Public Comment

JAZZ IS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The argument over whether or not there are “qualified” black jazz artists in the Bay Area overlooks the fact that many a technically qualified black musician decided years ago to desert the jazz scene when its ambiance changed from one of boisterous joy to the quite reserve found at a string quartet recital. But the musicians did not desert jazz. They injected their beloved be-bop into pop, soul and funk songs. Among innumerable examples is “Dance to the Music” by Sly and the Family Stone. The group sings, “Dance to the Music” followed immediately by a sax riff worthy of Charlie Parker. 

In the 1960s and 1970s the moves to pop and funk by seasoned jazz artists were roundly criticized by the official pundits of “jazz.” The emphasis by the pundits upon reproduction of the classic formats intellectualized the product. Whereas jazz emerged a century ago as a music to get your booty shaking and the audience shouting and clapping, we now have Anna DeLeon’s jazz club where the audience is given written instructions to be silent during the performance. 

Ted Vincent 

Author, Keep Cool: The Black Activists Who Built the Jazz Age 

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BERKELEY/ROCKRIDGE SOLAR PROJECT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

A city-wide large-scale solar project is under consideration for Berkeley and Rockridge. We met last week at Willard Middle School and the next informational meeting is 10 a.m. Saturday, July 21 at the Live Oak Park Rec Center in North Berkeley. Now is your chance to find out if your home or business is a good candidate for solar power. Joining with your neighbors can result is substantial savings. For more information about the Berkeley/Rockridge program, go to www.solarcity.com/Default.aspx?tabid=219. You can register for the meeting and request a free assessment of your home or business at that site. Hope to see as many people as possible at the next meeting. 

Linda Schacht 

P.S.: Since when is there an Elmwood Neighborhood Association? (Council Passes on Wright’s Garage, June 14) Elmwood has always been part of CENA, the Claremont - Elmwood Neighborhood Association. Now we hear there is a separate Elmwood group that opposes John Gordon’s plans to reuse the Wright’s Garage site. I believe this is an ad hoc group, with few members, attempting to represent themselves as THE Elmwood Neighborhood Association. There is no such thing. 

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MILLION-DOLLAR SYSTEM 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

On June 20, the School Board will vote on whether to pursue a million-dollar solar photovoltaic system for the rooftop of Washington School. In prior discussions of this proposal, board members have rightly asked why this project, which has not gone through normal procedural channels, should leap ahead of a long list of prioritized needs that exist throughout the district, including those at Washington. The compelling response is that we must address the global warming crisis that is upon us, even if we have to sacrifice limited education dollars.  

But that response implies a false choice—that our only option is to invest in the “Cadillac” of greenhouse-gas reducing measures. If the Board chooses to vote no, it will be properly representing the interests of both the school district and the planet IF it also commits itself to invest in the enormous untapped opportunities that the district has for reducing energy waste. These investments will reduce far more greenhouse gases for each dollar spent than would the proposed solar system, returning dollars far more quickly to our constrained school budget. 

The Washington School PTA adopted a resolution at its May meeting that supports the implementation of a solar system conditionally, “as the culmination of a multifaceted plan to make Washington School an example of energy efficiency and long-term cost saving … [and] one of many steps in a comprehensive program for reducing greenhouse gas emissions district-wide.” We are a long way from there.  

Were the board to begin its greenhouse gas reduction strategy with the proposed solar project, it would be akin to a family spending its limited income on a Cadillac for transportation, leaving no money for health insurance. The responsible thing, of course, would be to buy the health insurance and a Toyota. Likewise, the School Board can—and should—direct the administration to invest in better insulation, replacement of antiquated ventilation systems, installation of smart lighting controls and the like, which can dramatically reduce environmental impact while bolstering our school budget through reduced PG&E bills. 

Once the district is on the road to plugging all of its energy drains, it can revisit the “Cadillac” of greenhouse-gas reducing measures. But to expend limited public education dollars before plugging those drains would be inappropriate. 

