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Dogs and their caretakers at the Albany Bulb. Photograph by Jill Posener.
Dogs and their caretakers at the Albany Bulb. Photograph by Jill Posener.
 

News

Berkeley High Teachers Press BUSD For More Space By Fall

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Posted 1/17—Brandishing posters, placards and signs at the Berkeley Board of Education meeting Wednesday, more than 30 Berkeley High School teachers urged board members to construct the new classrooms approved for the high school by August. 

The board approved a $2 million project on Jan. 9 to create four new classrooms through remodeling and to buy six portables in order to add 10 classroom spaces. 

The lack of space at Berkeley High has compelled its teachers to hold classes inside the Washington Elementary School portables and in the Community Theater lobby. 

“We have reached a critical situation for space at Berkeley High,” said district spokesperson Mark Coplan, who explained that recent voter mandated reductions in class sizes have meant an expansion of classes. “The trade-off for having smaller class sizes meant we would have a lack of space,” he said. 

According to a survey conducted by the Berkeley Federation of Teachers (BFT) in 2007, 70 percent of Berkeley High teachers not connected to a small school program either shared a classroom or moved around from room to room. 

“They take their belongings in a cart and move along,” said BFT President Cathy Campbell. “It’s really hard getting from one class to the other. It’s hard to be on time and hard to get the room arranged and hard for the students to find their teachers. You can’t think and plan and analyze properly. Most teachers are doing that work at home, and for a lot of us with families, it’s not the best plan.” 

Campbell said that it was important to have the new spaces ready by mid-August. 

“Beginning of the school year is such a critical time,” she said. “We’d prefer to have the students in the new classrooms by fall rather than have them change rooms in January or February.” 

Dozens of children attending Hasmig Minassian’s freshman seminar class in the Washington Elementary portables wrote letters to board members asking them to provide teachers with their own rooms. 

“Our teacher never stays after class to answer our questions,” wrote freshman Michelle Casimiro. “We don’t know where she is if we have something important to ask her.” 

Others complained about not being able to post their work on any classroom wall. 

“For students these spaces will mean that when they enter their classroom their teacher will be there, greeting them at the door, calm and ready to use every possible instructional minute to its fullest potential,” said Shannon Erby, who has taught at Berkeley High for three years.  

“The homework will be written on the board and the desks will be preconfigured to support the lesson,” she said. “Baskets of extra handouts and clear places to turn in homework will be available. Student work and visual resources will adorn the walls, and the entire whiteboard at the front of the room will be available to support visual learners.” 

Erby added that more classrooms would improve student achievement, strengthen student-teacher relationships and assist in teacher retention. 

“I am one of Berkeley’s finest teachers, but I don’t need a classroom ... I have this,” Berkeley High teacher Tim Mullering said, exhibiting a black marker to the school board. “We could have a class in the park, in the steps of the Community Theatre or in the warm pool ... But it’s very difficult for my students. I volunteered to write letters of recommendation for 40 of them and they had a tough time looking for me.” 

“As a teacher it’s really hard to be taken seriously by your kids when you don’t have your own space,” said Jordan Winer, who teaches drama at the high school. 

Superintendent Michele Lawrence—who will retire Feb. 2—informed the teachers that it would be difficult to have the spaces available before next spring. 

Lawrence will be replaced by Bill Huyett, who until recently served as superintendent of the Lodi Unified School District. 

“At least three rooms will be ready for use in September,” Lawrence said. “It will be tough to get it all done by August, even if we pull all the stops.” 

Lawrence reminded the group that the portables were more of a temporary solution to the space problem and that the district hoped to build permanent classrooms after demolishing the Old Gym. 

“The issue about overcrowding really needs to be heard by the community,” she said. “Some momentum will help us get through the issues of licensing and the environmental impact report.” 

Lawrence reported that the lawsuit by Friends Protecting Berkeley’s Resources to block the demolition of the old gym and warm pool was delaying the plans for the proposed three-story classroom building from moving ahead. 

According to a report submitted to the school board by district’s facilities director Lew Jones last week, Berkeley High doesn’t have enough space for its 3,172 students, and the crunch will only increase as the student body is projected to keep growing until 2011. The report also states that the school currently has 114 available classrooms, as opposed to the need for 128 regular education classroom. 

The 10 new classroooms, which would supplement the four Washington Elementary portables, include recapturing one space from Berkeley Community Media, dividing three larger rooms and adding six classroom portables and a restroom portable. 

Although the Berkeley High administration have identified the school’s softball field as the best location for these buildings, nothing definite has been decided yet.


Sunset San Francisco “Idea House” Opens to the Public This Month

By Steven Finacom
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Posted 1/16/08—For many years the Bay Area-based Sunset Magazine, self-described “magazine of Western living,” has been sponsoring “idea houses” in partnership with builders and manufacturers. 

Ranging from subdivision homes to country retreats, these structures are temporarily opened to the public to showcase their design concepts and fixtures.  

It’s a bit like a decorator show house, but with the architecture and building systems promoted as much as the décor. 

The latest Sunset project is in San Francisco’s Mission District. It’s their first Idea House on a solidly urban site, and incorporates a mass of “green” features and materials from a power-generating wind turbine to sustainably harvested wood paneling. 

Sunset’s literature describes it as “one of the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified residential remodels in the nation.” 

The curious can tour it for $20 per adult this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, as well as Jan. 25, 26, and 27, after which it closes to the public for good.  

The house—not owned by Sunset—was originally scheduled to premier in August 2007 and close in October, but didn’t open until late November, accompanied by a cloud of rumor and speculation that’s detailed, denied, and discussed on local real estate blogs. 

The building has two units. The smaller one is described as 1,229 square feet. Sunset’s literature doesn’t give the size of the main house, but some on-line sources say it’s 3,600 square feet. 

Surrounding buildings are a mix of Victorian and Edwardian houses and apartment structures, some intact, others remodeled. 

The Idea House, on a corner lot, is resolutely modernist, an asymmetrically angular structure in trendy green hues, designed by San Francisco architect John Lum. 

It’s supposedly “transformed from a 1908 commercial structure,” but I couldn’t spot a visible stick or shred of anything earlier than the 21st century from the site. 

Let’s go inside and take a look. 

The saying “your home is your castle” certainly applies here. A barbarian with a battering train would find it hard to penetrate the fortress-like main entry where two enormous metal doors sandwich a vestibule.  

The ground floor of the main unit is dominated by one of those “endless swimming pools” in which a current allows you to swim in place, along with a sauna, spa room, and half-bath. 

The second floor contains the private living quarters, bisected lengthwise by the stair atrium and a walnut-walled corridor. A guest room and bath, children’s bedroom, and spaces described as “craft room” and children’s “powder room” line up along the street side. 

The craft room has a striking bay window at the corner of the house, with northwest views and a built-in window seat below a light sculpture. The opposite wall is a rather impressive sculptural composition made up of scores of wood scraps left over from the hallway paneling. 

Across the hall a laundry room connects through to the master closet, as big as the guest bedroom. The master bedroom has two floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the interior courtyard, and is divided from the adjacent master bath by an interesting pass-through storage wall. 

The bath features a walk-in glass-walled shower, opaque glass wall facing south, and sculptural concrete counter and sink. 

Rising through the building core, the main staircase emerges in the center of the top floor. Although the floor plate here is smaller than the lower levels, the space seems large since there are no partition walls, except those enclosing a half-bath tucked in a corner. 

A glass bridge across the stairwell allows uninterrupted circulation around the perimeter. An “L” shaped kitchen with a long, concrete-topped island, a dining area, lounge area and an adjacent sitting area and wet bar occupy the four quadrants. 

A wrap around outdoor terrace surrounds much of this level and also provides a visual setback from the street below and buildings across the street. Huge doors (both solid wood, and sliding glass) and window-walls that fold back allow much of the floor to be opened up to the exterior. 

The roof sports plantings, photovoltaics, and solar water heaters. 

This top floor has a very comfortable feel with extensive views, lots of light and air, and ample outdoor space. We were there on a not-too-warm January day but it was quite mild inside, even with some of the window walls open. 

(Unfortunately, what a docent cited as “liability concerns” exclude visitors from the terrace. You can only peer through the windows at the outdoor spaces on this level). 

The main unit is filled with built-in and customized storage spaces. An unobtrusive elevator flanks a light well. The central stair is both functional and sculptural, with layered glass treads, glass landings, and balusters made out of tautly angled cables. 

The main unit has a ground level patio in the southeast corner of the lot with plantings, pavers, patio, and an “L” shaped pond. The metal column of the wind turbine rises from one corner. 

There’s a sculptural tower of succulents and strawberries, a recycled plastic deck, and that must-have feature of all Sunset projects, an outdoor “barbecue bar” with the heft and presence of a jet engine. 

Floor to ceiling windows and glass doors divide the patio from the indoor pool. A two-car garage, a mechanical room the size of some studio apartments, and a second exit to the street complete the patio perimeter. 

Sunk beneath the patio are water storage/collection tanks, fed by an artistic “rain chain” that drains the roof. 

In the corner behind the wind turbine two steel beams project from the wall, presumably supports for a future switchback outdoor staircase that the floor plans show descending from the third floor terrace to ground level. 

The smaller second unit, with its own street entrance, hugs the western street side of the building. The ground floor has a master bedroom with no exterior windows, a gigantic master bath, a much more modest second bath, and two spaces—one with a modern murphy bed unit—that can be partitioned off from the circulation core by huge wooden doors that roll on tracks. 

There are no conventional windows on this level, only thick, opaque, glass walls along the sidewalk. A narrow planting verge between building and sidewalk is filled with bamboo for a second layer of privacy screening. 

The upstairs level of the unit has a laundry closet, half-bath, open kitchen/dining/living area, and a nice outdoor patio on the roof of the garage. 

In this unit, look above the stairs for the fascinating photovoltaic sculpture/fan by Mark Malmberg that animates itself, and the small planted “green wall” facing the street from the roof deck. 

I left with these impressions.  

First, the pluses:  

• The really livable open third floor of the main residence and the intelligent approach of putting the “living” areas on top and the bedrooms on the middle level. 

• A good effort to provide functional and pleasant roof terraces; there should be more of these in San Francisco, with its many flat roofs. 

• Solar systems for hot water heating and power. The jury is out on the urban advisability of the wind turbine. It wasn’t moving during our visit, but both a Sunset employee and a neighbor commented it was pretty audible when spinning. 

• The water systems that make extensive use of rainwater and gray water, and also help reduce storm and sanitary sewer runoff. 

• Lots of storage spaces, some too modern for my taste, but cleverly designed and fitted in throughout the building. 

The Minus:  

• Excess. Does any individual Bay Area home really need a luxury kitchen plus a built-in cooking station in the garden, elaborate suites for children, bedroom sized closets, three refrigerators, two bars, two dishwashers, seven sinks, and its own sauna, spa, and indoor swimming pool? 

This house incorporates so many high-end appliances, fixtures, finishes, and design features that it’s improbable the average homeowner could afford to replicate them, at least in this quantity, quality, and combination. 

In the second unit bathroom, for instance, a docent said that the alluring Lumicor divider panels made of “architectural resin” and encasing thousands of tiny pieces of bamboo, cost $13,000. To me, that’s eco-porn. 

This isn’t light or simple living. It’s luxuriousness, albeit with a smaller carbon footprint than a conventional McMansion would generate. 

Such an outcome is to be expected from a project where numerous manufacturers and appliance suppliers want to showcase their wares, but it doesn’t make the result any less unsettling. 

There’s also the size of the main unit. “Faux Density,” was the reaction of the designer who accompanied me. This is not the “smart growth” that urbanization advocates idealize; it’s suburban size in an urban shell. 

The development is lower density than most of the surrounding neighborhood. Each floor of the main residence alone has enough square footage to be a comfortably sized apartment or condo unit.  

There’s also a huge amount of technical complexity. It’s a “green” house where most of the window coverings appear to be moveable only with electric motors, where hundreds of cables coil within closets and cabinets, and where the “mechanical room” is the size of a small garage and sports more fixtures, pipes, and motors than some research wet labs. 

I counted more than 80 separate cables bundled in the back of one closet alone. Presumably a corps of service and repair technicians will be needed in future years until that inevitable day when someone says “can’t get parts for this old thing anymore,” and it all has to be taken out and redesigned. 

 

Maybe some day Sunset will sponsor an urban home that’s functional, modest, and enduring. Now that’s an Idea! 

 

 

IF YOU GO... 

The Sunset Idea House is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. the next two weekends only, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, through Jan. 27. 

Sunset doesn’t publicize the street address, and encourages visitors to park or gather at the San Francisco General Hospital parking garage (2500 24th St.) and catch a free shuttle to the Mission District house. The last shuttle leaves the garage at 3:15 p.m. 

Visit the Sunset website www.sunset.com or call their recorded information line, 1-800-786-7375 for official details. 

$20 per person at the door of the main unit. $15 for seniors on Friday, no children under the age of 10. 

There are docents throughout and lots of wall labels describing spaces and features. 

Each visitor gets a glossy brochure that’s part description, part product advertising. The back of the brochure has useful floor plans that are slightly different from the as-built structure. 

A stop in the garage will yield a hefty armload of free product materials, brochures, and advertising for all of the various manufacturers and others partnering on the project. 

The house is not wheelchair accessible. Improbably, there are three concrete steps from the front door to the interior elevator. 

 

 

 


Council Heads Back To Drawing Board for Alcohol Inspection Fees

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Posted 1/16/08—Faced with some two dozen upset small business owners, the Berkeley City Council reversed itself Tuesday, backing away from a December decision to charge bars, restaurants and liquor stores $467 each year to inspect for substandard conditions such as graffiti, sidewalk drinking, sales to minors and the like. 

The body also voted to take a new look at a law passed last year making it mandatory for those who serve or sell alcoholic beverages to be certified in alcohol sales. 

Restaurant owners argued that they were not the culprits targeted by the inspection program; scofflaws were in fact neighborhood liquor stores, they said. 

The council had approved the standards at its Dec. 11 meeting; but a second reading of the ordinance, before the council Tuesday night, was required for the measure to become law. A separate item on fees had been approved in concept by the council in December and required the public hearing that was held by the council Tuesday. 

“We’d rather have the problem-makers take the burden,” said Jean Spencer, owner of The Musical Offering café on Bancroft Way, addressing the council. 

Code Enforcement Supervisor Gregory Daniel spoke to the need for the standards, which the council put on hold until the question of fees for inspections is determined: “Now we have a level playing field” with standards spelled out, he said. 

Ralph Adams of the Berkeley Alcohol Policy Advocacy Coalition (BAPAC) urged the council to adopt the standards and fees. “I’ve dealt with a lot of nuisance behavior in my neighborhood” due to alcohol sales from liquor stores, he said, adding that the $467 fee should be affordable to a person whose business is viable. 

Speaking at the hearing, restaurant owners said the proposed fees were inequitable: liquor stores were to be inspected four times annually and restaurants only once— for the same $467 fee. Logically, they said, with fewer inspections, they should pay a lesser annual fee. 

Others said there should be a fee differential between small store owners, for whom beer and wine is a tiny percentage of sales, and large grocery and liquor stores that sell greater quantities of alcohol.  

Speakers also expressed outrage at a law passed last year mandating certification for all those who serve or sell alcoholic beverages. They pointed to a dearth of free classes provided by ABC (California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control) and the high cost of private classes—$30-to-$70 per individual. They underscored that the high turnover of part-time restaurant workers meant that restaurant owners would be paying thousands of dollars annually to have workers certified. 

The council voted to put the standards and fees laws on hold and appointed Mayor Tom Bates and Councilmembers Laurie Capitelli, Gordon Wozniak and Darryl Moore to revise the fee schedule and take a new look at the ordinance that mandates certification for those who sell alcohol. 


For the Love of the Dog

By Jill Posener, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008
Dogs and their caretakers at the Albany Bulb. Photograph by Jill Posener.
Dogs and their caretakers at the Albany Bulb. Photograph by Jill Posener.

Between November and April each year, as California newts migrate in large numbers across South Park Drive in Tilden Park, the road is closed to motor vehicles. As if on cue, these small brown and orange amphibians emerge from their summer homes and strut clumsily along the roadway.  

They are joined in this winter celebration by locals and their dogs who stroll on the suddenly quietened artery of Tilden. This is one of the jewels to be found in the East Bay, where off-leash joy is plentiful.  

Trails, normally accessible only by car, branch off the main road and access all other parts of this amazing park system. I walk silently with my dogs, past a rushing creek, and out into a clearing where redwoods and fir trees tap the sky and hawks circle hungrily overhead. It is possible to imagine I am anywhere but here in the increasingly frenetic Bay Area. Of all the hundreds of ways to indulge my love for my four-legged companions, it is the shared experience of damp air and green hills, the crunch of gravel underfoot as I hike miles of open trails with my dogs by my side that is the richest of them all. 

Among all the ‘Tree-Hugging’, ‘Hate Bush’, ‘Peace’ and ‘Rainbow’ bumper stickers adorning Berkeley’s cars, a locally grown one, in simple white type on a black background, has become the catch-phrase for canine crazy humans across America: ‘Dog Is My Co-Pilot’ encapsulates the deep devotion of contemporary pet ownership—or guardianship. BARK magazine, dedicated to ‘canine culture’ is distributed nationally but is as iconic a Berkeley institution as Chez Panisse or KPFA—the synthesis of a lifestyle and progressive philosophy.  

But open almost any publication, from Fortune Magazine to The New York Times, or watch a movie—from Jodie Foster’s recent ‘The Brave One’ to ‘The Game Plan’ with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and become aware of how pets have morphed from family companion to family member. Visit online community sites and see how many dogs have their own MySpace pages. Get a date online and find out that your relationship with dogs and cats is likely to be an important part of the get-to-know-you process. Divorce lawyers are catching on to the importance of pet custody issues among separating ‘boomers’. It’s easy to understand why the pet business is now a $40 billion a year industry. 

There are organic diets, raw diets, and diets for specific breeds; homeopathic vets, holistic vets, opthamologists & endocrinologists for our animals; dog biscuit bakeries and cat B&B’s where Horatio and Alger can stretch out in a ‘condo’ or be allowed uncaged time if they agree not to spray on the cat toys in the wicker basket; Honda promotes their easy to clean ‘dog suitable’ vehicle in local canine publications with names like FETCH and Bay Woof, and pet photographers are booked months ahead.  

You can spend more on a designer collar than for a great meal, and that couture dog bed may cost more than a plane ticket to visit your aging mother in New Jersey.  

Invite a behaviorist into your home to find out why Trixie pouts when she can’t watch Animal Planet from the sofa, and fill your bookshelves with the torrents of new books gushing about the ‘special bond’ between dogs and humans. Scores of bored professionals have re-invented themselves as ‘animal professionals.”  

There are dog trainers, schools to train dog trainers, academies to train dog walkers and a dog walking company which loads photos onto Flickr—in real time—so that while you’re at your desk in San Mateo, making the kind of money you’ll need to pay for all the above, you can see that Max or Cody are getting nice and muddy in the park. Or that your cat is getting petted—as requested and paid for. 

It is, in short, an industry tailormade for the kind of lifestyle indulgence we do so well in the Bay Area. If you’re new to the area: welcome—we speak dog and cat here (and iguana at the amazing Vivarium on 5th Street).  

But wait. Isn’t this supposed to be the heart of the anti-corporate world of conspicuous consumption and consumerism? 

When all is said and done, the fiercest pleasures shared with our four-legged companions are those simple ones that cost us nothing, or next to nothing at all. And Berkeley and the surrounding area will give you enough moments of exquisite peace with your dog(s), it will make all the frustrations of living in the capital of political correctness seep away—if only temporarily.  

If you haven’t got a dog or cat yet, but you have signed a lease with a pet friendly landlord, head down to the animal shelter with the lowest euthanasia rate in all of California—Berkeley Animal Care Services on 2nd Street. And if you want to take a pit bull or mix into your heart, a range of training options are available from pioneering advocacy group BadRap.  

If you don’t find a companion there, your choice of local agencies to adopt from includes the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society on Carlton Street or one of the many animal welfare groups who host mobile adoptions across the East Bay including Home At Last, The Milo Foundation, Hopalong Animal Rescue and breed specific groups like Greyhound Rescue. If a cat or dog seems too ambitious, the House Rabbit Society can provide you with, well, a rabbit. 

While the East Bay Regional Parks offer hundreds of miles of off leash trails in cities from Fremont to Pinole, including the dedicated dog park, Point Isabel with its own dog washing facility Mudpuppies, other enclosed parks and recreation areas provide different forms of dog activity, notably the new small dog exercise areas in Mosswood Park in Oakland and in Alameda.  

Local waterfront parks are renowned (though some of us chafe at encroaching limitations on access) and my favorite remains the hotly contested Albany Waterfront Park (known affectionately as the Landfill), where local artist and civil rights lawyer Osha Neumann still ventures to create some of the best and most exciting outsider art, including a stunning wooden sculpture of a dog, made from found materials.  

Great dog parks? Best pet store? Cheapest pet food? Friendliest neighborhood? Bars with outdoor patios where you can take your dog? Best place to adopt or ‘rescue’ a pet? Whatever your vote is—until Berkeley becomes like everywhere else, this is a great place to own or be a guardian to a pet. One more reason to fight the forces of conformity! 

 

WHERE TO . . . 

 

Get information:  

Local dog paper Fetch and Bay Woof are available at most vets and pet stores and list information and services, as well as a comprehensive list of area municipal and non-profit animal shelters. 

 

Have fun with your dog: 

There are wonderful parks all over the area. Here are some of my favorites. Always observe the ‘pick up poop’ rules, and leash your dog where posted. 

• Lake Anza /Tilden Park.  

• South Park Drive (between November and April) /Park at the Wildcat Canyon Rd end/ Tilden Park 

• Albany Bulb and Plateau, Buchanan St. exit off I-80 / Albany 

• Roberts Regional Park/ Skyline Blvd/ Oakland 

• UC Berkeley Strawberry Canyon Fire Trail/ access off Centennial Way or Grizzly Peak/ Berkeley 

• Point Richmond Hills /east of Miller Knox Regional Park/ Point Richmond 

 

Find enclosed dog runs: 

Most public parks allow dogs but usually only on leash. 

The following allow off leash dogs in an enclosed run area. 

• Ohlone Dog Park/ Hearst & MLK Jr Way/Berkeley 

• Mosswood Dog Run & Small Dog Park/ MacArthur & Webster/ Oakland 

• Crown Beach Park (no beach access)/ 8th & Otis/ Alameda 

 

Find pet food and basics: 

• Alpha Pet Supply, 960 San Pablo Ave., Albany  

• Animal Farm, 1531 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley 

 

Find small stores with knowledgeable staff who know their stuff, and both have a loyal fan base: 

• Paws and Claws 2023 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland 

• Natural Food Store and BathHouse has become a valuable resource for 

local pet owners 

• Your Basic Bird, 2940 College Ave., Berkeley. The name says it—this is a favorite haunt for anyone who needs great advice on birds. They also show cats for adoption! 

• Pet Food Express. A bit corporate, but a local company and they support local animal welfare groups with Love My Mutt photo program which you can enjoy when you pass their window displays. 

 

Pet Boutiques: 

Each of these stores has a unique feel—one thing they have in common—you will meet other dog fanatics who will give you more advice on how to enjoy your dog in this area! And they all support animal welfare organizations. 

• Dog Bone Alley, 1342 Park St., Alameda  

• Holistic Hound, 1510 Walnut St., Berkeley 

• George, 1844 4th St., Berkeley 

• RedHound, 5523 College Ave., Oakland 

 

Favorite places to eat or drink with your dog: 

This isn’t Europe that’s for sure—where dogs sit right by your side in many restaurants, bars or pubs. But many places locally have outdoor spaces where your canine pal can hang with you. Some personal favorites: 

• The Pasta Store / Tacubaya /Café Rouge / Peet’s Fourth Street Shopping area, Berkeley, where you can sit at one of the outdoor tables that serve all these businesses, with your dogs.  

• Kitty’s, 6702 Hollis St., Emeryville. A hipster bar that made this 50 something feel welcome with my two dogs for a cold beer on the patio on a warm evening  

• Town House Bar & Grill, 5862 Doyle St., Emeryville. A good lunch spot or dinner spot with your leashed dog on the outdoor patio 

 

 

Photograph by Jill Posener. 

Dogs and their caretakers at the Albany Bulb.


Green Corridor Goes to Council

By Judith Scherr
Tuesday January 15, 2008

The corridor that stretches from Oakland to Richmond could become a vibrant, green version of Silicon Valley, attracting venture capital and federal dollars to support green industry and green jobs. 

The mayors of Richmond, Emeryville, Oakland and Berkeley got together with the chancellor of UC Berkeley and the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and unveiled that vision for the East Bay Green Corridor at a press conference in December. 

At tonight’s (Tuesday) City Council meeting, Mayor Tom Bates is asking the council to sign on formally to become part of the East Bay Green Corridor Partnership and to authorize the partnership to request federal funds for “green collar” job development. 

Still, at least one councilmember is asking what the East Bay Green Corridor Partnership is, whether the group will meet in public and how its decisions will be made. 

The council meeting begins at 7 p.m. Other items to be discussed include putting the warm pool and access to medical marijuana on the November ballot, making it easier to retrofit soft story buildings, and fees for alcohol outlet inspection programs. 

There was to have been a 5 p.m. workshop on the Department of Food and Agriculture’s plan to conduct aerial spraying over Berkeley and surrounding areas to eradicate a recent infestation of the Light Brown Apple Moth. However, the department asked for a postponement to allow them time to further review data and to formulate recommendations for action.  

“We have been assured that no aerial spraying will be scheduled until local review and community engagement processes have been completed,” Deputy City Manger Lisa Caronna wrote the council.  

 

Green corridor 

The mayor surprised even the city’s Energy and Sustainable Development Division head on Dec. 3 by announcing in a joint press conference the formation of the East Bay Green Corridor project comprised of the mayors of four East Bay cities and the heads of the Berkeley labs and the university. 

The Green Corridor principles, signed before the TV cameras last month by UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Director Steven Chu, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, Emeryville Mayor Nora Davis and Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, promised, in part, to “create conditions that support new and emerging green industry.” 

The principles state: “As new green technologies emerge and become commercialized, our jurisdictions will cooperate to create conditions that spark new companies, incubate their growth and give them the opportunities to expand in the region ... 

“Research now being conducted at the University of California and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will yield new processes, products and services that will help drive local environmental entrepreneurship. Efficient lighting technology, solar energy and biofuels are just a few of the areas where cutting edge research is making vast strides.” 

While he supports cooperating with nearby cities to create green jobs, Councilmember Kriss Worthington says he wants more details on the proposal and the partnership. 

“This proposal doesn’t say very much,” Worthington told the Planet on Monday. “It’s an implied blank check.”  

No one knows how decisions will be made, Worthington said, or what the various members see as “green” jobs or technology. 

“Does a majority vote decide what the policy is?” he asked. The statement “is silent on jurisdictional issues.” 

Worthington said his concerns could be addressed if the Green Corridor group holds publicly noticed open meetings. “They should voluntarily make it subject to sunshine [open meeting] laws,” Worthington said. 

Peter Scheer, an attorney and executive director of the California First Amendment Coalition, said he thought that the question of whether the East Bay Corridor Partnership is covered by the Brown Act’s open meeting and noticing requirements would have to be decided by the courts. 

