at Stanford Ave. Natural Habitat Garden, Stanford Ave. and Vallejo St., Oakland. Free, donations accepted. 428-2082. 

Great War Society, East Bay Chapter meets to discuss “Small Arms of WWI” by Terry McGill at 10:30 a.m. at 640 Arlington Ave. 527-7118. 

Community Spelling Bee From 3 to 5 p.m. at 1481 Solano Ave., Albany. Students in all grades welcome. Call to sign up. 558-8179. 

Origami at the Albany Library Learn to make a holiday star at 2 p.m. in the Edith Stone Room, Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. For all ages. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Dramatically Speaking Holiday Storytelling Party at 9 a.m. at 1950 Franklin St., Room 2F, Oakland. Admission is free, but RSVP required. 581-8675. 

“Discover Spiritual Keys to Life’s Mysteries” from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at Preservation Park in Oakland, 660 13th St. 549-2807.  

One on One Animal Communication at 5 p.m. at RabbitEars, 303 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Cost is $25. Appointments required. 525-6155. 

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. www.nativeplants.org 

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

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, DEC. 10 

Winter Festival Hands-on activities for the whole family for Christmas, Chanukah and Kwanzaa from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Chai, Pie and Buy Art Party with artwork donated by local artists to benefit homeless children at the Learning Center and the Ursula Sherman Village, from noon to 4 p.m. at 1208 Peralta at Gilman. 649-1930. www.self-sufficiency.org 

Architecture Tour of the Oakland Museum of California Meet at the koi pond at 1 p.m. 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Telegraph Avenue Holiday Fair with more than 200 vendors, music and food, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Kensington Holiday Craft Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Kensington Farmers’ Market, Arlington and Amherst. 

Folk Art Nativity Exhibit with over 250 creches from 74 countries on display from noon to 4 p.m. at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church, 2837 Claremeont Blvd. Donation of $15 goes to St. James Food Pantry. 843-2678. 

Chanukah Fair in the afternoon at the JCC, 1414 Walnut St. For more information call 848-0237, ext. 127. 

Free Sailboat Rides from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Cal Sailing Club in the Berkeley Marina. Bring change of clothes, windbreaker, sneakers. For ages 5 and up. cal-sailing.org  

Holiday Appeal for Class-War Prisoners Benefit party for 16 political prisoners including Mumia Abu-Jamal and Leonard Peltier from 1 to 4 p.m. at the YWCA, 1515 Webster St., Oakland. Donation $5-$10. 839-0852. 

“Landmark Cases Left Out of Your Textbooks” with Ann Fagan Ginger and Abiola Afollyn on the Angela Davis case, the Pentagon Papers case and others at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, Cedar and Bonita. 848-0599. 

“The Last Abortion Clinic” a documentary at 2 p.m. at Parkway Speakeasy Theater, 1834 Park Blvd., Oakland. 415-864-1278.  

East Bay Atheists Solstice Party at 2:30 pm. at Gionvanni’s Restaurant, 2420 Shattuckk Ave. 222-7580. 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

“The Divine Feminine in the World’s Religions: Judaism” with Anna Matt of the GTU at 9:30 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, One Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Tibetan Buddhism with Sylvia Gretchen on “Tools for Inner Change” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, DEC. 11  

Red Cross Blood Drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m at the MLK Student Union, UC Campus. To schedule an appointment see www.BeADonor.com 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

ONGOING 

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. 

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 food for families in need during the holiday season. 635-3663, ext. 318. www.accfb.org  

Magnes Museum Docent Training Open to all interested in Jewish art and history. Classes begin Jan. 18th. For information contact cultural.arts@sbcglobal.net 

CITY MEETINGS 

City Council meets Tues., Dec. 5, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Commission on the Status of Women meets Wed., Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5190. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/women 

Disaster and Fire Safety Commission meets Wed., Dec. 6, at 7 p.m., at the Emergency Operations Center, 997 Cedar St. Gil Dong, 981-5502. www.ci.berkeley.ca. us/commissions/disaster 

Downtown Area Plan Advisory Commission meets Wed. Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7487. 

Library Board of Trustees Special Meeting, Wed. Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Could not be confirmed at press time, call for further information 981-6195. http://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/support/bolt.html 

School Board meets Wed. Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m., in the City Council Chambers. 644-6320. 

Housing Advisory Commission meets Thurs., Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5400. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/housing 

Landmarks Preservation Commission meets Thurs., Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Gisele Sorensen, 981-7419. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/landmarks 

 

The Berkeley Daily Planet lists local community and arts events in our calendars on a space available basis. Preference is given to local non-profits. As we run week-long calendars, we appreciate receiving the information at least two weeks in advance. Please send information in the body of an email, not as an attachment, to calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.com


Arts Calendar

Friday December 01, 2006

FRIDAY, DEC. 1 

THEATER 

Altarena Playhouse “ The Man Who Saved Christmas” at holiday family musical Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at 1409 High St., Alameda, through Dec. 17. Tickets are $15-$18. 523-1553.  

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.  

Berkeley Theater Troup “Pirate Winter Fest” at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. at Bonita. Tickets are $15-$25. Fundraiser for the January musical. 647-5268. 

Berkeley Rep “All Wear Bowlers” at the Roda Theater, 2015 Addison St. through Dec. 23. Tickets are $45-$61. 647-2949. 

Berkeley Rep “Passing Strange” at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. through Dec. 3. Tickets are $45-$61. 645-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

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.  

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.  

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.  

Naked Masks “Far Away” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. Sun. at 7 p.m. at Berkeley City Club. Tickets are $10-$20. Runs through Dec. 17. 883-9872. www.nakedmasks.org 

Shotgun Players “The Forest War” Thurs.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Jan 14. Sliding scale $15-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“The 99 Cent Show” Reception at 7 p.m. at Boontling Gallery, 4224 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 295-8881. 

“Small Works: A Members’ Show” opens at 6 p.m. at Mercury 20 Gallery, 25 Grand Ave. at Broadway, Oakland.  

FILM 

Janus Films: “The Rules of the Game” at 7 p.m. and “Samurai Rebellion” at 9:10 at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Blue Collar Poems-Journeyman Songs” with Armando Garcia-Davila and David Madgalene, bilingual poetry and prose, at 7:30 p.m. at PSR Chapel, Pacific School fo Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave. 707-836-9586. 

“California as Muse: The Art of Arthur & Lucia Mathews” A walk through the exhibition with curator Harvey L. Jones at 7 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

“How We Almost Lost the Marais” A slide-show with Leonard Pitt on the historic district of Paris, at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Jennifer Abrahamson will discuss her new book, “Sweet Relief: The Story of Marla Ruzicka” the human rights activist who was killed by a road-side bomb in Iraq, at 7:30 p.m. at Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Tickets are $10-$12 at independent bookstores. 415-255-7296 ext. 253.  

Sabrina Orah Mark and Susan Maxwell, poets at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

The Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble Fall Concert at 7:30 p.m. at the Florence Schwimley Little Theater, Berkeley High School campus. Tickets are $3-$10, available only at the door, Free for BHS students and staff. 528-4074.  

Tallis Scholars at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way Pre-performance talk at 7 p.m. Tickets are $46. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

“Hasta Cuando?” The Other Face of Mexico” with singer, stroyteller and activist Francisco Herrera at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker School, Marian Hall, 2nd flr., 2125 Jefferson St. (Not wheelchair accessible). 845-4740. 

Young Musicians Program Sing-Along Messiah at 7:30 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $15. 642-2686. 

Jesse De Natale at 3 p.m. at Down Home Music, 10341 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. 525-2129. 

Carne Cruda at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $5-$7. 849-2568.  

Jim Ryan in Trio at 8 p.m. at 1510 8th St., Oakland. Donation $5-$15. sfjazzmusic@yahoo.com 

Culture Shock and Miss Kim’s World Hip-Hop Showcase at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $12-$18. 800-521-8311. 