Nancy Rader 

Dick Norgaard 

Jamie Greenblatt 

Washington School parents 

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‘HELPLESS VICTIMS’ 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The people at the UK’s trade union, behind the boycotting of Israeli academics, must feel rather stupid now—or at least embarrassed. They were concerned about the “moral implications” of how Israel treats Palestinians. This week, as Hamas took over Gaza, British academics saw, again, the immoral implications of how Palestinians treat Palestinians.  

Media reports show the “brave, heroic” Hamas fighters (with their faces hidden) posing with the feet on Mahmoud Abbas’s vacated chair, looting and stealing, using laptops with names of rival Fatah members, (more than 100 were killed last week), and executing anyone who disagrees with them. And all in the name of Allah. 

The union of British journalists also have mud on their faces. Three months ago their fellow journalist was kidnapped by Palestinians, who haven’t bothered even to say whether he’s alive or dead. Instead of demanding that the Palestinians release Johnston, a pro-Palestinian reporter, his British colleagues decided to boycott Israeli fruits and vegetables. That should make Johnston feel good. 

Several years ago, Israel left every inch of Gaza, including infrastructure to help the Palestinians to begin launching and governing their own state. They turned their potential state to Hamas, who was more interested in rockets that kill Israelis than in helping Palestinians achieve a two-state solution. Now Hamas occupies Gaza and is creating an Islamic, terrorist state. 

One wonders why Gaza is still an “impoverished area with an imminent humanitarian crisis.” One wonders why rich Arab countries—instead of American taxpayers—don’t pick up the tab for their Palestinians brothers. Or why Iran, who bankrolls Hamas, deliberately keeps Palestinians as “helpless victims.” 

June Brott 

Oakland 

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RACIST DIATRIBE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I attended the Berkeley Landmark Commission meeting on June 7 and was appalled and insulted by the racist diatribe of Commissioner Gary Parsons in his attempt to validate his no vote regarding landmark status for the BHS gym building.  

As a former 33-year resident of Berkeley, a BHS graduate, and an African-American, I take great offense to his racist remarks; however, I guess the elephant in the room, racism at BHS, is finally standing up, raising its trunk and bellowing loud and clear. 

When I attended BHS, we where required to swim. We also had access to playing tennis, taking art, pottery, and etc. classes. We were also proud to be attending an accredited high school that really seemed to care about our academic achievements in spite of the color of our skin. Now all the School Board seems to care about is their jazz ensemble and a lot of sports fields, which obviously, in their estimation, is all that African-Americans can excel at. How many sports fields does one high school need? And why aren’t students swimming in the new pool on campus? 

The statement by Commissioner Parsons that when he took a tour of the BHS gym “all but one of the kids using the building were students of color”…I think that the ghetto-ization of this part of the student population….” While not only stupid and racist begs the question what the heck does that have to do with the BHS gym structure itself and its qualifications for landmark status? Where is the correlation? 

His making an issue of race in a landmark process is pathetic and says a lot about his character, qualifications, and the integrity of his even being on the Landmark Commission which is supposed to consider architectural issues which be also seemed to twist and misrepresent. For shame!  

Juanita Kirby 

Former BHS Student 

Oakland 

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BATES HOTEL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The Bates Hotel and Condo Complex is coming to Center and Shattuck? 

Horrors! This is scarier than Hitchcock. 

I am tired of hearing this project—which was first “a necessary part of a university conference center” and now must be 50 percent condos to “pencil out”—presented as though it were a fait accompli, or simply not discussed.  

The project is simply out of scale with downtown Berkeley and would be bad. It would seriously impinge on the views from the Berkeley campus and the Campanile, and the lower portions of the North Berkeley Hills. It would loom over most of downtown, and particularly Center Street, which we (our elected officials, the Planning Commission, DAPAC, and many local activists) are considering making a pedestrian-friendly mall or walk street. 