Given that that each of the four mayors is part of jurisdictions covered by the Brown Act, “They should act as if they were covered by the Brown Act,” Scheer said. “That would add to the legitimacy of anything they may do.” 

Councilmember Darryl Moore told the Planet he is less concerned with how the group does its work; he’s looking at the results. 

“I’m comfortable that the mayors can get together to form a green corridor—Hopefully, the mayor will come back with more details,” he said, adding, “this is just a place holder. It allows us to apply for federal funds.” 

Moore said he hoped the funds create green jobs, especially for unemployed African Americans, Latinos and Asians in the Berkeley area.  

“I don’t want the concept to bypass minority communities,” he said, noting that former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown recently held a green business fair in Hunters Point. 

Councilmember Max Anderson said he thinks the Green Corridor will be able to “create well-paying jobs” for people trained locally. 

For that to happen, corridor participants will have to decide on an already existing entity—such as the Private Industry Council (PIC)—to carry out the job training. Anderson said he would like to see benchmarks for putting the training and job creation into place. The council should get progress reports, he said. 

Councilmember Linda Maio told the Planet that in her experience with the earlier East Bay Safety Corridor—when the East Bay cities got together to address public safety issues under then Mayor Loni Hancock and then-Assemblymember Tom Bates— the advantage for the grouping of the cities was access to federal funds.  

“We can look more like San Francisco,” a city and a county, Maio said. 

She also pointed out that this partnership may be able to facilitate the Oakland-Berkeley-Emeryville Community Choice Aggregation project the city is exploring, which would have the three cities take control of power distribution, now in the hands of Pacific Gas and Electric. 

Maio said she thinks the Green Corridor meetings should be announced publicly and that the public should be permitted to attend.  

Economic Development Division Director Michael Caplan will have a key role meeting with other similar managers in the partnership. He said he expected green business spin-offs from the labs and universities. While he said he would expect jobs would be created for people with doctorates from the university, there would also be lab tech and solar installation jobs for those without university degrees. 

Once the area becomes known as a center for green business, it will attract venture capital, he said. 

The mayor’s office did not return a call for comment.  

 

Warm pool on ballot? 

While the Commission on Disabilities wants the City Council to place an item on the Nov. 4 ballot which would ask voters to tax themselves to build a therapeutic warm pool for seniors and disabled people, the city manager apparently wants the council to wait and refer the question to city staff.  

The city manager’s proposal was not available Monday. 

The need for a new warm pool arises out of the likelihood that the Berkeley High warm pool will be demolished. In 2000, voters approved a bond to refurbish the warm pool. The money was never collected because of the school district’s decision to demolish the pool.  

The school district is making a site now used as a parking lot, on the east side of Milvia Street, available for construction of a new warm pool. The price tag for construction is estimated at $15 million, costing property owners about $5.59 per $100,000 of assessed value over 30 years.  

 

Cannabis access for ill back on ballot 

The council is being asked to formally place the Patients Access to Medical Cannabis Act back on the ballot. 

The measure, a citizens initiative on the 2004 ballot, was narrowly defeated. A recount was ordered and it was found that some of the electronic voting machine records had not been retained by the county. As a result of a court case won by Americans for Safe Access, a judge ordered that the measure be resubmitted to Berkeley voters. 

The Patients Access to Medical Cannabis Act includes provisions that lift existing limits on the amount of medical marijuana a qualified patient or primary caregiver can possess or cultivate and allows cannabis dispensaries to be established with a use permit, eliminating the requirement for a public hearing. 

 

Soft-story retrofits 

In order to encourage owners of soft-story and brick buildings to seismically retrofit their properties, city staff is recommending some changes to the Soft-Story and the Unreinforced Masonry ordinances. 

Soft-story and brick buildings are vulnerable to collapse during earthquakes.  

The changes would allow owners of these properties to perform seismic upgrades with limited planning department review, even when the upgrades cause encroachment into yards, exceed height restrictions, exceed allowable lot coverage and remove or reduce parking. 

 

Taxi Script audit 

The council will be asked to approve the auditor’s recommendation that the city manager report back by March on the implementation of corrective measures for the city’s Taxi Script Fund. 

The fund provides eligible seniors and disabled people with script providing free rides in commercial taxicabs or vans. Auditor Anne-Marie Hogan found a number of problems with the fund, including that it was not properly monitored or reconciled, the written procedures were not updated to reflect current practices, the procedure of counting cash under dual custody control was not followed and that whiteout was used to alter the log to record cash-in and cash-out from the safe. 


Liquor Inspection Program Worries Business Owners

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Is Berkeley going dry? Dorothee Mitrani-Bell said there’s cause for concern in light of rising city regulatory and financial pressures. 

“Is Berkeley going Prohibition on us?” asked the proprietor of La Note at 2377 Shattuck Ave. and Cafe Clem at 2703 Seventh St. 

Her concern—shared by other small business owners who run restaurants and neighborhood stores—is that a new $467 annual inspection fee piled onto other license and training costs for businesses that sell alcohol places a heavy burden on those least able to afford it. 

The new fees would be imposed should the City Council vote tonight (Tuesday) to adopt an ordinance to implement the law it passed Dec. 11 titled Operating Standards for Alcohol Outlets. 

One concern, said an official of the Downtown Berkeley Association (DBA), is that the smallest shops and restaurants must pay the same fee as major chain liquor stores. 

“It’s an equity issue,” said DBA Executive Director Deborah Badhia. 

The law applies to all vendors, whether small restaurants or corner stores with beer and wine licenses or full-scale liquor stores selling hard liquor by the bottle and case. 

The council’s unanimous vote in December followed a long campaign by the Berkeley Alcohol Policy Advocacy Coalition (BAPAC). 

Before that vote Councilmembers Linda Maio and Kriss Worthington argued for a tiered fee system, only to see their proposal fall on a 4-2-3 vote. 

Maio had argued that liquor stores should pay more because they produced more problems than restaurants. 

In addition to the annual fee, violators would be charged an additional $225.71 an hour for additional inspections made to ensure their compliance. 

In a memorandum to the council submitted in advance of tonight’s meeting, City Code Enforcement Supervisor Gregory Daniel said the fees are needed to cover the $150,000 annual costs of the program, which requires the hiring of 1.5 new city employees. 

The program calls for annual inspections of the 224 licensed vendors who sell drinks to customers and four inspections yearly for each of the 86 merchants who sell carry-out beer, wine and liquor. 

Passage of the ordinance would mark the culmination of more than two years of work by BAPAC and Students for a Safer Southside as well as churches and neighborhood organizations and other advocacy groups. 

BAPAC’s efforts have already led to enactment of two other ordinances last year. 

The first, dubbed the “social host” ordinance, levies penalties on adults who host gatherings where alcohol is served to minors. 

The second, the Responsible Beverage Service Training Ordinance, requires that anyone who serves alcohol—including waiters at restaurants and clerks at stores—must receive training within 90 days of starting the job from an instructor certified by the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. 

 

Long struggle 

Tonight’s vote will be the culmination of an eight-year campaign that started with a group of neighbors concerned about drug dealing outside an Adeline Street liquor store. 

“We met with the store owner and the property owner, and it took them a while to come around,” recalled Ralph Adams, one of the founders of BAPAC. 

“They all started cleaning up around the property. They installed a camera and called police” when the dealers returned, he said. 

But when the same old characters started to return, neighbors decided broader action was needed and began meeting one night a week, bringing in a community organizer, creating a plan, adopting the BAPAC name and holding regular meetings with councilmembers and other community groups. 

Presenting the proposals to the City Council in April 2006, they eventually won a council directive for the city manager and city attorney to work with BAPAC on coming up with implementation measures. 

“There was a tremendous reluctance on the part of the city attorney’s office and Manuela Albuquerque,” Adams said of the city’s recently retired top lawyer. 

It was Zach Cowan, now acting city attorney, who came up with the written ordinances, including the final measure set for consideration tonight. 

“The only question is how to apportion the fees,” Adams said. “Both the city manager and we feel a flat fee is the fairest way. We had at least two meetings with stakeholder groups, and all they said was they wanted to make sure it was clearly spelled out.” 

Adams said he feels restaurants contribute as much to the city’s alcohol problems as do liquor stores, citing the results of recent state-funded enforcement efforts that found sales to minors at the majority of the city’s alcohol serving eateries. 

As for the amount of the fee, Adams said, “If they are open six days a week it comes out to a buck and a half a day. If they can’t afford that ...” 

 

Owner’s concern 

But Mitrani-Bell wrote that the new fee adds to the problems she already faces while trying to run a business in downtown Berkeley. 

She said her concerns include “Nightmarish parking practices (which turn people away), missed garbage pickups (and charge you a fee when they don’t come, attracting rodents), increases in fuel charges, minimum wages, taxes and insurance increases ... it is killing us.” 

Badhia said she will be attending the council meeting to share the concerns raised by Mitrani-Bell and other downtown business owners. 

“It’s a problem for the smaller establishments,” she said. “But itself, it’s not unreasonable, but in combination with other pressures, it’s a concern.” 

Mitrani-Bell said she was also concerned with the training program for servers for $30 per employee, which she said the state offers only infrequently and for small groups. 

Badhia said that commercial training is also available, and that the DBA is urging the ABC to allow for business owners to offer training in their own establishments.


Threatened Lawsuit Targets Lab Runoff Contaminants

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) pollutes San Francisco Bay with illegal levels of metals and nitrogen compounds, charge environmentalists who have filed notice of their intention to sue. 

The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and the Strawberry Creek Stewardship Group have served notice on UC Regents, LBNL Director Steven Chu and Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates. 

Gates was notified because the lab operates under the joint auspices of the university and the Department of Defense. 

Michael Lozeau, the Alameda attorney representing both organizations, said he mailed certified copies the 16-page letter announcing his intention to file suit in 60 days after the Jan. 7 mailing. 

The lawyer, who specializes in environmental law, is a key player in another suit that targets the regents, challenging the Student Athlete High Performance Center and other projects at and around Memorial Stadium. 

Lozeau represents the Panoramic Hill Association in that action. 

The federal Clean Water Act mandates the 60-day notice before the filing of any legal action brought under the law’s provisions. 

“They’re failing to comply with the permit that applies to their stormwater discharge,” Lozeau said. “We have reviewed the last five years of data and they have consistent excedances of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) levels of concern.” 

Lozeau said he has brought 50 or 60 similar actions in the Bay Area and California’s Central Valley in the last three years, usually winning a satisfactory response before the cases reached the courtroom. 

Ron Kolb, the lab’s chief Public Information officer, said Monday afternoon that he hadn’t seen the letter, but would comment Tuesday after he had a chance to review the document. 

Lozeau said that the lab’s remedy would be to “beef up their control measures” using the best available technology achievable (BAT) and the best pollutant control technology (BCT). 

The highest relative concentrations of contaminants involve magnesium, with a federal benchmark level of 0.06 milligrams per liter of runoff versus measured LBNL runoff levels reaching up to 29 milligrams per liter—or 456 times the figure the federal EPA says can be achieved with appropriate technology. 

Lozeau said the figures, provided by the lab, may be ambiguous because questions remain about how they are collected and whether or not they included contaminants arising up-slope from the lab. 

While the lab’s permits require the facility to reduce contaminant levels, “we allege their stormwater pollution plan is not adequate because it is not knocking the numbers down,” he said. 

Of all the contaminants, the nitrates and nitrites in the runoff may have the most potential to harm fish downstream, he said. “They can be pretty nasty, and they can have pretty profound effects on fish.” 

With a federal benchmark level of 0.68 milligrams per liter, lab runoff measurements run as high as 13 milligrams. 

Lozeau said the numbers also raise questions about the Draft Environmental Impact Reports submitted for the Helios and Computational Research and Theory buildings now planned for the lab. 

While the documents propose that the new construction will not be adding to the lab’s cumulative water quality impacts, Lozeau said the fact that the lab isn’t in compliance with its current stormwater discharge permits raises questions about the accuracy of the documents. 

“The more the lab is built out, the more you can expect to see cumulative effects,” he said. 

The good news in the report is that the figures give no indications of runoffs of tritium—a radioactive isotope of hydrogen—or any other radioactive materials, Lozeau said. Tritium is present in subsurface groundwater plumes that have been documented at the lab, but it doesn’t appear to be contaminating surface runoff. 

As for the other contaminants which do appear, “They are supposed to put in the best technology available to reduce those numbers to something that is insignificant,” Lozeau said.


Oakland Hosts Workshop on Mortgage Crisis

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Troubled Oakland homeowners packed the floor and gallery of the Oakland City Council chambers Saturday morning to gather information from city, state, and national officials and private home counseling organizations on how to keep their dwellings from going into foreclosure.  

Folding chairs had to be brought into the council chambers to accommodate the crowd, and it was standing-room only along the back walls. 

The crisis surfaced when many homeowners around the country bought homes, or were lured into taking out mortgages, based on loans that initially had affordable monthly payments, but then saw those monthly payments balloon into the unaffordable after a period of a few years.  

Banks and other lenders have been foreclosing on these homes in large numbers over the past two to three years, collapsing what had been a booming housing market and drying up available capital.  

The three-hour Consumer Home Mortgage Town Hall, the first such community gathering in the state since the subprime mortgage crisis hit, was co-sponsored by a coalition of political leaders, including Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and several members of the Oakland City Council, Oakland City Attorney John Russo, Congressmember Barbara Lee, Assemblymembers Sandré Swanson and Loni Hancock, and several state and national agencies.  

Oakland has been particularly hard-hit by the flood of home foreclosures growing out of the collapse of the subprime mortgage system, with African-American and Latino communities the most devastated.  

Giving out a series of bleak statistics, Oakland City Attorney John Russo said that in two East Oakland zip codes alone—94621 and 94603—15 of every 1,000 homes were seized by banks in 2007 in foreclosure actions, a total of 1.5 percent of all the homes in those zip codes.  

Russo said that African-American and Latino borrowers were four times more likely than Anglo borrowers to be shunted into the shakey, hi-cost subprime loans that are causing so much of the foreclosure problem, even when homeowners from those three racial groups had similar incomes and financial data. 

Nationally, 2.2 million subprime loans have gone into foreclosure in recent years. 

Congressmember Lee said that 180,000 of those foreclosures were in California in the two years of 2005 and 2006. In Oakland alone, Lee said, “21.3 percent of subprime loans made in 2006 are expected to go into foreclosure.” 

Lee said that Congress has several bills passed or pending to ease the crisis, but that President George Bush “has been blocking most of those efforts.” But she said that she and other Congressmembers are moving forward with legislative action. “This could have been prevented,” Lee said. “The lending laws in this country could have been reformed.” She added that her ultimate goal “is to have these predatory loans wiped off the books.” 

Dellums told the gatherers that the Oakland workshop was “the local response to a national epidemic. Thousands of people stand on the brink of financial disaster. Our obvious hope is that everyone can keep their homes and move forward. But we want options for those who cannot.” 

The Oakland mayor said that “in the not-too-near future,” he would be convening a meeting of local bankers and lenders “to step up and help in this crisis.” 

That concern was echoed by Assemblymember Swanson, who said “I hope today that this will be a message to lenders. We ask them to do something. Help work out solutions with consumers to help ease the pain. Lending institutions are going to have to have some compassion. We are all in this together.” 

Following short presentations by local and state leaders, residents split up into several home mortgage workshops held throughout City Hall, as well as to receive private, one-on-one counseling. 

An hour-long workshop on foreclosure mitigation in one of the City Council hearing rooms, presented by Community Housing Development Corporation of North Richmond senior homeownership counselor Katrina Vizinau, showed the anguish and the pending disaster being faced by many local homeowners.  

One woman asked advice on how she could hold off the pending foreclosure sale of her longtime home. The sale was scheduled for Tuesday, giving the woman only one more business day to act. 

After several suggestions came from moderator Vizinau and audience members, many of them with either personal experience or expertise in homeowner foreclosure problems, one woman chimed in, “Whatever you do, don’t waste your time contacting HUD (the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development). They’ll leave you for dead, they’re so slow. Your house will be gone before they come out to help.” 

Vizinau repeated over and over that unless they were extremely knowledgeable about mortgages and had extensive sales experience, homeowners with pending foreclosure sales should not try to negotiate with bankers or other lenders themselves. Instead, she suggested homeowners contact a counselor from one of several local credit counseling agencies familiar with home mortgages to do the negotiations for them (see sidebar for list). Vizinau said that in many instances, she and other counselors have been able to forestall imminent home foreclosures and work out new payment plans affordable to beleaguered homeowners. 

“Many of the lenders are now saying the crisis is so great, they don’t want to foreclose,” Vizinau said. “They want to work with the homeowners.” But she said that the message often hasn’t gotten down to company agents who are “working off of old screens.”  

Vizinau said that counselors can help push the discussion up to higher levels at the lending agency, where appreciation for the devastation of the many foreclosures on the lending institutions themselves is better appreciated. 

Earlier in the general session, Carrie Lopez, director of the California Department of Human Affairs, urged homeowners to contact their lenders as soon as they begin anticipating problems in meeting their mortgage payments. 

“Pick up the phone and negotiate with your lenders,” Lopez advised. “Don’t let it get out of hand.” 

Dale Bonner, Secretary of the California Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency added that “there are a significant number of people in the state who, we learned, never had a conversation with their lenders about their payment problems until their houses went into foreclosure. Either they never called the lender or, when they did, they got a negative response. We found both of those to be very distressing.” 

 

RESOURCES 

The Oakland City Attorney’s office has set up a foreclosure hotline at 510-BE-ALERT (510-232-5378) for homeowners who want to get advice on possible mortgage scams, and for homeowners facing pending foreclosure or for tenants in buildings that are facing pending foreclosure. 

Local credit counseling agencies that can provide counseling to affected homeowners: 

ACORN Housing Corp.: 436-6532 

 

Community Housing Development Corporation of North Richmond: 412-8920 

 

The Unity Council Homeownership Center: 535-7181 

 

NID-Housing Counseling Agency: 268-9792 

 

Housing Rights, Inc.: 548-8776 ext. 310 

 

NeighborWorks Rep: (877) 316-8913


Berkeley Man Slain at San Rafael Club

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday January 15, 2008

An unidentified gunman shot and killed a young Berkeley man early Saturday as he arrived outside the San Rafael club where a friend was celebrating her birthday. 

Jerell Lamont Blackmon, 26, was pronounced dead at Marin General Hospital moments after he arrived by ambulance from Club 101, which is located adjacent to a southbound freeway onramp. 

San Rafael Police spokesperson Margo Rohrbacher said Blackmon had just arrived from Berkeley as a passenger in a car at the time of the shooting. 

“A single gunman walked up to the victim and shot him multiple times,” Rohrbacher said. 

Police were called at 2:25 a.m. and arrived moments later. The shooting victim was found on the parking lot pavement, several yards from the club’s entrance. 

Witnesses told officers that three cars sped from the scene immediately after the shooting, including a late model Chevrolet Impala driven by the gunman. 

“Perhaps it was a coincidence, or perhaps there was more than one person involved,” Rohrbacher said. The only shots fired came from the semiautomatic pistol wielded by the Impala’s driver. 

The Marin County coroner’s office completed their autopsy Monday afternoon, confirming the death by gunshot, but Rohrbacher declined to say how many times the dead man had been struck. 

Even though Blackmon was walking in a group at the moment he was shot, no one else was injured. 

“It appears that he was the target,” Rohrbacher said. “Fortunately no one else was hurt.” 

The shooter is described as an African American with a light complexion who is 5’7” tall and weighs about 150 pounds. He was wearing a white shirt and blue jeans. 

Police Monday were conducting a forensic examination of the car in which Blackmon arrived, and interviewing his companions, club employees and others who were present at the club. 

Rohrbacher asked anyone with information about the crime to call the department at (415) 485-3000. Callers who wish to remain anonymous can call Crimestoppers at (415) 472-2746.


AC Transit Contract Still in Negotiation, Union Members To Hold Strike Vote

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Bus drivers and mechanics from AC Transit’s Amalgamated Transit Union Local 192 will hold a strike authorization vote on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, the first public indication of problems in contract negotiations between the 1,400 member local and the East Bay’s public bus agency. 

The vote will be taken over a 24-hour period at the union headquarters on Enterprise Way in East Oakland. 

AC Transit and Local 192 have been without a contract since July of last year. 

This week’s union member authorization vote only seeks membership approval to call a strike, and does not mean an AC Transit strike is imminent. Such strike authorizations have been approved by Local 192 members several times in recent years during contract negotiations as ways of turning up the heat on the agency, but the last actual agency strike was a 69 day walkout in 1977. 

There was no word from either side on what issues may be holding up settlement of the new contract, a two-year pact approved in the summer of 2005. 

In a notice sent out to union members announcing the strike authorization vote, Local 192 officials said that the union “continues to negotiate with the district in good faith. However, we must take the next step in preparation for a strike in the event the union and the district are unable to reach an agreement.” 

Local 192 union officials did not return a Daily Planet telephone message seeking comment for this story, and AC Transit Board President Chris Peeples was out of town this week and unavailable for comment. 

“We’re not anticipating any imminent strike,” AC Transit Media Affairs Manager Clarence Johnson said in a telephone interview. Johnson said he could not comment on any details on the negotiations themselves, or on any possible strike contingencies being prepared by the transit agency.


The Pleasures of Berkeley’s Fourth Street

By Dorothy Snodgrass, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

For women of a certain age, and residents of the Bay Area, “doing Fourth Street” is a favorite activity—almost a monthly ritual.  

Although a relatively small area—no more than five or six blocks—one can easily while away an entire afternoon here, taking time out for lunch at Bette’s Diner, or Cafe Rouge (budget permitting).  

In sharp contrast to Telegraph Avenue and Elmwood, Fourth Street clearly attracts an upper-crust clientele. No Birkenstocks or blue jeans here; woman are dressed to the nines. In fact, I’m somewhat intimidated by those high-scale women’s apparel shops. I imagine the elegant saleswomen murmuring to themselves, “She must have picked that outfit up at The Dress Barn.” (I did NOT—I got it at Ross’s!)  

Anyway, back to Fourth Street with its incredible diversity of designer fashions, great restaurants and wonderful stores, such as Restoration Hardware. (I do wish they’d drop “Hardware”: this is most certainly not an Ace or True-Value type store.)  

Heading up the street, I drop in at my old favorites, Thousand Cranes and Castles in the Air, making a few modest purchases. Crossing the street, I pop into Sur La Table: A Cook’s Paradise, featuring handcraft kitchen tools and Le Creuset pots. Being a Marie Callender and Lean Cuisine type myself, this place is wasted on me. So I wander next door to “The Stained Glass Window,” lamenting that I lack the artistic ability to create something spectacular.  

Just down the street is The Gardener, a really lovely store. However, being an apartment dweller, I have no need of gardening tools and fertilizer.  

My next stop is a fairly new shop, La Folie, specializing in rather naughty black lingerie. I’ve noticed that husbands, dragged along by their wives and obviously bored silly, perk up in this store and spend considerable time looking at catalogs and selecting skimpy undergarments.  

Another store new to me is Flight 001, featuring travel items for jet- setters and avid cruise patrons, which I take these well-heeled shoppers to be.  

I’m always thrilled and relieved to see that Cody’s Book Store, on a busy corner, is alive and flourishing. I spend a good hour there checking new books and making a note of writers’ appearances, bemoaning the fact that I can no longer attend such events at the old Telegraph Avenue store.  

Having devoted myself almost exclusively to the “arty” businesses along Fourth Street, attention should be called to the more practical stores. For example, one couldn’t ask for better furniture stores. If sleek. modern design suits your taste, there’s Slater Marinoff.  

Or, if you tend towards the more opulent furnishings, head off in the other direction to Traditions, worthy of any Piedmont estate.  

Last but not least, I would urge you to visit Builders Booksource: “Books to inspire and teach on architecture, interior design, landscaping, and do-it-yourself construction.”  

So, as already mentioned, a visit to Fourth Street is always a delightful adventure. Even if you can’t afford the treasures on display, or if you give in to sinful pleasures, it’s nonetheless a glorious way to spend an afternoon.


The Wonders of Oakland’s Lake Merritt

By Marta Yamamoto, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Snowy egrets and coal-black cormorants roosting in trees—in Oakland? Hansel and Gretel along with the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, brought to life with a Magic Key—in Oakland? A Daimyo Oak Bonsai, in cultivation since Abraham Lincoln’s term as President—in Oakland? Venetian gondolas gliding across sparkling waters under fairy lights—in Oakland? Discover these wonders and more, in Oakland’s Lakeside Park at Lake Merritt. 

Lake Merritt is man-made, a combo of fresh and salt water. Covering 155 acres, it’s a delightful focal point smack in the middle of urban Oakland. Thanks go to Dr. Samuel Merritt who donated dammed tidal water from the headwaters of Indian Slough for its creation. As part of well-maintained Lakeside Park, it’s a welcome oasis of green with expansive lawns and shade-giving trees, offering a host of possibilities to add fun to any day of the week. 

After a long absence, I rediscovered Lake Merritt on a crisp, brilliantly sunny Saturday morning. The park and most of its inhabitants were in a mellow mood. It wasn’t too early for enthusiasts cruising the level, paved 3.4-mile path around the lake. A mixed bag of joggers, walkers and cyclists passed across my field of vision. All ages, solo, in pairs and small groups, chatting, attached to cell phone or iPod, attired in the latest techno fitness garb, comfortable sweats or everyday wear, they circled the perimeter, not even pausing to partake of appealing lake-view benches. 

Being on a fact-finding mission, I set out to investigate the activities on hand and was drawn to the least mellow area of the park, the Wildlife Refuge. A cacophony of bird conversations filled the air—shrills, cries, honks and coos—a just representation of the wealth of bird life inhabiting two islands and the lakeside refuge. A population surge of Canada geese, not satisfied with only one settlement area, roamed everywhere in the park. More selective avians restricted themselves to occupying island tree-side perches. Fan-like white plumage marked nestled egrets while cormorants masquerading as black-clad sentinels staked out the highest branches. 

A National Historic Landmark and the nation’s oldest wildlife refuge, the mixture of tributary fresh water and tidal salt water provides seasonal and permanent homes to birds, fish and invertebrates. Much of this wildlife is well represented inside the Rotary Science Center, aiming to bring people and nature together learning about estuary ecology. The faces of three school-age boys didn’t move far from the glass fronting a buzzing beehive on the day of my visit. I was more interested in the wall-length display of bird life and a case full of skulls within this rustic, but informative center. 

Outside, young children focused their interest on the pint-size playground, all bright colors, wood and molded plastic, atop a sand base perfect for digging and building. Turquoise slide, purple bars, yellow rings and lavender fire pole like delicious candies waiting to be sampled. What birds? 

My next stop was the Boating Center, where aquatic choices for multiple visits lay in wait. Whether you fancy sailing an El Toro, windsurfing, kayaking, paddling a canoe, rowing a boat or exercising your feet with a paddleboat, this would be the right place. And the next time you need to impress that special someone, what could be more romantic than a moonlight gondola ride? Who needs Italy? 

In the Demonstration Gardens I was greeted with a placard announcing composting classes and another signifying this as a Bay Friendly Garden. Appearing as a work-in-progress, there was plenty here to please the eye and tingle those green thumbs. Well-defined paths wander among mature growth and newly planted beds. Among the eclectic combinations thrive fuchsias, cacti, lilies, herbs and palms. In the raised vegetable beds of artichoke, Swiss chard and arugula, I was cheered by the profusion of sweet peas in reds, pinks and violets, as well as bright yellow marigolds. 

