Mayor Tom Bates reads to fifth graders in Hilary Mitchell's class. Photograph by Mark Coplan.
Mayor Tom Bates reads to fifth graders in Hilary Mitchell's class. Photograph by Mark Coplan.

Page One

‘Drop Everything And Read’

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday March 16, 2007

The smiles, gasps and cries of delight from the kindergartners sitting in their classroom at Washington Elementary School Tuesday morning were evidence of a morning well spent. -more-



City Concerned Over UC Lab, Campus Plans

By Richard Brenneman
Friday March 16, 2007

For the city, it’s both too much and too little—too much building by UC Berkeley and too little consideration of its potentially profound impacts on the surrounding community. -more-



‘Commons for Everyone’ Excludes Homeless, Some Charge

By Judith Scherr
Friday March 16, 2007

Mayor Tom Bates’ proposal to crack down on people engaged in “prolonged sitting” or yelling in public spaces near businesses got Berkeley City Council approval (5-2-1) in concept Tuesday night—and sharp condemnation from the several dozen residents who came to the meeting to demand that the council not criminalize homelessness and drug addiction. -more-



City Council Agrees to Limit Commissioner Terms

By Judith Scherr
Friday March 16, 2007

Berkeley City Counclimember Laurie Capitelli said an ordinance approved 6-3 Tuesday night to limit the time commissioners can serve on key commissions and to restrict service to just one of these commissions at a time is good government. -more-



Peralta Trustees Approve ‘Concept’ of $10 Million Laney Complex

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday March 16, 2007

The ghost of construction deals past stalked the Peralta Community College District trustees meeting this week, with a sometimes-bitter clash between trustees and district staff over a $9.7 million proposal to build a new physical education complex on the Laney College campus. -more-



Features

Planners Pick New Chair, Hear Economic Report

By Richard Brenneman
Friday March 16, 2007

Berkeley’s Planning Commission gained a new chair Wednesday night, when incumbent David Stoloff, elected in a controversial coup in February, resigned the post and declared James Samuels his replacement. -more-


BUSD Reviews Summer School Program Options

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday March 16, 2007

The Berkeley Board of Education approved the 2007 Summer School Program on Wednesday. -more-


Hawking Inspires Students at UC Lecture

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday March 16, 2007

Physics was what 17-year-old Katy Forte had always wanted to pursue in college. That was until she started school at UC Berkeley last fall. -more-


Weekend of Anti-War Events

By Judith Scherr
Friday March 16, 2007

On the fourth anniversary of the war on Iraq, people need to show their opposition to the war, says Phoebe Anne Sorgen, member of the city’s Peace and Justice Commission and active with Code Pink, among other organizations. -more-


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Friday March 16, 2007

COMMISSIONERS -more-


Commentary: New-Speak Comes to Berkeley — Guess Who’s the Target?

By Osha Neumann
Friday March 16, 2007

There is a lot that’s troubling about the mayor’s “Public Commons For Every One Initiative,” beginning with the name. I really regret that new-speak has made its way from our nation’s capital to Berkeley. A more accurate name for this initiative would be the “Get Homeless People Off the Streets of Berkeley Initiative.” -more-


Commentary: Public Space Should Be Enhanced, Not Closed Off

By Teddy Knight
Friday March 16, 2007

Weasel words and spin doctoring in Berkeley! A public commons is a place where people can sit, sleep, feed the geese, talk, and generally rub shoulders, dance, make music, and interact with all sorts of people. Putting laws in place which target the very people most in need of a relaxing space is the very opposite of “public” or “commons.” The old guys sitting on the park benches or on the barrels on the porch of a general store could be annoying, as could the chorus in a Greek play, but they were the essence of the public, the whole picture, the alternative views, the different values in life. -more-


Commentary: Oakland’s Waterfront Deserves a Better Plan

By Akio Tanaka
Friday March 16, 2007

Last June I attended an Oakland City Council meeting at which the would-be developer for the Oak to Ninth project was comparing the proposed development to other urban waterfront projects including Chicago’s Millennium Park. -more-


Commentary: The Inconvenient Few

By Nancy Carleton
Friday March 16, 2007

Luckily for our democracy, even in our nation’s darkest hours there have always been a courageous few willing to speak truth to power. They may start out as mavericks with powerful enemies out to silence them, but they often go on to become inadvertent heroes, as the rest of the country finally catches up. -more-