I would like to announce my strong and vocal opposition, and I would encourage those of you who are similarly inclined to make your opinions known publicly, and to the city Planning Commission and City Council (including the mayor). It may be appropriate and necessary for us to take initiative and electoral action to reduce this project to a scale that fits in downtown Berkeley, rather than one that takes us closer to “the sky’s the limit.” 

As I understand from reading the city’s maps of current zoning, the sky is not the limit—five stories is. 

Bob Sarnoff 

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UNIVERSITY AS NATURAL ALLY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Recently there have been various articles about the success of university and community partnerships in cities such as Philadelphia (“University City gets rave review: A report touts job and retail growth. And the area feels safer and cleaner.” Philadelphia Inquirer, June 18).  

The formula is always the same: a community that is willing to trust the university to do the right thing, a university interested in improving its surroundings because it benefits the quality of life of faculty, staff and students, and politicians that want the partnership to work because it helps their community and voters. 

Berkeley fails in all of these requirements. We have a group of so called “progressives” that remember a university from the ’60s that they refuse to ever trust and therefore constantly see as an antagonist, not a natural partner. A university that feels backed into a corner and tries to protect itself from attacks by not being as open as it could or should be. And, finally, a representative to City Council who uses the university as a threat to justify his opposition to any changes in the community even if it means keeping the area poor, dirty and unsafe. These intimidation tactics such as a refusal to allow higher density housing near the university which we as students, faculty and employees desperately need, a refusal to allow “chain stores” to open (such as a Borders to replace Cody’s), a refusal to allow the university to clean up people’s park have made Telegraph Avenue a failed community. I know, I live on Telegraph. Meanwhile, in Philadelphia an area that was almost as bad as Telegraph is now revitalized and well on the way to success. Do we want to learn from them or just continue in our status quo of failure? 

Marlon Maus 

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POPULATION AND  

ENVIRONMENT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Many people fail to recognize the important connection between population and the environment, but that connection is there, it is real, and it needs to be acknowledged. 

Through everyday activities human beings not only contribute to global warming by releasing carbon emissions into the air, we change the actual surface of the earth, and with that, affect everything that depends on that surface for life. As of 2000 humans have altered two-thirds of Earth’s inhabitable surface; loss of wildlife and open space result from human’s need to take up more space. Overdraw and run-off from human related activities has considerably degraded/depleted the world’s fresh water supply. Humans depend on these things not only for sustaining life, but for creating a quality of living that makes lives better. Population growth ensures continued alteration, thus a continued depletion of availability for enhanced quality of life for all.  

I want to encourage readers to first off recognize the extent that population growth affects the environment and secondly push for stabilizing this population growth as a part of the struggle to maintain a happy, healthy quality of life.  

Your actions matter. By simply keeping the population connection in mind while voting on family planning issues, you can make a difference. You can make an even bigger difference by educating others, be it your friend, spouse, child, or parent. Imagine if you can affect the future of the world, how much all of you could do.  

Georgia Gann 

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REFORM HOUSING POLICY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Ex-housing czar Steve Barton and BASTA’s Marie Bowman had a rare moment of convergence last week when they both called for Alameda County to take over the Berkeley Housing Authority. I agree that it’s time to say “Basta!” to BHA. If this had happened in 1999, when BHA’s corruption and incompetence first surfaced, Berkeley taxpayers (that’s us) would have saved the $2 million that BHA went on to squander.  

Seize the moment for reform. 