A peaceful haven surrounds the koi pond where the soothing sounds of cascading water, orange bird-of-paradise, blue agapanthus, and an orange Torii Gate dedicated to the memory of Frank Ogawa abide. A mallard couple almost hidden on the banks agreed. 

the banks agreed. 

Within the grounds of the Lakeside Garden Center, behind a traditional wood fence capped in steel-gray is located another tranquil refuge, the Bonsai Garden. Over 100 bonsai and suiseki of amazing quality and beauty are lovingly displayed on raised wood platforms in the setting of a simple Japanese garden. Coast live oak, Monterey cypress, Chinese quince, shrunken in an Alice-in-Wonderland world yet perfect in form and detail, rest among a dry riverbed and stone ornaments. Along with the gift to Lincoln’s Ambassador to China, I admired a trident maple, identical to a park-side shade tree, yet only three feet tall. 

Saturday morning was too early to see action at the Lawn Bowling Greens, but the rectangles of neatly trimmed lawn bordered by benches appeared poised for future matches. At the Edoff Memorial Bandstand music was a faint memory, perhaps still heard by the gentleman practicing tai chi. Even without a concert, this 1923 multi-columned platform topped with a red tiled roof trimmed in coppery patina is a handsome sight. 

Ahead a stream of strollers and wide-eyed toddlers all seemed to be heading in one direction, the music of the calliope, a Pied Piper drawing them forth. I caught up with them at the Shoe, the one with so many children, and the entrance of Children’s Fairyland, around since 1950. What child could resist a magic kingdom where beloved stories and imagination come to life, where gentle farm animals await their attention, where adults are not admitted unless accompanied by children? 

Saturday morning was not too early for action here. The line was long; birthday party guests were arriving in pastel dresses and white Mary Janes and the child-sized Ferris wheel’s enclosed cages were slowly rotating. Though paint colors may have faded, the magic remains. 

In 1925, 126 lampposts with 3,400 bulbs lit up the circumference of Lake Merritt for the first time. Any visit is incomplete without following this Necklace of Lights. Glancing from the blue expanse toward buildings fronting the lake, one notes the presence of Oakland’s past through its architecture: bas-reliefs and carved moldings on stately stucco and brick, brimming flower boxes reflecting the park’s natural setting, a curved edifice with aqua tinted glass carrying the water skyward, high rise businesses with faceless windows and smooth lines. 

From park settings to open expanses, the circle of lights leads you. Sample the benches, sit and take in aqua depths, great cityscapes, joyous fountains, feasting Canada geese and fellow outdoor enthusiasts. Egrets, cormorants, gondolas, bonsai, Cinderella, fairy lights. In Oakland? Yes, making Lake Merritt much more than the sum of its parts.  

 

 

 

Lakeside Park/Lake Merritt:  

Lakeside Drive, Oakland. 

 

Rotary Science Center 

600 Bellevue Ave. 238 3738 

 

Lake Merritt Boating Center 

568 Bellevue Ave. 238 2196 

 

Lakeside Demonstration Gardens 

666 Bellevue Ave. 238 2197. 

 

Bonsai Garden 

666 Bellevue Ave. 763-8409. 

 

Lawn Bowling Greens 

660 Bellevue Ave. 625 9937. 

 

Children’s Fairyland 

699 Bellevue Ave, 452 2259.  

www.fairyland.org. 

 

 

Photograph by Marta Yamamoto. 

Oakland’s Lake Merritt is home to many different kinds of birds.


Walking Every Street in Berkeley

By Jennifer English, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

I have always enjoyed walking, so when I moved to Berkeley in 2004, I set out on foot right away to get to know my new home.  

I had already planned on walking all of the streets in my immediate neighborhood when in early 2005 I read a short piece in the New Yorker about a man who had walked every street in Manhattan. I immediately expanded my goal to walking every street in Berkeley, and further widened the project to include the city’s more than 100 passable pathways after purchasing the Berkeley Path Wanderers map to track my project.  

Near the end of 2007 I completed my goal of walking every street in Berkeley. 

The miles of walking turned out to be the easy part of this project. More difficult was explaining to friends and acquaintances why I decided to do the walk in the first place and, after it was over, summarizing what I learned from the walk. I discovered so much about the character of Berkeley and about walking in general that I decided mid-way through 2006 to start a blog to share what I found. 

Every block in Berkeley holds something new to see. This project took much longer than I expected simply because I was stopping on every block to look at interesting buildings, at gardens, plants, art, signs, and more. I noticed details that I would never have seen in a car. I found myself looking at patterns, at styles of architectural elements, sidewalk markings, fliers posted in windows and on bulletin boards, plants and animals, and at creative sculptures, metalwork, and other art found in front yards.  

I learned that walking every street in Berkeley was allowed me to look objectively at the city as opposed to forming preconceived opinions based on historical events or knowledge of familiar neighborhoods. There is a lot going on here for a small city.  

Following are a few highlights of places in Berkeley that I discovered during the walk: 

 

Panoramic Hill 

An escape from the busy Cal campus and Telegraph Avenue area can be found by walking east along the south border of the campus on Bancroft Avenue to a small network of paths leading to the Panoramic Hill neighborhood. Although you can look down and see the Cal Memorial Stadium and sports facilities from here, it seems like you are a world away from the campus.  

In addition to the amazing views implied by the name of the neighborhood, this area is a nice place for walking because it offers access to the Claremont Canyon and Strawberry Canyon fire trails. Although the neighborhood is small, it is a nice spot to revisit, taking different routes up and down the paths and around the loops of Panoramic and Dwight Way for interesting views. 

 

West Berkeley 

West Berkeley, the area west of San Pablo Avenue and out to the bay, has a history of industrial activity like much of the zone surrounding the rest of the bay. While some other industrial areas may just be places that are passed through in a car, West Berkeley can be easily accessed and explored on foot.  

Many of the older buildings in West Berkeley are still somewhat intact, with some occupied with new industry and others empty. North of University Ave., many of these buildings are in the blocks on either side of the railroad tracks. South of University, the streets that start at 7th and dead end at Aquatic Park are particularly interesting to explore, as are Murray and Folger streets west of San Pablo.  

Don’t pass up the chance to explore an area with an interesting mix of industrial, retail (Fourth Street) and wholesale outlets, restaurants, apartment buildings, regular houses, and newly built “live-work” and loft buildings. 

 

San Pablo Avenue 

Like many old highway roads, San Pablo Avenue is a varied and interesting street to walk. For the full effect of this street, I suggest walking the entire length of it in Berkeley from Albany to the Oakland border. Starting at the north end, you will pass outlet stores and sporting goods businesses, and then what some people call “gourmet ghetto west” at Cedar Street (where you might want to fuel up for your walk with some bread from Acme or a coffee from Cafe Fanny).  

As you continue south through the University and San Pablo intersection, you’ll see Indian businesses, Mexican and Halal groceries, auto repair shops, and restaurants. Near the intersection of Dwight is an area that has attracted a number of vintage clothing retailers, antique stores, and other small retail outlets. With the opening of Caffe Trieste, this corner has become a lively neighborhood gathering spot.  

Two blocks south of Ashby is the Berkeley border, where you can turn around and head back on the other side of the street or venture into West Berkeley for some more walking. A similarly varied walk is University Avenue from I-80 all the way to the Berkeley campus. 

 

Thousand Oaks 

There are several rock parks in the Thousand Oaks area of Berkeley, city parks that feature rock outcrops popular with climbers, geology enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys views across the bay. This is a great place to bring visitors to show them a very unique area of Berkeley.  

On my first walk or two in the Thousand Oaks neighborhood beyond the rock parks, I observed that it was a very pleasant neighborhood for walking but did not expect to find anything out of the ordinary. When I finally got to Vicente Avenue, all of this changed. I had not realized there were other large rocks throughout the neighborhood beyond the rock parks. Giant boulders appear in front yards, and in some cases rocks have been incorporated into the houses’ architecture.  

 

Claremont 

Upper Claremont, the neighborhood above Tunnel Road, is a fascinating place to explore because of its very different architecture from most of the other Berkeley neighborhoods. This area has many new homes that have been built since the East Bay Hills fire in 1991, quite a few of which have very contemporary designs.  

I had a strong reaction to a few of the houses up here; although I am a fan of mid-century modern architecture and modest, well-designed contemporary architecture, I found myself saying “What were they thinking?” while looking at some of the homes. 

But this is precisely why I enjoy walking here: there is much to ponder while walking through here, about architecture, how homes and landscaping are constructed in fire-prone areas, and what drives people to build and re-build homes in areas that are prone to natural disasters.  

The best way to access this neighborhood and avoid much of the Tunnel Road traffic is to take the Short Cut path off Tunnel to the left, soon after Ashby turns into Tunnel. Then walk along Alvarado Road and Vicente Road (not to be confused with Vicente in Thousand Oaks, mentioned above), and on the Sunset Trail and Willow Walk paths. 

 

Northbrae 

Many Berkeley visitors and newcomers are familiar with Telegraph Avenue and the Fourth Street shopping district in West Berkeley. After a bit of walking, however, I discovered many smaller commercial districts throughout Berkeley.  

One of my favorites for walking is the small shopping area along Hopkins Street near Monterey, which has the feeling of a European town where you could go from shop to shop filling up your basket with the day’s ingredients for meals.  

During the day and especially on Saturdays, the street is bustling—people drinking coffee and reading newspapers at Espresso Roma, filling their carts from the huge piles of produce at Monterey Market, and chatting with neighbors and with the owners of the small stores that sell fish, bread, cheese, pizza, and other foods.  

In the surrounding neighborhood known as Northbrae, short walks will take you to the beautiful North Berkeley Branch Library, to the busy King School Park, and to the Edible Schoolyard at King Middle School.  

 

This is just a sampling, of course, of what you’ll find walking around Berkeley. Of course you don’t need to walk each and every street of the city; you will see a lot by walking somewhere that you would normally drive, by taking a different walking route from your normal routine, or by hopping on the bus or BART and getting off in a new neighborhood.  

 

Jennifer English’s blog is at http://walkingberkeley.wordpress.com. 

 

 

Photograph by Jennifer English. 

A front yard boulder in the Thousand Oaks neighborhood.


Path Wanderers Leave No Carbon Footprint

By Sandra Friedland, Dale Miller and Susan Schwartz, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

One of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint is to start using Berkeley’s extensive network of pedestrian footpaths, ramps and stairways. They connect our hilly neighborhoods to commercial areas, Tilden Park, and public transportation and offer endless opportunities for leisurely hikes, scenic rambles, and fitness walks.  

It’s hard to say exactly how many paths there are. One hundred thirty-six paths comprise the official system of named and numbered paths, but some of those have more than one section. Other public walkways have no names or numbers, including those crisscrossing the UC-Berkeley campus and the Berkeley Marina and running inside city parks. Others have names but no numbers, like the sections of the Ohlone Greenway and the Santa Fe Right of Way that run through Berkeley. 

Developers built most of the paths along with houses in the city’s hilliest neighborhoods during the boom years after the San Francisco earthquake. City planners envisioned a community where the north-south streets followed the natural curves of the topography, and the paths would provide vital east-west connections.  

Using the paths, pedestrians could reach parks, schools, and shopping areas as well as the East Bay’s stellar network of streetcar lines, including routes across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco. The arrangement worked well for many years. But as the automobile came to rule transportation, momentum to complete the system waned. Some of the lesser-used paths were neglected, and others that had been planned were never built.  

In the end, only about three-quarters of the planned paths were installed. The remaining city-owned rights of way become increasingly difficult to find—let alone walk on—as weeds and brambles took over, and some neighbors extended fences, landscaping, decks, and even dog runs over them. 

The 1991 Berkeley-Oakland fire brought new attention to the paths because they enabled firefighters and their hoses to reach the flames. Increasing interest in ecology and physical fitness further fueled the perception that the paths were a valuable public asset and critical for emergencies. More and more residents and hikers began to discover them and wonder about their state of disrepair.  

That concern led four Berkeley women to found the Berkeley Path Wanderers Association 10 years ago to preserve, restore, and encourage people to use the paths. The first meeting had 55 attendees. The group now counts more than 600 members. 

Although the city maintains the paths it owns, Path Wanderers began to advise Berkeley officials on which ones most needed attention and to lobby for simple repairs to steps and railings. The group also worked with the city to replace missing signs.  

Next, Path Wanderers volunteers started to resurrect those long-neglected and lost paths. The group sponsored weekend work parties to clear encroaching vegetation and install timber steps. The successful partnership with the city has led to the construction of two concrete staircases on particularly steep slopes, and the opening of the three-part Glendale Path. Chiefly under the direction of Path Building Chair Charlie Bowen, the group has opened or improved 23 paths. 

Perhaps best known for its popular Berkeley Pathways map, Path Wanderers have sold nearly 17,000 copies since it appeared in 2000. Printed on durable, water- and stain-resistant paper, the easy-to-read map was the first one that clearly showed the location of all the paths, both the passable and the impassible. It also included the location of creeks still flowing through Berkeley and the course of historic ones, like Potters Creek, that were diverted into culverts long ago.  

The fourth edition of the map, released last summer, adds a street index, shows more paths in adjacent communities and parks that link to those in Berkeley, and marks the location of traffic barriers. The $7 map is available in local stores and through the Path Wanderers website (www.berkeleypaths.org).  

The map makes it easy to plan routes along the paths. Walks can be planned to feature interesting architecture, local history, impressive gardens, works of art, or even bird watching. The names of the paths—Keeler, Berryman, Bret Harte, Anne Brower—provide a who’s who of Berkeley luminaries. Regardless of the paths you take, you can enjoy spectacular views and a good aerobic workout. And, of course, making walking the paths part of your routine saves energy and helps the environment. 

Path Wanderers also offers two guided walks a month, on first Wednesdays and varying Saturdays.  

On Saturday, Feb. 9, the route includes two Berkeley waterfalls and dramatic volcanic rocks. Path Wanderers also hosts public lectures on local history, architecture, geology, and flora and fauna.  

Dr. Gordon Frankie of UC Berkeley will speak on the importance of native bees and other pollinators at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7 at Redwood Gardens (2951 Derby St.). All events are free and open to the public. Membership, which includes the group’s newsletter, is just $5 per year.  

 

More information about the paths, their history, and the activities of the Berkeley Path Wanderers Association is available at www.berkeleypaths.org. 

 

Photograph by Mary Lynch. 

Path building leader Charlie Bowen checks a step installed by Meredith Kaplan during the construction of Stoddard Path that runs between Miller Avenue and Grizzly Peak.


Enjoy a Day of Fun at Alameda’s Crown Memorial Beach

By Marta Yamamoto, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

How better to celebrate the new year than with a trip to the coast, not all the way to the Pacific, but just a few miles from home in the town of Alameda? With beaches, lawned picnic and playing areas and a scene-setting visitor center, it would be a challenge not to enjoy a day at Crown Memorial State Beach and Crab Cove! 

The site of today’s regional park in the quaint town of Alameda has a history as rich as its natural resources. From the 1880s to the outbreak of World War II, Crown Memorial was home to the largest amusement center on San Francisco Bay. People in the thousands flocked to spend the day on the beautiful sand beaches and sample the warm shallow waters. Known as “Coney Island of the West,” Neptune Beach lived up to its billing with huge saltwater bathing spas featuring sky-high diving platforms, dance pavilion, concerts, roller coaster, prizefights, baseball games, publicity stunts and the invention of the snow cone. 

The war brought the festivities to an end. The land was purchased by the government for use as a training base for Merchant Marine commanders. Today’s visitor center occupies the former base infirmary. In 1959 it became a State Park and was transferred to Regional Park status in 1967. 

I began my outing at the Crab Cove Visitor Center, brimming with exhibits that teach about the unique marine and estuarine environments and the need for their preservation. Outside, an Interpretive Panel identifies this area as California’s first marine reserve on an estuary. 

The center’s exterior welcomes you at first sight. Constructed of driftwood-brown wood trimmed with brick-red and marine-blue and shaded by mature trees, this building would please any number of inhabitants. A spacious outdoor deck is decorated with marine motifs—a bat ray, shark, crab and sea snail—just teasers for the delightful surprises that await you. 

Inside you’ll feel you’ve stepped into an underwater environment, worthy of a Visitor Center Award. Walls are painted blue, illustrated and hung with life-size marine models. The ceiling is lowered with narrow cloth panels in watery shades of blue, shaped to resemble waves. Interactive stations and freestanding exhibits make learning fun. One exhibit focuses on invertebrates, in one display comparing crab “innards” to those of humans. Another exhibit compares life at low and high tides, describing mud flats as underground cities. 

Multiple aquariums, one holding 800 gallons, teem with the bay’s creatures: perch, sculpin, sand dabs, goby, shark and flounder. An eerily lighted display case reminiscent of Art Deco holds the bay’s alien invaders in sealed jars. Green and mitten crabs, striped bass and a New Zealand sea slug are some of the plants and animals that have made their way into the bay. 

Illustrated pier pilings and an old wooden boat suspended from the ceiling remind us of the barnacles, mussels and anemones who call submerged wood structures home. Old wood is also the dominant feature in the Old Wharf Classroom. Here classes are held with participants seated on weathered wood crates gazing at a welcome aboard plaque, two white life preservers, an illustrated backdrop of an old wharf and a room-wide diorama of bay and estuary life forms. Cozy as the hold of a ship, I could almost smell the salt tanged air. 

To explore further, I followed the path to Marine Reserve Cove where the park’s rich wildlife was in full display. A flock of Canada geese were sharing the waters with several brown pelicans. The geese were repeatedly dipping their backs, heads and necks into the water, extending their wings and flapping them vigorously, some were even engaged in complete body rotations. The pelicans, meanwhile, performed their own routine by swimming as a group, extending necks and flapping their wings, then scooting across the water. An audience of cormorants occupying a cement jetty extending far into the water was much more sedate, merely opening their wings in the weak morning sun. 

Tearing myself away I continued into Crown Park consisting of several acres of well-maintained lawns, multiple picnic areas, two fresh-water lagoons, sand dunes and a 2.5-mile shoreline. I passed gaggles of plump Canada geese, some foraging on the lawns, others at attention surrounding a picnic area, as if waiting for the cookout to begin.  

Being on foot and wanting to maximize my coastal experience I opted to walk at the water’s edge with firm sand, rather than pavement, below my feet. It’s an odd juxtaposition, ambling on an urban beach. Clumps of seaweed at your feet, small waves lapping on the shore, multihued dune grasses dotting the sandy hills, cool breeze at your face, but across the street multistoried housing side by side and the San Francisco skyline across the bay. Soon I was lost in the enjoyment of my surroundings and the city seemed far away: beachcombing through assortments of driftwood, shells and rocks; playing the seaweed I.D. game amid the iodine-rich red algae and two types of bright green algae; watching gulls bobbing in the waves; a lone fisherman on his camp chair anchored rod awaiting a strike; kayakers and fishing boats cruising the bay. 

At the southern end of Shoreline Path stands the Elsie Roemer Bird Sanctuary, the site of an interesting ecological dilemma, that of the endangered California clapper rail versus an invasion of non-native cordgrass.  

The California clapper rail once flourished along the coastal marshes of central and northern California. Its clattering call could be heard among salt water, brackish marshes and tidal sloughs. Today that habitat has been reduced to the San Francisco Bay. This endangered bird’s population has actually increased in recent years, in part due to the spread of Spartina alterniflora, an alien species of bright green seven-foot-tall cordgrass choking out native flora and fauna as it slowly converts mudflats to meadows. 

The taller denser alterniflora provides more cover, protecting the clapper rail from predators and their nests from washing away with the tides. Now covering over 1,000-acres, this alien has upset the delicate ecological balance of the estuary and drastically reduced diversity. This is especially true in the case of native pickleweed, an important habitat for the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse. 

Standing at the end of the observation platform I looked out over the sea of cordgrass, beautiful but dangerous. Under gunpowder gray skies, the bright green and yellow stalks stood out in proud defiance, strongly asserting their strength. Nearby, placards warned of upcoming plans to clean up this botanical pest, signaling that a choice had been made. 

Choices abound to prolong this estuarine adventure. A bike path and road continue over a bridge to Bayfarm Island where homes built around lagoons and Shoreline Park offer a more recent environment for exploring. If you prefer going back in time, amble down Alameda’s Park Street or Webster Street where yesterday and today meld pleasantly with browse worthy shops and mouth watering eateries that will satisfy everyone in your party. 

 

East Bay Regional Park District Trail Challenge: 562-PARK, www.ebparks.org. 

 

Getting there: Take I-580 east and I-980 (Downtown Oakland). Exit I-980 at 11th/12th Streets, go several blocks and turn left onto 5th Street. This will take you through the Oakland/Alameda Tube onto Webster St. Webster St. dead ends on Central Ave. Turn right on Central to reach the Crab Cove entrance at McKay Ave. on the left. Distance 15 miles. 

 

Crab Cove Visitor Center: 1252 McKay Ave., 521-6887, Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., through November. For schedule of programs and classes call or go to www.ebparks.org/events. 

 

Crown Memorial State Beach: Eighth Street and Otis Drive, 5 a.m.-10 p.m., $5/car, $2/dog (on leash in picnic areas, not allowed on beach). Street parking available.


The Joys of Piedmont Avenue

By Joe Kempkes, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

After spending the 1970s in North Beach and the 1980s in Berkeley, I moved into a house overlooking Mountain View Cemetery at the east end of Piedmont Avenue in North Oakland.  

The cemetery was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, Manhattan’s Central Park and the Capitol Grounds in Washington, D.C. Piedmont Avenue was laid out in the 19th Century paralleling a series of creeks.  

Across from the Chapel of the Chimes (Julia Morgan was the architect) is Pleasant Valley Creek, which is mostly underground these days. The creek surfaces again beyond MacArthur Blvd. and is then referred to as Glen Echo Creek. Each Earth Day a dozen of us neighbors pick up trash from the bushes bordering the creek.  

Piedmont Avenue has the scale of an early 20th century village. Today’s sidewalks are far too narrow for the current foot traffic. Lining the avenue are a series of shops, bars and restaurants that are heavily patronized. When Peet’s Coffee decided to expand from it s flagship in North Berkeley, it was Piedmont Avenue that got the nod. Then Old Uncle Gaylord started pushing Java down the block. And, to bring the coffee wars into full bore, that other place, the one that distributes CDs by Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, opened between the other two.  

When I bring out-of-town guests to Piedmont Avenue, they usually comment on the charm of the area. I’ll take them to Tropix for Caribbean food and we’ll languish in the back patio watching the sunlight stream through the beach-hut decor. Sometimes my guests won’t want to leave and they’ll drink one too many of those colorful drinks with the tiny umbrellas.  

If Piedmont Avenue could be said to have a heart, it would beat at the off-kilter intersection at 41st Street. Located there is the Piedmont Branch of the Oakland Public Library, two large murals depicting local characters and history and a small plaza where the Key Route train stopped once upon a time.  

Dozens of people sit at tables outside the aforementioned coffee shops and a new restaurant, Cesar, down the block. Across the street is Ninna’s Thai Restaurnat, where a gorgeous long-haired male waiter is frequently mistaken for a woman.  

Further down is Piedmont Avenue School which has a predominately Afro-American student body with a predominately Euro-American neighboring populace. There are three large assisted-living facilities nearby and you often see elderly people with walkers on the avenue.  

Recently I watched the Cal-Arizona football game at the Kerry House, the local bar. I struck up a conversation with a guy who I took to be Afghani. He told me he was a direct descendant of an Afghan king. It could be true or maybe it’s like the Irish: everyone is a descendant of Irish kings. He was drinking a Guinness I noticed. We talked about how great it was to be in Kabul in the mid-1970s, which was when we were both there. That was, of course, a few years before the Soviet invasion that nearly demolished Kabul.  

Piedmont Avenue comes alive whenever there’s a holiday. On Halloween the streets are overflowing with ghosts and goblins. At Easter time there are 10,000 tulips blooming at Mountain View Cemetery. The past few years the Chapel of the Chimes has hosted musical concerts. The first ones were attended mostly by neighbors. When the word spread, they turned into Woodstock-like affairs with cars over the horizon and people from Richmond, Walnut Creek and San Francisco gawking at the gothic madness.  

After 15 years on Pleasant Valley Court, the house I lived in was sold. The owner, who lived there for 80 years, went into a rest home. I moved to Rockridge but still bicycle down Piedmont Avenue daily enroute to the Oakland YMCA.


Pacific Steel Health Hearing Packs Center

By Richard Brenneman
Friday January 11, 2008
Pacific Steel Casting General Manager Joe Emmerichs defended the company against charges the foundry was polluting West Berkeley with toxins.
              
              photo by Richard Brenneman
Pacific Steel Casting General Manager Joe Emmerichs defended the company against charges the foundry was polluting West Berkeley with toxins. photo by Richard Brenneman

Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates and City Councilmember Linda Maio vowed Wednesday night to reopen Pacific Steel Casting’s use permit to force action on odors emanating from the company’s West Berkeley plant. 

Their promises came during a public hearing on a Health Risk Assessment report prepared by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (AQMD) and the state Office of Environ-mental Health Hazard Asses-sment. 

Wednesday night’s hearing provided the public a chance to register their views before the public comment period ends Jan. 31. And comment they did, to the standing-room-only crowd packing the West Berkeley Senior Center. 

The ongoing controversy over the steel plant pits a union shop and a source of good-paying jobs in the city’s ailing industrial area against neighbors and environmental activists who fear the plant’s emissions may be the cause of cancers and other ailments. 

The meeting came a day after the AQMD announced it would be spending $750,000 over the next year-and-a-half to operate a mobile air-monitoring facility near the foundry. 

The battle over odors from the plant and worries about toxic contaminants have sparked protest meetings and lawsuits. The air-monitoring announcement comes less than two months after a small-claims court victory by neighbors who had sued because of the odors. 

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Dawn Girard awarded nine plaintiffs between $2,100 and $5,100 because of the “private nuisance created by Pacific Steel,” and “a real and appreciable invasion of the plaintiffs’ interests.” 

Another suit, filed by the AQMD and settled two years earlier, forced installation of a $3 million carbon air-filtration system atop one of the company’s three West Berkeley plants. 

It was the air board which mandated the Health Risk Assessment, which was prepared by Environ, an Emeryville consulting firm, at Pacific Steel’s expense. 

While officials from both state agencies said the study met their requirements, it didn’t satisfy critics who have been fighting for stricter controls on emissions from the facility. 

 

Risk levels 

Two state officials and Environ consul-tant Richard Daugherty contended that none of their findings showed any level of emissions that mandate remedial action. 

One set of data focused on health risks from cancer-causing chemicals, while a second focused on non-cancer risks, looking at both nearby residents and employees of nearby businesses. 

For carcinogens, state law requires community notification when risks rise to 10 cases per million, and mandatory reductions of emissions when levels rise to 100 per million or more. 

Daugherty said residential risks of cancer in the manufacturing zone reached 19 per million, dropping to less than 10 for the nearby residential neighborhood. 

Risks for workers at nearby businesses and plants were highest for those who worked the midnight to 8 a.m. shift (31 per million), dropping to 23 per million for the other two shifts. 