Commentary: Independent Study Program at Risk

By Wendy Walker-Moffat
Friday March 16, 2007

The Berkeley Independent Study program is an exemplary educational program that currently educates 140 high school students. However, because it is so well run, Berkeley Independent Study is rarely in the news. And like many quietly successful programs, Berkeley Independent Study is at risk of losing the essential element that lends to its success, its proximity to Berkeley High School. Located on Derby and Martin Luther King, it is a 10-minute walk to the main Berkeley High campus and it is immediately adjacent to the Alternative High School. -more-


Commentary: What We Can Do to Stop an Attack on Iran

By Cynthia Papermaster
Friday March 16, 2007

Becky O’Malley’s March 2 editorial on Seymour Hersh’s New Yorker article asks “Can we do anything to stop this insane plan from here?” Yes, as a matter of fact, there are many things each of us can do right here, right now to stop the Bush Regime’s plans to attack Iran and continue the Iraq war. Here in Berkeley we can live up to our heritage as leaders of progressive social movements. We can write to Congress, occupy offices of congresspeople, work for impeachment, and sue Cheney and Bush. Many people are doing these things; why not join them, take action, have hope, and read on? You’ll be happy you did something. -more-


Editorial

Editorial: Berkeley Businesses Need to Accentuate the Positive

By Becky O’Malley
Friday March 16, 2007

A young friend told me that she’d made the mistake of watching the city council on cable on Tuesday night. Her verdict? “Pathetic!” she said. “Most of the time they didn’t even seem to know what was going on.” Sadly, I agree. -more-


Columns

Column: Dispatches from the Edge: A Tale of Malice and Mold

By Conn Hallinan
Friday March 16, 2007

“It’s the same the whole world over -more-


Column: Undercurrents: Taking on Don Perata’s Take on Term Limits

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday March 16, 2007

One of the least likeable things about California State Senate President Don Perata is that even on issues where you support him in principle, the Oakland Democrat often does it in such a backhanded, underhanded, and throw-a-brick-and-hide-your-hand-handed kind of way that you end up having to oppose him because of the particularly unprincipled way he goes about trying to apply those principles. -more-


East Bay Then and Now: Guy Hyde Chick, the Man Behind the House

By Daniella Thompson
Friday March 16, 2007

Guy Hyde Chick is the kind of name one doesn’t forget easily. In addition to its catchy concatenation of consonants, the name stands for one of Bernard Maybeck’s most famous houses. But what of the man who built the house? This shadowy figure, now all but forgotten, once played a visible role in Berkeley’s public life. -more-


Quake Tip of the Week

By Larry Guillot
Friday March 16, 2007

Too Many Valves? -more-


About the House: Ask Matt: How to Find Ways to Lift Your Spirits

By Matt Cantor
Friday March 16, 2007

Mr. Cantor, What do you think about lifting the shell of a house and building a new first floor under it? -more-


Arts Listings

Arts Calendar

Friday March 16, 2007


Jazz Legend Randy Weston at Yoshi’s

By Ira Steingroot, Special to the Planet
Friday March 16, 2007

Berkeley Opera Reinvents ‘Seraglio’ at Morgan Center

By Olivia Stapp, Special to the Planet
Friday March 16, 2007

The Theater; Virago Theatre Brings Kessler’s ‘Orphans’ to Alameda

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Friday March 16, 2007

Events Listings

Berkeley This Week

Friday March 16, 2007

Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

Editorial: Berkeley Businesses Need to Accentuate the Positive 03-16-2007

Editorial: Power Plays Target Commissioners, Poor Folks 03-13-2007

Public Comment

Letters to the Editor 03-16-2007

Commentary: New-Speak Comes to Berkeley — Guess Who’s the Target? By Osha Neumann 03-16-2007

Commentary: Public Space Should Be Enhanced, Not Closed Off By Teddy Knight 03-16-2007

Commentary: Oakland’s Waterfront Deserves a Better Plan By Akio Tanaka 03-16-2007