John Santos Quartet “Standards the Latin Way” at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Kenny Washington & His Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Albany Music Fun Benefit with Rhythm Bound and Albany High School Jazz Band at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Patrick Landeza, Hawaiian Christmas celebration at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

The Ravines and Stevie Barsotti at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Chow Nasty, The Dead Hensons at 9 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

Nels Cline Singers, Rova Saxaphone Quartet at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Taj Mahal Trio at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200.  

SATURDAY, DEC. 2 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Los Mapaches, traditional songs from the Andes, at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

“Dinosaur Alphabet” with author Harry S. Robins at 1 p.m. at the Junior Center of Art & Science, 558 Bellevue Ave, off of Lake Merritt, Oakland. 839-5777. 

Fratello Marionettes “The North Pole Review” at 2 p.m. at Oakland Public Library, Montclair Branch, 1687 Mountain Blvd. 482-7810. 

“Chain Letter” Illustrator Doug Dworkin will tell stories and teach you how to create a linking chain, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Museum of Children’s Art, 538 Ninth St., Oakland. Free. 465-8770. www.mocha.org 

“Little Nemo in Circusland” at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $8-$14. 925-798-1300. www.juiamorgan.org 

Elmwood Theater Matinee Benefit for local schools showing “Sponge Bob Square Pants” at 10 a.m. and noon, and noon on Sun. Cost is $2. Sponsored by Elmwood merchants. 843-3794. 

Andy Z with musical pirates, squirrels, dinosaurs and more at 11 a.m. at Studio Grow, 1235 10th St. Cost is $6. 526-9888. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Winter Bright” ceramic sculptures by Elizabeth Orleans, and acrylic paintings by Rosalie Cassell and Diane Rusnak. Reception at 4 p.m. at the Community Art Gallery, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, 2450 Ashby Ave. Exhibit runs through Jan. 5. 204-1667.  

THEATER 

Living Arts Playback Theater at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. Sliding scale $12-$18. Reservations recommended. 655-5186, ext. 25. 

FILM 

Janus Films: “Beauty and the Beast” at 5 p.m. and Jacques Rivette “La belle noiseuse” at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Lisa Robertson, Stephen Ratcliffe, Marvin White and others read at 2 p..m. at Small Press Distribution Open House 1341 7th St. at GIlman. 524-1668. 

Bay Area Poets Coalition open reading at 3 p.m. at Strawberry Creek Lodge dining hall, 1320 Addison St. Park on the street, not in Lodge parking lot. 527-9905. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

The Dulcimates, dulcimer music at 3 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave. Free. 228-3218.  

Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra presents Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Copland’s “American Songs” and others at 8 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. Free, donations welcome. www.bcco.org 

The Maybeck Trio, Roy Zajac, clarinet, Elaine Kreston, ‘cello, Jerome Kuderna, piano, at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. TIckets are $8-$12. 549-3864 www.trinitychamberconcerts.com 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra performs Bach’s complete “Christmas Oratorio” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $29-$67. 415-392-4400. www.philharmonia.org 

Parranda Navideña, with the Venezuelan Music Project at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $13-$15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Zoe & Dave Ellis at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Anoush’s Last Farewell Dance with Brass Menazheri at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Balkan dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Culture Shock and Miss Kim’s World Hip-Hop Showcase at 7:30 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $12-$18. 800-521-8311. 

Sotaque Baiano, Brazilian, at 8 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10. 548-1159.  

David Serotkin and Brad “The Dudeboy” Rogers at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Fishtank Ensemble at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Kenny Washington Quartet at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373.  

Ben Adams Jazz Group at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Mirthkon, Kids & Hearts at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Jean White and Friends, folk, blues, at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7-$10. 558-0881. 

Dekoiz, The Abuse, 2nd Class Citizen, Violation at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, DEC. 3 

CHILDREN 

“Little Nemo in Circusland” at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $8-$14. 925-798-1300. www.juiamorgan.org 

Freddi Zeiler introduces “A Kid’s Guide to Giving” at 4 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Los Hilos de la Vida: Threads of Life” Latina themed folkloric story quilts by women and children from Anderson Valley opens with a reception at noon at Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery, 5741 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 601-4040, ext. 111. 

“Generations in Wood” Art Exhibition at Addison Street Windows Gallery, 2018 Addison St. Sidewalk reception at 4 p.m. Exhibition runs to Jan. 14. 981-7541.  

“The Gift of Art” Group show of small art works through Jan. 7 at Cecile Moochnek Gallery, 1809-D Fourth St. www.cecilemoochnek.com 

Semina Culture: Wallace Berman and His Circle Guided tour at 1 and 3 p.m. in Gallery 2, Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

FILM 

Beat-Era Cinema “Tarzan and Jane Regained ... Sort Of” at 2 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Yiddish Films “Mamele” at 3 p.m. and “Kitka and Davka in Concert” at 4 p.m. at the JCC, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Pen Oakland-Josephine Miles National Literary Awards, hosted by Tennessee Reed and Lucha Corpi, at 2 p.m. at Oakland Public Library, West Auditorium, 125 14th St. Free. 228-6775. 

Aurora Script Club with Paul Heller and Lauren Grace on Chekov’s “The Seagull” at 7:30 p.m. at The Aurora Theater. 843-4822. 

“Ira Nowinski’s San Francisco” a panel discussion with Jack Hirschman, Malcom Margolin and Ira Nowinski at 3 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

Readings of New Books from Zeitgeist Press at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Poetry Flash with Jennifer K. Sweeney and Clare Rossini at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra presents Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms,” Copland’s “American Songs” and others at 4:30 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. Free, donations welcome. www.bcco.org 

The Temescal Trio “Music for Marfan” Benefit Concert, chamber music at 3 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 415-665-7244. 

Sorelle, woman’s vocal ensemble performs choral selections at 3 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave. Free. 228-3218.  

California Bach Society “In Dulci Jubilo” at 4 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. TIckets are $10-$35. Receptionfollows. 415-262-0272;. www.calbach.org  

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra performs Bach’s complete “Christmas Oratorio” at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $29-$67. 415-392-4400. www.philharmonia.org 

Voci Women’s Vocal Ensemble “Voices in Peace” music from the Americas at 3 p.m. at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church, Oakland. Tickets are $15-$20. 531-8714. www.vocisings.com 

Cantare Con Vivo performs Bach, Gabrieli, Boito and Grieg at 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 27th and Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $10-$32. 925-798-1300. 

The Takacs Quartet at 3 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Pre-performance talk at 2 p.m. Tickets are $42. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Handel’s “Messiah” Sing Along at 6 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. Suggested donation $10. 525-0302. www.uucb.org 

Mercury Dimes, Pat Nevin and others in a benefit for the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters at 6 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center, 1305 Shattuc Ave. Cost is $8. 548-3113. 

Twang Cafe featuring Brian Joseph and Lila Nelson at 7:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10, all ages welcome. www.twangcafe.com 

The Bills at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Bill Jackman Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $8. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Jeannie Cheatham at 4:30 at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Boots Riley, Ise Lyfe, Ras Mo and others at 7 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $7-$10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Sam Misner & Megan Smith at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

MONDAY, DEC. 4 

EXHIBITIONS 

“The Quarterly at Latham Square” Work by Raymond Haywood, in the lobby at Latham Square, 1611 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Open weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 763-9425. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Gregory M. Franzwa on the transcontinental road from Manhattan to San Francisco “The Lincoln Highway” at 7 p.m. at the Rockridge Branch of the Oakland Public Library, 5366 College Ave. 597-5017. 

Actors Reading Writers “Christmas Past,” works by Truman Capote and Dylan Thomas at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 

Amy Gorman will talk about “Aging Artfully: 12 Profiles: Visual and Performing Women Artists Aged 85-105” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Last Word Poetry Series with Janell Moon, Jeanne Wagner and Alice Templeton at 7 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Poetry Express with Hassan Jones-Bay and Jamie K at 7 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Guinga at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, DEC. 5 

EXHIBITIONS 

“eARTh MATTERS” A exhibition of environmental art opens with a reception at 4 p.m. at the June Steingart Gallery, Laney College Campus, Tower Bldg, 900 Fallon St. and runs through Dec. 22. 841-0588. 