Residential exposure rates are based on a 70-year exposure, while the average time spent in any given residence is nine years, Daugherty said. Workplace exposures are based on a 40-year job tenure. 

Daugherty said non-cancer risks of acute or chronic health problems all fell below notification levels for residences, while some workers had risks slightly above one per million from chronic health problems, but less than one in a million for acute problems. 

Survey data did not include employees of Pacific Steel Casting itself. 

 

Odor concerns 

For Linda Maio, who with colleague Darryl Moore represents West Berkeley on the City Council, “the odor problem is very serious.” She said, “The odor problem was so serious it made me nauseous” as she was riding her bicycle near the North Berkeley BART station last week. 

Faulting a process she described as too slow, Maio said, “We want action now. We want it right away. We will give them a deadline, but it has to be in line with their use permit.” 

Such permits, which govern what can and can’t be done on a real estate parcel, are defined according to city zoning and other requirements and are subject to approval and modification by the Zoning Adjustments Board and can be appealed to the City Council.  

Maio urged her constituents to let her know any time they complained to the AQMD about conditions at Pacific Steel so she would have the ammunition to follow up on their concerns. 

“The odor issue is their Achilles heel,” said Mayor Bates. “It puts their use permit into jeopardy.” 

Odor, he said, is “the clearest problem,” and the city wants a plan to reduce odor. “We want action on it, and we want it now,” he said. 

But as for the deeper community concerns about health risks and their assessment, Bates said, “In all candor and in all honesty,” they “are very difficult to prove.” 

Darryl Moore was present for the meeting but did not offer a comment. 

 

Concrete critique 

More concrete official concerns came from Nabil Al-Hadithy, the city’s hazardous materials manager. 

With funding from Pacific Steel Casting, the city hired another consulting company, TetraTech EMI, to review the Health Risk Assessment, giving rise to a range of concerns, Al-Hadithy said. 

Two principal concerns focus on emissions of the metal manganese and the presence of air particulates from diesel fuel, generated by trucks and other uses at the plants. 

The assessment program doesn’t look at the fuel particulates, which produce a much greater degree of risk along freeways. 

Recent research has shown that manganese, a metal found in plant emissions, is 10 times more potent a nerve toxin than previously believed, and while levels still didn’t rise to actionable levels, they should be noticed to the community. 

A prepared review of the assessment by TetraTech faulted the document for maintaining that adverse effects didn’t occur before the levels for notification required by the AQMD. 

The report also didn’t include a table reporting the values used to establishing toxicity of materials covered in the report, 

Other potential flaws included the failure to provide testing data that covered different seasons, since the Environ site visit occurred when the plant was operating on its winter schedule. 

Another weakness cited was a failure to consider cumulative risks when Pacific Steel emissions were combined with those from other facilities, like the adjacent Berkeley Forge and Steel. 

The report also failed to note that there is no safe level for lead exposure, “which has impacts at any level.” 

 

Public worries 

But odor, while a concern to neighbors and activists, paled in comparison to their worries about toxins, especially those linked to cancer. 

Andrew Galperin joined in Al-Hadithy’s critique of manganese levels, noting that the levels reported from the plant were 20 to 30 times those recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), with nickel levels at 200 times WHO maximums. 

He also criticized the study for failing to consider the impacts on people who had lived in the neighborhood for 20 or 30 years before the recently installed filtration equipment was in place. 

L.A. Wood called the assessment a sham, and called for hair and blood analysis from the Duck’s Nest child care center, which is located close to the foundry. 

Monitoring data collected by community members indicates more problems at the site than the assessment, he said. 

Janice Schroeder of the West Berkeley Alliance for Clean Air and Safe Jobs said the study only looked for a limited range of chemicals and didn’t look at how activities at the plant may have changed over the years. 

She also said the report failed to consider impacts on plant workers who also live in the community. 

Several speakers said they worried about exposures to children who grow up in the area, and to families who eat fruit and vegetables grown in their yards. 

Schroeder and others also singled out the assessment’s failure to look at the impact of particulates. 

Peter Guerrero, who participated in the community monitoring program, said he had worked as a federal environmental regulator for 20 years before he moved to Berkeley. 

“In my opinion, the risk assessment is a tool with serious difficulties,” he said, “is easy to manipulate” and filled with questionable assumptions. 

“We will hold your feet to the fire if we need to,” said Steve Ingraham. 

“A fraud is being perpetrated here by the air district,” said Bradley Angel of Green Action for Health and Environmental Justice. 

A particularly sharp critique came from Amy Dunn, an employee of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, one of the sponsoring agencies of the study. 

A 15-year community resident, Dunn called the study “a limited tool” that “leaves out works, that leaves out odors.” 

“We need to figure out a different tool to protect our community,” she said. 

Another insider critique came from Toni Stein, a state employee who has served on the AQMD’s hearing board. 

“I find it perplexing that the city can’t get an agreement to get the complaints sent to them,” she said, referring to complaints filed with the agency about the West Berkeley foundry. 

City efforts to receive copies of the complaints have been stalled since 1998, she said. 

Officials promised they’d look into a way to providing them, though their current computer system doesn’t provide a way to retrieve them. 

 

Steel defenders 

While voices in favor of the plant were few, Pacific Steel Vice President and General Manager Joe Emmerichs concluded the meeting with a ringing defense of his company. 

“I’ve lived in Berkeley 45 years,” starting with the firm in 1969 and serving “in every position” at the plant, he said. “We don’t have any problem of anyone getting sick. We have not had any employees get sick—ever.” 

The company has a 94 percent retention rate for its 670 employees, “the highest in the industry,” Emmerichs said, and “one of the best safety records in the country.” 

Pacific Steel Casting operates “one of the cleanest foundries in the country ... in the world,” he said, “and 13 European foundries have come to Berkeley to see how we do it.” 

“We employ over 30 different nationalities, and we’re proud of it. We employ a lot of women and we’re proud of it,” Emmerichs added. 

When he finished, a sizable contingent of Pacific Steel Casting employees in the audience—some wearing hard hats, some baseball caps with the company logo—burst into applause.


Crucial State Propositions Fill February Ballot

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday January 11, 2008

The Democratic and Repub-lican Presidential primaries will dominate media coverage for the Feb. 5 California elections, now less than a month away, but several important state propositions are on the ballot as well.  

A summary of Propositions 91, 92, and 93 follows. (Propositions 94 through 97, all involving amendments to gambling compacts with California Native American tribes, are handled in the story to the right): 

 

Proposition 91—Transportation Funds Initiative Constitutional Amendment 

Don’t bother to worry about this one. The supporters of Prop 91 originally drew up this ballot measure to prohibit the legislature from transferring certain motor vehicle fuel taxes from transportation funding to the state’s General Fund. But things changed considerably in the state since then, and those same Prop. 91 authors have now placed the following language on next month’s ballot: “Prop. 91 is NO LONGER NEEDED. Please VOTE NO. Voters passed Proposition 1A in 2006, accomplishing what Prop. 91 set out to do.” Since it is the original Prop. 91 authors and advocates who are saying this, no more needs to be said. 

 

Proposition 92—Community Colleges Initiative Constitutional Amendment 

This one is going to be difficult for many voters to sort out, because it has divided the two major teachers organizations—the 340,000 member California Teachers Association and the 120,000 member California Fed-eration of Teachers—that have been traditional allies in supporting funding for public education in California. 

Since 1988, a minimum level of funding for both K-12 public schools and community colleges is supposed to be guaranteed through the voter-passed Proposition 98. (We say “supposed to be guaranteed” because there are some loopholes in Prop. 98 that have allowed state leaders to get around those guarantees.)  

Community college leaders and advocates argue that because their state funding base is lumped in with the more popular K-12 schools, community college funding sometimes gets slighted. In response they put Proposition 92 on the ballot, which would split off community college funding from K-12 funding, guaranteeing a certain base level of funding support for community colleges. In addition, Prop 92 would lower community college fees to $15 per unit per semester from the current $20, limit fee increases in the future, and establish the community college districts and state Board of Governors in the state constitution. 

Prop 92 advocates say that the measure is needed to stabilize community college funding, which has been treated as something of an educational step-child in recent years. Officially, opponents say that passage of the initiative would lead to higher taxes, since Prop 92 guarantees a funding level for community colleges. An unofficial concern among opponents is that if spending for public education remains roughly the same in California in the next few years, any increased monies for community colleges will necessarily have to come at the expense of funds for K-12 schools. 

Advocates for Prop 92 (www.prop92 yes.com/) include, among others, a long list of community college presidents and trustees as well as the California Federation of Teachers, the smaller of the two state teachers organizations. The proposition has also picked up support from several K-12 school board members, including, locally, David Kakishiba, Greg Hodge and Gary Yee of Oakland Unified, and Karen Hemphill, Nancy Riddle, Joaquin Rivera, and John Selawsky of Berkeley Unified. 

Opposition to Prop 92 (www.noprop 92.org/) is topped by California’s larger state teachers organization, the California Teachers Association, and includes such business groups as the California Chamber of Commerce and the California Business Roundtable, and organizations, like the California Taxpayers’ Association and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, traditionally skeptical of measures which might lead to increased state spending. 

 

Proposition 93—Limits On Legislators’ Terms In Office Initiative Constitutional Amendment 

In 1990, California voters passed Proposition 140, the historic initiative that limited the number of terms that California legislators can serve in office. Since that time, state legislators can serve only three two-year terms in the Assembly and two four-year terms in the Senate. Conceivably, a legislator could move from three full terms in the Assembly to two full terms in the Senate, for a total time in the legislature of 14 years (the total time served can actually be up to two years more if the legislator’s first term comes in the middle of the unexpired term of an outgoing senator, but that’s another story). 

There are actually two separate interests that combined to draw up Proposition 93. 

Opponents of the original term limits law have been looking for ways to overturn it since its passage 18 years ago, but term limits remains popular among California voters, and so there is little chance that an initiative to end the practice would pass. Instead, the strategy of opponents is to gradually whittle away at the sides of term limits, in the hope that it will be weakened enough, in time, that there will be enough sentiment against it to do away with it altogether. 

Meanwhile, several powerful legislators are reaching the end of their final terms under the existing term limits law—including Senate President Don Perata and Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez—and so they and their supporters were looking for a way to extend their legislative stay for at least one more term. 

Out of a coalition between these two interests, Proposition 93 was born. 

In exchange for the current cap of six years in the Assembly and eight years in the Senate (for a legislative total of 14 years), Proposition 93 would allow a legislator to serve 12 total years in the legislature. Those years of service could be solely in the Assembly, or solely in the Senate, or in some combination of the two. In addition, to sweeten the pot for incumbents, legislators currently serving would be able to serve 12 years in the branch of the legislature where they currently sit, regardless of the amount of time they may have spent in the other branch. 

Practically speaking, passage of Proposition 93 would mean that Perata and Nuñez, as well as several other incumbent legislators, would each be eligible to serve an additional term instead of having to leave their current legislative seats at the end of this year. 

For term-limits supporters the choice is easy: a no vote on Prop 93. The choice is harder for opponents of term limits. Since Prop 93 is only a tinkering around at the edges of term limits—and a tinkering that greatly benefits a handful of powerful sitting legislators—term limits opponents have to decide if whittling away at term limits is the best way to eventually end them, or if they should wait for a better solution. 


Four Ballot Issues Comprise Referendum On Native American Gaming Expansion

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday January 11, 2008

Four propositions on the Feb. 5 California Presidential Primary ballot—Propositions 94, 95, 96, 97—all deal with identical issues, attempts by citizen groups to overturn recent amendments to gambling compacts between the administration of Governor Ar-nold Schwarzenegger and four individual Native American tribes.  

The main thing distinguishing the four propositions is that each involves a separate tribe. The negotiated gambling compact amendments themselves are similar. 

The gambling compacts allowing some forms of gambling on Native American lands in California were originally with 58 tribes in 1999. In 2007, Governor Schwarzenegger negotiated amendments with four of these tribes. Three of them involved tribe-owned casinos in Riverside County—the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, and the Morongo Band of Mission Indians—and one in San Diego County—the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation.  

In each of these compacts, the governor agreed to allow the tribes an expanded number of slot machines. In return, the tribes agreed to pay the state an increased amount of annual revenue. 

The state legislature ratified the compacts in 2007, after which groups opposing the compacts put the ratification propositions on the February, 2008 ballot. 

Because the propositions are a referendum on the compacts themselves, the yes and no votes can be a little confusing. The opponents of the compact amendments—who put the propositions on the ballot—want you to vote “no” on the propositions, because that will mean a rejection of the compact amendments, and the number of allowed slot machines and the state payments will remain the same as they are under the original 1999 agreements. The supporters of the compact amendments want you to vote “yes” on the propositions, because that will ratify the compact amendments and put them in effect. 

 

Proposition 94—Increase the number of slot machines operated by the Pechanga Band of Riverside County from the current 2,000 to 7,500. Increase the annual payment to the state from the current $29 million to at least $44.5 million. 

 

Proposition 95—Slot machines for the Morongo Band of Riverside County up from 2,000 to 7,500; annual payment to the state up from $29 million to at least $38.7 million. 

 

Proposition 96—Slot machines for the Sycuyan Tribe of San Diego County up from 2,000 to 5,000; annual payment to the state up from $5 million to at least $23 million. 

 

Proposition 97—Slot machines for the Agua Caliente Tribe of Riverside County up from 2,000 to 5,000; annual payment to the state up from $13 million to at least $25.4 million. 

 

In each proposed compact, annual payments to the state would increase with increased revenue to the tribes from the slot machines. 

Each of the four compacts call for a significant increase in the number of allowable slot machines in each of the casinos run by the respective Native American tribes. In addition, each of the compacts provides for a significant increase in payments from the respective tribes to the state, payments which the governor had been counting on to help fill the pending state budget gap. 

Voters who support increased gambling in the state will have no problem with these propositions. They will vote yes on all of them.  

Voters who are generally opposed to gambling and casino operations, but who are also concerned about the state’s budget problems, will have a more difficult choice.  

Is keeping down the number of gambling options in California more important, or is solving the state’s fiscal problem more important? Will these compacts be the end of the proposed slot machine expansion, or will they be a prelude to new requests for more slot machines in the future?  

None of these questions are answered in the voter information guide or the various ballot arguments for or against. Instead, they are decisions that have to be worked out by individual voters themselves.


Compromise May Arise in Oakland Affordable Housing Debate

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday January 11, 2008

For the first time since the issuance of the Blue Ribbon Affordable Housing Commis-sion’s report last year on inclusionary zoning and condominium conversion, Oakland City Coun-cil’s Community & Economic Development Committee met this week to try to resolve the year-long deadlock over the two issues.  

But while the city’s affordable housing policies dominated the discussion during the hour-long Tuesday afternoon CEDA session, it was the tall man from the second floor City Hall office who got a lot of the attention as well. 

Both citizens and Council-members alike urged Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums to issue his promised comprehensive housing policy recommendations in order to help move the discussion—and any possible compromise—forward.  

As he did when the committee first received the Blue Ribbon Commission report last year, Councilmember Henry Chang said at Tuesday’s meeting that “we need to hear from the mayor. We need to give him the chance to propose his piece.”  

Last year, Chang had said that he didn’t want the council to get too deep into its deliberations over the housing issues and then have the mayor issue his recommendations, causing the council to have to start all over again. 

Interim Community & Economic Development Agency Director Dan Lindheim, until recently the mayor’s budget director and chief economic adviser, told a reporter only that the mayor’s recommendations would be issued “soon,” later telling committee members that the mayor’s housing proposal would be issued “in the time frame you want for your [next] meeting.” 

The Council CEDA committee will take up the affordable housing discussion again on January 22, with the expectation that the discussion will then move to the full Council. But Committee Chair Jane Brunner indicated that if the mayor’s proposal were not in hand by the meeting on the 22nd, the council discussion would not wait. 

The 8-member City Council split down the middle in late 2006 both on a plan for a city ordinance proposed by Councilmembers Jane Brunner and Jean Quan to mandate space in new housing developments for units affordable to low-income residents—inclusionary zoning—as well as on changes designed to ease restrictions in city’s condominium conversion law proposed by Councilmember Desley Brooks.  

In a compromise, councilmembers sent both of the issues to a newly formed Blue Ribbon Commission composed of representatives of city councilmembers and current Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and then-Mayor Jerry Brown with appointees by the city attorney and city administrator. But the Blue Ribbon Commission itself split on the two issues, releasing watered-down inclusionary zoning recommendations and failing to come to consensus on condominium conversion. That put the issues back into the hands of Oakland City Council. 

The issues are difficult in part because while both are aimed at helping lower-income residents, in some ways they work at cross-purposes to each other. While inclusionary zoning is designed to increase the number of available lower-income rental units in the city, condominium conversion can lower the number of such units by turning them into ownership properties.  

This is one of the reasons that longtime Oakland advocates for lower-income residents have found themselves on the opposite sides of the inclusionary zoning/condominium conversion divide. 

At Tuesday’s meeting, CEDA Committee Chair Jane Brunner, who has been pushing for an Oakland inclusionary zoning ordinance for what she said was “eight to nine years,” said that this latest attempt will be a make or break effort. 

“In the next two months, my goal is either that Council will come up with a proposal that five members [a majority] will support, or else we’ll say that it’s not going to happen,” Brunner said. “We won’t keep coming back every few months to raise the issue again.” 

After listening to 19 public speakers repeat the familiar pro and con arguments, including two members of the Blue Ribbon Commission, CEDA Committee Councilmembers said there may be a chance for a compromise, so long as the two issues of inclusionary zoning and condominium conversion are linked together. 

“It has got to be both IZ [inclusionary zoning] and condominium conversion,” Council President Ignacio De La Fuente said. “We don’t have the luxury of advocating for just one need. We need to have a reasonable, balanced policy that increases the number of affordable rental units and increases the number of homeowners in the city. Unless we do both, I don’t think I’ll be doing my job.” 

Following De La Fuente’s remarks, Councilmember Larry Reid said that “the president of the Council spoke for the same position I’m taking” on the two housing issues. 

“It’s going to take a compromise by the Council,” Brunner said. While she continued to promote the need for an inclusionary zoning ordinance in Oakland—noting that “every other city [in the area] has it”—Brunner also said that “we need condo conversion. I don’t want to do so much, however, that we end up doing away with too many rental units.” 

Brunner also said she would resist calls from some of the public speakers for a comprehensive housing policy that included, among other things, relief for the city’s growing homeless problem. 

Referring to a set of proposals she submitted to CEDA Committee members “just to get the conversation started,” Brunner said that “I chose not to put other things in [besides inclusionary zoning and condominium conversion], but I think those should be the second things we do. If we try to do it now, it will take another six to 12 months to get something passed.” 


Berkeley This Week

Friday January 11, 2008

FRIDAY, JAN. 11 

International Day of Action to Shut Down Guantánamo Candlelight Vigil at 5:30 p.m. at downtown Berkeley BART. Please wear orange. Sponsored by Bay Area Religious Campaign Against Torture, the Fr. Bill O'Donnell Social Justice Committee of St. Joseph the Worker, the TEARS Ministry Team of FCCB. In San Francisco gather at 4 p.m. at the federal courthouse at 95 7th St., at Mission St., near Civic Center BART. Sponsored by Act Against Torture and others. www.actagainsttorture.org 

Teen Playreaders meets to read “Hamlet” and other plays based on the classic, at 4 p.m. at Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue at Ashby. 981-6121. 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Robert David Tufft, M.D. on “Hyperbaric Medicine” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant. 526-2925.  

Potters Council “Explore the Surface” Ceramic Workshop Listen, watch and learn from David Hendley, Gerald and Kelly Hong, Willie Hulce, Julia Kirillova, Sam Chung and Virginia Cartwright and others. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at Leslie Ceramics Supply Co, Inc., 1212 San Pablo Ave. Workshop classes Sat. and Sun. from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at The Berkeley Potters Guild; 731 Jones St. Cost is $150-$380. 866-721-3322. www.potterscouncil.org/explorethesurface  

Circle Dancing in Berkeley Simple folk dancing in a circle, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Finnish Brotherhood Hall, 1970 Chestnut. Donation $5. 528-4253.  

Womansong Circle at 7:15 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley Small Assembly Room, 2345 Channing. Donation $15-$20. 525-7082.  

SATURDAY, JAN. 12 

First Annual Christmas Tree Mulching Bring your trees from your neighborhood to People’s Park between 2 p.m. Sat. and noon Sun. Please leave your trees behind the Free Speech Stage to be turned into nutritional soil for the People’s Park Community Garden. 658-9178. 

Weed Warriors on East Bay Shore Join Friends of Five Creeks and Building with Books removing invasive weeds and helping to establish native vegetation from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Eastshore State Park. Meet at Sea Breeze Delicatessen, south side of University Ave. Bring lunch if you plan to stay the full four hours, but come for as long as you like. Dress in layers; we will work in a drizzle but heavy rain cancels. 848-9358. www.fivecreeks.org 

“Breaking Down Big Oil: How the Industry Works and How to Stop It From Driving War, Destroying Our Planet, and Decimating Our Democracy” with Antonia Juhasz at 7 p.m. at the Alameda Free Library, Conference Room A, 1550 Oak St. at Lincoln, Alameda. www.alamedaforum.org 

“The Fine Art of Pruning” Pruning is needed to maintain plant health, control plant growth, and encourage flowering and fruiting. Learn pruning basics with Kelley Dunn at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. 

The East Bay Chapter of the Great War Society meets to discuss “Refugees, Relief & Reconstruction- American Humanitarian Assistance” by Branden Little at 10:30 a.m. at the West Branch of the Berkeley Public Library, 1125 University Ave. 

Happy Hibernators Learn about the animals that hibernate during the winter to escape the cold at 10:30 a.m. at the Oakland Zoo, 9777 Golf Links Rd. Cost is $7.50-$10. Registration required. 632-9525. 

Kids Go Green Activities centered on ecology and climate change from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Chabot Space and Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $9-$13. 336-7373.  

Potters Council “Explore the Surface” Ceramic Workshop classes Sat. and Sun. from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at The Berkeley Potters Guild; 731 Jones St. Cost is $150-$380. 866-721-3322.  

Yoga Benefit for Kristi Rudolph from 8:30 a.m. on at 7th Heaven Yoga Center, 2820 Seventh St. Donation $20-$50. 

Health Screenings including blood pressure, cholesterol and blood glucose from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

“Be a Savvy Healthcare Consumer” with author Christine Larson at 3:30 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

“Have I Got a Story to Tell” A storytelling circle with Diane Ferlatte at 2 p.m. at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, 2465 34th Ave., Oakland. 532-9142. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

SUNDAY, JAN. 13 

Golden Gate Audubon Society Field Trip “Tilden Regional Park” with Della Dash. Meet at 9 a.m. at the parking lot at north end of Central Park Drive near the Little Farm for a 4 mile hike to look at wintering birds. 843-2222. 

Golden Gate Audubon Society Field Trip “Albany Mudflats” with Oliver James. Meet at 8 a.m. at the raised platform located on the access road to the Albany Bulb to look at wintering birds. 843-2222. 

Friends of the Alameda Wildlife Refuge Workday Help prepare habitat for California Least Terns. Meet at 9 a.m. at main refuge gate, northwest corner of former Alameda Naval Air Station, Alameda. For more information and directions, contact Golden Gate Audubon volunteer coordinator, 843-2222. jrobinson@goldengateaudubon.org  

El Cerrito Historical Society meets to discuss “Images of America: Albany” with author Karen Sorenson at 1 p.m. at the El Cerrito Senior Center, behind the El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito. 526-7507. 

“Will Annapolis Lead to Israeli-Palestinian Peace?” with Marcia Freedman and Ruth Atkin at 2 p.m. at Cafe Leila, 1724 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $5-$15. RSVP to 524-1993, sf-bayarea@btvshalom.org 

“Who Killed the Electric Car?” Documentary showing at 1:15 p.m. at Parkway Theater, 1834 Park Blvd., Oakland. 834-7640 

Cool Schools Global Warming Campaign meets to discuss Transportation and Climate Change from 2 to 4 p.m. RSVP for location. 704-4030. chicory@earthteam.net  

Grandmothers for the Oaks Celebration Bring warm clothes to donate, hot food and songs of solidarity at 2 p.m. at Memorial Oak Grove, on Piedmont, just north of Bancroft. www.saveoaks.com 

Cheri Lovre, Director of Crisis Management Institute, Salem, Oregon at 11:20 a.m. at Arlington Community Church, 52 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 526-9146. 

Mantras of Henry Marshall, led by Marcia Emery, PhD. at 2 p.m. at Peralta Community Garden, Hopkins and Peralta. If by chance it rains, we will postpone until the following month. 526-5510. 

“Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement” with Shira Miller at 3 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

MONDAY, JAN. 14 

Berkeley Green Mondays with Diane Beeson, PhD and Tina Stevens, PhD, Co-founders of Alliance for Humane Biotechnology on “The human egg trade, cloning, and market eugenics” at 7:30 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 848-4681. www.berkeleygreens.org 

“Eat at Bill’s: Life in the Monterey Market” a film by Lisa Brenneis, followed by a discusssion with the market’s owner, Bill Fujimoto at 7 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

“Science of Evolution and the Myth of Creationism” A discussion of the book by Ardea Skybreak at 7 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way. 848-1196. 

Berkeley School Volunteers Orientation from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. Come learn about volunteer opportunities. 644-8833. 

Kids Dance Program at Ashkenaz Creative Movement and Ballet for ages 3-8, Mon. and Wed. afternoons. Call for information. 233-5550. animamundi@jps.net 

TUESDAY, JAN. 15 

The Berkeley Garden Club meets at 1 p.m., at Epworth United Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St. The speaker will be Amy Meyer, Co-Chair, GGNRA, speaking on “The Creation of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Its Ongoing Ecological Restoration.” Cost is $3, free for members. 845-4482.  

Solo Sierrans Hike in Tilden Park to explore watersheds, newts and winter topics, on a trail that might be muddy. Meet at 1:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area. Optional dinner follows. 234-8949. 

“Meeting Resistance” Molly Bingham and Steve Connors’ documentary on the the Iraq insurgency at 7:30 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. Cost is $10. 452-3556. 

“The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez” Film screening followed by discussion of the impact of war and military recruiting on immigrant youth, at 4 p.m. at Oakland Public Library, Cesar Chavez Branch, 3301 E. 12th St., Ste. 271 Free for youth. 535-5620. 

Retirement Community Information Fair with representatives from 12 East Bay retirement communities and the Adult Day Network of Alameda County from 1 to 3 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Martin Luther King Way. 848-1960, ext. 246.  

“If These Walls Could Talk” Video at 7 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way. 848-1196. 

“What is Everyday Creativity?” with Ruth Richards at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Buddhist Monastery, 2304 McKinley Ave. 848-3440. www.ahimsaberkeley.org 

The Café Literario, book discussion group in Spanish, meets to discuss “El Túnel” by Ernesto Sábato at 7 p.m. at the West Branch Library, 1125 University Ave. 981-6270. 

“Winter Mountaineering: Basic to Advanced” A slide presentation with Tim Keating at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 6 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. 215-7672, 524-9992. 

End the Occupation Vigil every Tues. at noon at Oakland Federal Bldg., 1301 Clay St. www.epicalc.org 

Family Storytime at 7 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043.  

