Gene “Nak” Nakamura retired Feb. 16 after 25 years of coaching at Berkeley High. Photograph by Riya Bhattacharjee.
Gene “Nak” Nakamura retired Feb. 16 after 25 years of coaching at Berkeley High. Photograph by Riya Bhattacharjee.

Extra

Flash: Bad Cops Out

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday February 27, 2007

Two problem cops have left the Berkeley Police Department, Chief Doug Hambleton told the Daily Planet Tuesday. -more-



Page One

BHS Basketball Coach Retires

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday February 27, 2007

As the Donahue Gym at Berkeley High School exploded in thunderous applause during the host school’s 63-14 win over El Cerrito High on Feb. 16, it was not the game that was the center of everyone’s attention, but the man who helped win it. -more-



Students Protest Controversial BP-Cal Accord

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday February 27, 2007

Two protests—one Monday and another this Thursday—are adding new fuel to the growing controversy over the proposed $500 million pact between a British oil company, UC Berkeley and the University of Illinois. -more-



Tables Seized At Oak Grove; Running Wolf Jailed

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday February 27, 2007

Zachary Running Wolf, the activist who launched the tree-sit at UC Berkeley’s Memorial Stadium, spent the weekend in jail, charged with threatening campus police. -more-



Telegraph Has Improved, But Could Be Better, Report Says

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday February 27, 2007

Making Telegraph Avenue work for business owners and those who own the buildings the merchants rent, as well as for shoppers, students, street vendors, residents and folks who hang out in the area is a jigsaw puzzle whose odd-size pieces the City Council and the city’s various departments are constantly trying to make fit. -more-



Council Considers Sustainable Berkeley, Fire Department Funding

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday February 27, 2007

While most of the city’s budget questions are being referred to the months-long budget process that will end in June or July, the City Council will vote tonight (Tuesday) on disbursing a $3.3 million windfall. -more-



Features

Zoning Board Studies Panoramic Hill Development Proposal

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday February 27, 2007

A group of neighbors vociferously opposed the construction of a proposed new two-story single-family dwelling at 161 Panoramic Way during the Zoning Adjustments Board meeting Thursday. -more-


Review Board Backs Chase Law Changes

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday February 27, 2007

In the wake of several citizen complaints about crashes resulting from high-speed Oakland police chases, the Oakland Citizens’ Police Review Board has recommended changes to the city’s police vehicle pursuit policy and has set up a multi-agency task force to make further refinements. -more-


Priano Family Continues Fight for Chase Limits

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday February 27, 2007

One of the most active campaigns in both California and the nation to put stricter limits on high-speed police pursuits is being conducted by the mother of Kristie Priano, the 15-year-old Chico girl who was killed when the Priano family van was struck by a 15-year-old girl who was being chased by police for taking her mother’s car without permission. -more-


Seleznow to Retire As Parks Dept. Chief

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday February 27, 2007

City Manager Phil Kamlarz announced Monday the retirement of Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Director Marc Seleznow, who has been in the position for four years. -more-


UC Berkeley’s Lease of SF Extension Subject of March 8 Hearing

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday February 27, 2007

The public hearing for UC Berkeley’s controversial plans to convert its historic six-acre Laguna Street Extension campus in San Francisco into a private rental-housing development is set for March 8. -more-


Association of Bay Area Governments Helps Fund Pentagon Program

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday February 27, 2007

Why did a state-mandated alliance of Bay Area governments lend $12 million to a secretive military think tank to expand its facilities in San Diego? -more-


University Projects, Iceland Top Land Use Agendas

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday February 27, 2007

How can the city and UC Berkeley cooperate in planning uses in the university’s major downtown expansion plans that will benefit both town and gown? -more-


BUSD Addresses Homeless Youth Programs in Schools

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday February 27, 2007

The Berkeley school board voted last week to approve a resolution to honor Berkeley High Vice Principal denise brown and declared Feb. 15 as denise brown day. Brown died Feb. 2 following complications from knee surgery. -more-


News Anaysis: Campaign Fights for Japanese American WWII Vets

By Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, New America Media
Tuesday February 27, 2007

