Protesters and supporters huddled Wednesday afternoon after two tree-sitters were barred from campus for a week. Michael Kelly, right, represents the Panoramic Hill Association which is challenging university construction plans in court. Also on hand was UC Berkeley Professor Ignacio Chapela, third from right. Photograph by Richard Brenneman.
Protesters and supporters huddled Wednesday afternoon after two tree-sitters were barred from campus for a week. Michael Kelly, right, represents the Panoramic Hill Association which is challenging university construction plans in court. Also on hand was UC Berkeley Professor Ignacio Chapela, third from right. Photograph by Richard Brenneman.

Page One

Tree Protesters Cited, Banned From Campus

By Richard Brenneman
Friday December 15, 2006

UC Berkeley Campus Police have cited two of the tree-sitters protesting plans to cut down a grove of Oaks for the new Memorial Stadium, including former mayoral candidate Zachary Running Wolf, and served court orders barring them from campus. -more-



Council Adopts New Landmarks Ordinance

By Judith Scherr
Friday December 15, 2006

A number of citizens urged the Berkeley City Council Tuesday not to approve the second reading of the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance, which will make landmarking older structures and sites more difficult. -more-



Preservationists Will Challenge New LPO at Polls

By Richard Brenneman
Friday December 15, 2006

Even before the second and final City Council vote Tuesday establishing a more developer-friendly Berkeley landmark law, opponents were preparing their counterattack. -more-



Kennedy Threatens Lawsuit, Wins Gaia Culture War

By Judith Scherr
Friday December 15, 2006

The city may have dodged one bullet by going along with developer Patrick Kennedy’s notion of how much time to devote to culture at the Gaia Building—Kennedy threatened to sue the city over the question—but by doing so, the city may be running head-on into a lawsuit Kennedy tenant Anna de Leon has promised to file. -more-



Without UNICEF Cards, U.N. Store Shuts its Doors

By Judith Scherr
Friday December 15, 2006

With the Hallmark Card takeover of UNICEF cards, Berkeley’s United Nations Association Center that has carried the popular cards for almost half a century, is shutting its doors tomorrow (Saturday)—hopefully a temporary closure to change the center’s focus, says UNA volunteer Mary Lee Trampleasure. -more-



Features

Judge Allows Oak-to-Ninth Referendum Lawsuit to Proceed

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday December 15, 2006

In what can only be considered good news for opponents of the proposed massive Oak to Ninth development in Oakland, a Superior Court judge has tentatively ruled that a lawsuit filed by the Oak to Ninth Referendum Committee can go forward, at least for now. -more-


Peralta Faces Funding Cuts, Federal Investigation

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday December 15, 2006

The newly constituted board of directors of the Peralta Community College District acted swiftly to tighten up spending procedures at the four-college district, sending back to district administrators $17 million of a $5 million Measure A bond project authorization request after complaining about details missing from the request papers. -more-


A Telegraph Avenue Holiday Shopping Guide

By Steven Finacom, Special to the Planet
Friday December 15, 2006

Holiday shopping unfinished? Unwilling to make one more trip to a multitude of malls or to … Emeryville? -more-


Police Blotter

By Richard Brenneman
Friday December 15, 2006

Threatened, robbed -more-


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Friday December 15, 2006

PEOPLE’S PARK -more-


Commentary: The Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth

By Anne Wagley
Friday December 15, 2006

The Berkeley city attorney has stated that false claims have been made against the city in the lawsuit over the settlement agreement with the University of California (Friberg v. Bates, case no. 05230715). -more-


Commentary: How To Enjoy Using People’s Park

By Chris Kohler
Friday December 15, 2006

In 1969, I was among the many that originally built the park. I’m afraid (or delighted) that we didn’t have either a committee nor, unfortunately, the university’s permission. What we did have was... people. People directly affecting the park. Voting with their presence and participation. -more-


Commentary: Not On the Agenda? Sit Down!

By Doug Buckwald
Friday December 15, 2006

I have been quite busy ever since three tree-sitters climbed into the trees at Memorial Oak Grove in the pre-dawn hours Saturday before the Big Game between Cal and Stanford. Our group, Save the Oaks at the Stadium, did not know of this plan in advance, but we support the tree-sitters fully in their endeavors and we will do everything we can to make sure that they are safe and have everything they need. It takes real courage to take such an action, and I believe that each one of our tree-sitters is a true hero. -more-


Commentary: Auto-Oriented Center Would Not Comply With LEED

By Roy Nakedegawa
Friday December 15, 2006

It is good to hear that the Hotel and Conference Center (HCC) will adopt LEED’s principles to the optimum in its design. As I understand the LEED principles, the project is supposed to show “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.” The HCC is located in the heart of downtown Berkeley where it is in Berkeley’s most transit-intensive area. The Downtown Berkeley BART station, which has the second-highest station ridership use of East Bay stations, is just across the street. The BART station is utilized by more than 11,000 patrons per day and 10 AC Transit bus routes stop right at this area. Also there is a planned Bus Rapid Transit system similar to Boston’s Silver Line that will terminate in this locale. This BRT is projected to handle well over 60,000 riders a day over its route and could be extended down University to the Amtrak Station in the future. -more-


Commentary: Do Benefits of Drug War Outweigh the Costs?