FILM 

Radical Closure “War: The Visible Signs” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Piri Thomas reads from “Stories from El Barrio” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Frank Portman reads from “King Dork” at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Janell Moon, poet, and Kaylah Marin, singer/songwriter, at Works in Progress Women’s Open Mic, at 7:30 p.m. at Montclair Women's Cultural Arts Club, 1650 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $10. 276-0379. 

Sandor Katz on “The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America’s Underground Food Movements” at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220. 

 

 

 

 

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 

The Canadian Brass at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $24-$48. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Tom Rigney & Flambeau at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun/zydeco dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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 

Jazzschool Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Eddie Palmieri y La Perfecta II at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 6 

CHILDREN 

Fratello Marionettes “Peter and the Wolf” at 7 p.m.. at Oakland Public Library, Main Library Children’s Room, 125 14th St. 238-3615. 

THEATER 

Azeem’s “Rude Boy” Wed.-Thurs. at 8 p.m. at The Marsh, 2120 Allston Way, through Dec. 14. Tickets are $15-$22. 415-826-5750. www.themarsh.org 

FILM 

“Shadya” a documentary of a young Muslim girl in Israel who becomes a karate champion at 6 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

“Still Kicking” a documentary on six older women who are still performing at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Benefit for the Over 60 Health Center. Donation $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

“Switch Off” A documentary on the struggle of Chile’s indigenous people to control their water at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Julia Scheeres describes growing up in a Christian fundamentalist family in “Jesus Land” at 7 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way at Telegraph. 848-1196. 

Richard Abrams discusses “America Transformed: Sixty Years of Revolutionary Change 1941-2001” 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 www.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, with Chamber Chorus and University Chorus “A Child Was Born” at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Music for Advent with Ron McKean, organist, at noon at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway. 444-3555. 

WomenSing “Welcome Yule” at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $18-$20. 925-974-9169. www.womensing.org 

Calvin Keys Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $6. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Whiskey Brothers Old Time and Bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Lost Weekend at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Western swing dance lesson at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Rumbache, 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.  

Mysterioso, Gypsy and Klezmer tunes, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

“Music as an Expression of Universal Harmony” Concert and lecture with Chris Caswell and Jon Schreiber at 6 p.m. at the Breema Clinic, 6201 Florio St., Oakland. 428-1234. 

THURSDAY, DEC. 7 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Fresh” New work in a variety of media. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Kala Art Institute, 1060 Heinz Ave. Runs through Jan. 27. 549-2977. www.kala.org 

“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. 

Montclair Artists Group Exhibition Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Montclair Gallery, 1986 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. 339-4286. 

THEATER 

Checkov International Theatre “Twelfth Night” at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Playouse, UC Campus. Tickets are $65. 642-9988. 

FILM 

“Intensive Care” short works from the Middle East on the emotional response to violence and conflict at 5:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Free first Thursday. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

M. Nevin Smith on “Native Treasures: Gardening with the Plants of California” at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585.  

Michael Lewis talks about his new novel of football “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Christina Hutchins, poet, at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Lunch Poems with Jack Marshall at 12:10 p.m. in the Morrison Library, in the Doe Library, UC Campus. http://lunchpoems.berkeley.edu 

Tom Laird reads from “Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

MLK Jr. Middle School Jazz Band and The Potentials Annual Winter Jazz Concert and Fundraiser at 7:30 p.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School Auditorium, 1781 Rose St. at Grant. Admission is free, donations requested. 

Marlon Asher & The Ganja Farmer, from Trinidad, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is tba. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Cris Williamson with Teresa Trull and Barbara Higbie at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

The Tarabinis with Yancie Taylor at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Eddie Palmieri y La Perfecta II at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Voodoo Economics, Plot Against Rachel, Farwell Typwriter at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

Everyday Stranger, Deep Hello at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 


Arts and Entertainment Around the East Bay

Friday December 01, 2006

THE STORY OF A HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST 

 

Jennifer Abrahamson will discuss her new book, Sweet Relief: The Story of Marla Ruzicka, the human rights activist who was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq, at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Hillside Club. Tickets can be purchaced for $10-12 at local independent bookstores. 2286 Cedar St. (415) 255-7296 ext. 253. 

 

50 YEARS OF CLASSIC ARTHOUSE CINEMA 

 

Pacific Film Archive will continue its tribute to Janus Films with screenings of two French clasics. Jean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game (1939), considered by many to be one the greatest films ever made, shows at 7 p.m. Friday, and Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast (1946) shows at 5 p.m. Saturday. $4-$8. 2575 Bancroft Way. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu. 

 

CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS WITH BACH 

 

The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra will perform Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and again at 7 p.m. Sunday at the First Congregational Chuch. $29-$67. 2345 Channing Way. (415) 392-4400. www.philharmonia.org. 

 

QUILTS EXHIBIT TELLS LATINA STORIES 

 

“Los Hilos de la Vida: Threads of Life,” an exhibit of Latina-themed folkloric story quilts by women and children from Anderson Valley, will open with a reception at noon Sunday at the Women’s Cancer Resource Center Gallery. 5741 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 601-4040 ext. 111.


Arts: Anselm Kiefer Retrospective at SF MOMA

By Peter Selz, Special to the Planet
Friday December 01, 2006

Anselm Kiefer was born in Germany in 1945, a few months before the end of World War II. The horror of the Nazi regime and the divided nation in which he grew up find stronger response in his work than it has in many of his contemporaries. In fact, it is the most powerful work to come out of Germany, Kiefer delves into history and mythology—Greek, Nordic and especially the Bible and the Kabbala. He is well versed in modern poetry as well as art and its history. 

The superb exhibition, entitled “Heaven and Earth” deals with grand themes of life on this planet, which is dark. But earthly destruction, in Kiefer’s universe, is allied to heavenly knowledge. The artist made many beautiful paintings of battlefields after the war when the earth was scorched and its surface ashen.  

In “Falling Stars” (1995) a man—his own likeness—naked from the waist up, is stretched out on the earth, the sky and its innumerable stars. In ancient myths celestial bodies determined human destiny, which was “written in the stars.”  

In other canvases, such as “In the Beginning” (2003) and “Melancholia” (2004) we see geometric figures in grey skies above turbulent seas. The polyhedron in the latter refers to the famous “Melancholia” by the German Renaissance master Albrecht Durer. As Michael Auping, the curator of this exhibition writes in the catalogue, in “Im Anfang” and “Melancholia” Kiefer pits the rational architecture of the mind against the potentially unformed nature of the cosmos, imagining one explanation for our origin.  

He has said “It is the artist’s job to imagine the most impossible things. There are no answers. They are just possible entries into hidden things.” 

Kiefer’s canvases are painted with thick heavy materials. He may use combinations of oil, shellac, acrylic, straw, semen, achieving a powerful solidity that confronts the viewer and makes him/her stop in astonishment in front of these mural-like paintings. And the three-dimensional objects in the show are made of lead.  

The monumental “Wings” (1992-94) is a massive tome, which lies open on a high lectern. It has majestic wings which spread out to a width of 13 feet. Or “The Secret Life of Plants” (2001) is more than six feet high. He has said that ancient forests and plants “may contain secret knowledge.” He is fond of double meanings that may provide entry to the mysteries of the world. In his mysterious field of stars on the lead pages of the heavy book he has added the NASA identification numbers. 

This amazing fusion of mythology and science is essential to Kiefer’s work. Many of the sheets of lead were taken from the roof of Cologne Cathedral’s building which has played a significant role in German history and folklore. Lead, of course, was the material which the alchemists hoped to transform into gold. They also believed that this transformation could lead to higher consciousness, which of course, is the ultimate function of art. At this time, with the market rather than the artists’ work driving the art world, we rarely encounter such transcendence. Anselm Kiefer is one of the few living artists who accomplishes this task with the utmost painterly skill and with fervent passion. 