Before you lick your next postage stamp onto the electricity bill or a postcard from the latest family vacation, take a look at the variety of commemorative stamp choices you will have this year. -more-


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Tuesday February 27, 2007

A FEW ERRORS -more-


Commentary: Notes on Derby Street Field And School Board Committees

By Mark A. Coplan
Tuesday February 27, 2007

We use many forms of communication to reach the parents, students and staff of the Berkeley schools, but when it comes to communicating with the larger Berkeley community, the one vehicle that reaches so many households and gets people’s attention, is the commentary and letters section of our local newspaper. Honestly, how many of you turned to this section immediately after scanning the front page? I have a couple of important updates for the community that I want to share with you here, because it is information that I think is important to everyone. -more-


Commentary: Capturing the True Spirit of Berkeley for Tomorrow

By Dan Sawislak
Tuesday February 27, 2007

The Oxford Plaza / David Brower Center is a wonderful example of environmentally sound planning and responsible development that captures the best of Berkeley’s heritage and future. Together, the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum-standard environmental conference center and office building plus 97 units of much-needed affordable housing comprise this visionary project that honors Berkeley’s own David Brower, a pioneer in the Green movement. -more-


Commentary: Environmental Study Needed for Brower Site

By Gale Garcia
Tuesday February 27, 2007

The referendum against giving away the Oxford Parking lot for the “Brower Center” has certainly gotten some attention. A venomous disinformation campaign is being waged against the people involved in the referendum (well, mainly against me). -more-


Commentary: AC Transit’s Obsession With Van Hool Busses

By Joyce Roy
Tuesday February 27, 2007

The Special AC Transit board meeting J. Douglas Allen-Taylor reported on (Feb. 9) was practically a secret meeting. Luckily, two reporters came. The other one, Erik Nelson, from ANG Newspapers, has a blog: www.ibabuzz.com/transportation. He says on his blog, “Van Hool, where have you been all my life (or short career as a blogger)? This hitherto ignored issue has become the biggest thing to hit the blog since its inception!” You can make it even bigger by logging on. -more-


Commentary: Proposal Extends Economic Benefit, Safety And Convenience of Telegraph Avenue

By Igor Tregub
Tuesday February 27, 2007

Telegraph just ain’t what it used to be. Once a beacon of a tolerance, hope, and historic significance that drew tourists from all over the world to the little city we all call home, it has more recently been victimized by a perception of decline, blight, and depravity—sometimes not fully deserved, but adverse to its image nonetheless. Almost a dozen reports, millions of dollars in studies, and hundreds of hours of discussion have been invested into addressing the causes at the heart of this avenue’s tarnished image, and yet few proposals have actually seen the light of day. -more-


Commentary: 10 Reasons Why Congress Should Back a Reparations Commission

By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, New America Media
Tuesday February 27, 2007

A reparations bill currently floating around Congress and being debated in the House Judiciary Committee may, for the first time since it was hatched two decades ago, actually have a chance at passing. The idea to establish a reparations commission is the brainchild of Michigan Democrat John Conyers. It has been kicked around Congress since 1989, but supporters are optimistic that it will pass since Democrats now have control of the House. Several cities, including Chicago and New York, have passed resolutions in support of the bill. Los Angeles City Council vote on a resolution Tuesday. -more-


Editorial

Editorial: How About Some Density in the ‘Burbs?

By Becky O’Malley
Tuesday February 27, 2007

It happened that last weekend we had two excursions which took us out of the Berkeley Bubble and into the genuine suburbs, in fact into the old established bridge-and-tunnel suburbs, over a bridge to the Peninsula and through the tunnel to Lamorinda. On Saturday night in Palo Alto we were lucky enough to see two fine singers with local connections, Berkeley-born Alaine Rodin and current resident Kathleen Moss, in the West Bay Opera’s stunning production of Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades, which demonstrated conclusively that culture is alive and well outside the urban bay area. The Lafayette trip on Sunday was for a sadder purpose, a memorial for a friend who had died suddenly. -more-