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 16 

“Caught in the Crossfire” A documentary on the plight of civilians in Fallujah and “Children of Abraham” at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation $5. www.Humanist Hall.org 

Teen Chess Club from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the North Branch Library, 1170 The Alameda at Hopkins. 981-6133. 

War and Peace Book Group meets to discuss “A Very Long Engagement” by Sebastian Japrisot at 7 p.m. at Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 16. 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes and a warm hat. Heavy rain cancels. 548-9840. 

Morning Meditation Every Mon., Wed., and Fri. at 7:45 a.m. at Rudramandir, 830 Bancroft Way at 6th. 486-8700. 

THURSDAY, JAN. 17 

Alan Alda in Conversation with Bob Osserman on Alda’s lifelong interest in science at 7 p.m. at The Roda Theater, 2015 Addison St. Tickets are $14-$22. 647-2949. www.msri.org 

Golden Gate Audubon Society “Antartica: An Unforgettable Journey” with Eleanor Briccetti at 7:30 p.m. at Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 843-2222. 

“Workshop: Zen and the Art of Mushroom Hunting” Discover the world of mushrooms with Debbie Viess in an evening slide lecture (and a field trip on Sat. the 19th) at 7:30 p.m. at Oakland Museum of CA, 1000 Oak St., at 10th St., Oakland. Cost is $35. Registration required. 843-2222. www.museumca.org 

Berkeley Democratic Club General Membership Meeting with Prof. David Tabb, on “The Presidential Primary” at 7:30 p.m. at Northbrae Community Church, Parlor Room, 941 The Alameda. www.berkeleydemocraticclub.com 

LeConte Neighborhood Association meets at 7:30 p.m. at the LeConte School cafeteria. (Please use Russell St. entrance.) Agenda includes a discussion of ways to make our homes and streets safer. We will also have our Board election for 2008. karlreeh@aol.com 

Appreciating Diversity Film Series “Aging Out” about foster youth who “age out” of the system at 7 p.m., followed by discussion, at Ellen Driscoll Theater, 325 Highland Ave., Piedmont. Appropriate for children 12 and older. www.diversityfilmseries.org 

“Dissent: Voices of Conscience” Celebrate the release of Col. Wright’s new book at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St. Cost is $5-$10. 488-3559. 

Computer and Office Technology Classes begin at Berkeley City College, 2050 Center St. Enrollment open through Feb. 9. www.peralta.edu. 981-2800. 

“Sustainable Urbanism” with David Baker at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

Berkeley School Volunteers Orientation from 4 to 5 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. Come learn about volunteer opportunities. 644-8833. 

Small Business Panel and workshop for people thinking of starting, mamnaging and growing a small business at 7 p.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito. 526-7512.  

Babies & Toddlers Storytime at 10:15 and 11:15 a.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043.  

Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters Club meets at 6:45 p.m. at Spud’s Pizza, 3290 Adeline. namaste@avatar.freetoasthost.info  

ONGOING 

E-Waste Recycling St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County accepts electronic waste including computers, dvd players, cell phones, fax machines and many other ewaste products for disposal free of charge at many of its locations throughout Alameda County. Make a tax-deductible donation while disposing of your ewaste appropriately and helping those in need. Free bulk pick-up available. 638-7600. www.svdp-alameda.org 

Help a Newt Cross the Road Every year newts migrate across Hillside Drive to reach their breeding pools in Castro Creek. Volunteers prevent many of these creatures from being crushed by cars. We need volunteers every evening during January and February in El Sobrante. The newts are most active on rainy nights. annabelle11_3@yahoo.com 

Free Tax Help If your 2007 household income was less than $42,000, you are eligible for free tax preparation from United Way's Earn it! Keep It! Save It! Sites are open now through April 15 in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. To find a site near you, call 800-358-8832. www.EarnItKeepItSaveIt.org 

CITY MEETINGS 

City Council meets Tues., Jan. 15, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci.erkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Fair Campaign Practices Commission meets Thurs., Jan. 17, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6950.  

Housing Advisory Commission meets Thurs., Jan. 17, at 7 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5400.


Rebecca’s Books Opens on Adeline St.

By KEN BULLOCK Special to the Planet
Friday January 11, 2008

When Rebecca’s Books, specializing in poetry, opened Oct. 27 at 3268 Adeline Ave. in South Berkeley, the Morning Star Choir came up from the Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Los Angeles to sing.  

It’s the choir that store proprietor Mary Ann Braithwaite and her son used to sing with, and Braithwaite just commented, “That’s love!” 

“My friends came up from L.A. for the opening,” she recalled, “and said, ‘You’re home!’ And I feel I’m home. I miss my support system there, but people here say, ‘We’re your support system!’ Amazing people I never have would thought to meet are coming in and out. And I’ve been learning from strangers. That’s part of Berkeley, too. I’m the happiest I’ve been since I had my children.” 

Walking im off the street, one feels what Braithwaite says her customers keep describing—Rebecca’s Books is warm and homey. Colorful covers—most new poetry books, some used, some cultural titles and a growing collection of children’s books—are on display around the main room and in ‘Polly’s Place,’ a children’s room in the back.  

“Rebecca’s Books is named after my mother,” Braithwaite said, “Polly was her nickname.” Looking over the back room, she remarked, “This is the hardest challenge.” 

Artwork covers the walls, much of it from Braithwaite’s own collection, with other pieces brought in by her old friend of 30 years, Oakland artist Woody Johnson as well as artists he’s referred. “People started coming in, saying ‘Woody sent me’—then Woody came in and hung them up!” 

There are cards, journals, jewelry, some handmade candleholders Woody Johnson provided. It’s a bookstore with a particularly personal touch, arrayed neatly yet casually. Asked about how the books are organized, “Braithwaite joked, “There is no organization! Somebody alphabetized it, and I ended up switching everything. It has its order. And I’ve had no complaints about it.” 

Another old friend, poet Reginald Lockett, has helped with the selection. “Every book is handpicked, 90 percent my own favorites.”  

Others have weighed in, too. “Ishmael Reed came by and offered to help. Berkeley poet Rebecca Fromer, a cofounder of the Magnes Museum, and her friend Ruth “came in at just the right time and soothed me ... I’m an impatient person, but that’s not the way to do it. I learn as I go along. I’m not going anywhere.” 

There are open mic readings every other Friday, M.C.’d by former Cal student Brandelyn Castine. More readings will be scheduled. California Poet Laureate Al Young has agreed to appear. And others less known have come by with their books and manuscripts. 

Braithwaite’s attitude is truly catholic, community oriented: “I don’t want to get a reputation having only strangers; on the other hand, all started that way. I’ve read things given to me that weren’t my type, but possibly those writers could do a reading. We’re very diverse. I was taught by Sister Mary Carol in school that it’s a matter of interpretation. Like music, poetry says different things to different people. And maybe that wasn’t the way it was written! I say, ‘If indeed your poetry means this, maybe I just don’t get it—but don’t tell me I’m wrong! I just see it different.’” 

Looking at pictures of her mother on the wall , Braithwaite talked about how her parents married in Tennessee and moved to Chicago, where she was born, moving again to L. A. when she was 11. She worked as an administrator for the Catholic Church for 21 years, retiring early and selling her house to found Rebecca’s Books. “I truly loved it, but always knew I’d do something else.”  

She’d lived in San Francisco from the late ’70s to the mid ’80s, and started visiting again a few years ago when her son was attending Dominican University in San Rafael. She acquired the store a year ago last month, and moved here in May.  

“I wanted this to be a black bookstore,” Braithwaite said, “But one day I was sitting in the Vault Cafe, on Adeline, with the young man who was my orderer, who’s white, looking around—and I said, These are my customers. So it’s black-owned, but for everybody, including children.” 

“It’s really sad kids aren’t exposed to poetry,” she went on. “I did Black History Month a while ago at our school down in L.A. I auditioned the kids to read poetry—as the poets. I picked them so they looked liked the poets. I had my little Ishmael Reed with long hair, my little Al Young ... my Langston Hughes was a tall, lanky kid ... I said, ‘You wear a suit and tie!’ I gave them each a poem and two days to prepare. They really got interested! They got on the internet and found more stuff—‘Can we read this?’ I had to tell them we only had ten minutes. It was kind of like my little going away.” 

Asked why she wanted a poetry bookstore, Braithwaite replied, “There’s a need. When you walk into most bookstores, you see the same four or five generic poets—and don’t get me wrong, I love them—but the same in every store. Poetry needs exposure. It does something to me, for me. I love to read. The majority of these books are in my house. That’s a good thing—and a bad thing!” 

With friends sending her library discards to give away—“and my accountant, who keeps telling me I’m not a nonprofit!”—Braithwaite wants Rebecca’s to be part of the scene, making its own unique contribution. “People come in and say, ‘I’ll be back,’ then bring in someone else with them. And there’s no competition. The biggest compliment I got was when some people walked by, and one said, ‘Honey, look! A City Lights in Berkeley!’” 

 

 

 

 


Worker, Customers Capture Suspect in Bank Rampage

By Richard Brenneman
Friday January 11, 2008

Customers and bank employees, aided by a passerby, captured a Berkeley man after he ransacked a San Pablo Avenue bank Monday, attacked two employees with a knife and beat an assistant manager with a telephone. 

Berkeley Police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss said the attacker, 25-year-old Frank Eugene Moore III, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of assault weapon. 

Police first heard of the attack when a 22-year-old man called 911 to say that two men had just run out of the Bank of America at 2546 San Pablo Ave. screaming “Someone got stabbed!” 

After getting out of his car and calling 911, “as he turned toward the bank, he saw an office chair flying out the door, followed by a man running very quickly,” said Sgt. Kusmiss. 

Two other men followed the running man, catching up to him and holding him down, joined by the witness, who later told police the man was actively resisting. 

That was the scene that greeted officers as they arrived. 

In the subsequent investigation, officers learned that the 6-foot 2-inch, 180 pound attacker had walked into the bank and demanded help with a student loan. Another employee told the assistant manager, “The guy is impatient,” and she walked over to help. 

“She saw that he had started yelling at her colleague,” said Sgt. Kusmiss. “He was cursing very loudly.” 

When the assistant manager said they didn’t handle student loans at the branch, and that they were typically handled over the telephone, witnesses said Moore yelled, “Bitch, get me the student loan!” 

At that point, they said, the angry man yanked a phone from the wall and used it to beat her on the top of the head. 

“Then he pulled a steak-type knife from his pocket, swinging it and striking in a downward direction at the manager” and the other bank employee who had originally tried to help him, said the sergeant. 

After Moore hit the assistant manager and pulled the knife, the 35-year-old bank worker “jumped in to prevent him from killing her,” said Sgt. Kusmiss. 

The worker grabbed an office chair to fend him off, and then both men fell to the floor, pummeling each other with their fists until other bank workers and several customers intervened. 

During the fracas, a 77-year-old bank customer who was on crutches was knocked to the floor and sustained injuries. 

Meanwhile, the workers and customer were “able to push him (Moore) out the door,” Sgt. Kusmiss said, “and that was where the witness came in.” 

After police arrived, multiple witnesses identified Moore as the attacker. 

The assistant manager was taken to the hospital as was the injured customer. The banker suffered lacerations to her head, which were stapled in the emergency room. 

Moore also complained of injuries, and he too was taken to an emergency room, where he was examined and found to have suffered bruises in the attack. 

Moore was booked into city jail, and later taken to the county’s Santa Rita jail, where he was formally booked on the four felony counts. He remained in custody Thursday evening. 

Police found an incomplete application for Corinthian Colleges, Inc., in the assailant’s backpack. The only entries were in the comments section. 

Corinthian is a private educational corporation with several campuses in the Bay Area, including Oakland and Fremont. 

In her statement to police, one customer described the Monday afternoon’s attack as “the scariest thing I had ever witnessed,” said Sgt. Kusmiss. “The customers and employees were instrumental in detaining him, and quite possibly someone could have been seriously injured or killed” without their assistance, she said. 

Later investigation revealed that Moore was a Bank of America customer, but he hadn’t received any loans from the bank.


Man Gets 56 Years for Attempted Murder of Police Officer

Bay City News
Friday January 11, 2008

A Berkeley man with a long criminal record was sentenced Thursday to 56 years in state prison for attempting to murder Berkeley police Officer Darren Kacalek nearly three years ago by shooting at him at least five times. 

Howard Street’s lawyer, Andrew Steckler, asked Alameda County Superior Court Judge Joseph Hurley to give Street a lighter sentence, arguing that Street’s decision-making ability had been hampered by post-traumatic stress disorder due to being involved in many shooting incidents during his long criminal career. 

But Hurley said that by choosing a life of crime, Street, 39, “put himself beyond the law” and “deserves the full impact of the law” through a stiff sentence. He observed that Street “probably will not get out of prison.” 

Kacalek didn’t say anything at the hearing, which was attended by about 25 other uniformed Berkeley police officers, but afterward he said “justice was served” by the stiff sentence Street received. 

On Oct. 30, after deliberating for less than two full days, jurors convicted Street of the attempted murder of a police officer as well as willful, deliberate and premeditated attempted murder for the incident involving Kacalek for the shooting incident near Delaware and Sixth streets in West Berkeley in the early morning hours of May 17, 2005. 


Court Hears Arguments UC Suit

By Richard Brenneman
Friday January 11, 2008

The courtroom battle over UC Berkeley’s stadium area projects has taken a new twist—arguments over whether or not a judge should gather critical new evidence. 

A hearing on the issue is scheduled this afternoon (Friday) in a Hayward courtroom. The focus of the furor is the contention by plaintiffs challenging the university’s Memorial Stadium-area projects that the new high-tech gym planned along the stadium’s western wall is attached to the landmarked sports venue rather than a separate structure. 

While the City of Berkeley, Panoramic Hill Association, the California Oak Foundation and other plaintiffs contend the buildings are attached, they don’t want Judge Barbara J. Miller to collect expert evidence on the issue. 

If the buildings are attached, the $125 million gym project would fall under the provisions of the Alquist-Priolo Act that limit additions or renovations of buildings within 50 feet of active earthquake faults. 

Since the stadium itself sits directly atop the main trace of the Hayward Fault, a finding that the gym is attached to the stadium would sharply restrict the university’s plans—which include, in addition to the four-story gym and office complex, major renovations of the stadium itself. 

Judge Miller issued an order Dec. 10, two months after attorneys made their final arguments, calling on both sides to present written declarations from experts addressing the question. 

That triggered a flood of letters and briefs, with the plaintiffs opposing any move to introduce new evidence after both sides had rested their respective cases. 

In a Dec. 26 letter to the judge, San Francisco attorney Charles R. Olson, the university’s outside counsel, argued that the state Evidence Code gives the court “discretion to accept extra-record evidence.” 

Michael Lozeau, the attorney for the Panoramic Hill Association, said that the real issue before the court is not whether the structures are connected—though the plaintiffs contend that is, indeed, the case. 

The real issue, he said, is the fact that UC Board of Regents failed to consider the issue when approving the project more than a year ago. 

Construction of the gym was originally set to begin a year ago, but the lawsuit stalled the university’s plans. The planned cutting of a grove of Coastal Live Oaks led to an ongoing protest by tree-sitters which has now lasted more than 400 days.


Fire Department Log

Friday January 11, 2008

Fire Chars Grocery, Smog Shop 

 

A Tuesday night fire did $150,000 in damage to a San Pablo Avenue grocery store and caused smoke damage to a business next door—a smog shop. 

Deputy Fire Chief Gil Dong said a passing motorist called 911 after spotting smoke pouring from the Dollar Deals Grocery Store at 2326 San Pablo Ave. at 8:56 p.m. 

Firefighters arrived moments later to find the building heavily involved in fire. The roof and walls sustained significant damage from the flames, which had been triggered by electrical problems, said the deputy chief. 

There were no injuries, and the store was unoccupied when the fire began. 

The adjoining 7 Days A Week Smog shop sustained smoke damage from the blaze, said Dong.


Solutions to Oakland’s Crime and Violence

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday January 11, 2008

It is perfectly understandable why many citizens in Oakland have not waited to see if the pending Oakland police reorganization makes any changes in the problems of violence and crime in the city. Instead--almost as if the city’s police arbitration victory never happened and Chief Tucker’s reorganization plans were never announced--there have been continued loud cries from many neighborhoods that something must be done about the crime problem, including hiring more police. 

The first reason, I believe, that there is little patience for Mr. Dellums’ and Mr. Tucker’s police reorganization reforms to kick in is that we are far too used to having politicians and leaders offer quick solutions to complex problems, usually some piece of new legislation or regulation that gets the leader a lot of headlines and does little else. We get a lot of that in Oakland. The “solution” that comes readily to mind is when former Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown--when he needed to buck up his law-and-order credentials for his run for California Attorney General--pushed an “arrest the sideshow spectators” ordinance through Oakland City Council. Whatever happened to that ordinance? Was it needed? Was it used? After all the state publicity Mr. Brown garnered from its passage, it has vanished from the public view. 

But the second reason many citizens don’t have a lot of confidence about the police reorganization is the way in which the reorganization made it into the public eye. 

When he originally announced the reorganization, Chief Tucker said he was proposing dividing the city into three districts--with patrol officers assigned to one district only with a single captain and command structure in each--with the catchword description of “geographical accountability.” What that meant, Mr. Tucker explained, was to have police officers and their commanders in closer touch with the individual communities and neighborhoods they were patrolling, rather than the current practice of having police generally roll around to any area across the entire city where trouble is reported. This would be a real step, Mr. Tucker went on to say, toward instituting “community policing” in Oakland. 

But the “community policing” and “geographical accountability” aspects of the plan were not the parts that got the most publicity when the chief’s proposal got closer to actual implementation. 

Instead, the Oakland Police Officers Association objected to the 12 hour shift portion of the proposal. That’s what went to arbitration and, when the arbitrator ruled against the OPOA, it is the 12 hour day that became the symbol of the reorganization, overshadowing everything else. 

Because of that publicity, it is difficult, now, to recall that Mr. Tucker always maintained that his goal was dividing the city up into three sections, and that he wanted to institute the 12 hour shifts only because it was impossible to do the division any other way. The 12 hour shifts, in other words, were only the means to establishing the chief’s ultimate goal, police and their commanders responsible for smaller geographical districts, so that they could become more familiar with those districts and the people and problems in them, and more accountable to the citizens in those districts. 

But because of the publicity over the police-city arbitration, much of the press and the public got it backwards, thinking that the purpose of the reorganization was to establish the 12 hour shifts. Thus, while a Kelly Rayburn article in the November 27, 2007 Tribune explained that the plan’s main thrust was the division of the city into three districts, the article’s headline itself read “Oakland mayor, police unveil 12-hour shift plan to curb violence.” 

Under the circumstances, it is understandable why the some citizens are either not generally willing to wait to give the plan a chance or do not think the reorganization is going to be that big a deal. It was revealed during the arbitration that many Oakland police officers were already doing 12 hour shifts and more, padding their regular 10 hour shifts with overtime. If the chief’s plan was simply to have police working the same number of hours on regular pay that they are currently working on overtime pay, the plan would be a mere reshuffling of the same number of cards in the same deck, with, therefore, little or no chance to curb crime in Oakland. 

I think it is more than that. But I also think it is going to take some time for Mr. Tucker’s reforms to kick in, and to see what kind of effect they have on the average citizen’s contact with the police. 

The calls for more police--above the currently-authorized 803--are going to continue to resonate throughout many parts of Oakland, in no small part because it is such a simple-slogan solution that is easy for people to grasp. Citizens want enough of a police presence where they live and work and shop to discourage criminal activity. When they call the police department--either the emergency or non-emergency number--they want a patrol officer to respond in a short amount of time. If they have been the victim of a crime, they want enough police resources put in for that crime to be solved, and the perpetrators arrested. The call for “more police” seems to meet those concerns, and so we will probably hear it in one or more of the Oakland City Council races scheduled for this June. 

Popular as the idea of “more police” is in some Oakland quarters, however, as I’ve written before, I can see little chance of implementation in the foreseeable future. Nowhere have I read any of the advocates identifying what portion of Oakland’s budget they would cut--what services they would trim or end, what employees they would fire--in order to free up the money to hire the new police. And given the suspicions generated by the city’s failure to hire the full complement of 803 police officers authorized by Measure Y, it is difficult to envision anyone in this climate being able to muster the two-thirds vote in Oakland necessary to pass a bond measure to fund the two to three hundred new police they are advocating for. But stranger things have happened. 

Meanwhile, I don’t think the Dellums Administration should do nothing else on the crime and violence front until the police reorganization reforms take hold long enough to be evaluated. The mayor’s staff is said to be working on a comprehensive public safety plan designed to integrate city and police resources to respond to crime and violence when it happens, and to begin eliminating its causes before it happens. The mayor alluded to that at last year’s West Oakland Town Hall meeting when he said that the scattered approach of small city funding to a large number of Measure Y violence prevention groups needed to be consolidated into an integrated, anti-violence strategy. Since then, we have heard little about that effort. But perhaps, with the mayor’s State of the City address coming up next week, we will hear more. 

While all of this is going on, for myself, I wish that the mayor would revisit one of the promises he made during the mayoral campaign of 2006. During that campaign, Mr. Dellums often expressed his willingness to sit down and meet with the “shot callers” in Oakland-gang leaders, essentially to see if some method could be worked out to lower the level of violence in the city. 

There are a number of such efforts already going on throughout the state. Before he was executed by the state of California, former Crips founder Stanley “Tookie” Williams had been working on such truces with Crips gang members from his cell on San Quentin’s Death Row. Following Williams’ death, Richmond community activist Barbara Becnel has set up the Stanley “Tookie” Williams Legacy Network (http://www.stwlegacy.net/) to continue that work, and last month, at a Contra Costa College showing of a new documentary on Williams, Becnel announced that the organization was sending several Richmond street leaders to Compton to meet with former Crips leaders to see how those anti-violence efforts were organized. Oakland should be joining and coordinating with those efforts. 

There are few leaders who have the national stature on progressive and civil rights issues of Ron Dellums, and few who could command the attention and respect of the “shot callers” as Mr. Dellums can. An Oakland anti-violence summit meeting, held with the people who can actually have some influence with those who are committing that violence, would be a good use of the mayor’s enormous talents and, if it succeeded even to a small degree in lowering the temperature in the streets, a tremendous step forward in the city. 

There are no quick fixes to the twin problems of crime and violence in Oakland. But if we take the time to think about them, and talk about them, and work on them, there are solutions. 

 


Letters to the Editor

Friday January 11, 2008

PERILS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It’s heartening to read the fervent advocacy for Housing and Public Health for Berkeley citizens in recent letters to the Daily Planet from Philip Ardsley Smith (housing) and Peter Schorer and Joan Levinson (cell phone towers). It is indeed alarming to witness the dominoes falling in Berkeley as elected representatives and city officials bow down to real estate developers, telecommunications giants, and university/corporate collusion called scientific experimentation and “green” progress.  

The entire Bay Area was rightfully alarmed and up in arms about the accident that dumped tons of poisonous oil into the bay, killed wildlife and fowled shores, and laid bare the lack of planning and preparation for such disasters. 

Will we wait until our hills and streams are poisoned by toxic chemicals, our residents become increasingly ill from electromagnetic exposure, and non-affluent citizens join the ranks of the homeless before Berkeley takes principled, socially responsible action on these crucial issues instead of caving in to the powerful forces that that are drooling to take over this city? Will Berkeley become just another bedroom community for commuters, while long-time residents, taxpayers and voters are driven out of our community? And where will we go?  

Berkeley’s citizens, leaders, and city officials concerned with housing and public health need to ally with counterparts in neighboring cities and San Francisco in a united fight for the rights of all people for decent housing and public health. 

Marianne Robinson 

 

• 

CELL PHONE TOWERS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The cell phone antenna issue, while tearing apart the lives of some residents in this city, barely touches the rest. This is a great failure: a failure of the media, including the Daily Planet, to update and track this struggle in South Berkeley more informatively, a failure of the organizers to reach out beyond themselves, a failure of our city government to genuinely unite with the people of the neighborhood in a pro-democratic alliance, a failure of our religious leaders to advocate for the well being of the community and to demand ethical solutions, a failure in all of us as public citizens who, it seems to me, could act in a loving and generous way toward each other—even across class and race divisions. 

Don’t we want to know the truth about this stuff? Don’t we want to clean the environment and make our world less toxic? Read the following short, clear study from Israel in it’s entirety and then tell me you don’t believe in precaution and moratorium-perhaps followed by relocation of all radiation-emitting antennas to areas where people don’t live. A responsible newspaper would print this conscientious and important study for all to see! Perhaps it would shake people out of their complacency. But short of full exposure and minus the Town Hall Meeting we were promised by Barbara Lee’s office over a year ago, I urge you to read and discuss the following study. It is a good jumping off place. 

For more information, see www.antennebureau.nl/fileadmin/pdfs/Netanya-onderzoek.pdf. 

Laurie Baumgarten 

 

• 

LUDDITE’S 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

If I have to read another letter from one of Berkeley’s Luddite conservatives, I think I’ll scream (or laugh). 

It seems that every edition of the Planet brings forth another letter from another technophobe decrying the cell phone towers proposed for the UC Storage building. While I think that cell phones are indeed a very mixed blessing, it appears that most people in Berkeley are embracing this new strange technology. Some are taking advantage of other 20th and 21st century radio-wave based technologies like radio, wireless Internet, and television. There are even those who have embraced microwave ovens and enjoy venturing into the sun on occasion. 

While I too wanted to believe the worst about cell phone radiation, it appears that there is no real evidence to show that it causes any actual harm. 

I understand that conservatives fear change; different religions, different types of people, new buildings, and new technologies are all pretty scary until you get to know them better. 

By the way, I bought a cell phone last year. It mostly is off, or in vibrate mode, when it is on. I use it about 10 minutes a month. It isn’t too scary. 

Fred Massell 

Oakland 

 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Another thousand times no, no and no on the proposed building of a new sports facility on the western edge of the Memorial Stadium—and for many of the same reasons I argued unsuccessfully some years ago for a different location for the Haas Business School.  

We have lived on the north south axisroad across the eastern edge of the campus less than a mile from the stadium for many years. We walk to football games and arts events on campus. Since the Haas Business School was built, where do all those people park? Every day I see commuters trying to cross in either direction on that edge of Campus driving, stopping, starting, moving fast then stopped still, trying to get to parking spaces. Day and night, pedestrian traffic brings long lines of cars to a halt—traffic can only go in a north/south direction. Once on the stadium road, there are no opportunities for turning east or west as the traffic builds up. Filling and more filling of that glorious, green open eastern end of my beloved alma mater breaks my heart. More tall state of the art concrete buildings, cars, people, trucks, buses, vans, motorcycles and congestion continue to obliterate the most beautiful and last natural edge of my Campus.  

Put our talented athletes nearer our degraded and neglected downtown! Put the athletic support staffs for all of Cal’s illustrious, popular sports teams, the vehicles and fans’ access where there is more parking than exists at the eastern edge of campus. Put these thousands of people within walking distance to a variety of activities near the multi-million dollar basketball facility on Bancroft, the huge Zellerbach entertainment complex, the hub of the Cal administration complex, the churches and performance spaces, the proposed world class art museum, the UC Press Building, the new baseball diamond on Bancroft Avenue, the beautiful Edwards track stadium, a unique architectural gem on the western edge of the campus. Put all of this activity close to BART and the buses, the restaurants, the clubs and bars, the huge, newly renovated state of the art public library, the professional theatres, the dozens of movie houses and hundreds of small retail shops.  