 

ANSELM KIEFER: HEAVEN AND EARTH 

Through Jan. 21 at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. 151 Third St. San Francisco. (415) 357-4000. www.sfmoma.org. 

 

Photograph: Sternenfall (“Falling Stars”) (1995). (1992-94).


Moving Pictures: PFA Screens Seven Samurai Classics

By Justin DeFreitas
Friday December 01, 2006

Pacific Film Archive will present a series of seven samurai films beginning today and running through Dec. 17. 

Most of the films come courtesy of Janus Films, the great American distributor of foreign arthouse cinema whose 50th anniversary PFA has been honoring in another ongoing series.  

But the samurai series ain’t quite as highbrow as all that. Not on the surface, at least. These are popular entertainments, full of action and humor. But look closer and you’ll see films full of art and artistry, of complex themes and human struggle worthy of the highest forms of art, here dressed in violent period melodrama. 

Of course no samurai series would be complete without the best samurai film of them all, Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954). Seven Samurai gave rise to an American version, The Magnificent Seven, but the western version pales in comparison to the original. Kurosawa takes his time with each character, presenting a fuller, richer, more engaging ensemble than the swaggering icons played by Yul Brynner et al.  

Kurosawa is represented in the series by two other films as well: Throne of Blood (1957), his samurai adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and Yojimbo (1961), a brilliant and funny film inspired by American westerns and later remade as a western, albeit an Italian western: Sergio Leone’s Fistful of Dollars. 

But most enlightening films in the series are the lesser-known classics of the genre.  

The series starts with this weekend with two films by Masaki Kobayashi, Samurai Rebellion (1967) and Harakiri (1962). 

Harakiri is a stunning film, a gradually unfolding tale of heartbreak and misfortune that builds toward a climactic act of revenge. Most of the film consists of conversations in which the characters play out a tense, strategic battle of wills, yet now and then the slow-burning tone is punctuated with scenes of sudden violence. 

Kobayashi and photographer Yoshio Miyajima establish themselves quickly as masters of interiors with an opening credits sequence of slow tracking shots which delineate the architectural splendor of a great mansion. The pattern continues throughout the film with beautiful but discreet compositions and graceful tracking shots through corridors and into rooms, with pillars and doors and windows and figures arranged perfectly like stones in a garden.  

Kobayashi often maintains a certain distance from his subjects, unobtrusively watching them as they go about their business. But when the action starts and the tone shifts, so too does the camera, zooming in like a Sergio Leone telephoto shot or tilting toward canted angles a la Orson Welles, signaling a shift in the dramatic action as well as the strategic repositioning of characters within fragile alliances. But Kobayashi also demonstrates his talent for outdoor shots with a one-on-one battle on a windswept plain that contains echoes of Bergman.  

The plot concerns the requisite lone samurai, this time seeking to destroy the facade of nobility and honor maintained by a great clan, and he does so, for the most part, without action but with words. It is like one of those extended endgame scenes in a James Bond movie where the villain stops the show to explicate in great detail for the hero’s benefit the machinations of his nefarious scheme. Only here it lasts two hours and results in a tour de force of swordfight choreography as Tatsuya Nakadai takes on the house’s company of samurai and by extension the entire feudal system. He smashes down doors, breaks through walls, smears the house insignia with the blood of his enemies and dismantles the interiors that Kobayashi had photographed with such care throughout the film, the architecture that had sustained the house and masked its cowardice.  

The series also features two films by director Kihachi Okamoto: Kill! (1968) and Sword of Doom (1966).  

While Kobayashi’s work embodies much of what of what is best in the samurai genre, the films of Kihachi Okamoto elaborately deconstruct these elements in gleeful parodies that, like the Italian westerns of Leone, are equal parts satire and homage. Okamoto’s Kill!, made just six years after Harakiri, picks apart the genre’s stock features and embellishes its humor-laced plot with a score that deconstructs the genre’s musical themes as well, combining Japanese instrumentation with the cartoonishly grand orchestrations of the spaghetti western scores of the 1960s. 

For more information on the samurai series, see Pacific Film Archive’s website: www.bampfa.berkeley.edu


Moving Pictures: Films Show Two Sides of Social Conscience

By Justin DeFreitas
Friday December 01, 2006

Two new documentaries opening today at Shattuck Cinemas depict complementary aspects of America’s social conscience. The first, Wrestling With Angels, examines the artistic side of social and political engagement in the person of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner. The second, Beyond the Call, tracks a more grounded, more blue-collar form of humanitarianism by tracking the exploits of a man named Ed Artis who, along with two comrades, stages his own missions to war-torn nations, providing food and supplies to the needy.  

Wrestling with Angels director Freida Lee Mock won an Academy Award for Maya Lin: A Strong, Clear Vision, a portrait of the designer of the Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement memorials. Her new film follows Tony Kushner around the country during three busy years in his career, from New York to Chicago to Louisiana and even to Berkeley, where Homebody/Kabul played at the Berkeley Rep. It’s an engaging film because Kushner is an engaging man, but viewers hoping to glean deeper insight into his work or into the circumstances of its creation may leave disappointed, for the film provides plenty of details about the man but surprisingly little insight into the artist.  

We hear much about what is great in his work by way of testimonials from friends and actors and from footage of performances, but we hear little criticism. We do hear that there is criticism—in fact, we hear that from Kushner himself—but we hear virtually nothing of its contents.  

What we do learn is that Tony Kushner is an all-around good guy. We know his work gives him great anxiety, and has at times driven him to the consolation of overeating, but the Kushner we see on screen is always smiling, rarely showing signs of inner turmoil or artistic struggle. What elements of his work does he struggle with? What does he see as his weaknesses? What do his critics see as his weaknesses? These questions go unanswered. We hear much of his strengths, much of his successes, but only passing mention of mixed reviews, leaving us apparently to assume that his critics are simply wrong-headed, that they have failed to understand his work. We do not hear the views of detractors, nor of fellow playwrights. What we’re left with is something just slightly more enlightening than a reality show, a glimpse into the lauded life of a man at the peak of his fame. It’s good, but it’s slight. 

 

Beyond the Call takes a different approach. Adrian Belic, director of the acclaimed Genghis Blues, brings us the tale of less likely heroes, of men whose names you’ve never heard and which you likely won’t remember. This film shows the more practical, pro-active side of social conscience. There is no art or artifice here, no curtain calls, no Pulitzer Prizes or commencement addresses. It is the story of a 50-something man named Ed Artis who decided to apply his talent and determination to the procurement of food and supplies for those who suffered under the Taliban in Afghanistan. This was before 9/11. Yet it was just after the attacks, when most westerners were getting out, that Ed and cohorts Jim Laws and Walt Ratterman went in.  

And they didn’t stop there. This was just the first of many missions that continue today. Knightbridge, as they call themselves, seeks out the most troubled spots on the planet, bringing money, food, tents, medical supplies and even solar equipment to those whose needs have gone unmet by the traditional providers of aid. The trio works by their motto: “High Adventure and Service to Humanity.” They do not engage in proselytizing; there is no agenda. As Artis himself puts it, “We’re not here to change anybody’s politics, we’re not in the God business, and we pay our own way.” 

These are not perfect men by any means. They’re salt-of-the-earth types with the vernacular to back it up. These are simple, behind-the-scenes kinda guys, can-do men of great competence and courage, men with no hesitation or fear. Their achievements and dedication are enough to make you want to put in your notice, sell off all your possessions and join the good fight, the one that doesn’t involve guns or politics or ideology, but merely struggles to ensure the simple dignity of humanity.  

Sure, these are proud men. Sure, they enjoy the attention of the camera. And sure, they get caught now and then in minor acts of grandstanding or patriarchal posing. But they’re easily forgiven. If each one of us had just a fraction of the dedication and follow-through of Ed, Jim and Walt there wouldn’t be half as many problems in this world in need of solutions. And if that knowledge results in a few demonstrations of pride, so be it. They’ve more than earned it. 