By Travis C. Ash
Friday December 15, 2006

EDITOR’S NOTE: This commentary originally appeared in the Daily Planet’s web edition on Oct. 17. -more-


Commentary: History Repeats Itself in Korea

By Peter Schurmann, New America Media
Friday December 15, 2006

As news coverage focuses on the upcoming round of six-party talks this Monday aimed at resolving the standoff with North Korea, I am reminded of an historical event that occurred more than 100 years ago. -more-


Commentary: Mexico: A Look at the New Calderon Administration

By Eduardo Stanley, Translated by Elena Shore, New America Media
Friday December 15, 2006

Mexico’s new president Felipe Calderón took office on Dec. 1. In a televised inauguration, congressmen could be seen fighting for control of the podium where Calderón was to be sworn in—some attempting to block him, others to ensure that he was able to take his oath of office. Calderón and outgoing president Vicente Fox, both members of the conservative National Action Party (PAN), entered through the back door and hastily carried out the oath of office amidst shouting that made it impossible to hear what they were saying. -more-


Editorial

Editorial: Winter Whine is Back in Season

By Becky O’Malley
Friday December 15, 2006

It’s the time of year when the lower-middle-brow fashionistas who inhabit the pages of the magazines I sneak peeks at in supermarket checkout lines say we should be wearing Winter White. That’s as it may be, but it certainly is the season for Winter Whine. Winter Whine is the sound you hear emanating from everyone who is dissatisfied with their relationship to winter holidays, or with other people’s mode of marking the winter solstice. -more-


Columns

Column: The Public Eye: Designing an Ideal UC Art Museum: Back to the Future

By Michael Katz
Friday December 15, 2006

Next Tuesday morning, UC’s Berkeley Art Museum will host a public discussion of goals for its planned new downtown site. Attending will be Toyo Ito, the Tokyo architect whom the museum has engaged to design its new building. With this internationally renowned designer on board, and a downtown location on the map, BAM and its visitors face exciting possibilities. -more-


Column: Undercurrents: Behind the Scenes With Actor-Politician Jerry Brown

Friday December 15, 2006

In a scene in the Civil War movie Gettysburg, a Confederate spy named Harrison is sent out on a night mission to scout out the position and strength of the Union army encamped in the Pennsylvania valley. The spy, identified in the movie as a former Mississippi stage actor, takes the assignment, but tells the general “but I must confess, sir, the thing that bothers me about this job [spying] is the absence of an audience. When you do it right, no one knows you’re doing it. Nobody watches your work. It’s very hard on an actor.” -more-


East Bay Then and Now: Charles Manning MacGregor, Indefatigable Builder

By Daniella Thompson
Friday December 15, 2006

Between 1900 and 1910, Berkeley’s population more than tripled, from 13,214 to 40,434 inhabitants. Much of the growth was stimulated by the flight of thousands of San Franciscans to the East Bay following the 1906 earthquake and fire. -more-


About the House: The General Contrator Problem

By Matt Cantor
Friday December 15, 2006

I met a nice couple the other day. Sadly, they were clearly in some distress over the fortunes of their remodeling process. They’d engaged a GC (builder-speak for general contractor) last year to do a rather sweeping and costly rehab on a mid-sized house in the hills of Oakland and things hadn’t gone quite as well as they’d hoped. -more-


Garden Variety: Gift Houseplants That Don’t Give Tsuris

By Ron Sullivan
Friday December 15, 2006

Oh my, this is a touchy time of year, all those cultural sensitivities waiting to be stepped on. Wishing someone “happy holidays” would seem universal enough, but I read a newswire piece the other day in which a guy was quoted as bragging that he’d bullied some hapless WalMart clerk into wiping that phrase off a window because, “It’s supposed to be ‘Merry Christmas!’” Honestly, sometimes it makes me miss good old Saturnalia. -more-


Arts Listings

Arts Calendar

Friday December 15, 2006


The Theater: Shotgun Players Bring ‘The Forest War’ to Ashby Stage

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Friday December 15, 2006

Events Listings

Berkeley This Week

Friday December 15, 2006

Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

Editorial: Winter Whine is Back in Season 12-15-2006

Editorial: First, the Bad News . . . 12-12-2006

Public Comment

Letters to the Editor 12-15-2006

Commentary: The Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth By Anne Wagley 12-15-2006

