John Edwards greets supporters at a Berkeley rally. Photograph by Riya Bhattacharjee.
John Edwards greets supporters at a Berkeley rally. Photograph by Riya Bhattacharjee.

Page One

Edwards Brings Presidential Campaign to Berkeley

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday March 06, 2007

In a speech that touched on topics both local and global during his campaign stop at the Berkeley YWCA Sunday, Democratic presidential contender John Edwards sent a message to UC Berkeley. -more-



News Analysis: GMO Research Dominates BP-UC Partnership

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday March 06, 2007

Critics of the proposed agreement between UC Berkeley and BP — the rebranded British Petroleum — should take their best shots now, because once the deal is signed not only Big Oil, but Big Academy and Big Government Lab will mobilize their own PR folks to fire back. -more-



Public Commons Initiative Targets Street Sitting

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday March 06, 2007

Next week, Mayor Tom Bates will introduce the “Public Commons for Everyone Initiative,” a proposal some say could provide the needed muscle to displace those who sit endlessly in the city’s public spaces adjacent to businesses. Others contend the mayor’s plan would erode the civil rights of those targeted, especially the homeless and mentally ill. -more-



Landmarks Panel Challenges LBNL Report

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday March 06, 2007

On a 5-0-2 vote, Berkeley’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) raised a challenge to expansion plans for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Thursday night. Commissioners Miriam Ng and Fran Packard abstained on the vote. -more-



Multi-School Education Center Discussed

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday March 06, 2007

Supporters of a new multi-school education center for Oakland Unified School District’s Second Avenue properties moved quickly to capitalize on the momentum gained from the collapse of the deal to sell that property, winning key commitments from local political and agency leaders for their project at an overflow mass meeting of more than 300 parents and students at Laney College last Thursday night. -more-



Features

So An Brings Music, Activism to Bay Area

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday March 06, 2007

Topical folksinger, hero, revolutionary, teacher, social worker, ex-political prisoner, Annette Auguste—best known as So An—is celebrated among Haiti’s poor majority for her commitment to the tiny nation’s struggle for sovereignty and democracy, according to members of the Berkeley-based Haiti Action Committee, which is bringing So An to the Bay Area this week. -more-


Corrections

Tuesday March 06, 2007

The membership of the City of Oakland Blue Ribbon Affordable Housing Commission that appeared in the Feb. 20 Planet story “Oakland’s Inclusionary Housing Commission Under Fire” had a number of errors. -more-


Running Wolf Free Again, Faces Hearing

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday March 06, 2007

“I’m free at last,” said Zachary Running Wolf, after his release from jail last Wednesday following his Feb. 23 arrest by UC Berkeley Police on a charge of threatening a peace officer. -more-


SF Cody’s May Close

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday March 06, 2007

The property housing Cody’s Books at 2 Stockton St. in San Francisco is being marketed to new tenants, raising speculation on whether Cody’s will be moving from the location as well, according to a recent story by Sarah Duxbury in the San Francisco Business Times . -more-


Dellums Calls for Coherent Housing Policy

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday March 06, 2007

Only hours before they were to become public record as part of Oakland City Council’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Affordable Housing, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums released its second set of task force policy recommendations last week, calling for several proposals for a “coherent and responsive public policy to address affordable housing needs in Oakland.” -more-


S.F. State Professor Matthew Stolz

Tuesday March 06, 2007

Matthew F. Stolz, retired professor of political science at San Francisco State University, died of cancer at his Berkeley home Feb. 20. -more-


Pacific Steel Casting Final Emissions Report Released

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday March 06, 2007

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District reviewed Pacific Steel Castings’s (PSC) final emissions inventory report and released it to the City of Berkeley and the public on Feb. 23. -more-


Briefly Noted

Tuesday March 06, 2007

DAPAC to Mull Report by Town/Gown Panel -more-


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Tuesday March 06, 2007

BARNES & NOBLE -more-


Commentary: Dot-Condo?