 

Photograph: Ed Artis and Jim Laws travel the world providing humanitarian aid in Beyond the Call.


The Theater: ‘All Wear Bowlers’ at Berkeley Rep

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Friday December 01, 2006

A pair of derbies sit alone in the light on stage at Berkeley Rep, visually out of line, but syncopated. After a pause, they skitter off under, it seems, their own power, and a movie projection begins on the white screen upstage from where the hats so coyly posed ... 

Titles scroll, then two figures appear in the branches of a great bare tree, both in derbies. Shades of Godot! But these two-dimensional creatures leave the screen, after wandering down a dusty road, and appear before the audience, covered with stagy chalk dust, as fully-rounded stage clowns Earnest and Wyatt (aka Geoff Sobelle and Trey Lyford), surprised—even aghast—at the crowd they find themselves before, but whom they cajole, threaten, trample and constantly interact with throughout All Wear Bowlers, directed by Aleksandra Wolska. 

The show proceeds like a Slinky’s ungainly downstairs tumble through an outpouring of routines—and indeed, the clowns themselves credit David Shine for telling them they needed more characterization for their original compendium of bits. They raise holy hell onstage and off, finally literally bringing down the house, otherwise sitting back on a brace of seats stolen from under two spectators to observe the aftermath of their mayhem. 

Gimmicks are standard enough: a ladder, a fire extinguisher, an endless baker’s dozen of eggs (or is it only one or two?), a spoon to tap them with, a handkerchief, the ubiquitous bowlers of the title. When things really get going, it’s an old-fashioned Chinese Fire Drill of clown schtick by two very talented present-day practitioners. 

The problem seems to be with the hook, not the old vaudeville method of getting a ham offstage. Their original instincts more than half-right, the talented team took their preshow development criticism too much to heart, and have tried a little too hard, as the head to an interview in the program put it, at “turning something into nothing.” 

That “nothing” is an homage to Absurdism, which the dramaturg’s notes define by dictionary and link to Existentialism. “Theatre of the Absurd,” the term stuck to Beckett’s plays (as well as Ionesco’s and others, like Genet and Adamov), was coined by Martin Esslin of Stanford (also noted) as an English rough equivalent of “Theatre nouveau,” meaning a recycling of older, often surrealist techniques in postwar drama. 

All Wear Bowlers makes reference, or homage, to that, as well as Buster Keaton’s astonishing film, Sherlock, Jr., in their play with onscreen-offscreen (and onstage) movement—very creative technically, but a little bit awkward, like an absurd fish out of water, with its framing device. Buster returned in triumph to performing with baldly unexplanatory clown routines, which were nonetheless full of character—and recently a local troupe, Mugwumpin, improvised a show out of a nervewracking audition for clowns, red noses the only hook in sight. 

Earnest and Wyatt prove a good team, through composite bits, strings of old chestnuts that start to come alive, like a presumably dead (and overly flexible) body, victim of partner’s manslaughter, who revives as rebellious, ukelele-playing ventriloquist dummy, then morphs into a Wray-o-phage King Kong—or bits of playful stage magic with eggs to mouth, guns from frisked spectators. A quick nod to Magritte works well enough, because it’s quick. But Beckett’s pauses weren’t looking back over the shoulder, or at the audience for a response, for recognition. 

Unfortunately, the archness, not the showmanship gets telegraphed. Two Laurels to somebody else’s (the audience’s?) Hardy, the pair are straitjacketed by the conceit of the show from exhibiting the unabashed freedom, the salutary destructiveness that the silent comedians—as well as the Marx Brothers and recent comics like Dick Shawn—launched into, using the theme as a pretext to take off from, even to tear up—not to exhibit for approval. The original Absurdist plays—like Arthur Adamov’s Ping-Pong, maybe the most relentlessly slapstick-y, show how to deploy the old music hall and burlesque routines and poses to achieve, not quote, profundity. 

 

ALL WEAR BOWLERS 

Through Dec. 23 at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. 647-2900. www.berkeleyrep.org


Arts Correction

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Friday December 01, 2006

A reader wrote in to complain about what he perceptively referred to as “crossed wires” in the Nov. 28 preview of holiday concerts.  

Referring to the Philharmonia Baroque’s “A Bach Christmas,” (to be performed this Saturday and Sunday at the First Congregational Church), I crossed the title of “The Christmas Oratorio” with “The St. Matthew Passion” (the passions, as our reader points out, is “ar-guably the other towering Eastertide monument,” rivaling “The Messiah”).  

I saw “A Bach Christmas,” and made the slip of title. I hope no-one was misled, and quote our reader again as to the significance of these performances: 

“Bach’s full ‘Christmas Oratorio’ is staged so infrequently in this country. I know of only two full Bay Area productions in the past 20 years; whereas the passions, one or both, and the B-Minor Mass are reliable annual staples. The ‘Christmas Oratorio’ contains a wealth of joyful trumpet-and-drum choruses, tuneful arias, and rich orchestral color. Philharmonia Baroque and maestro McGegan deserve our gratitude for offering us the complete six-section masterwork, and deserve SRO audiences ...” 


East Bay Then and Now: Hillside Club Has Left Mark on Berkeley’s Northside

By Daniella Thompson
Friday December 01, 2006

Few Berkeley landmarks are as repeatedly and unjustly maligned as the Hillside Club Street Improvements in the Daley’s Scenic Park Tract. Designated in 1983, this system of public improvements forms a continuous line that stretches over at least six blocks of Berkeley’s Northside. 

Comprising concrete street dividers, planted median strips, stairways, pillars, elevated sidewalks, and retaining walls, the system is invariably derided by opponents of the 1974 Landmarks Preservation Ordinance as “The Wall” and cited as an example of inappropriate designation. 

The most recent instance of such intentional tunnel vision appeared in this newspaper on Nov. 21, when reader Adam Block wrote: “Most citizens would agree that the crumbling retaining wall on Le Conte […] do[es] not merit protection.” 

Block was parroting the decade-long harangues of realtor-developer Mary Hanna. In 1996 (13 years after the Hillside Club Street Improvements were designated a City of Berkeley Landmark), Hanna bought the Bentley property at 2683 Le Conte Avenue for development and resale. Her plans included excavating the hillside on which the house stands and replacing a 30-foot stretch of the street-side retaining wall—part of the designated landmark—with a large garage. 

Hanna thought she was entitled to disfigure a designated public resource for private profit. The neighbors disagreed. The Landmarks Preservation Commission disagreed. The Berkeley City Council disagreed. Hanna sued the City of Berkeley and lost. She appealed the verdict to a higher court and lost again. 

Yet despite having failed to sway the neighbors, the city, and the courts into believing in the justness of her cause, Hanna had no trouble convincing some of the press. Journalists who apparently did not find it necessary to check the facts came out charging against “The Wall.” 

Ten years later, “Wall” rants continue to pop up as ammunition for weakening the LPO. 

So what’s the real story behind “The Wall”? 

It goes back to 1891, when Charles Keeler and Bernard Maybeck met on the 5 o’clock commuter ferry from San Francisco to Berkeley. Keeler, then a 20-year old ornithologist, had dropped out of UC Berkeley to work at the California Academy of Sciences. Maybeck, 29, was employed by the fashionable architect A. Page Brown. 

Four years after their first meeting, Maybeck designed Keeler’s home—the first house on Highland Place, near the northeastern edge of the university campus. It was clad in shingles and surmounted by a series of steep cascading roofs that blended into the surrounding landscape. 

The new homeowner was worried that the house’s effect would “become completely ruined when others come and build stupid white-painted boxes all about us.” 

Maybeck had a solution. “You must see to it,” he told Keeler, “that all the houses about you are in keeping with your own.” 