There is absolutely no argument for building this multi-purpose “jewel” on an earthquake fault in the trees in our foothills and residential neighborhoods further filling in the wildest, greenest, most forested and most open perimeter of our beautiful Campus. The football team and their support staff can travel a few blocks by van between the Stadium and the training center day and night. 

Judith Holland  

 

• 

PARKING, BRT, AND 

RAPID BUS PLUS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Parking is just one reason I am opposed to Bus Rapid Transit as it’s currently proposed. I’m more concerned about spending any more time and money to develop a preferred alternative if we feel that all of the alternatives will be disastrous for Berkeley. 

That said, AC Transit’s parking analysis in the draft environmental impact statement is greatly flawed. 

First, just like the DEIS analysis of shortest path for traffic, AC Transit’s proposal to replace just one parking space per block over the entire route flies in the face of observation. Parking is needed close to businesses. It makes no sense to say that five blocks away you’ll find a spot. Look at successful shopping areas like Fourth Street that have numerous parking lots scattered throughout the area. 

Second, it’s bad planning for AC Transit to do a mitigation count based on the entire line. The count should be done over each small section where businesses exist, such as Telegraph from Dwight to Alcatraz. Calculate the actual number of spots displaced by BRT in that section and do the replacement count based on that number. That analysis would come up with a much larger number than the entire line analysis did. 

Third, AC Transit found 1,300 spaces displaced over the length of the route, that’s 76 spaces per mile or 7.6 spaces per block. Imagine seven or eight spaces gone from every block on Telegraph. That would be a massive hit for the businesses that operate there. If the number were actually greater, the impact could be devastating. 

As I said, parking is just one of the issues I have with BRT. There are equally compelling arguments for the other issues as well. 

There is a solution to the tit for tat characterizing much of the current debate. Let’s come together around making Rapid Bus Plus work. This comprehensive improvement of the current bus line will implement the 5 things we know will speed service along the corridor without the need for dedicated bus lanes. 

How do we know we can get most of the speed increases without dedicating lanes or building stations that destroy parking -- AC Transit’s Jim Cunradi has said as much in his public appearances. AC Transit’s just not interested in improving the existing service without the “prestige” of a BRT system. 

People who want better transit today lobby AC Transit to implement Rapid Bus Plus now. 

Vincent Casalaina 

 

• 

LOUIE FLYNN 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I was sad to read of Louie Flynn’s death. Years ago I had the pleasure of playing Colonel Pickering opposite Louie’s Henry Higgins in a CCCT production of My Fair Lady, as well as the fun of playing Nathan Detroit in their Guys and Dolls, which Louie directed. He was one of the most constantly positive and enthusiastic men I’ve known, and through the years he generously shared his joy of theater with hundreds of aspiring actors and a wide community audience. A good man, a good life—he’ll be long remembered. 

Jerry Landis 

 

• 

OAK-TO-NINTH 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I was glad to see Mr. Taylor’s roundup of development issues, including the Oak-to-Ninth controversy. A modest correction: The Ninth Avenue Terminal has never been abandoned since it was built, and currently is still in operation housing a bulk cotton company. Towboats still tie up at its wharf. The building was constructed with public money, completed in 1929-30. Its size was doubled in 1950. It is a reusable historic building, and can serve new generations of Oakland far better on its current site than in a landfill. 

Thanks for your attention to Oakland issues! 

Naomi Schiff 

 

• 

MARINE RECRUITMENT STATION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Mayor Tom Bates graciously met with CodePink Women for Peace Wednesday in front of the Marine Recruitment Station on Shattuck Square. CodePink wants the City of Berkeley to shut the center down because it recruits people to wage bloody war, against the values of Berkeley citizens. Mayor Bates committed to three actions as a result of the meeting: 1. to work with peace activists to draft a workable resolution or initiative that the City Council can consider, 2. to meet with the Marine Recruitment Center director, and 3. to ask the Berkeley police to stop harassing CodePinkers who are at the Center daily and to help CodePink get permission to have a parking space in front of the Center during the daily action. Readers who want tell Mayor Bates that they are against the Marines recruiting in Berkeley can e-mail, phone, or mail a letter to him: mayor@ci.berkeley.ca.us, 981-7100, 2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley, CA 94704. 

Cynthia Papermaster 

 

• 

RECALL THE CITY MANAGER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Shouldn’t City Manager Phil Kamlarz be added to Mayor Bates’ recall petition? After all, it was Kamlarz who brokered the illegal HUD deal to strip veterans,other disabled people, and the elderly of their homes, thus causing or adding to the 40 percent (and rising) Berkeley homeless figures reported recently by Fox TV News. In favor of developers , Kamlarz continues the tremendous rent jackups (ex. $100 more per month) for many Section 8 people who live alone- especially in higher rent Section 8 studios and one bedrooms. They can’t move because Section 8 new rentals have dried up in Berkeley and other cities. This increase in homeless and rent problems caused former Housing Director Steve Barton to take the fall, and the city attorney came tumbling after. And Kamlarz? He just continues on with the same heartless policies. Nothing has changed. As arguably this city’s most corrupt and secretive official-for the rich and against the Berkeley people, here are some of the laws he and his backroom cohorts are currently breaking: 1990 Berkeley Human Rights Ordinance; Berkeley Rent Stabilization Ordinance 13.T6.030-this could be remedied by including Section 8 protections in an amendment; 1977 Housing Element of the Berkeley Master Plan; U.S. Constitution, Article 6, Clause 2; Americans with Disabilities Act; Civil Rights laws of “disparate impact”; 1992 U.S. ratified International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 26; Veterans housing acts; U.N. Charter, Article 55-U.S ratifed as the supreme law of the land;U.S ratified Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment, Article161 or 16.1; U.S. ratified treaty Convention to Eliminate Racial Discrimination, Article 5(e)iii; HUD’s original purpose and rules; 1974 Housing Assistance Payments Program—just to begin with.  

Claudia Chin 

 

• 

MEMORIAL BENCHES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I noticed there is a policy conversation going on with respect to the placement and number of “memorial” park benches in the Berkeley parks. I have never noticed that there are “too many” benches, “memorial” or otherwise at any park in the city. Live Oak Park only has some benches in the kiddie part of the fenced sand area, but there are no benches in the grassy area where the new equipment has been installed and where we need people sitting to monitor the monster-sized tunnel-slide! There is a broken wooden bench up against the building by the wisteria, and it has been broken for about two years now. This park sorely needs some benches to encourage adults to linger because the new equipment needs the watchful eyes of adults. The staff inside the building has other duties and cannot see very well out into the grassy area near the sidewalk, due to “line of sight” obstructions. This site is heavily used due to the Live Oak Theater, the afterschool program and it is a BUSD bus stop-hub. Some benches would bring more elders out of their homes to sit in the sun and provide a rest stop near the Thursday Farmer’s Market at Shattuck and Rose, as well! 

Linda Tumulty 

 

 

• 

‘CHANGE’ 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Now that we are hearing so many vacuous primary speeches, a local presidential debate that will cover the difficult, complex, and real issues—as opposed to the ongoing utterance of the word “change”—will be happening in San Francisco this Sunday, when former Congressional Representative Cynthia McKinney and Ralph Nader (an undeclared candidate) will engage in a debate for the Green Party presidential race, along with three other Green Party candidates. Moderators and hosts will include peace mom Cindy Sheehan, former San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Matt Gonzalez, San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, KPFA anchor Aimee Allison, and Board of Education member Mark Sanchez. The event will be held at Herbst Theater on Van Ness, at 2 p.m. 

It will be a relief to hear real issues, for a “change”! 

Victoria Ashley 

Alameda 

 

• 

LORIN DISTRICT CRIME 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

There has been a rash of break-ins, muggings, beatings, thefts, loitering, graffiti, an exploding stolen car, dumped items, etc contributing to a declining quality of life in the Lorin district and neighboring Shattuck corridor of North Oakland. I’m wondering if the city of Berkeley and our council members notice or care. Neighbors and businesses alike are starting to talk about leaving.  

Recently a neighbor was stabbed outside Nick’s bar, near a hotspot of loitering, drug dealing, aggressive panhandling and litter, across from the M & H Liquor store. Neighbors have often complained that this spot near the City of Berkeley Police substation is one of the worst for loitering and associated problems to no avail. The incident outside Nick’s Bar has brought suffering to two families. Circumstances aside, one man is dead, possibly from the stabbing, and a 71-year-old who was punched before he pulled a knife on the deceased faces possible incarceration. Reluctance to enforce community standards against crime and nuisance behavior have led to unease, more crime, and an atmosphere that may have helped lead to tragedy. Just blocks away from the site of the incident is a shrine with a poignant card from a sweet little neighborhood girl who misses her family member.  

The city has taken action to solve problems in downtown Berkeley and the Telegraph area.  

City of Berkeley, police, mayor, councilmembers; please show us you care about South Berkeley and our neighbors.  

Robin Wright 

 

• 

AT BUSH’S MERCY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover planned mass jailings, wanted to suspend habeas corpus and imprison 12,000 Americans in 1950; and 97 percent of the people on the lists were U.S. citizens who had irked Hoover over the years. 

Following suit, Bush and Republicans in their six-year power surge passed legislation meant to classify civil disobedience as terrorism. Most know of the Patriot Act and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Less publicized are amendments to the Insurrection Act, the Posse Comitatus Act authorizing the president to declare martial law using the United States military to repress domestic insurrection, conspiracy, disorderly citizens and other undesirables. Add to this the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Act (VRHTPA) passed by the House in 2007. Since violence, radicalism, extremism and disasters are undefined almost everyone is at risk and at the mercy of the Bush administration. 

Ron Lowe


Commentary: KPFA Election Violated Rules and Bylaws

By THE COMMITTEE ON FAIR ELECTIONS
Friday January 11, 2008

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Daily Planet extended an invitation to the Concerned Listeners' group to submit a commentary regarding the KPFA Local Station Board election which would have run alongside this one, with both sides then invited to comment on the other in a later edition. Concerned Listeners did not respond. 

 

 

KPFA’s recent Local Station Board (LSB) election was not the example of media democracy it was designed to be. This LSB election  

was not conducted in conformance with the Pacifica Bylaws; was corrupted by KPFA and Pacifica management and some staff intentionally violating rules to get votes for their allies’ slate; did not provide adequate information about the candidates to enable voters to make educated choices; and did not provide ballots to many eligible voters in a timely manner.  

New bylaws were adopted after the 1999 “hijacking” attempt was defeated by mass listener activity to protect and preserve KPFA and Pacifica. These Bylaws incorporated fair elections of governing boards for each station to eliminate the prior practice of self-appointing boards, which led to the crisis in the 1990s.  

Every voter, whatever their views on the issues and candidates, has a right to expect that the process by which we select our governing board will be fair, open, and orderly, in accordance with the Fair Campaign Provisions established by Pacifica’s bylaws and election supervisors; that the information voters need to make an informed choice will be available in a timely way; and that all candidates will be afforded an equal opportunity to present their views and their qualifications to the voters.  

In reality, the process has fallen far short of these standards:  

 

Management influence and improper and improper use of station resources 

The 2007 Fair Campaign Provisions, which every staff member, including managers, is required to read and sign, state that “No Foundation or radio station management or staff (paid or unpaid) or any other person may use or permit the use of radio station air time, website space, email lists, or other resources to endorse, campaign for or against, promote or disparage, or recommend in favor of or against any candidate for election as a Local Station Board.” On October 24, just over a week after ballots were mailed to listener-sponsors, KPFA and the other Pacifica stations posted on their websites an open letter from Dan Siegel, then Interim Executive Director of the Pacifica Foundation, with the admitted objective of influencing voters’ choices: the letter directly disparaged one easily identifiable group of KPFA candidates, denouncing their strongly stated but clearly political free speech criticisms of some station personnel and management-allied LSB members, as “abusive,” “hateful,” “personal attacks.” This letter remained prominently featured on the KPFA website for more than a week, and was never removed from the National Elections Web page, to which KPFA’s was linked.  

Siegel’s was not the only serious violation of the Fair Campaign Provision quoted above. On October 30 veteran programmer Larry Bensky used a KPFA e-mail list and server to send out to an as yet unknown number of voters a message endorsing one slate of candidates and attacking the incumbent board.  

 

Defiance of supervisors’ authority 

In response to Bensky’s blatant violation of the rules, the election supervisors devised a partial remedy, instructing station management to allow each competing slate to send a 300-word message of their own to the same e-mail list Bensky used. The slates promptly produced their proposed messages, but KPFA’s managers refused to take the steps necessary to get these messages sent out on the list.  

 

Inadequate information 

The candidate statements mailed to listeners-subscribers with their ballots go only a small part of the way toward meeting this need; on-air candidate forums and announcements and in-person events are also essential for informing the electorate. After past elections, there have been both widespread sentiment and reports by election supervisors calling for more such events and publicity, but this year KPFA had less than ever before.  

Only one two-part on-air forum was held before ballots were mailed to listener-subscribers, but it was poorly publicized in advance, and afterwards the audio archives were not posted at the station website for weeks. Candidates were required to respond to a detailed questionnaire about their views and experience, but their responses were not posted online until the voting period was almost over. During the fall fund drive, which ran from Oct. 16 to Nov. 2, the station provided no information whatsoever about the election, on the dubious grounds that election information can’t be combined with fund-raising. KPFT in Houston does both. Even after the drive ended, station management did not begin airing candidates’ pre-recorded statements until less than a week remained in the voting period, and then there was no transparent system to ensure all candidates’ carts got equal treatment. Management tried to satisfy its obligation to air the carts by playing them all in a bloc –21 in a row - an approach guaranteed to minimize listener ship, and one that was particularly unfair to the candidates whose statements were aired last. The management-allied slate’s number-one candidate had her statement played first on the list of 21. Only one in-person candidate event was organized, in Berkeley, and it received very little publicity over the air.  

The black-out of election information during the fund drive was especially damaging: it left voters with minimal information when they first received their ballots, thus magnifying the advantage of the KPFA management-backed, “Concerned Listeners” slate that spent thousands of dollars to send its own carefully-timed mailing to arrive with the ballots during the black-out.  

 

Failure to provide ballots to all eligible voters 

Many listener-sponsors and unpaid staff reported not receiving ballot packets. The problem is particularly acute among unpaid staff, that vote in the staff elections, because management failed in its duty to provide a timely, accurate, and complete list of the unpaid staff. As recently as Nov. 29, after the elections should have been closed, more than 40 unpaid staff members had not received a ballot. The election supervisors have had to extend the election deadline several times, and it appears that many eligible staffers will not receive ballots before the election finally closes.  

KPFA and Pacifica listeners fought hard for the right to elect their governing boards. We are deeply dismayed that some powerful elements within the KPFA community have shown themselves willing to subvert our hard-won bylaws and abandon basic principles of fairness and democracy.  

If you would like to support fair elections at KPFA/Pacifica send contact information to Committee for Fair Elections at fair_elections@yahoo.com. 

 

Fair Election Committee member endorsers (at time of submission to the Daily Planet): 

Richard Phelps**, Henry Norr, Stan Woods, Akio Tanaka, Noelle Hanrahan, Joe Wanzala, Attila Nagy, LaVarn Williams*, Chandra Hauptman* ** — current board members (*also PNB); Carol Spooner, Steve Conley. Gerald Sanders, Willie Ratcliff — former board members; Tracy Rosenberg** — KPFA Local Election Board supervisor 2006 and board candidate. Bob English, Dave Heller, Mara Rivera, Steve Zeltzer, Carl Bryant, CC Campbell Rock — 2007 board candidates; Linda Hewitt, Virginia Browning, Daniel Borgstrom, Steve Gilmartin, Gregory Wonderwheel, Jim Curtis, Stephen Kessler, Mary Ratcliff, Molly Beyea, Chuck O’Neil, Janet Kobren, CR (Bob) Briscoe, Ann Garrison, Rabea Chaudary, Dianne Budd, Laura Wells, Lou Gold, Tim Modak-Pearson, Peter Broadwell, David Keenan, Bill Carpenter — listener members; Adrienne Lauby, Anthony Fest — staff members. 

 

(* = also PNB; ** = re-elected in preliminary [uncertified] results)


Commentary: Tales of Two School Districts’ Approaches to New Fields

By Ann Lehman
Friday January 11, 2008

Albany Unified School District and San Jose Unified School District have both recently gone through a lengthy process to redesign their high school fields. Albany, a small school district with one high school, attempted to develop its high school field, located in neighboring El Cerrito, also a different county. San Jose developed five high school fields all located in San Jose. Both districts planned on putting lights in fields that had previously been unlit at night, causing neighbors to be concerned about increased disruptions to their lives and homes. Each district needed to go through a legal process, producing an environmental impact report for the project. Albany’s process ended up in a very contentious neighborhood battle, which is currently in litigation with neighbors and the nearby City of El Cerrito; no one is happy, not the school board, not the students, not their families, nor the neighbors or the community. San Jose ended up with a relatively smooth process where most folks seemed satisfied with the process and can accept the results. Why this difference? 

In San Jose, the district realized early on that neighbors, who were also parents and voters, needed to be consulted from the beginning and involved in helping make the decision concerning what types of restrictions the fields would ultimately have regarding lights, noise and traffic issues. Each step of the way there were community meetings. San Jose School District officials were clear from the start that respect for the nearby residents was paramount. They involved neighbors and parents at the beginning of their process, listening to all concerns. They researched and found a state of the art sound and light system. Almost from the start, they limited night games to only ten a year and in addition limited night practices to only 10 a year, ending at 7 p.m. This may have been a hardship for the sports enthusiast but ultimately the officials realized if they were going to win over the neighbors (who send their kids to San Jose schools and vote for school board members) compromises would need to be made. This resulted in a negative declaration and a relatively contentious free process. 

In contrast, Albany school officials realized the neighbors that would be most affected by the change in field use do not send their children to Albany fields, nor can the vote in district elections. Changing the field and filing the environmental impact process were just hurdles to be overcome. While legally required, there was no vision of mutual respect and mutual benefit. Even though the school district had been working with neighbors together to fight a nearby development project there was never even a mention that the field change was happening until the initial study was completed. Neighbors felt betrayed from the start. Notices were often late or non-existent. The final hearing date was changed at the last minute causing neighbors (some seniors who rarely attend public hearings) to show up without even a notice posted on the door to say the hearing had been changed. The initial report showed over 300 evenings of lights in the field (ranging from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. lights out time), there previously their had been none. While the school board had to listen to public comment there was never a two-way conversation. The school board did sit through lengthy evening hearings but ultimately were never receptive to the community’s concerns. A 1,000-page report, based upon public comment, was produced on the day of hearing, giving everyone the sense that all the public comment would be ignored; it was! The final decision increased rather than decreased the amount of time lights would be on in the neighborhood; thus no one should have been surprised that litigation resulted and acrimonious relations will continue for a long time---whatever the results of the lawsuit. 

The lesson is clear: If any government entity really wants to make big changes to an area they have to involve from the start those that will be most affected and must listen to their concerns with respect and openness. Do this and even difficult battles can be handled with a minimal amount of controversy. 

 

Ann Lehman is an El Cerrito resident. 


Veterans Writing Group Fundraiser Sunday

By Ken Bullock
Friday January 11, 2008

Author Maxine Hong Kingston, an Oakland resident and UC Berkeley teacher, will appear with members of the Veterans Writing Group she helped found in 1993 on Sunday at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists as a benefit reading for the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. 

Kingston, whose brothers served in Vietnam, will be just one of the readers who’s not a combat veteran. Other peace activists who belong to the workshop will join war veterans to read jointly. Some, like Sean McLain Brown, a Desert Storm vet, are represented in the anthology Kingston edited, VETERANS OF WAR, VETERANS of peace, which brings together the work of 80 writers on war and peace.  

“I hope people will stop and figure out just what the title means,” said Kingston.  

“Peace activists have often used the expression ‘Fighting for Peace,’” Kingston noted. “And people have, at first, thought of veterans as all men. But women have come forward, some of them civilians—Red Cross workers, Quakers, even CIA—who served in Vietnam in various roles, taking on the name of veteran, whether or not in uniform. That definition changed as we struggled along, working together through the years. And though some of the combat veterans weren’t in favor at first of nonmilitary members joining the group, after awhile they recognized, acknowledged ‘Yes, you’re a veteran, too. People who have been to war—and the war at home—we can call it that.’ And many combat veterans have become peace activists.” 

“At the beginning, when the group began, I felt anxious that I was not a veteran,” Kingston continued, “Who am I to talk to these people, try to teach them anything? But I kept my belief in the power of literature, of art to bring people home from war.” 

One peace activist who will read is Lee Swenson of Berkeley, head of the Institute of Natural and Cultural Resources, and former director of the Institute for the Study of Non-Violence, cofounded by David Harris and Joan Baez.  

“I have a couple of different stories in the book,” Swenson said, “One about choosing to write to friends in prison during the Vietnam war, draft resisters like Randy Keeler, a friend of David Harris, telling them what’s going on outside while they were in prison.” 

“Maxine’s been wonderful,” Swenson recalled. “We traveled the length of Vietnam together, 10 years ago as part of a veterans’ group. The William Joiner Center for the Study of War and Social Consequences in Boston invited us. It’s named after its founder, a young black fellow who loaded Agent Orange onto defoliant planes on Guam, and later died of cancer.” 

Swenson went on: “The writing group used to meet every month. Now it’s four times a year. It’s helped get people’s heads together. Some have been really transformed.” 

“I was teaching at UC when the group was founded,” said Kingston, “But it  

wasn’t sponsored by the university—not by the government nor private corporations. I care so much about our group being independent. The National Endowment for the Arts is now sponsoring writing workshops for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. I wonder about the efficacy of government-sponsored groups using some of the same writing techniques to get stories out just as people are coming home. Some of the veterans I’m working with have put a decade and a half into thinking about it. It’s different when it’s mulled over.” 

“This work we’re doing is reverberating all over the place,” Kingston concluded. “The L.A. Public Library has started a group like ours. In Canada there are workshops for deserters of the current wars. I just came back from New York, where I read in a bookstore and met young Iraq War vets who wanted to start a group right away, coming back. They’re so young and energetic. They already have two chapbooks out. They made rags of their uniforms for the paper. They turned their uniforms into paper for books!” 

The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom was founded at the time of the First World War. For more information see www.wilph.org.


‘Running with Arnold’

Friday January 11, 2008

Say what you will about the quality of his achievements, from the silver screen to the governor’s mansion, there’s no doubting the ambition of Arnold Schwarzenegger.  

Running With Arnold, a new documentary by Dan Cox, opening today at Landmark’s Opera Plaza in San Francisco, traces the remarkable career of the Austrian body builder-turned-real estate magnate-turned-Hollywood actor-turned-California governor. 

The man is bold, single-minded and determined, and the story of his climb from scrawny kid to political powerhouse is very impressive indeed. But what the film makes clear—and this is hardly a revelation—is the utter vacuousness of that ambition. Schwarzenegger, it seems, is all but incapable of valuing his achievements in anything but the most shallow of terms. He measures his Hollywood films solely by box office receipts, his political career entirely by polls, popularity and partisan victories. There is little room in his worldview for anything more complex or meaningful.  

That said, the film relies on appearances almost as much as Arnold himself, using innuendo and circumstantial evidence to tie the governor to several right-wing conspiracies. The scenarios of these shady dealings are plausible enough, but even those inclined to be sympathetic toward Cox’s take would have to admit the case he presents is a bit thin. 

His choice of talking heads can be questioned as well. Much of the film consists of gags and one-liners from a bevy of comedians. There is no shortage of wit, but the film, like its subject, is woefully short on substance. 

Directed by Dan Cox. 72 minutes. Not rated.


Arts Calendar

Friday January 11, 2008

FRIDAY, JAN. 11 

THEATER 

Encore Theatre Company & Shotgun Players “The Shaker Chair” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m., at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Jan. 27. Tickets are $20-$30. 841-6500.  

EXHIBITIONS 

IN•FORMATION Featuring Edge Art Group. Opening reception at 6 p.m. at ACCI Gallery, 1652 Shattuck Ave. 843-2527. 

FILM 

The Medieval Remake “Andrei Rublev” at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Kim Shuck and Molly Albracht Sierra read their poetry at 7 p.m. at Nefeli Caffe, 1854 Euclid Ave. 841-6374. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Hurricane Sam & The Hotshots at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Wake the Dead at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Hamir Atwal Trio and Uncle Jesse at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Mucho Axe, Latin world groove at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Rustler’s Moon at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

The Nomadics, jazz, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Pockit, Matthew Hansen at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Monster Squad, Whiskey Rebels, Cropknox at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

Grease Traps, Mophono at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5. 548-1159.  

Beep! Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Roy Hargrove Quintet at 8 and 10 p.m., through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $14-$24. 238-9200.  

SATURDAY, JAN. 12 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Gerry Tenney at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $5 for adults, $4 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Henry Neff introduces “The Hound of Rowan” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Music and Puppets with Jen Miriam at 11 a.m. at Studio Grow, 1235 Tenth St. Cost is $7. 526-9888. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Heels Overhead” Color Photographs by Charles Klein. Artist reception at 5 p.m. at Photolab GAllery, 2235 Fifth St. Exhibition runs to Feb. 16. 644-1400. www.photolaboratory.com 

THEATER 

“Old Man River: Mark Twain and the Mississippi” A dramatic portrayal and slide show at 5 p.m. at College Avenue Presbyterian Church, 5951 College Ave, south of Claremont, Oakland. Donation $10. 

San Francisco Theater Project “Aftermath of War: in their own words” Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 7:30 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $15-$20. 925-798-1300. www.willowstickets.org  

“Marriage Counselling” at 8 p.m., Sun. at 6 p.m. at Black Repertory Theater, 3201 Adeline St. Tickets are $15. www.mikeglendinning.com 

FILM 

Jazz and the Movies “Beware” at 6:30 p.m. and “Too Late Blues” at 8:10 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Have I Got a Story to Tell” A storytelling circle with Diane Ferlatte at 2 p.m. at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, 2465 34th Ave., Oakland. 532-9142. 

Claire Becker, Sarah McKinnon, Matthew Thomas Russell, Dan Sanders, Ammon Torrence and Just Kibbe read from their latest works at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Jewish Music Festival presents Aron Saltiel at 8 p.m. at JCC East Bay, 1414 Walnut St. www.jewishmusicfestival.org  

Monterey Jazz Festival at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$52. 642-9988. www.calperformances.net 

Pellejo Seco at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Tito y su son de Cuba at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cuban dance lesson at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

W. Allen Taylor & His Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Jacob Wolkenhauer, Mike Zawitkowski at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Steve Seskin, Don Henry & Craig Carothers at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $22.50-$23.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Bill Ortiz Group at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Gaucho, Gypsy Jazz Band at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Socket, Machina Sol at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Joshi Marshall Project at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Killing the Dream, Ruiner, Ensign, Broadway Calls at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, JAN. 13 

FILM 

The Medieval Remake “Alexander Nevesky” at 2 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Maxine Hong Kingston and ten veterans will read selections from their book “Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace” at 3 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall, Cedar and Bonita. Cost is $20 and includes reception. For reservations call 725-8515.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Live Oak Concert “Ensemble Theatrum Musicum” Elizabethan works for small consort, at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. Cost is $10. 644-6893. berkeleyartcenter.org 

David Daniels, countertenor, Martin Katz, piano, at 3 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $48. 642-9988. www.calperformances.net 

Stephanie Bruce & Her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Pappa Gianni & the North Beach Band at 2 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Big Lion, folk-rock, at 2 p.m. at It’s A Grind Coffee House, 555 12th St., Oakland. 268-9902.  

