The Week

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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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a conservative African-American Republican to the Oakland Planning Commission by outgoing Mayor Jerry Brown has been withdrawn under pressure from progressive community activists and Councilmember Jane Brunner.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


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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 -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


Withrow Expected to Take Helm of New Peralta Board

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

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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


Police Blotter

By Richard Brenneman
Friday December 01, 2006

Choked, punched -more-


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). -more-


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: -more-


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Tuesday December 05, 2006

TRADER JOE’S -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


Letters to the Editor

Friday December 01, 2006

DOWNTOWN PLANNING -more-


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. -more-


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.” -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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: -more-


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. -more-


Arts & Events

Arts Calendar

Tuesday December 05, 2006

TUESDAY, DEC. 5 -more-


Arts and Entertainment Around the East Bay

Tuesday December 05, 2006

THE POLITICS OF WATER -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


Berkeley This Week

Tuesday December 05, 2006

TUESDAY, DEC. 5 -more-


Arts Calendar

Friday December 01, 2006

FRIDAY, DEC. 1 -more-


Arts and Entertainment Around the East Bay

Friday December 01, 2006

THE STORY OF A HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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 ... -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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: -more-


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. -more-


Berkeley This Week

Friday December 01, 2006

FRIDAY, DEC. 1 -more-