This was the germ of the Hillside Club, founded in 1898. Its mission was “to protect the hills of Berkeley from unsightly grading and the building of unsuitable and disfiguring houses; to do all in our power to beautify these hills and above all to create and encourage a decided public opinion on these subjects.” 

Among the Hillside Club’s members and supporters were Northside property owners, including the developer of Daley’s Scenic Park, Frank M. Wilson; artists such as the painter Wiliam Keith and the photographer Oscar Maurer; key university officials, among them UC President Benjamin Ide Wheeler and Supervising Architect John Galen Howard; and cultural leaders like Maybeck and Keeler. 

All these people believed that “There is a need of realizing civic pride and making sacrifices for it, sinking personal prejudices for the benefit of the whole.” 

In 1903, the Hillside Club appointed a committee of its members, including Maybeck and Almeric Coxhead, “to draw up plans for laying out the intersection of Bonte [now La Loma] and Le Conte Avenues and to submit same to the Board of Trustees.” At the time, the Northside was still sparsely developed and lacking paved streets. The club strongly advocated using “what is there. Avoid cutting into the hill; avoid filling up the hollow.” 

By 1905, the committee had surveyed Le Conte Avenue from Le Roy to La Loma and the intersecting blocks of La Loma “as a basis for an artistic treatment of grades and retaining walls, which would take into consideration the preservation of the live-oaks and involve as little alteration as possible of the present topography. […] In addition to preparing a charming plan for these two streets, providing for a small bridge across the creek, etc., the committee has interviewed the interested property owners and has obtained the cooperation of practically all who are most directly concerned in the improvement.” 

The committee’s plans were submitted to the City Engineer, who executed them in 1909. 

The Hillside Club Street Improvements can be seen along the 2600 block of Le Conte Ave.; La Loma Ave. between Cedar St. and Ridge Rd.; Le Roy Ave. between Hilgard Ave. and Ridge Rd.; the 2700 block of Virginia St.; the 1700 block of La Vereda Rd.; and the 2600 block of Hilgard Ave. Street improvements in the same style and materials but not included in the Landmark designation stretch along portions of Hearst Ave. and Arch Street. 

Daley’s Scenic Park and the Hillside Club are forever linked—the former being the locale where the First Bay Region Tradition in architecture had its first major expression, the latter being the First Bay Region Tradition’s major advocate. 

Since advocacy was the club’s principal mission, it began as soon as the club came into being. In June 1899, club founder Madge Robinson (later Mrs. Oscar Maurer), published the article “The Hillside Problem” in The House Beautiful, in which she provides practical design solutions to building on a hillside. During the same period, Maybeck, was spreading the word locally. The Berkeley World-Gazette of 28 April 1899 announced that Maybeck would lecture on “Hillside Architecture” for the Hillside Club at the home of Frank Wilson on Ridge Road.  

In 1904, Keeler published the book The Simple Home, followed in 1905 with Hillside Club Suggestions for Berkeley Homes. In 1906, Maybeck published the illustrated booklet Hillside Building. 

Thanks to the efforts of the Hillside Club, the streets of Daley’s Scenic Park were soon lined with shingled redwood homes surrounded by informal gardens, and the term “living with nature” entered the lexicon. The architectural heritage of the Northside had a profound influence not only on the way houses were built in Berkeley and the rest of the Bay Area but on design theory and practice internationally. 

In 1923, the Berkeley Fire wiped out more than half the homes in Daley’s Scenic Park. After World War II, institutional expansion and development pressures began taking their toll on the surviving historic structures in this fragile neighborhood. 

Three seminal Maybeck houses on Highland Place and Ridge Road were torn down in the 1960s to make way for apartment blocks. The same fate befell the house of Mary McHenry Keith (William Keith’s widow) at 2701 Ridge Road. The house of Mrs. Keith’s brother-in-law, Rear Admiral Charles Fremont Pond, formerly at 2621 Ridge Road, was replaced by a modern Beta Theta Pi chapter house, now the Jesuit School of Theology’s Chardin Hall. 

Twelve buildings, representing two-thirds of the block between Ridge Rd., Le Roy Ave., and Hearst Ave. were demolished for the construction of UC’s Etcheverry Hall and the eventual building of Soda Hall. A UC parking structure and lot replaced the historic Newman Hall and College Hall on La Loma Ave. between Hearst and Ridge. 

The pre-fire structures that remain on the Northside represent some of Berkeley’s most precious cultural resources, and for that reason they were all placed on the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s priority list for initiation in 1990. 

Which brings us back to “The Wall.” 

In Daley’s Scenic Park, public amenities and private homes form a harmonious whole by design. This remarkable legacy—the most important in Berkeley’s architectural history—is ours to enjoy and pass on to future generations. 

Today as much as ever, “There is a need of realizing civic pride and making sacrifices for it, sinking personal prejudices for the benefit of the whole.” If the Hillside Club legacy does not merit protection, is there anything in Berkeley that does? 

 

Photograph by Daniella Thomspon 

The “crumbling wall” in front of the Bentley House, 2683 Le Conte Ave. Note the gracefully curving stairs, a feature found in several properties on this block.


Garden Variety: Brooklyn Botanical Garden Book is a Good Passalong

By Ron Sullivan
Friday December 01, 2006

Joe found an interesting book over at the Mechanics’ Institute Library: a Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s “All-Region Guide,” Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants by C. Colston Burrell. The BBG puts out lots of informative short books; this one is a double-sized volume, with lots of color photographs.  

The book is a constructive move toward controlling a serious problem. You’ve probably heard or read lots of carrying-on about invasive exotics. Here in California they’re a real threat to wild places and the unique life these support, even as all wonderful diversity this is being backed over extinction’s cliff by our habits and industrial methods and our sheer numbers. In a Q-and-A preface to this book, the author cites a journal study to say, “About 42 percent of the species on the U.S. List of Endangered and Threatened Species are at risk primarily because of nonnative invasives.” 

Some utter nonsense gets aired when this subject comes up. Just to get past it here: No, advocating for native plants, animals, and ecosystems is not at all like racism. (Some of us have noticed that humans are all one species.) No, fostering natives in their original habitats doesn’t somehow threaten biodiversity.  

In fact, those pretty broombushes and pampas grass and cotoneasters and the others that we gardeners have introduced and allowed to invade wildlands and elbow out natives are what threatens biodiversity. The species that are being pushed out, starved, threatened—they exist nowhere else in the world. If our populations die, that’s it. Gone. Extinct. The invasives, on the other hand, have home ranges where they’re adapted and they thrive with and feed the rest of their habitats. Where they pay their taxes.  

This book was written for gardeners across the country—and, interestingly, for land managers including highway departments. The role of roads and railroads in spreading invasives is one of those odd things. Partly it’s that they’re responsible for “disturbed ground” on which so many weeds thrive; partly it’s that they’re corridors of seed distribution; partly it’s that invasives have been planted along roadsides for erosion control. 

The BBG names nearly 150 villains and where they’re invasive, and adds photographs, descriptions, and growing tips for native substitutes—often more than one for each invasive, to duplicate the characteristics people plant them for. More substitutes are noted in many listings, and the Garden’s website is added there too, with notes to look there for more. Good idea, allowing constant updating.  

The native substitutes I recognized were well handled. We have more local sources here, such as the California Invasive Plants Council’s leaflet and nursery card, and advice from the California Native Plant Society. Many of the invasive plants in the BBG’s book aren’t a problem here—yet—and many of their alternatives are exotic here. It’s the same old problem we Californians have with most general-geographic-interest garden books.  

I’d suggest sending this book to friends and relatives back East, but thumb through it first and note what’s invasive here, and what works in gardens instead. The glossy stock it’s printed on won’t show fingerprints, and everybody will learn something useful.  