Escalay, Middle Eastern jazz, at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Flamenco Open Stage with Alicia Zamora at 6:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $8. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Young Lions, Old Dogs with Samora and Elena Pinderhughes, David Belove, Paul van Wageningen, at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373.  

John McCutcheon at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $26.50-$27.50. 548-1761.  

This Bike is a Pipebomb, Vema Cam, Max Levine Ensemble at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

MONDAY, JAN. 14 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Cultural Connections” Group show in various media with a special tribute to Chauncey Bailey opens at the Craft & Cultural Arts Gallery, State of California Bldg. Atrium, 1515 Clay St. 622-8190. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jane Rhodes describes “Framing the Black Panthers: The Spectacular Rise of a Black Power Icon” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Poetry Express with Livermore Poet Laureate Connie Post and Damnyo from Los Angeles, at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Babshad Jazzz at 7 p.m. at Le Bateau Ivre, 2629 Telegraph Ave. 849-1100.  

Parlor Tango at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Howard Wiley & The Angola Project, featuring Faye Carol, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$15. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, JAN. 15 

FILM 

Experimental Documentaries “Best in the West” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

JCC Film Salon “The Unkown Soldier” at 7:30 p.m. at at the JCC of the East Bay, 1414 Walnut St. Tickets are $6-$8. 848-0237. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Marc Lecard, mystery novelist, reads at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Laurie R. King reads from her new mystery “Touchstone” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Tom Rigney & Flambeau at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Singers’ Open Mic with Ellen Hoffman at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Rebecca Griffin, jazz, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Albany High School Jazz Band at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $15. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Jazzschool Tuesdays, a weekly showcase of up-and-coming ensembles from Berkeley Jazzschool at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 16 

EXHIBITIONS 

East Bay Women Artists “Begin the Beguine” Reception at 6 p.m. at Royal Ground Gallery, 2058 Mountain Boulevard, Oakland. 841-0441. 

FILM 

The Medieval Remake “The Valley of the Bees” at 6:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Penny Rimbaud, poet, with saxophonist Louise Elliot, at 7:30 p.m. at Moe's Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Cafe Poetry, hosted by Paradise, at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Fred Luskin describes “Forgive for Love: The Missing Ingredient for a Healthy and Lasting Relationship” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Whiskey Brothers, old-time and bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Beatitude Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Swing Fever at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Swing dacne lesson at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Orquestra Borinquen at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Salsa dance lessons at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Neurohumors at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Anais Mitchell at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

David Hildalgo and Louie Perez of Los Lobos at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $30. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, JAN. 17 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Cultural Connections” Group show in various media with a special tribute to Chauncey Bailey. Opening reception at 5 p.m. at the Craft & Cultural Arts Gallery, State of California Bldg. Atrium, 1515 Clay St. 622-8190. 

FILM 

“Lola Montez” with film historian Stefan Drossler in person at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Michael Parenti discusses “Contrary Notions” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

“Open Secrets: The Literature of Uncounted Experience,” with author Anne-Lise Francois at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. www.universitypressbooks.com 

Marion Bundy reads Dorothy Parker at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Glenn Staller, classical guitar, at 12:15 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 5th flr., 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6100. 

Beau Soleil with Michael Doucet at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $13-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Reid Whatley Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Yolanda & Ric at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Disappear Incompletely, Adam Shulan Quartet at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

David Hildalgo and Louie Perez of Los Lobos at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $30. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 


Grocer-Politician Fred Koerber Left a Double Legacy

By Daniella Thompson
Friday January 11, 2008

The grocery business used to be a very lucrative one in the early days of the 20th century. Some East Bay retail grocers amassed considerable wealth, not to mention social prestige. Stephen J. Sill was one of them (his store building, designed by James Plachek, still stands at 2145 University Ave., now occupied by Berkeley Ace Hardware). Another was Frederick Charles Koerber (1876–1953), who owned several grocery stores in Oakland and Berkeley before branching into real-estate development, mortgage banking, and municipal politics. 

Fred was born in San Jose, one of nine siblings. His parents had immigrated from Germany as teenagers. George Koerber was a wood dealer, an occupation taken up by his son Adolph. Another son, John, became a grocer, and Fred most likely got his start with him. 

Eventually Fred moved to Oakland, where he married the widow Sarah Elizabeth Cash Cook (1870–1956) in 1904. His store was located at 1932 Broadway, and he was active in the California State Retail Grocers’ and Merchants’ Association, serving on the reception committee in 1906, when the association held its annual convention in Oakland. 

In 1907 Koerber, a shrewd businessman, constructed a building of stores and apartments at the junction of the newly completed Ashby Avenue streetcar line and the College Avenue Key Route lines. This Edwardian edifice, whose architect is unknown, is said to be the earliest commercial building in the Elmwood district. The Koerber grocery was relocated to this building, and the owners took up residence in one of the apartments on the second floor. 

The upscale grocery trade was based on home deliveries, and Koerber delivered. On March 21, 1908, his delivery business suffered a temporary setback reported in the Oakland Tribune: 

“A. N. Kite, driver for Frederick C. Koerber, dealer in groceries and fruits, 2649 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley, was thrown 40 feet through the air from his seat, but landed uninjured, when his wagon was struck by Telegraph Avenue car No. 350, at Sixtieth Street and Telegraph Avenue this morning. 

The wagon was smashed to pieces, the car crashing clear through the center of the side, and the horse was badly injured. 

Fruits and groceries were scattered for half a block and for over an hour the small boys of the neighborhood fought over the spoils.” 

Business flourished, and Koerber quickly added to his holdings on adjacent lots. In 1909 he obtained a permit to construct a one-story, two-room store on Ashby. By 1911, he owned three contiguous commercial buildings. On his World War I draft card in 1918, he reported two business addresses: 5498 College Ave. in the Rockridge district and 469 13th St. in downtown Oakland. In 1919, Koerber was fined $5 after another store of his, Key Grocery at Fifth and Washington in Oakland, was charged with selling rain-damaged prunes. “Fermented prunes may be all right as the main ingredient of a home-made brand of booze,” opined the Tribune, “but they are prohibited from sale by Oakland grocery stores.” 

By the early 1920s, Koerber had moved on from the grocery business to pursue other activities. In March 1923, he filed his candidacy for a seat on the Berkeley City Council in the May election that would launch the city manager form of government. He was endorsed by the merchants’ association of his district but wasn’t elected that year. In 1925 he ran again, on a slate of four candidates endorsed by the Berkeley Municipal League. All four (the others were Thomas Caldecott, Captain John Atthowe, and Walter Mork) won their seats, with Koerber coming in fourth, having garnered 6,700 votes. 

By mid-September, a mere four months past the election, Koerber tendered his resignation, claiming that “owing to the press of private business he was unable to devote the required time to the council.” 

The private business concerned mainly real estate. In November 1922, it was announced in the Tribune that a four-store building Koerber was erecting next to the George Friend Company’s office [on the northwest corner of Solano and Colusa Avenues] was nearing completion. “Residents of the Berkeley Park district will soon have a shopping center of their own, and will not have to depend on downtown stores,” predicted the paper. 

George Friend (1875–1963) was a former actor who for many years starred in stock companies at Oakland’s Ye Liberty Playhouse and Fulton Theatre. In 1906, he eloped with 15-year-old Gertrude Spring, daughter of the flamboyant capitalist John Hopkins Spring. The bride’s father was furious, but by 1911 he forgave the couple and put George to work selling properties in his newly subdivided Thousand Oaks tract. George started in the office of Newell-Murdoch Co. (Newell was another Spring son-in-law), became the manager within a year, and a year later had taken over the firm, as Newell and Murdoch pursued their own developments. 

By 1915, Friend had moved his office from downtown Berkeley to Solano Avenue. He took with him several salesmen from the old office, including Thomas R. Weldon and Reed W. Thomas, and added new ones, among them an English-man called Percy Nutt. The association of this trio with Fred Koerber may have begun in 1922, when he built the four stores next to Friend’s office. 

On Feb. 10, 1923, the Berkeley Courier reported, “The property situated on University just behind the Courier Building has just been sold. There will be a building upon it before the summer is here.” On April 9 of that year, the Tribune gave further details: “A one-story business block and basement will be erected on the south side of University avenue, 252 feet west of Shattuck avenue, by Fred C. Koerber and Henry Bischoff, according to an announcement made today. The building will have a frontage of 51 feet on University avenue with a depth of 90 feet and will contain three stores and basements.” 

What Koerber ended up building was a six-story block—the tallest in Berkeley. When he changed his mind and why he changed it has not been explained, but on Sept. 15, 1923, the Berkeley Gazette announced on its first page: 

Actual work on Berkeley’s biggest building, the new Koerber Block, on the south side of University avenue, just east of the U.C. Theater, has been started. Contracts call for the completion of the structure by February 1, according to Fred C. Koerber who, with Dr. L. L. Koerber, his sister, and H. C. Bischoff, well-known local builder, will be the owners. 

When completed, the building will represent an investment of upwards of $200,000. It will be six stories of steel, brick and cement and considerably larger than the Berkeley Bank Building, at present the city’s tallest building. The building will be of Class A, strictly fireproof construction, and will have a frontage of 51 feet and a depth of 80 feet. 

Henry C. Bischoff was not a well-known local builder (that was John A. Bischoff, father of the artist Elmer Bischoff) but a grocer with a store at 2848 Grant St. In the 1930s, he would move his store to 2635 Ashby, in Koerber’s Elmwood building. 

More interesting than Bischoff was the third partner, Lillie Louise Koerber, M.D. (1879–1959). A strong and independent woman, Lillie graduated from San Francisco’s Cooper Medical College in 1901 and took up residence in the Mission district, where she spent her entire working life as a physician and surgeon. She was a member of the California Organization of Women Physicians for Federal Recognition and was listed in Who’s Who Among the Women of California in 1922. 

Lillie Koerber’s domestic life was highly unconventional for her time. She was always head of the household, remained unmarried into her seventies, brought up a girl she adopted on her own, and for over four decades maintained what appears to have been a personal and professional partnership with a Greek-born physician by the name of John N. Tavlopoulos. 

It might have been Lillie’s investment that made the Koerber Building mushroom from the planned one story to the actual six, with 60 offices above the ground floor. 

Who designed the building? We don’t know. The façade features elegant arched windows on the top floor (KPFA had its first home there in 1949) and is clad with handsome terra cotta tile in Beaux-Arts relief patterns, yet no architect’s name appears on the blueprints or in any newspaper account. The construction was managed by Berkeley Building Co., which was initially based in George Friend’s office on Solano and Colusa.  

Two days after the Gazette announced the beginning of construction, the great Berkeley Fire decimated close to 600 homes on the Northside. This might explain why the Koerber Building was completed three months later than planned. Immediately after the fire, Berkeley Building Co. began placing ads in the Gazette. These depicted a cottage and invited, “Let us build your home. We finance and plan all classes of construction on percentage or contract.” 

As the Koerber building neared completion in April 1924, the official leasing agents began taking daily ads in the Tribune, targeting “doctors, dentists, and all professional men” and promising “neat, attractive, well lighted, fully equipped offices in a building located where all the transportation meets.” The agents were none other than Thomas, Wheldon & Nutt, whose relationship with Koerber allowed them to open their own realty office at 2029 Shattuck Ave., where they also ran the Berkeley Building Company. 

In the meantime, Fred Koerber had become a stockholder in the East Bay Bond and Mortgage Corporation, where he was able to observe that “the modern, carefully managed mortgage company offers an unusually profitable opportunity for those unable to operate in a large way on their own account.” 

In February 1933, he sold the Koerber Building to the state manager of the State Farm Mutual Insurance Company. “As part of the transaction,” reported the Tribune, “Koerber obtained a 3,600-acre ranch near Duncans Mills, on the Russian River, which he says he plans to subdivide.” 

What Koerber did with the ranch has not been revealed. For once, his business acumen may have deserted him. Fortunately for the rest of us, Duncans Mills remains one of the most bucolic and least developed hamlets on the Russian River. 

 

 

Daniella Thompson publishes berkeleyheritage.com for the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA). 


More than a Walk in the Woods: Woodland Gardening

By Ron Sullivan
Friday January 11, 2008

On Boxing Day we took a stroll with friends through the Blake Estate gardens. Allen had had the very good idea to go there; the place was devoid of humans except for brief walk-ons—one groundskeeper with a wheelbarrow, one woman with a dog—and the four of us.  

I hadn’t been there in years, but most of the good stuff I remembered was still there: the long pool between the house and the built grotto, the native meadow, the woods garden on the north side. This is founded on native redwoods and includes native ferns and some understory, but also has deftly sited exotic irises, dogwood, cyclamen, and the like.  

Woodland gardening is, for most of us, a fairly high-end practice simply because it requires custody of a woodland. When Elizabeth Lawrence wrote The Little Bulbs, her informant “Mr. Krippendorf”—a real person and his real name, a lifelong friend of Lawrence’s, but never addressed more familiarly in the text than that—and “my dear Mrs. Dorman” and her daughter Caroline, among others she cited, had acres of woodland in Ohio and Louisiana respectively. They weren’t upper-class, not even as much as Lawrence’s garden-design clients in North Carolina were.  

Of course it’s possible even now, a generation or two later, to be poor while owning a good hunk of land; it’s just not likely here and now in the Bay Area. It’s amazing how our species’ rapidly increasing numbers in so many places have turned what used to be the most mundane pleasures into unaffordable luxuries. I myself am given to bouts of lonesome yearning for dark nights, with or without stars.  

There’s more going on in woodland gardening than shade. What’s casting the shade is a living element of a woods garden, and trees’ requirements and compatibilities must be respected as much as their role as design elements. I saw a garden east of the hills some years ago where the live-oak woods bordering the flat “civilized” area had been inlaid with pie-slice patches planted with azaleas. It might have looked nifty on paper and even in the ground for a season, but frying azaleas in summer or watering established live oaks to preserve the shrubs would be bad choices to have.  

Those azaleas would have looked pretty garish to a locally practiced eye anyway. We have glorious native azaleas but they’re mostly white-flowered and rarely understory dwellers. Where rhodies and rosier forms of azalea live, farther north, they live under redwoods and Douglas-firs, in wetter woodlands. You don’t have to be an expert to find the bad pairings aesthetically bothersome; it just takes learning to understand why. 

The Blake garden is well done in its transition from formal to more natural areas, and the way its imported plants fit into the woods is part of that. The bank plantings of Cyclamen hederifolium, for example, relate to the native shooting-star, the several Dodecatheum species. Native irises—in bloom on Dec. 26!—and exotic Japanese-type irises echo each other amicably.  

More on woodland gardening next week.


Being Your Own General Contractor

By Matt Cantor
Friday January 11, 2008

A woman I’ve been working with is toying with the notion of being her own general contractor on a rather large remodel she doing here in the Berkeley Hills. I have to admit that when she first told me this, I blanched a bit. I know what it means to do this job and it’s so much more than most people think that it was hard not to start shaking my finger at her right there and then.  

But for every rule there is an exception and a very few novices do have what it takes to become the job boss. A general contractor is an interesting animal. Part carpenter, part job superintendent, part boss, part H.R. manager and part salesperson, just for starts. It’s a surprisingly tough job and also a job that varies quite a bit as we move up from single-person crews to crews of five, 10 and 20. By the time you’re a contractor overseeing more than five people, it’s likely you will never pick up a hammer once on a job (unless it’s to show off for the client). There just isn’t the time. 

If you’re lucky enough to have a sales force and a job estimator (this assumes a crew of at least 12), you’re now officially a C.E.O. At this point, it’s all about managing a group of people and showing them what to do. If you’re lucky enough to have one or more good job supervisors running the jobs, you’re doing even less of that. But this is not true for about 90 percent of the contractors in the U.S. Most contractors manage crews of 5 or less and have to wear all the hats. It’s a daunting job. 

A good general knows at least a little about what every other specialist does, and has to keep each of them doing their job properly. Often, the cost of each specialty, such as electrical wiring, falls inside the overall bid and must be estimated in advance and controlled throughout the job. Everyone’s problem becomes the G.C.’s problem because it affects his or her bottom line and their ability to complete the job within the agreed upon time constraints. This makes the G.C. a whip, forcing reluctant sub-contractors to fulfill their obligations even when it involves some harsh exchanges.  

I was trying to imagine my client pushing the plumber to finish the work on time and under budget, and I was having trouble getting the right image. Not that she couldn’t be tough if she needed to be, but one also has to have the authority that comes with experience. It takes a while to know how each trade is expected to perform and what kinds of demands one can make. 

An electrician, for example, should know how much of the wood can be cut away to install wires through a wall stud and how to protect the wood surface if the wires are too close to the surface. An experienced G.C. can demand, with impunity, that the electrician come back and fix these things because they know how the sub should be doing their job.  

A homeowner is far less likely to know where all the edges lie. A G.C. who knows what “rough finish” for waste lines looks like can also know when NOT to issue a progress payment. When the plumber asks for money, an experienceD contractor, familiar with the protocols and the contract can respond by walking around the site and pointing out what’s required for the next payment to be released. If they know what they’re talking about, it’s rarely an argument. If they’re not sure and enough sob stories are on tap that day, a check may be issued prematurely. 

One of many areas of expertise for the contractor is knowing how to shop. Even if the plans are fairly specific, each component in a construction project needs to fit and has to be carefully measured, recorded, listed and bought. Even the best contractors can spend half their day shopping for various parts, tools and whatnot during many days of a complex remodel. It’s often a surprise (as well as a source of disbelief) to the homeowner that the contractor is spending that much time shopping. 

Managing your own crew is also quite a job. It’s rare for a G.C. to sub everything, although, in theory, it can be done. The problem is that there is so much interstitial makeup to every job that it simply doesn’t make sense to shop it out. Plumbing, electrical and heating are often subbed out along with tile and drywall, but carpentry and the many less-tangible items are usually left to the contractor and her crew. That’s an awful lot to know, as well as a lot of learning on the fly. 

With so many materials and construction styles changing today, it’s amazing that G.C.s don’t regularly screw up. Well, wait … Actually, they do, don’t they. Even great G.C.s make all sorts of mistakes but the good ones catch their mistakes and move through them gracefully and absorb the inevitable losses into their contingency payments (most generals include healthy contingency fees in their budgets proving that that one also has to be a fair accountant to do this job). 

A novice usually becomes flustered with the inevitable errors and gets bogged down rather than learning, fixing and moving on from each one. As with many jobs, experience is at the core of the skill set. This is a job one cannot be taught at school, although I’m sure one can learn many of the component skills there. 

Good quality help is often expensive. Oh well, life’s not fair … but trying to circumvent the cost of doing it well is often terribly expensive in ways that don’t become apparent until you’re hip deep in quicksand. Also, getting a good G.C. to step in once things are bad (over budget, late, screwed up) may be very difficult. Many will simply look at your debacle and say to themselves “Do I want to start out working for someone under these conditions when things can always get worse as we move along.” If they do say yes, it may be at high cost and with more rigorous conditions designed to protect themselves. 

Contracting, like juggling (actually a lot like juggling), looks easy before you try it. In fact, it takes years to become good, and that’s assuming you have the acumen and comportment for this particular vocation. So repeat after me; I will not perform a bone-marrow transplant on myself, I will not land the plane myself, I will not be my own contractor on a $250,000 rehab. Thank you, I feel much better. 


Opinion

Editorials

Editorial: So You’d Like to Hear More About BRT?

By Becky O’Malley
Tuesday January 15, 2008

“Last fall, Wolfgang Homburger wrote an opinion piece in the Berkeley Daily Planet attacking Bus Rapid Transit. Friends of BRT researched his claims and found that many of them were inaccurate. Unfortunately, the Berkeley Daily Planet failed to publish our response to Wolfgang Homburger, though it was much better researched than most of their opinion pieces—perhaps as a result of their bias against BRT.”  

—Leonard Conly and Charles Siegel, on the Friends of BRT Blog, Jan. 10 

 

Well, no. As far as I can remember, the Berkeley Daily Planet has never taken any position pro or con the Bus Rapid Transit proposal now being floated by AC Transit. The Berkeley Daily Planet as such doesn’t take positions on topics like this, or on any topics. The executive editor, in signed pieces like this one, sometimes expresses her own opinions, but as far as she can remember she’s never expressed her opinion on the BRT proposal. She might not have one. 

The paper has, of course, published many many letters and commentaries on this topic, much to the dismay of many of our readers who just don’t care about it. It has published many communications on the topic from Mr. Conly and Mr. Siegel themselves, as well as from the four other members listed on the Friends of BRT blog site. It has also published letters from some BRT opponents, which might be the reason that Mr. Siegel and Mr. Conly now charge the paper with bias. It is even possible (I haven’t checked) that we skipped one letter from Mr. Siegel and Mr. Conly somewhere along the line—we do run out of space occasionally. Anyone who still wants to see it can find it at http://berkeleybrt.blogspot.com, and if we indeed missed it in these pages, there might be room for it sometime soon. 

But there have been enough letters from parties who support or oppose the specific BRT proposals in the draft environmental impact report put forward by AC Transit that interested readers can make up their own minds on the factual aspects of the plan. Most of the writers on both sides are articulate and persuasive. Few readers should need additional guidance from the editor of the Planet at this point.  

Many of us are neither pro nor con in this battle of the century. Few would dispute the need to convert as many Californians as possible to mass transit patrons. Climate change makes it mandatory that we all abandon our addiction to one-person-one-car.  

But many of us never plan to travel between Bayfair Mall (wherever that is) and downtown Berkeley, by bus or any other means, so the prospect of saving 20 minutes or so of travel time on that trip, as promised in the BRT scenario, doesn’t excite us unduly. Many of us note the diesel behemoths, some of them double-length, already rumbling through city streets with three or four passengers on board, and have trouble believing that some day they’ll be filled with smiling faces, though miracles do happen. 

There are plenty of transit innovations which most people in Berkeley would happily endorse, even the most fervent BRT naysayers. It’s the little things that make a difference, like making sure reliable bus schedules are posted at every stop, with electronic updating in case a bus gets delayed. Running small feeder vans to existing BART stations would make more difference than building elaborate station structures along the BRT route. Stopping UC from building ever more parking lots for its employees and giving them free transit passes instead would help a lot. 

It’s now virtually impossible for would-be travellers to get accurate information about transit choices. I’ve been a sophisticated computer user for 40 years, so I spent a few minutes trying to use the “trip planner” software on the 511.org web site. It is, I regret to say, a joke.  

I tried three different destinations. The first time, the system didn’t recognize my home address of 35 years as a valid starting point. The second time, I asked for a Santa Cruz destination, and got a choice of five possibilities, including Emeryville and San Mateo, but no Santa Cruz. It’s possible the system doesn’t go as far as Santa Cruz, but if so it should have just told me that, not offered lunatic alternatives. The third time, I tried a destination in El Cerrito which I happen to know is easily served from my house by the No. 7 bus, and the program did eventually give me a correct response, though at first it refused to recognize the destination as a real address.  

But the main problem with the El Cerrito trip as planned by the software is that it was predicted to take more than an hour in the middle of the day with no bus changes. By car, the same trip takes only 25 minutes. At night the program reported that a bus change on San Pablo is needed, probably daunting for timid riders, and the whole trip takes a minimum of an hour and 15 minutes—barring transfer glitches, which can be expected. 

This kind of service will never get anyone out of their car. Few users who own cars will decide that they have enough spare time to accommodate such a bus schedule. BRT, if implemented, wouldn’t make any difference for trips like this one. 

A major cause of transit problems is competition among empires. Coordinating BART and AC Transit has never been made to work. Each agency jealously defends its own turf, and neither is willing to make the concessions necessary to give the hapless consumer a meaningful range of transit options. The lack of what is called, in the software world, “interoperability” among Bay Area transit systems is scandalous. It’s the first problem that needs to be remedied, long before any capital-intensive hardscape “improvements” are constructed by AC or any other player in the game. 

But perhaps we won’t have BRT to kick around much longer, if we’re to believe Gov. Schwarzenegger’s dire predictions about the state’s economy. Perhaps whoever’s paying the bill, federal, state or local, just won’t be able to afford spending the $400 million dollars it’s estimated to cost. 

The city of Berkeley, however, still seems to have plenty of cash. As I was leaving home yesterday a city truck with three employees in it pulled up on my corner, parking in the red zone. Their mission? To change a big sign saying “street not through” to a bigger one saying “no outlet.” If we can fund important tasks like that, perhaps we can also pay what it takes to build the bus stations on Telegraph and the whole BRT project.  

It would be entertaining and informative to see the debate on the BRT project which opponent Doug Buckwald has repeatedly proposed, but supporters haven’t yet had the courage to accept his challenge. They take themselves and their cause pretty seriously, and Buckwald has an antic sense of humor which tends to outrage the sententious. He’s promised to avoid light verse in his presentation, and perhaps jokes at the expense of BRT devotees could also be banned if they would agree to take part.  

In fact, perhaps the Planet could sponsor a whole debate tournament for those who feel that they haven’t gotten enough spaces in our pages. The first half could be on Bus Rapid Transit, and the second could be devoted to what’s happened at KPFA. Does anyone have a hall they’d make available for such an event? It doesn’t have to be a very big one, I imagine. 

 


Handicapping the Front-Runners

By Becky O’Malley
Friday January 11, 2008

Comments based on the meager amount of hard data emerging from the Iowa and New Hampshire Democratic primaries have offered a lot of speculation but few facts. This is primarily because the commentators, as they themselves will tell you, prefer to report the horse race (“as they come around the bend, Obama is gaining on the left...”) rather than the track statistics which experienced bettors actually use. Or at least that’s the theory. 

The top site for Internet gamblers is InTrade.com, out of Ireland. It allows speculators to buy and sell “shares” in the prospects of candidates. One economist’s view, from several proffered on the site to attract potential “investors”: 

“The [Intrade] markets offer a great way to track the market-based consensus on political and current events. People put real money on the line in making predictions, which is better than snap judgments in opinion polls or no-stakes views of pundits.” That’s Tom Gallagher at the ISI Group. Or ask Koleman Strumpf, professor of economics at the University of Kansas: “When people ask me who will win the next election, I say ‘Let me look at the price on Intrade. It is the best forecast I know.’ ”  

So what are they saying about the potential nominee of the Dems? At the time of this writing, the odds for Hillary Clinton as nominee were at 57.8 percent, for Barack Obama at 43 percent, and poor old Edwards and Gore, choices for many thinking folks around here, were hovering around 1 percent each. The most interesting thing about the site is the historic graphs: not just how are they doing now, but how have they been rising and/or falling since 2005? Neither of the last two ever got above 20 percent. Clinton started in the 40 percent range, and has trended up, with some downs, since then. Obama, the classic dark horse, started at flat nowhere, and has seen an almost meteoric rise into the forties.  

What does it all mean? If you know, by all means go ahead and “invest.” I’m not a betting woman myself—I’m going to have enough trouble deciding how to invest my one vote come February. Still, the temptation to indulge in punditry, which is probably what the gamblers actually rely on to make their decisions, is irresistable. Bus Rapid Transit and KPFA will just have to wait. 