The meltdown of Berkeley’s Housing Department raises a host of questions about who knew what when. BHA may be the tip of iceberg, so these questions need answers. But there’s a parallel opportunity that Berkeley should not overlook. Our housing policy can and should be revamped to reflect the city’s current realities. Along with folding BHA into the Alameda County Housing Authority, two other reforms should be considered: 

Encourage Grassroots Projects and Ownership: Berkeley’s housing policy is locked into a mindset that was cast in stone with the publication of The City’s Wealth, a blueprint for red ink, in the 1970s. The Brower Center/Oxford St. project, a budgetary slashed artery ($6 million and climbing), exemplifies the follies of the City’s desire to play developer. Berkeley’s housing policy needs to encourage the grassroots creation of in-law units, modest additions, and reasonably scaled new projects where infill sites allow. It needs to encourage standing tenants and owners of TIC units to convert to condos by waiving the onerous fees that stand between them and owner-occupied housing. This is the fastest and least costly way to provide affordable housing options in Berkeley for the younger households that are the real future of our community as vibrant place and economy.  

Make Rent Control Part of Housing: Despite the constant diminishment of its activities, Berkeley’s Rent Board commands a $3 million budget for the routine handling of some 19,000 rental units (out of about 40,000 in total). The Board charges $170 per unit per year, up from $156 last year, of which only $1.00 per month can be reimbursed (through an onerous process). There is no evidence that the added service or protections offered justify the cost. Making the Rent Board part of Housing and paring staff to reflect the Board’s real activities would bring its fees in line with fair and reasonable benchmarks elsewhere in the region—$20 in San Francisco (half reimbursable) and $24 in Oakland. 

Like the 1989 earthquake, the current crisis can still get us to a better place. Existing housing policy is our Embarcadero Freeway—it’s time to tear it down and start anew. Consolidating the City’s housing roles, bringing its housing budgets and activities in line with reality, and encouraging the broad-based creation of affordable housing will honor Berkeley’s liberal, family-friendly tradition—without corruption or budgetary red ink.  

John Parman  

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STEVE BARTON 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Why care whether Stephen Barton is more of an idealist or an ideologue (see Planet, June 8)? It’s amusing to observe how Berkeley’s “Dead Tenants” escapade parallels Gogol’s “Dead Souls” in Tsarist Russia, cca 1842. But of more immediate concern to us is that fellow El Cerritan Barton, may soon spend not just nights and weekends, but also his days in our town. 

A year ago, Stephen Barton was the lone voice of El Cerrito City Hall support. I forget whether it was in favor of in of a massive housing project at The Plaza (to generate some $500,000/year for Redevelopment while ignoring the worsening Plaza traffic circulation mess), or in favor of increasing the City’s tax take. Maybe both. 

This is what I wrote in the “Plazaneighbors” Yahoo listserver, April 20, 2006: 

Barton said: “I came down to thank the Council for the hours you put in and the grief you take, for no pay (??????). I bought at the top of the market and am willing to be taxed six to ten times as much as my neighbors. The Council is doing the best it can with a very unfair system. The anti- people have it all tied up, and I’m willing to have them look up my name and address, and all of that.” 

So I did. A minute of Googling revealed that Stephen is a City of Berkeley Manager, its “Director of Housing,” now living way uphill, in El Cerrito. 

He is surely capable of looking out for his own interests if he chose to buy in El Cerrito “at the top if the market.” Before that, did he sell in Berkeley or Albany at the top of the market? It seems he started out there years before, as senior planner. Now, I’m told, he’s beginning to cut back and may wish to retire. Why suddenly come out of “nowhere” to be the sole City-Hall promoting flag-waver? I’d bet that what he’s angling for is consulting work, to advise us on how to spend the millions of dollars accumulating in El Cerrito’s redevelopment fund. 

Now, a year later, we’ll see if Barton will turn the Berkeley Housing mess to his advantage and seek pre-retirement sinecure refuge in “tranquil” El Cerrito. Proving that nowadays, city planners mainly plan their own careers. Consummate bureaucrats can sing with the “progressive angels” (?), howl with the “conservative wolves” (?), but always make sure they land on their feet while public money goes to waste.  

It’s not about ideals and ideology, it’s all about self-serving self-righteousness. 

Peter Loubal 

El Cerrito