By John F. Davies
Tuesday March 06, 2007

It’s no longer a secret that the Bay Area housing market is in freefall, and that this downturn is spreading nationwide. But this doesn’t seem to have occurred to the investor community. Consider a recent front page of the San Francisco Chronicle business section: “Hershey’s Transfers Production to Mexico.” “Bay Area Housing Market in 24 Month Decline,” “Business Expects Rosy Economic Outlook.” Please go back and read this again, and than ask yourself if there isn’t a massive case of denial happening here. But never fear. For there is a solution to this housing crisis. In a word: condominiums! -more-


Commentary: Who Really Wants a North Shattuck Plaza?

By David Stoloff
Tuesday March 06, 2007

Many people are attracted by North Shattuck Plaza, the idea of a park-like area where people can sit and eat, have coffee, or read a book or meet their friends in the heart of our neighborhood shopping area (the proposed location would be on the east side of Shattuck between Vine and Rose streets). Some opponents to the plaza idea are so aggressive that they forget or discount the history of the concept. When they do this, they ignore or twist facts. In addition, they make personal attacks on the supporters of the North Shattuck Plaza concept. -more-


Commentary: U.S. Wars Over Arms Shipments

By Kent MacDougall
Tuesday March 06, 2007

Bush administration accusations that Iran is supplying roadside bombs that are killing American soldiers in Iraq are all too reminiscent of pretexts used by half a dozen previous administrations to justify acts of war. -more-


Editorial

Editorial: Berkeley’s Bookstores in Peril

By Becky O’Malley
Tuesday March 06, 2007

Last week the Planet carried a story about the Barnes and Noble store on Shattuck closing, including interviews with managers of other bookstores who expressed satisfaction at the impending departure. With all due respect, we’d like to differ with their analysis, even though one of them is a much-valued long-term Planet advertiser. -more-


Columns

Column: The Public Eye: Ten Maxims for a Liberal Foreign Policy

By Bob Burnett
Tuesday March 06, 2007

The catastrophic occupation of Iraq is evidence of far more than the incompetence of the Bush administration; it is proof that the conservative worldview is fatally flawed. As the forty-third presidency staggers to an ignominious finale, liberals must prepare not only to govern America, but also to proclaim a new vision. Liberal foreign policy should be based upon 10 elemental concepts: -more-


Column: Wired for Life

By Susan Parker
Tuesday March 06, 2007

At a dinner party last week I announced to everyone at the table that I needed a job. Soon. Very soon. My guests nodded in approval. They had professional careers. A few were mothers who worked part-time. One was a doctor, another a nurse. At the table were several writers, a scientist, and a union member. I was the oldest person in the room, and the most minimally employed. -more-


Wild Neighbors: Coots, Hawks and Gulls: A Day in the Food Chain

By Joe Eaton
Tuesday March 06, 2007

I’ve been birding in California long enough that new species are hard to come by. Every couple of years, something exotic may blow in from Siberia, but I’ve met just about all the natives and regular visitors. There are still surprises, though. Familiar birds—birds you think you know reasonably well—keep doing unexpected things. -more-


Arts Listings

Arts Calendar

Tuesday March 06, 2007

Jewish Music Festival Returns to Berkeley

By Ben Frandzel, Special to the Planet
Tuesday March 06, 2007

The Theater: Berkeley Rep’s ‘Lighthouse’

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Tuesday March 06, 2007

Events Listings

Berkeley This Week

Tuesday March 06, 2007

Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

Editorial: Berkeley’s Bookstores in Peril 03-06-2007

Editorial: It Looks Like They Plan to Bomb Iran 03-02-2007

Public Comment

Letters to the Editor 03-06-2007

Commentary: Dot-Condo? By John F. Davies 03-06-2007

Commentary: Who Really Wants a North Shattuck Plaza? By David Stoloff 03-06-2007

Commentary: U.S. Wars Over Arms Shipments By Kent MacDougall 03-06-2007

Letters to the Editor 03-02-2007

Commentary: Zero Waste: Easier Said Than Done By Arthur R. Boone 03-02-2007

Commentary: By Definition, Downtowns are Populous By Erin Bradner 03-02-2007

Commentary: Fix Van Hool Busses and Improve Service, Too By Steve Geller 03-02-2007