Columns

Column: The Public Eye: The Privatization of Berkeley Government

By Zelda Bronstein
Tuesday February 27, 2007

It was just over a year ago that neighbors of Ashby BART rose up in protest against plans to put a 300-unit “transit village” on the station’s west parking lot. At stake in the ensuing, nearly yearlong struggle was something more basic than land use, namely citizens’ right to have a meaningful say in the public decisions that affect their lives. -more-


Column: Get a La-Z-Boy and Write a How To Manual

By Susan Parker
Tuesday February 27, 2007

People keep giving me advice. It is useful and appreciated. (Well, maybe I exaggerate just a little, but I’m in a charitable mood.) -more-


Wild Neighbors: Chemical Weapons: Skin of Newt and Liver of Snakes

By Joe Eaton
Tuesday February 27, 2007

A few columns back I touched on the chemical arms race between newts and garter snakes: the newts loaded with a fugu-like toxin to which the snakes have evolved resistance. Well, there are complexities to that story that I wasn’t aware of, some of which are described in a 2004 Journal of Chemical Ecology article entitled “A Resistant Predator and its Toxic Prey: Persistence of Newt Toxin Leads to Poisonous (Not Venomous) Snakes.” The lead author, Becky Williams, is a UC Berkeley graduate student; she collaborated with Edmund Brodie, Jr. of Utah State University and Edmund Brodie III, now at the University of Virginia. -more-


Arts Listings

Arts Calendar

Tuesday February 27, 2007

Arts and Entertainment Around the East Bay

Tuesday February 27, 2007

The Theater: Central Works Stages ‘Lola Montez’

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Tuesday February 27, 2007

Books: Author Commentary: Elephant, Reel Founder Tells How He Did It

By Stuart Skorman, Special to the Planet
Tuesday February 27, 2007

Events Listings

Berkeley This Week

Tuesday February 27, 2007

Correction

Tuesday February 27, 2007

Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

Editorial: How About Some Density in the ‘Burbs? 02-27-2007

Editorial: Oxford/Brower Brouhaha Turns Ugly at the Market 02-23-2007

Public Comment

Letters to the Editor 02-27-2007

Commentary: Notes on Derby Street Field And School Board Committees By Mark A. Coplan 02-27-2007

Commentary: Capturing the True Spirit of Berkeley for Tomorrow By Dan Sawislak 02-27-2007

Commentary: Environmental Study Needed for Brower Site By Gale Garcia 02-27-2007

Commentary: AC Transit’s Obsession With Van Hool Busses By Joyce Roy 02-27-2007

Commentary: Proposal Extends Economic Benefit, Safety And Convenience of Telegraph Avenue By Igor Tregub 02-27-2007

Commentary: 10 Reasons Why Congress Should Back a Reparations Commission By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, New America Media 02-27-2007

Letters to the Editor 02-23-2007

Commentary: North Shattuck Plaza, Inc. By Daniel Caraco 02-23-2007

Commentary; Stadium Stories Paint Sinister Picture By Vince Tancreto 02-23-2007

Commentary: The Oxford/Brower Bait and Switch By Barbara Gilbert 02-23-2007

Commentary: Oxford/Brower Is a Good Investment By Marcy Greenhut 02-23-2007

Commentary: Opponents Concerns Unfounded By Kirstin Miller 02-23-2007

Commentary: Big Projects Need Environmental Impact Reports By Barry Wofsy 02-23-2007

Commentary: Attack on Referendum Supporter Was Unfair By Peter Teichner 02-23-2007

Molly Ivins Tribute: The Pelosi Revolution By Phil McArdle 02-23-2007

News

Flash: Bad Cops Out By Judith Scherr 02-27-2007

BHS Basketball Coach Retires By Riya Bhattacharjee 02-27-2007

Students Protest Controversial BP-Cal Accord By Richard Brenneman 02-27-2007

Tables Seized At Oak Grove; Running Wolf Jailed By Richard Brenneman 02-27-2007

Telegraph Has Improved, But Could Be Better, Report Says By Judith Scherr 02-27-2007

Council Considers Sustainable Berkeley, Fire Department Funding By Judith Scherr 02-27-2007