 

Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants 

by C. Colston Burrell 

Brooklyn Botanic Garden All-Region Guides 

240 pages, trade paperback 

$9.95


About the House: Choosing Among Three Contractor Bids

By Matt Cantor
Friday December 01, 2006

My friend Lisa seems to be the Maven Plus Grande de Berkeley. Everybody’s query-girl (although she’s happily married to a fella). She even gets calls about contractors, which she confesses isn’t exactly her area of greatest expertise. So we’re hanging out and she plays me a message from her friend (We’ll call her Mildred) and it goes something like this: 

“Lisa, I’ve had three bids for contractors and I just can’t decide on which one to take. I told them each that I was getting bids from the others and they seem to be in a bidding war now. What should I do now?” Beeeeep. 

Turns out this is all about hiring someone to install a furnace. So what could go wrong here? First, competitive bidding is all well and good but as I am so often heard to say “You get what you pay for….if you’re lucky.” Low bids are, all too often, followed by low quality. Now this isn’t true 100 percent of the time but it is definitely a principle that’s worth observing since it’s true much of the time. Also, the lower you drive your contractor, the less eager they’re going to be to try to do their best work. Like all of us, they’re going to see the dollars on the table, look at their time and sweat and try to minimize their losses. Of course, there ARE other principles are work here. 

One is the principle that I’ll call “Inherent Programming Rarely Fails” or Bunnies usually hop and rarely slither. Obsessive-compulsive, perfectionist tradespersons don’t do sloppy work just because the pay is lousy. They tend to work the way they feel internally driven to work. Also, slobs have trouble cleaning up, no matter how much you pay them. You may have noticed that this principle expresses itself in our relationships. No matter how much you cajole, wheedle or beg, you partner is probably going to continue to engage in that annoying behavior that drives you batty for ever and ever. Smoker’s get diagnoses of lung cancer and go right on smoking. Go figure. 

But, and this is a big one, the really talented person, probably won’t do your job when you start trying to get them for cheap or start getting everyone involved in this bidding war. They’ll just walk away seeking “greener” pastures because they know (or believe) they’re worth it. Now the contractor who works fast and loose and leaves messes behind will take what they can get and will try to suck up every job they can. This person will play bidding war with you and guess who losses. Right. You do. You just drove off the one person you want to have do the job and invited all the bottom feeders to your party. 

The person who seeks out the low bidder in this fashion is usually the same person who will try to get the incompetent contractor to come back and fix the work they screwed up. 

Now why would you want to hire (or even accept work for free) from a person who’s already demonstrated for you in graphic terms that they are incapable of doing something properly. You also have to assume, unless you’re an expert in the relevant trade, that you don’t even know the full depths of their undesirability. For every item that you were able to discern as screwed up, there were probably a handful of others that you know nothing about. But I digress. 

Bidding on work should rightly involve more than just an evaluation of costs. In fact, it should be pretty low on the list. If you get three really good furnace installers to bid on the same furnace and everyone agrees on the methods to be used (which they’re more likely to do anyway since you’ve picked very knowledgeable people), the cost difference between the three isn’t likely to vary by more than 10 percent or 20 percent, may be $1,000. Now I realize that money doesn’t grow on trees (although it Xeroxes pretty well!) but that sum gets to looking really good when you’ve just spent your bargain fee and discovered that something about it was botched and you have to figure out how to gain restitution or, more importantly, to get the thing done properly. Paying to do a job twice is really expensive and paying a little extra to do it once with confidence is a bargain.  

Also, the more expensive contractor almost always has some perks in his/her work that you won’t see in the low bid. When I compare the work and think about the hours involved, the higher bid usually ends up looking as though that contractor made less per hour than the “cheap” fellow/gal. No joke. I see this a lot. The better and higher priced person has figured out what has to be done, has streamlined the process and also wants to prevent call-backs that cost money, hurt their reputation and violate their inherent programming.  

Now, it’s true and I hate to say it but from time to time, you will find a really capable individual who will be cheap. I’ve met ‘em, I’ve hired ‘em and I’ve tried to find them 6 months later only to find that they were either out of business (because they couldn’t make it pay) or they had taken a job with someone else. Also some stick it out, raise their prices and become higher end tradespersons. But in almost no case does this person stay cheap and whey should they. After a little while they get to know who the competition is, what that work looks like and how they rank in the pecking order. If you knew that your peer group was charging, on average, twice what you were getting, wouldn’t you raise your rates. Of course you would. 

So back to Mildred and here dilemma. I have to confess to a certain lack of compassion for this person’s situation. Sorry. I’m not very nice. Maybe too many years in the trades. I feel as though this bidding process corrupts everyone. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not opposed to getting several bids on a single job. Actually, I think it’s a good thing, although I feel that the players should know what the playing field looks like and should thus be informed that they’re being asked to be the 12th bidder on the furnace. 

They might want to turn it down and it’s their right to do so if they wish. I do think that you should take each bid on its own merits and not try to wrestle them to the ground by getting them to compete with the bids from other. For one thing, you may be asking a person who does A+ work to compete with a price from a C- contractor. You might just drive them away but you might also get them to lower their quality. It’s good to demand quality and good performance but it’s also good to pay for it.  

When we engage in this cheapening process repeatedly, we lower the quality of all work being done and this is exactly what has happened over the past 50 years. People say “ You just can’t get good help these day” and it’s our own damned fault. We’ve set it up this way and it’s an all McDonalds world now. Lisa say to get three bids and take the middle one. Well, I’m not sure I would always agree but it’s interesting that this is well known as the European model. In the U.S. the model is to get three bids and take the low one. The think is, so much poor quality work is done today that I don’t think that our middle bid is the same as the Italian middle bid.  

Whether you take the top bid or the middle bid (or even the low bid when appropriate), I suggest that you take a good look at the individual. Get reference and call them. Go visit them for heaven’s sake. What’s two hours compared with having a lousy contracting experience? 

Pick someone for their savvy, their chemistry with you and their being “right sized” (a two-person crew might be more right for you than a 30 person crew). Pick someone you’re willing to give a key to your home to. Someone you’d trust your kids with and someone you’ll want to know when it’s all over. If you’ve done all that with three people and you like them all I don’t care who’s the cheapest (and I’ll bet you won’t either!). 

 

 

Got a question about home repairs and inspections? Send them to Matt Cantor at mgcantor@pacbell.net.


You Write The Daily Planet

Friday December 01, 2006

It’s time to submit your essays, poems, stories and photographs for the Daily Planet’s annual holiday reader contribution issue, which will be published on Dec. 29. Send your submissions, up to 1,000 words, to holiday@berkeleydailyplanet.com. The deadline is 5 p.m. on Dec. 20.


Berkeley This Week

Friday December 01, 2006

FRIDAY, DEC. 1 

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 Jon Rosenberg, M.D. on “Infectious Diseases.” 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.  

“Hasta Cuando?” The Other Face of Mexico” with singer, stroyteller and activist Francisco Herrera at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker School, Marian Hall, 2nd flr., 2125 Jefferson St. (Not wheelchair accessible). 845-4740. 

Berkeley Theater Troup “Pirate Winter Fest” at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. at Bonita. Tickets are $15-$25. Fundraiser for the January musical. 647-5268. 

“The Motorcycle Diaries” at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., between Broadway and Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. www.HumanistHall.net 

Bay Area Green Health Care Awards at 7:30 p.m. at McKinnon Institute, 2940 Webster St., Oakland. Tickets are $15. RSVP to 558-7285. 

ASUC Benefit Art Sale from noon to 5 p.m. at ASUC Art Studio, Lower Sproul Plaza, UC Campus, through Dec. 2. 642-3065. 

Bay Area Homeschoolers’ Craft Fair from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. Donation of $3 and up goes to the Daytime Women’s Drop In Shelter. 

SATURDAY, DEC. 2 

Help Restore Cerrito Creek Plant natives and help to control erosion. Meet at 10 a.m. at Creekside Park, south end of Santa Clara St., El Cerrito. Wear clothes that can get dirty and shoes with good traction. Heavy rain cancels. 848-9358.  

Berkeley Farmers’ Market Holiday Crafts Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Center St. at Martin Luther King Jr. Way with local craftspepole, live music and prepared food. Benefits the Ecology Center. 548-3333.  