Commentary: The Inconvenient Few By Nancy Carleton 03-16-2007

Commentary: Independent Study Program at Risk By Wendy Walker-Moffat 03-16-2007

Commentary: What We Can Do to Stop an Attack on Iran By Cynthia Papermaster 03-16-2007

Letters to the Editor 03-13-2007

Commentary: Another Step Closer to the Berkeley Ferry By Paul Kamen 03-13-2007

Commentary: Networking with Sustainable Berkeley By Martin Bourque 03-13-2007

News

‘Drop Everything And Read’ By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-16-2007

City Concerned Over UC Lab, Campus Plans By Richard Brenneman 03-16-2007

‘Commons for Everyone’ Excludes Homeless, Some Charge By Judith Scherr 03-16-2007

City Council Agrees to Limit Commissioner Terms By Judith Scherr 03-16-2007

Peralta Trustees Approve ‘Concept’ of $10 Million Laney Complex By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 03-16-2007

Planners Pick New Chair, Hear Economic Report By Richard Brenneman 03-16-2007

BUSD Reviews Summer School Program Options By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-16-2007

Hawking Inspires Students at UC Lecture By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-16-2007

Weekend of Anti-War Events By Judith Scherr 03-16-2007

Reich Warns of UC-BP Deal’s Consequences By Richard Brenneman 03-13-2007

Developer Proposes Emeryville Transit Center By Judith Scherr 03-13-2007

Zoning Board Approves Wright’s Garage Project By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-13-2007

Board Debates Propriety of Using Web Poll as Measure of Public Support By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-13-2007

Emissions, Commissions, Behavior, War on Council Agenda By Judith Scherr 03-13-2007

Ground Floors, Economy Mulled at Downtown Panel Meeting By Richard Brenneman 03-13-2007

School Board to Approve 2007 Summer School Program By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-13-2007

BHS Principal Recovering After Traffic Accident By Rio Bauce 03-13-2007

Downtown Jazz Club Proprietor Sues City Over Gaia Building By Judith Scherr 03-13-2007

Lab Expansion Hearing Slated By Richard Brenneman 03-13-2007

Emeryville Officer Bans Recording at Wareham Meeting By Judith Scherr 03-13-2007

First Person: Hippie Chick By Sonja Fitz 03-13-2007

News Analysis: Korean-Latino Relations Grow Icy By Aruna Lee, New America Media 03-13-2007

You’re Never Too Old to Camp By Marta Yamamoto, Special to the Planet 03-13-2007

Columns

Column: Dispatches from the Edge: A Tale of Malice and Mold By Conn Hallinan 03-16-2007

Column: Undercurrents: Taking on Don Perata’s Take on Term Limits By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 03-16-2007

East Bay Then and Now: Guy Hyde Chick, the Man Behind the House By Daniella Thompson 03-16-2007

Quake Tip of the Week By Larry Guillot 03-16-2007

About the House: Ask Matt: How to Find Ways to Lift Your Spirits By Matt Cantor 03-16-2007

Column: Dog Walker, Pet Sitter, All Species! By Susan Parker 03-13-2007

Green Neighbors: Michelia: A Touch of the Himalayas in Berkeley By Joe Eaton 03-13-2007

Arts & Events

Arts Calendar 03-16-2007

Arts and Entertainment Around the East Bay 03-16-2007

Jazz Legend Randy Weston at Yoshi’s By Ira Steingroot, Special to the Planet 03-16-2007

Berkeley Opera Reinvents ‘Seraglio’ at Morgan Center By Olivia Stapp, Special to the Planet 03-16-2007

The Theater; Virago Theatre Brings Kessler’s ‘Orphans’ to Alameda By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 03-16-2007

East Bay Then and Now: Guy Hyde Chick, the Man Behind the House By Daniella Thompson 03-16-2007

Quake Tip of the Week By Larry Guillot 03-16-2007

About the House: Ask Matt: How to Find Ways to Lift Your Spirits By Matt Cantor 03-16-2007

Berkeley This Week 03-16-2007

Arts Calendar 03-13-2007

Arts and Entertainment Around the East Bay 03-13-2007

SF Symphony Series Brings Music to the Masses By Galen Babb, Special to the Planet 03-13-2007

Green Neighbors: Michelia: A Touch of the Himalayas in Berkeley By Joe Eaton 03-13-2007

Berkeley This Week 03-13-2007