Commentary: How To Enjoy Using People’s Park By Chris Kohler 12-15-2006

Commentary: Not On the Agenda? Sit Down! By Doug Buckwald 12-15-2006

Commentary: Auto-Oriented Center Would Not Comply With LEED By Roy Nakedegawa 12-15-2006

Commentary: Do Benefits of Drug War Outweigh the Costs? By Travis C. Ash 12-15-2006

Commentary: History Repeats Itself in Korea By Peter Schurmann, New America Media 12-15-2006

Commentary: Mexico: A Look at the New Calderon Administration By Eduardo Stanley, Translated by Elena Shore, New America Media 12-15-2006

Letters to the Editor 12-12-2006

Commentary: Basta! Stop the Condo-glomeration of Oakland By Robert Brokl 12-12-2006

Commentary: Why Sacrifice Our Neighborhood To Entice Trader Joe’s? By Regan Richardson 12-12-2006

Commentary: Be Good, for Goodness Sake . . . By Steve Geller 12-12-2006

Commentary: Pinochet’s Bloody Rise and Rule Part of U.S. Playbook By Roger Burbach, New America Media 12-12-2006

News

Tree Protesters Cited, Banned From Campus By Richard Brenneman 12-15-2006

Council Adopts New Landmarks Ordinance By Judith Scherr 12-15-2006

Preservationists Will Challenge New LPO at Polls By Richard Brenneman 12-15-2006

Kennedy Threatens Lawsuit, Wins Gaia Culture War By Judith Scherr 12-15-2006

Without UNICEF Cards, U.N. Store Shuts its Doors By Judith Scherr 12-15-2006

Judge Allows Oak-to-Ninth Referendum Lawsuit to Proceed By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 12-15-2006

Peralta Faces Funding Cuts, Federal Investigation By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 12-15-2006

A Telegraph Avenue Holiday Shopping Guide By Steven Finacom, Special to the Planet 12-15-2006

Police Blotter By Richard Brenneman 12-15-2006

Flash: Police Detain Tree Sitter Running Wolf By RICHARD BRENNEMAN 12-12-2006

First Person: The Master of Political Disappearances Is Dead By Fernando A. Torres, Special to the Planet 12-12-2006

First Lawsuit Filed To Stop UC Projects By Richard Brenneman 12-12-2006

Bates Still Hopes to Block Traffic Court Move By Judith Scherr 12-12-2006

Peralta Bond Confusion Concerns Laney Faculty By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 12-12-2006

ZAB to Act on Controversial Trader Joe’s Project By Richard Brenneman 12-12-2006

Candidate Count Certified, Election Winners Sworn In By Judith Scherr 12-12-2006

Council Questions Chamber Membership, UC Settlement By Judith Scherr 12-12-2006

Violence Rises, Property Crimes Drop By Richard Brenneman 12-12-2006

Owens River: Lessons in Collaborative Good By Antonio Rossmann, Special to the Planet 12-12-2006

Columns

Column: The Public Eye: Designing an Ideal UC Art Museum: Back to the Future By Michael Katz 12-15-2006

Column: Undercurrents: Behind the Scenes With Actor-Politician Jerry Brown 12-15-2006

East Bay Then and Now: Charles Manning MacGregor, Indefatigable Builder By Daniella Thompson 12-15-2006

About the House: The General Contrator Problem By Matt Cantor 12-15-2006

Garden Variety: Gift Houseplants That Don’t Give Tsuris By Ron Sullivan 12-15-2006

Collumn: The Public Eye: Killing Conservatism By Bob Burnett 12-12-2006

Column: ‘I’m Gonna Learn How to Fly’ By Susan Parker 12-12-2006

Who Put the Walnuts in Walnut Creek? By Ron Sullivan, Special to the Planet 12-12-2006

Arts & Events

Arts Calendar 12-15-2006

Arts and Entertainment: Around the East Bay 12-15-2006

The Theater: Shotgun Players Bring ‘The Forest War’ to Ashby Stage By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 12-15-2006

East Bay Then and Now: Charles Manning MacGregor, Indefatigable Builder By Daniella Thompson 12-15-2006

About the House: The General Contrator Problem By Matt Cantor 12-15-2006

Garden Variety: Gift Houseplants That Don’t Give Tsuris By Ron Sullivan 12-15-2006

Berkeley This Week 12-15-2006

Arts Calendar 12-12-2006

Arts and Entertainment Around the East Bay 12-12-2006

Charlie Hunter Home for Annual Holiday Visit By Galen Babb, Special to the Planet 12-12-2006

The Theater: ‘The Man Who Saved Christmas’ Comes to Alterena By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 12-12-2006

Who Put the Walnuts in Walnut Creek? By Ron Sullivan, Special to the Planet 12-12-2006

Berkeley This Week 12-12-2006