American Indian Child Resource Center Pow Wow with Native singing, crafts, foods and activities for children arem 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and SUn. from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Laney College Gymnasium, 900 Fallon St., Oakland. 208-1870. www.aicrc.org 

East Bay Sanctuary Covenant’s Crafts Fair Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Proceeds benefit local refugee work, women’s coops in Central America, Africa and Asia, and street children in Haiti. 540-5907. 

Palestinian Handicraft Sale From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Berkeley Friends' Meeting, 2151 Vine, with embroidery, olive oil, olive woodcrafts, hand blown glass and ceramics, soaps, honey, textiles and more. 548-0542. 

Fungus Fair, a celebration of wild mushrooms from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200.  

Berkeley Historical Society Walking Tour “Historic Claremont Hotel and Gardens” at 10 a.m. Cost is $8-$10. To register call 848-0181.  

“How to Prune and Divide Perennials” With Aerin Moore at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens, 729 Heinz Ave., off Seventh St. 644-2351. 

“Lead Safety for Remodeling, Repair, and Painting” This class leads to a Notice of Completion in training and meets the minimum training requirements for some federally assisted housing including Section 8. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Alameda County Lead Poisoning Prevention Program Main Office, 2000 Embarcadero, #300, Oakland. Call for cost and to register. 567-8280. www.aclppp.org/ledtrain.shtml 

Sick Plant Clinic Dr. Robert Raabe, plant pathologist, and Dr. Nick Mills, entomologist, will diagnose plant illnesses and recommend remedies. Bring a piece of the plant in a securely sealed container. A zipperlock bag is ideal. From 9 a.m. to noon at Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. 643-2755. 

Small Press Distribution Open House from noon to 4 p.m. with music and author readings and book sale, 1341 7th St. at GIlman. 524-1668. 

Healing Circle for Animals at 4 p.m. at RabbitEars, 303 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Cost is $25. 525-6155. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

SUNDAY, DEC. 3 

Richmond Art Center Holiday Arts Festival with silent art auction, art and craft sale, art activities for children and more, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Ave. at 25th St. 620-6772. www.richmondartcenter.org 

Fungus Fair, a celebration of wild mushrooms from noon to 5 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200.  

Recycled Craft Sale sponsored by The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave., near Dwight Way. 548-3402.  

Benefit for Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters with live music and buffet at 6 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center, 1305 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $8. 548-3113. 

People’s Weekly World/Nuestro Mundo Banquet honoring organizations and leaders for peace, equality, labor and immigrant rights, at 2 p.m. at the Snow Building, 9777 Golf Links Rd., Oakland. Cost is $40, reservations required. 251-1050.  

“The Divine Feminine in the World’s Religions: Hinduism and Buddhism” with Anna Matt of the GTU at 9:30 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, One Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Tibetan Buddhism with Lama Palzang and Pema Gellek on “Sacred Tibet” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812.  

MONDAY, DEC. 4 

The People’s Park Community Advisory Board meets at 7 p.m. at Trinity Methodist Church, 2362 Bancroft at Dana, to discuss the removal of the buffer mounds and trees on the edges of the Community Gardens in People’s Park. People concerned about preserving the natural environment and volunteer history of this famous Park should attend.  

“Corte Madera Watershed” with Charles Kennard at the Friends of Five Creeks meeting at 7 p.m. at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave. Free and open to all. 848-9358. www.fivecreeks.org 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. 548-0425. 

Sleep Soundly Seminar at 6:30 p.m. at Oakland Public Library, Lakeview Branch, 550 El Embarcadero.  

TUESDAY, DEC. 5 

UC Regents Meeting in SF to decide the fate of the oak trees in Berkeley. Save the Oaks at the Stadium will arrange carpools to the meeting, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at UCSF’s Mission Bay campus in the Community Center building, 1675 Owens St. in SF. Contact us for information and to share rides info@saveoaks.com or 841-3493.  

The Future of Lower Codornices Creek is in Your Hands The Codornices Creek Watershed Council is sponsoring a meeting so that the public can learn about restoration plans for the lower portion of Codornices Creek above Frontage Road and I-80 to the Union Pacific railroad tracks. It will include a presentation by Far West Restoration Engineering on restoration designs and land use scenarios for this area. From 7 to 9 p.m. at Four Corners Room, University Village Community Center, 1123 Jackson St., Albany. Enter UC Village from 8th St. 452-0901. 

“Surviving the Next Pandemic: Bird Flu and Other Emerging Infectious Diseases” with Michael Greger, M.D. at 7 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Free, but RSVP requested. 925-487-4419. 

“When the Environment and Politics Collide: Recent Developments in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta” With Mike Taugher, environmental raporter, Contra Costa Times, at 5:30 p.m. at Golman School of Public Policy, Room 250, UC Campus. 642-2666. 

Senior Strength Training at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley YMCA, 2001 Allston Way. Free and open to the public. To register call 848-6834, ext. 502. 

Berkeley School Volunteers Training workshop for volunteers interested in helping the public schools, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. 644-8833. 

Wreath Making Workshop from 7 to 9 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $25-$30. Registration required. 643-2755. 

Discussion Salon on Homeland Security at 7 p.m. at JCC, 1414 Walnut.  

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. In case of questionable weather, call around 8 a.m. 215-7672, 524-9992. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991.  

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 6  

Wreath Making Workshop from 7 to 9 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $25-$30. Registration required. 643-2755. 

“Liberty and Leviathan” An evening with Robert Higgs discussing his new book “Depression, War and Cold War” and Thomas S. Szasz. Reception at 6:30 p.m., program at 7 p.m. at The Independent Institute, 100 Swan Way, Oakland. Cost is $10-$15. 632-1366.  

“The Role of Petroleum in the International World of High Finance” with Al Goldman at 1 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 981-5190. 

“Skiing Colorado’s 14ers” with free skier Chris Davenport at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

New to DVD “40 Up” at 7 p.m. at the JCCEB, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

“Shadya” a documentary of a young Muslim girl in Israel who becomes a karate champion at 6 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200.  

Red Cross Blood Drive from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m at UCB Fiji fraternity, 2395 Piedmont Ave. To schedule an appointment see www.BeADonor.com 

Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation at 10 a.m. at 6230 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Registration required. 594-5165. 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes and a warm hat. 548-9840. 

Fresh Produce Stand at San Pablo Park from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the Frances Albrier Community Center. Sponsored by the Ecology Center’s Farm Fresh Choice. 848-1704.  

THURSDAY, DEC. 7 

Returning the Oakland School Oakland School District to Local Control, with Sandre Swanson, Betty Olson-Jones, Dan Siegel and others, at 7 p.m. at OUSD, 1025 Second Ave., Oakland. 

Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters Club meets at 6:45 p.m. at Spud's Pizza, 3290 Adeline at Alcatraz. namaste@avatar. 

freetoasthost.info 

ONGOING 

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. 

Holiday Food Drive Sponsor a Food Drive. Help the Food Bank reach its goal of collecting food for families in need during the holiday season. 635-3663, ext. 318. www.accfb.org  

CITY MEETINGS 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon. Dec. 4, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. 

Parks and Recreation Commission meets Mon., Dec. 4, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5158.  

Peace and Justice Commission meets Mon., Dec. 4, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5510.  

City Council meets Tues., Dec. 5, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. 

Commission on the Status of Women meets Wed., Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5190.  

Disaster and Fire Safety Commission meets Wed., Dec. 6, at 7 p.m., at the Emergency Operations Center, 997 Cedar St. Gil Dong, 981-5502.  

Downtown Area Plan Advisory Commission meets Wed. Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7487. 

Energy Commission meets Wed., Dec. 6, at 6:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Neal De Snoo, 981-5434.  

School Board meets Wed. Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m., in the City Council Chambers. 644-6320. 

Housing Advisory Commission meets Thurs., Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5400.  

Landmarks Preservation Commission meets Thurs., Dec. 7, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Gisele Sorensen, 981-7419.