Local News and Opinion from The Berkeley Daily Planet

News

Tree-in Raid Fails to Chill Oaks Activists’ Protest Efforts

By Richard Brenneman

Tuesday January 16, 2007

Less than a day after an Oakland judge refused to order the eviction of protesters at the Memorial Stadium tree-in, UC Berkeley police staged a pre-dawn raid Friday, evicting supporters of the tree-dwellers and leveling their encampment. -more-

State Report Blasts UC Growth Plans

By Richard Brenneman

Tuesday January 16, 2007

“No UC campus has paid its fair share for identified off-campus mitigation measures,” concludes a just-released report by the state Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO). -more-

Council May Terminate Chamber Membership

By Judith Scherr

Tuesday January 16, 2007

The Berkeley Chamber of Commerce took a stand endorsing various candidates and measures on the November 2006 ballot. City Councilmember Dona Spring says it’s fine for the organization to support candidates of its choice—but she objects to the city paying dues to the chamber and other organizations that make endorsements. -more-

Dellums Calls for Local Control of OUSD

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor

Tuesday January 16, 2007

With members of the Oakland Unified School District’s powerless advisory board of trustees renewing their call for an immediate return to local control of the Oakland schools, incoming Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums used the platform of the joint city-school inauguration at the Paramount Theater last week to issue his strongest statement to date on the subject. -more-

ZAB Looks at Cell Phone Towers, Trader Joe’s, Wright’s Garage

By Riya Bhattacharjee

Tuesday January 16, 2007

Carrying posters, placards and “No to Cell Phone Antennas” signs to the Zoning Adjustments Board meeting on Thursday, a group of South Berkeley residents questioned the need to construct a new wireless telecommunications facility that will host 18 cell phone antennas and related equipment atop the UC Storage Building at 2721 Shattuck Ave. -more-

School Board to Consider Warm Water Pool EIR

By Riya Bhattacharjee

Tuesday January 16, 2007

‘Boggling’ Housing Quotas Trigger Planning Discussion

By Richard Brenneman

Tuesday January 16, 2007

PRC to Discuss POST Report

By Judith Scherr

Tuesday January 16, 2007

Landmarks, Center Street Dominate DAPAC Agenda

By Richard Brenneman

Tuesday January 16, 2007

Peralta Trustee Promises Smoother Way for Bond Money

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor

Tuesday January 16, 2007

Residents Weigh In On Derby Street Field Plan

By Rio Bauce, Special to the Planet

Tuesday January 16, 2007

Oakland, the ‘Athens of the Pacific’

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor

Tuesday January 16, 2007

Two UC Berkeley workers dump the remains of the shelter that once housed protesters at the stadium grove into a front-end loader after campus police raided the site before dawn Friday, evicting protesters and destroying their encampment. Photo by Richard Brenneman.

Editorials

Mayor Says No Special Election for LPO Issue

By Richard Brenneman

Tuesday January 16, 2007

Mayor Tom Bates said Friday he has no intention of calling a special election on the referendum that threatens to block implementation of the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance (LPO) approved by the City Council last month. -more-