Commentary: Democracy in North Shattuck Planning By Helene Vilett 03-02-2007

News

Edwards Brings Presidential Campaign to Berkeley By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-06-2007

News Analysis: GMO Research Dominates BP-UC Partnership By Richard Brenneman 03-06-2007

Public Commons Initiative Targets Street Sitting By Judith Scherr 03-06-2007

Landmarks Panel Challenges LBNL Report By Richard Brenneman 03-06-2007

Multi-School Education Center Discussed By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 03-06-2007

So An Brings Music, Activism to Bay Area By Judith Scherr 03-06-2007

Corrections 03-06-2007

Running Wolf Free Again, Faces Hearing By Richard Brenneman 03-06-2007

SF Cody’s May Close By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-06-2007

Dellums Calls for Coherent Housing Policy By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 03-06-2007

S.F. State Professor Matthew Stolz 03-06-2007

Pacific Steel Casting Final Emissions Report Released By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-06-2007

Briefly Noted 03-06-2007

Week of Arrests, Protests Challenges UC/BP Accord By Richard Brenneman 03-02-2007

Correction: No BP/UC discussion on Monday 03-02-2007

Filmmakers Say Wareham Rent Hikes May Destroy Community By Judith Scherr 03-02-2007

After Dissent, Panel Adopts UC/City Downtown Plan By Richard Brenneman 03-02-2007

Riders Knock New Van Hool Buses at MTC Meeting By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 03-02-2007

Alleged Problem Cops Leave BPD By Judith Scherr 03-02-2007

Berkeley City Council Spends $3.3 Million Windfall By Judith Scherr 03-02-2007

Independent Body to Govern Housing Authority By Judith Scherr 03-02-2007

State Administrator Agrees to Close East Oakland High By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 03-02-2007

Berkeley School District Sued Over Warm Water Pool EIR By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-02-2007

Local Booksellers Cheer Barnes & Noble’s Demise By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-02-2007

Planners Look at Telegraph, LBNL Plans By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-02-2007

Columns

Column: The Public Eye: Ten Maxims for a Liberal Foreign Policy By Bob Burnett 03-06-2007

Column: Wired for Life By Susan Parker 03-06-2007

Wild Neighbors: Coots, Hawks and Gulls: A Day in the Food Chain By Joe Eaton 03-06-2007

Column: Dispatches From the Edge: The Strategy of Destruction By Conn Hallinan 03-02-2007

Column: Undercurrents: Oakland School District Land Sale Plans and Local Control By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 03-02-2007

East Bay Then and Now: Maybeck’s First House Was a Design Laboratory By Daniella Thompson 03-02-2007

About the House: Confessions of a House Inspector By Matt Cantor 03-02-2007

Arts & Events

Arts Calendar 03-06-2007

Jewish Music Festival Returns to Berkeley By Ben Frandzel, Special to the Planet 03-06-2007

The Theater: Berkeley Rep’s ‘Lighthouse’ By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 03-06-2007

Wild Neighbors: Coots, Hawks and Gulls: A Day in the Food Chain By Joe Eaton 03-06-2007

Berkeley This Week 03-06-2007

Arts Calendar 03-02-2007

Arts and Entertainment Around the East Bay 03-02-2007

Le Bateau Ivre Celebrates 35 Years By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 03-02-2007

The Theater: Jackson’s ‘American $uicide at SF’s Thick House By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 03-02-2007

Moving Pictures: Killing Spree’s Aftermath Takes its Toll in ‘Zodiac’ By Justin DeFreitas 03-02-2007

East Bay Then and Now: Maybeck’s First House Was a Design Laboratory By Daniella Thompson 03-02-2007

About the House: Confessions of a House Inspector By Matt Cantor 03-02-2007

Berkeley This Week 03-02-2007