Zoning Board Studies Panoramic Hill Development Proposal By Riya Bhattacharjee 02-27-2007

Review Board Backs Chase Law Changes By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 02-27-2007

Priano Family Continues Fight for Chase Limits By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 02-27-2007

Seleznow to Retire As Parks Dept. Chief By Judith Scherr 02-27-2007

UC Berkeley’s Lease of SF Extension Subject of March 8 Hearing By Riya Bhattacharjee 02-27-2007

Association of Bay Area Governments Helps Fund Pentagon Program By Richard Brenneman 02-27-2007

University Projects, Iceland Top Land Use Agendas By Richard Brenneman 02-27-2007

BUSD Addresses Homeless Youth Programs in Schools By Riya Bhattacharjee 02-27-2007

News Anaysis: Campaign Fights for Japanese American WWII Vets By Caroline Aoyagi-Stom, New America Media 02-27-2007

UC Announces Plans for Archaeological Survey By Richard Brenneman 02-23-2007

OUSD Land Sale Deal Declared Dead By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 02-23-2007

High-Rise Tower Plan Proposed for Downtown By Richard Brenneman 02-23-2007

Joint Panel Readies Downtown Vision By Richard Brenneman 02-23-2007

Urban Ore Proposes Zero Waste Transfer Station for City By Riya Bhattacharjee 02-23-2007

Berkeley High Beat: Free Breakfast Program Premieres at Berkeley High By Rio Bauce 02-23-2007

Man Charged with Misdemeanors In Pacific Center Threats Case By Judith Scherr 02-23-2007

Students and Alcohol Policy Group Debate Drinking Laws By Judith Scherr 02-23-2007

Judge Denies Restraining Order in Woodfin Case By Judith Scherr 02-23-2007

Oakland School for the Arts Undergoes Administrative Overhaul By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 02-23-2007

Police Blotter By Richard Brenneman 02-23-2007

Fire Log By Richard Brenneman 02-23-2007

An Open Letter to an Immigration Judge By Margot Pepper 02-23-2007

News Analysis: New Cold War With Russia Brewing Over Oil and Gas By Paolo Pontoniere, New America Media 02-23-2007

Columns

Column: The Public Eye: The Privatization of Berkeley Government By Zelda Bronstein 02-27-2007

Column: Get a La-Z-Boy and Write a How To Manual By Susan Parker 02-27-2007

Wild Neighbors: Chemical Weapons: Skin of Newt and Liver of Snakes By Joe Eaton 02-27-2007

Column: Undercurrents: Some Thoughts on Sen. Barack Obama’s Presidential Run By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 02-23-2007

Neighbors Riled About Plans to Develop Spring Mansion By Dave Weinstein, Special to the Planet 02-23-2007

John Hudson Thomas’ Legacy By Dave Weinstein, Special to the Planet 02-23-2007

Quake Tip of the Week By Larry Guillot 02-23-2007

Arts & Events

Arts Calendar 02-27-2007

Arts and Entertainment Around the East Bay 02-27-2007

The Theater: Central Works Stages ‘Lola Montez’ By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 02-27-2007

Books: Author Commentary: Elephant, Reel Founder Tells How He Did It By Stuart Skorman, Special to the Planet 02-27-2007

Wild Neighbors: Chemical Weapons: Skin of Newt and Liver of Snakes By Joe Eaton 02-27-2007

Berkeley This Week 02-27-2007

Correction 02-27-2007

Arts Calendar 02-23-2007

Arts and Entertainment Around the East Bay 02-23-2007

The Theater: ‘Sweeny Todd’ at Contra Costa Civic Theatre By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 02-23-2007

The Theater: ‘Cartoon’ Comes to Life at La Val’s By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 02-23-2007

Neighbors Riled About Plans to Develop Spring Mansion By Dave Weinstein, Special to the Planet 02-23-2007

John Hudson Thomas’ Legacy By Dave Weinstein, Special to the Planet 02-23-2007

Quake Tip of the Week By Larry Guillot 02-23-2007

Berkeley This Week 02-23-2007