What struck me most strongly on Wednesday is that all three front-runners are lawyers. This is no surprise, since invariably head counts in legislative bodies and elsewhere in government show an overwhelming preponderance of lawyers. Baby-boomers and those who followed them had noticed by the end of the 1960s that law school was where you learned to how to tinker with gears that ran the machine that ran the country, perhaps after you’d already tried out Mario Savio’s famous dictum to throw your bodies on them instead.  

If you think this is going to turn into an anti-lawyer rant at this point, you’re wrong. I love lawyers: good thinkers, great talkers, often funny, even when I disagree with them. My personal heroes in the sixties were mostly lawyers, Thurgood Marshall heading the list. The three lawyers now hoping to bear the Democratic standard are good examples of what you can do with a law degree if you’re so inclined.  

John Edwards is the classic torts lawyer. For the uninitiated, that means he’s made his living filing suits on behalf of people who think someone’s done them wrong. And often someone has, which is why he wins. Clever lawyers of his ilk sometimes win even when they shouldn’t, which is what gives traction to the unstinting corporate effort to restrain the practice of personal injury law, but there would be many more abuses of ordinary people without personal injury attorneys.  

But the flash and dash that plays so well in front of juries isn’t necessarily an asset on the campaign trail. What voters do seem to like (and his showing is much more respectable than the bettors seem to believe) is that he always takes the side of the powerless over the powerful. And you can learn to do that effectively as well as ardently in law school. If Edwards were the nominee and eventually the president, he’d probably be just as effective jawboning Congress to do the right thing.  

Hillary Clinton took a safer route, migrating from an early taste of public interest work (she interned for a summer with Oakland’s own Bob Treuhaft, radical husband of the equally spicy Jessica Mitford) to corporate practice for the big boys in Arkansas. Despite her feminist credentials, Clinton is just young enough to have missed the real hard core discrimination against women experienced by law school applicants a few years older. (I first applied to law school about the same time she did, as a woman of thirty or so, and was told to my face by the assistant admissions dean that the University of Michigan had never had a female student with small children and wasn’t about to start.)  

Many women in her generation traded their early idealism for the realpolitik of going along to get along in what was still a man’s world, ending up like Hillary doing corporate dirty work. You can see women like this at city council meetings, often appearing on behalf of the polluters and the developers. Other female law school graduates of that time (myself included) moved on to other pursuits when it became apparent that much of the practice of law was a lot like being a housewife: cleaning up after other peoples’ messes.  

Barack Obama tried out community organizing before going back to school to be a lawyer. The age of my children and a classmate of one of them, he’s been able to use the tools his Harvard Law School education gave him to full advantage in the public interest arena.  

Hearing Obama interviewed by a reporter trying to trip him up on Wednesday, after he’d come in second in New Hampshire, was a fine demonstration of why he was a topnotch law student and is probably an excellent law professor, one of his several day jobs while building his political resume. In classic Socratic style, he managed to turn every single question back on the questioner, revealing no more than he wanted to of his position on the hot topics while still appearing affable and even presidential. Is this good or bad? It’s probably a great survival skill for a candidate facing hostile media, but it induces a certain amount of anxiety in those of us who’d like to know what he’d actually do if elected.  

What does any of this tell the would-be election handicapper? Not much, perhaps, but it does give a clue or two about why Hillary Clinton came from behind in the home stretch in New Hampshire. I’d heard male critics, even some who should know better, complaining about her “harsh” or “aggressive” personal style in debates, and I’m sure I’m not the only woman of my age who cringes when she hears that. Women who have taken advantage of their improved opportunities are damned if they do and damned if they don’t: either too strong or too weak, seldom just right. Women lawyers like Hillary Clinton are particularly vulnerable to this kind of trash talk. 

It seems clear (and there’s no shame in this) that Clinton’s handlers were listening too. A sign that she’s been advised to soften her image is the flowered dress she wore for her victory speech on Tuesday, a change from the no-nonsense pants suits she’s previously favored. And then there was that teary moment. 

The ever more offensive Maureen Dowd asked snarkily in Wednesday’s NYT, “Can Hillary Cry Her Way Back to the White House?” Any competent actress, even in a high school play, can cry a tear or two on demand, so there’s every possibility that the episode was less than spontaneous. But what of it? Courtroom lawyers male and female in the Edwards mold have often both produced and provoked tears on their clients’ behalf. 

The power of “una furtiva lacrima” (a furtive tear) to move the viewer is celebrated in the Donizetti aria made famous by Pavarotti. Method actors know that the best way to produce tears is to think about something you’re really sad about. Hillary Clinton has had plenty of real things to cry about over the last decade or two, and as another song has it, it’s her party and she can cry if she wants to. It seems to work, and that’s what counts at the end of the race. 

 


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Tuesday January 15, 2008

MANTRA 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Here’s a quick-mantra for the world today: Those few of us who profit obscenely from “free market capitalism,” make absolutely sure that those of us who don’t, are successfully silenced.  

Robert Blau 

 

• 

SCHOOL DIET 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It was like listening to what happens after the Berlin Wall Comes down. It was Ann Cooper giving her presentation this past Wednesday, to the School Board, on what has changed with the public school’s food program, and it was everything that I had wished for. She began by saying that in the past 28 months, she’s gotten rid of all transfats and high fructose corn syrup in school food. Bravo, I clapped. She said that all milk at lunch is organic, and the hamburger they serve only once a month, is grass fed, and that she tries to spend most of her budget on local farms, within 100 miles of Berkeley. And every school has a garden program. 

It’s a miracle! Berkeley is so lucky. We have Michael Pollan teaching and talking and writing here, we have Alice Waters and a slew of master cooks, and now all our schools have the best school food and garden program in the world. 

Beebo Turman displayed her four three-inch inch binders of notes and agendas—representing eight hard years of long meetings. Eric Weaver, who started working on this when his son was in kindergarten and is now half-way through high school, sat in the audience. 

Those of us who wrote the original Food Policy and insisted on the word organic, sent this news around the world. Berkeley, being Berkeley, our comet of a food policy made the news in 140 countries. And while it took six years before Berkeley schools even began to implement the guts of this policy, good school food is now mainstream, laws in many states, and Berkeley’s food policy is the basis of the school food policy in Great Britain. 

We have outlasted administrators who told us that our dreams were foolhardy and unaffordable, who rolled their eyes when we talked about fruits and vegetables, and who looked at us as gargoyles from outer space when we talked about fresh-cooked rather than factory-made food. And most of all about childhood obesity, and that kids can’t learn, can’t sit still on high sugar, high salt, high fat, laced with preservatives fake color and chemical flavoring. (But heh, that stuff was vitamin fortified.) 

And I remember a prior food administrator who said, kids don’t eat vegetables. And now, every garden teacher and every nutrition cooking teacher at each school, can attest. Kids don’t eat vegetables, they wolf them down. 

It’s all true today! All of it.  

So this is a shout out, to all those above, and to Michele Lawrence who opened the door, to Alice Waters and the Chez Panisse Foundation for helping with the funding, to the Center for Ecoliteracy for supporting school gardens and the mantra “eat local, eat local.” And to all those folks who work with our great school garden programs, to you department chairs of the weeding department, kudos! 

Yolanda Huang 

 

• 

UC POLICE DOUBLE STANDARD 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Standing in front of the Oak Grove at the last home game of the football season (Nov. 10), an enthusiastic fan jabbed my eye with outpointed fingers. My eye still hurts everyday.  

I had to insist twice, with help from witnesses, that the UCB cops stop the guy. A police report was filed (so I can prove this story is true), yet I was not allowed to press charges against the guy. I did nothing to provoke the guy, which the cops understood. But the cops explained that sometimes when there’s a crowd and a tense situation, people do things they wouldn’t otherwise do. The guy was let go with no charges filed, no citation issued. My eye hurts every day. 

I may have, it seems, poured a little water on a cop during a tense incident one night at the Grove. Yes, water, not an “unknown chemical substance.” I was held that night, the following day, and that following night. That second night I was held post-bail, a bail which the cops tried unsuccessfully to set at a whopping $35,000. Despite having a disability, I was held without access to appropriate medical care which I did need at the time and asked for multiple times. Cops everywhere I was shuffled around to all believed I used “unknown chemical substances,” so my rights were often violated. I was denied access to a phone for over 24 hours.  

The media believed the embellishment. All the papers printed the bogus story about “unknown chemicals.” But it was water, a fact which even the cops now admit. But still because how they lied about what I did, people did believe “unknown chemicals.” 

And despite slandering me, having me held like a terrorist, and having to pay some bail, the cops want to punish me further. For water. They are taking me to trial; going to kick me when I’m down. I have no clue what the punishment will be, but the charges are four misdemeanor counts of battery on police officers. For water. My eye hurts every day. 

There is obviously a double standard about what constitutes battery, and who is allowed to press charges. Anyway, we’ll see how far I get in court with “sometimes when there’s a crowd and a tense situation, people do things they wouldn’t otherwise do.” 

Nathan Pitts 

 

• 

BUS RAPID TRANSIT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Vincent Casalaina’s letter last Friday in opposition to the potential Bus Rapid Transit project was flawed in two respects: It based its argument on obsolete data, and it used faulty circular logic. 

Casalaina continues to argue that what’s included in the draft environmental impact report (released in 2006) is what inevitably will be built. He thereby fails to understand the very good reason why environmental review requires two stages: the draft EIR uncovers issues of community concern so that the final EIR is highly likely to address them. Casalaina’s concern with parking is a perfect example: it has risen to the top of local issues people care about when looking at BRT in Berkeley, so it’s certain that the issue will be fully explored. AC Transit has already committed to describing potential mitigations for any final scenario chosen by the City of Berkeley as its “preferred local alternative.” As a basis for opposition, therefore, the draft EIR is about as reliable as last month’s weather forecast. 

Casalaina was also “concerned about spending any more time and money to develop a preferred alternative if we feel that all of the alternatives will be disastrous for Berkeley.” There’s the bad logic: how, exactly, will we know if any alternatives will be “disastrous” without analyzing at least one of them in detail? Once the final EIR has laid out the preferred local alternative and its negative impacts along with their mitigations, we will be able to discuss potential “disastrousness”—but surely not until then. Let’s reach our conclusions after we see the evidence, not before. 

Finally, anyone who proposes Rapid Bus as the adequate alternative to BRT has never actually ridden the 1R on Telegraph or in downtown at rush hours. Without the amenities of a full BRT implementation—dedicated lanes wherever practical, pre-board ticketing, signal priority and more—the 1R will never be more than another local bus stuck in our increasingly challenging commute-hour traffic. 

Alan Tobey 

Friends of BRT 

 

• 

AC TRANSIT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Police vehicles, ambulances, and fire trucks have long had a way of traveling quickly without requiring an empty lane to use at all time. Their method has not required workers and shoppers to give up hundreds of parking spaces. How do they do it? They have the law saying they have the right of way. They are permitted to use flashing lights and unique noises to remind people to let them pass. 

If AC Transit can prove that 1) its buses would actually make better time with a freed up right-of-way, and 2) the improved speed would attract a worthwhile number of additional passengers, then they have a long-established means of achieving their goal. The appropriate legislative bodies could pass ordinances or laws giving the buses the right-of-way over regular traffic. The buses could be equipped with flashing lights and some unique warning sound. Drivers hearing a couple of bars of (for example) “the wheels of the bus go round and round” played on diesel horn would quickly learn to pull to the side to let these efficient vehicles pass. 

Drivers and parkers would be inconvenienced only when there is a bus behind them trying to pass. The city could collect its meter revenues, and local businesses would continue to be able to sell to people who, for whatever reason, need a car. Costs would be minimal to specially equip a couple of dozen buses for particular chosen routes. 

Peter Liederman 

 

• 

MARIN AVENUE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am so sorry Sandra Graber was killed crossing Marin on Dec. 31. 

As someone who advocated for years to improve Marin’s safety through reconfiguration, I must seriously consider Mr. Chamberlin’s charge that the elimination of the small pedestrian islands due to the reconfiguration is at fault. This was discussed recently by the Albany Strollers and Rollers, and a different perspective emerged. Like Colusa, Santa Fe Avenue intersects Marin at an acute angle. At this angle, the driver turning left onto Marin often has their view of the cross walk blocked by the roof column between the windshield and the side window. This has been observed to cause some conflict between pedestrians and drivers at Santa Fe and Marin. Having recognized this hazard, Albany applied for a grant last fall to install left turn signals on Santa Fe to eliminate this conflict. Perhaps a similar solution is needed at Colusa and Marin. 

As to the reconfiguration not slowing down traffic on Marin, it is true that the follow-up survey did not show this to be the case. This was because traffic volumes were so much less at the time of this survey, apparently due to rainy weather. Albany’s speed survey last September did show a dramatic reduction in average speed, however, to 27 mph with a daily traffic volume of 19,500. This is the first time the average speed has been under 30 mph in at least a decade, and is 5 mph less than the average speed in April, 1997, the last time the traffic volume was near 20,000. While a 5 mph, 15 percent reduction may not seem very significant, average accident severity correlates to the square of the speed rather than just the speed. Therefore this reduction should reduce average accident severity by almost 30%. On this measure alone, the reconfiguration has been a success in making all of Marin safer. Of course, the reconfiguration also eliminated the passing lane, which presented an additional hazard to pedestrians beyond just vehicle speed alone. This situation was unequivocally responsible for a pedestrian fatality on Marin in the summer of 2003. 

Preston Jordan 

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 

Earth Science Division 

 

• 

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

To state the glaringly obvious: the greatest danger to pedestrians in Berkeley are the pedestrians themselves. Whatever the many virtues of walking, the overwhelming majority of pedestrians consistently behave ignorantly, arrogantly, and/or selfishly when entering our roadways, putting themselves and others at risk. They seem to believe their moral superiority (“I’m an ecological pedestrian, you’re a planet-killing driver”) or perceived legal right-of-way (“All cars must halt for MEEEEE”) will magically stop all vehicles. Or maybe they are just too busy zoning to their iPods, or exchanging important gossip on their cell phones to care. Unfortunately, in the real world, vehicles don’t always stop in time. 

The collisions are not, as has been suggested, predominantly a result of Berkeley car culture, but rather of Berkeley pedestrian culture. Instead of rushing to blame speeding cars, we should be asking why pedestrians are in such a damn hurry to cross the street. If Berkeley pedestrians simply treated cars as the dangerous 2.5 ton missiles they are by 1) avoiding crossing streets in front of nearby oncoming vehicles, and 2) crossing cautiously under all conditions, vehicle-pedestrian collisions would be entirely eliminated except for the most unique unfortunate circumstances. Regardless of whether drivers behave recklessly or responsibly, pedestrians are nearly always “in the drivers seat” in regards their own safety. Right now, they invariably choose to drive their safety off the nearest cliff and take their chances. “Precaution” does not exist in the vocabulary of the Berkeley pedestrian, and THAT is the problem. 

Having spent nearly 40 of my 50 years elsewhere, and speaking as both a driver and pedestrian, the lack of regard Berkeley pedestrians show for their own safety is appalling. I’m amazed the injury and fatality rates aren’t much higher. It’s time Berkeley pedestrians grew up and behaved responsibly— that is, if they truly want to protect themselves instead of digging up scapegoats to fit whatever irrational ideology they’ve adopted to support their narcissistic behavior. I look forward to the day when a Berkeley pedestrian actually looks both ways before crossing a street (especially when they are pushing a baby carriage; even looking one way would be an improvement), or waits for a line of twenty cars to pass instead of forcing them all to brake and idle, wasting gas and spewing emissions, so one single solitary self-absorbed “green” pedestrian can mosey across. 

Bernie Lenhoff 

 

• 

DIRTY POLITICS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Is everybody ready for the Republican election year assault on our senses; ready for down and dirty politics in ‘08. The GOP will do anything to win the upcoming elections. There will be the usual distortion and confusion of facts, half-truths, the dredging up of past inaccuracies, character assassination, false charges, feeding the fires of fear and scare tactics galore. Plus, no one has yet fixed the flawed and vulnerable electronic voting process. Maybe the GOP has changed its ways. 

Ron Lowe 

Grass Valley 

 

• 

EDUCATION AND DEMOCRACY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Marvin Chachere offers us another thoughtful article (Jan. 8) this time on the last days of the American Republic, in which he reflects on “the drift of the ‘American experiment’ from its mooring as a republic towards a de facto empire.” Recently Naomi Wolfe, author of The End of America, wrote an essay in the Guardian entitled “Fascist America, in 10 easy steps” listing those steps that have been used repeatedly to subvert democracies into totalitarian states, and equating them with tactics employed by the Bush administration to undermine democratic processes in the United States. Her address detailing this can be seen on YouTube. 

Mr. Chachere says, “I look at the nation we have become and I see a pearl of promise being uncultivated, ignored and debased.” He describes, of course, our country, but that statement may be applied in microcosm to every child in an American public school. The neglect of education in America is at the root of the impending collapse of our democracy. 

Jerry Landis 

 

• 

KPFA ELECTION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In her Jan. 4 article “Clashes Continue Inside KPFA,” Judith Scherr updates issues of Pacifica/KPFA management and politics, including the Station Board election. I would’ve liked to see some items included or covered more carefully and accurately: 

Larry Bensky’s e-mail blast violation was ruled a clear, primary campaign practices violation by National Election Supervisor (NES) Casey Peters because the message was sent on the station e-mail server, not from Bensky’s private website as he implies. The server is clearly identified as @lists.kpfa.org in the e-mail header and footer. There’s really no question, I don’t think even KPFA management denies this; only Larry and his Concerned Listeners (CL) pals are playing dumb. The e-mail list itself is actually a station resource accumulated over the years he was on staff hosting Sunday Salon. Further, Sasha Lilley’s usual disingenuous denial of management and programmers being aware of or ignoring the NES prescribed remedies and penalties, besides partly refuted by Casey’s message to the interim GM, doesn’t a) address their continued refusal to provide access as ordered to the three independent candidate slates to transmit short messages to the list or b) mitigate Bensky’s continued on air appearances which flaunt the controlling cabal’s disregard and contempt for the NES prohibition/authority and Pacifica democratic election process. 

Pacifica interim Executive Director Dan Siegel’s letter to the Pacifica Community. This flagrant, critical violation of Pacifica bylaws, campaign rules and California corporations code is even more blatant than Bensky’s in using Pacifica positions and resources to intervene and influence the election—and likely had more adverse impact early in the voting period when it was practically the only election statement available to voters on the station and foundation websites or on air. So while Scherr perhaps couldn’t adequately cover both violations in one article, this one should’ve been referenced or at least mentioned. 

Peoples Radio is not alone in criticisms and complaints of myriad campaign violations and station management’s blackout of election information and collusion with the CL group. The collective letter to the NES (signed by 25) and the Open Letter from the Committee on Fair Elections (60 and counting; to be published as a commentary) were endorsed by multiple candidates and supporters of the three independent, pro-listener democracy slates, including Voices for Justice and I-Team, current and former Board members, active listeners and staff. 

Note: A public forum on KPFA/Pacifica elections is planned for February. 

Bob English 

2007 KPFA Board Candidate 

 

• 

PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As an old (83) man I have many opportunities to test primary care physicians (PCPs) for competence. What is an added aid to this endeavor is that my HMO requires that you be referred to a specialist by your PCP. This is not good for your health but good for my investigation. 

In the future I will audition a new PCP. I will give you an example from my experience (tendon completely torn off the shoulder; diagnosed as bursitis by my PCP.) 1. Ask your PCP what he would do if you came to him with sore shoulders that resulted from raising a window several mornings. Would he ask you if you had difficulty brushing your teeth, combing your hair, putting a dish on a high shelf? (symptoms specific for rotator cuff tear.) 2. Would he test you for rotator cuff tear? (A very simple test with an unambiguous result if you have a detached tendon.) 3. Would he say he wasn’t sure what your problem was and send you immediately to orthopedics? Any of these would be correct. My PCP just asked if I was getting better; said I had bursitis. I was getting better. I was reassured. After a year I quit improving so asked for a referral. The orthopedic surgeon said MRI showed the tendon completely torn off the bone. The muscle now atrophied. It was now too late to attempt repair. I said I had been improving. Surgeon said that was misleading. It was due to the three remaining attached muscles partially compensating for the detached muscle. 

Lost my hearing completely one day. Ears felt stopped up. PCP prescribed a nasal decongestant. I recovered. Lost hearing again. This time I only recovered partial hearing. Asked for referral. Otologist tested me with a tuning fork and determined my problem was an inner ear problem, not a middle ear problem as the PCP guessed. The PCP didn’t use a tuning fork. The otologist said most PCPs don’t have tuning forks! Otologist said MRI showed no tumor but permanent damage to auditory nerve. The primary treatment is prednisone within 48 hours. Too late. 

Daughter had malignant melanoma diagnosed as a harmless mole. PCP said she could see a dermatologist if she liked. She went. Had biopsy then immediate surgery. Dermatologist said melanoma diagnosis is tricky. Said PCPs should never guess but send patient to a specialist. I found the specialists excellent. The PCPs guessed and were wrong. It was as though the PCPs took a survey course in “medicine appreciation” rather than rigorously studying the profession. 

If you can afford it choose a medical plan that allows self-referral. Some HMOs are dropping the PCP-only referral due to poor PCP diagnoses and treatments. Medicine has advanced to the point where a PCP can’t cover the whole field. What’s frightening is that some PCPs don’t know that. 

Sam Craig 

 

• 

BUS PASSES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

We are in a new year and it is still the same thing. The price of the bus pass for both seniors and the disabled is still $20. How can the Alameda-Contra Costa Transportation District do this to both of these groups? Don’t they realize that both seniors and the disabled use the bus as their only form of transportation? By doing so they are helping to fight global warming. 

I think the transportation district should lobby politicians in Sacramento and Washington D.C. for more funding so that they can lower the bus prices. The politicians in Washington have money to fund the war in Iraq, they should have money for seniors and the disabled. 

Billy Trice, Jr. 

Oakland 

• 

ALTERNATE ROUTE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Highway 580 westbound toward the Bay Bridge, where drivers are going to Route 80, has long been a problem, as drivers merge to the left. 

The alternate route is to use West MacArthur. Caltrans has a new onramp which is used very little. Persons leaving the Kaiser Hospital can go up to the front of the line if they are headed north on Route 80. 

Charles Smith 

 

• 

LIBRARY COMPUTERS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I wish to bring to the attention of the public an issue concerning the children’s computers at the Berkeley Public Library. The library’s stated policy “affirms the right and responsibility of a parent to determine and monitor their child’s Internet access.” However, there is no monitoring at the library itself. Children of all ages are able to view any site they wish to, including pornography and chat rooms. 

Children’s computers “for the exclusive use by children” are available at the library. These computers recognize a special card granted to children 13 and under. However, the child does not have to use the children’s computer and can use that or the adult computer. MySpace, a predator hangout and site of a recent child suicide, required people who access their site to state that they are 14 years or over. A child using the children’s card is theoretically not eligible for MySpace, yet the library allows the child to access this and other “age-restricted sites” on either the adult or children’s computer. 

Parents, who know that their child has a children’s computer card, are lulled into believing that the library has parental controls, as many parents do at their homes. This is not the case. The library enables youngsters’ access to dangerous and questionable Internet sites and parents are most likely not aware of it. The library has issued an Internet use policy that basically washes their hands of any responsibility. Most parents are not aware of this and are not aware that their children have access to predatory sites. 

I worked at the library until recently and quit my position there when it was made clear to me that I could not intervene to protect children by upholding age restrictions on sites viewed. 

Thomas Lynch 

 

• 

IMPEACH BYBEE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Bob Egelko in the Jan. 5 San Francisco Chronicle reminded us that some three years ago George Bush (unwittingly? or, probably, purposefully?) seated on the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco one Jay Bybee, former Justice Department supervisory signer of John Woo’s now notorious memo to then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales advising that the Bill of Rights’ (geographically restricted!) prohibition of cruel and unusual punishments (torture) allows the infliction of pain up to that as severe as is caused by “organ failure, impairment of bodily functions or even death.” 

Gonzales is now gone from the federal government, and revolted students repeatedly protest Woo’s being on Boalt Hall’s faculty, but Jay Bybee, obvious adherent of Woo’s advocacy of extreme pain to extract dubious “information” from unindicted suspects remains on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Judges can be removed from our courts by impeachment by Congress. Action to impeach Jay Bybee is long overdue. 

Judith Segard Hunt 

 

• 

CRIMES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As if it isn’t enough of a scandal that the point is even being mooted as to whether waterboarding constitutes torture, we now have the administration, that same administration which showed no compunction at outing a CIA operative to serve their own political ends, claiming protection of the identity of the interrogators (read torturers) as the rationale for the destruction of tapes documenting the practice. 

This, given all the technology at hand at Langley—those pixilation and voice modification potentialities we are all now so familiar with from CNN—is sure to go down as one of the lamest excuses to date from the most corrupt administration since Harding, and would be almost laughable, were the stakes not so high. 

The motivation is no secret. It is the same motive that drove the Nazis to destroy whatever evidence they could of the camps—and the enormity of that crime should not blind us to the fact that it differs by degree only—an all too human impulse: to destory the evidence of their crimes. Hopefully, some still have a sense of shame as well. 

R.W. “Red” Snapper


Commentary: Implement Area-Wide Traffic Calming in 2008

By Michael Jerrett
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Two tragic pedestrian deaths in the past month emphasize how urgently the City of Berkeley needs a new approach to pedestrian safety. This new approach would rely on area-wide traffic calming, paid for by financial charges to drivers. Councilmember Capitelli’s appeal to the moral side of drivers is not enough to improve pedestrian safety in Berkeley.  

Two important points have emerged from many years of study and experience in pedestrian safety: 1) drivers will behave badly if given the opportunity and no appeal to their better side will change this fact, and 2) area-wide traffic calming prevents accidents and saves lives. Mr. Capitelli correctly notes that traffic volume, speed and dangerous driving are on the top of many peoples’ minds in Berkeley. But to assert that he doesn’t actually “think the answer is always a tangible change to the streetscape” defies many years of research.  

Some of the most comprehensive studies to date show that traffic calming in the form of traffic circles and speed humps reduces accidents by between 75 percent-82 percent and even modest measures such as stop signs will reduce accidents by 70 percent. Locally, pediatrician Dr. June Tester published an important paper in 2004 showing that in areas of Oakland with speed humps, traffic injuries to children requiring hospitalization were cut in half compared to other areas without the humps. Internationally, recent studies indicate that countries such as England that have implemented aggressive speed control policies have seen deaths from crashes, including those with pedestrians, drop by 34 percent, while in the United States the equivalent number was only 6.5 percent over the 1990s. Controlling speed with traffic calming saves lives.  

Berkeley was the first city in the United States to implement traffic calming, but it has rested on its laurels for too long now and this has created inequities in safety and quality of life. Some neighborhoods like the wealthy Claremont are fortresses that do not allow cars to traverse anything but main streets. In other neighborhoods, such as the Northside of the UC Berkeley Campus where I live, near Spruce and Virginia, many cars and trucks cut through at high speed with virtual impunity. Similarly Mr. Capitelli’s Thousand Oaks neighborhood is also overrun with traffic, but under-served by traffic calming, and we have just witnessed the horrible consequences that can result from this type of inequity. Much of the inequity has historic roots, when progressive forces in well-organized neighborhoods pushed for changes in the 1980s and 1990s. By the mid-1990s, there was a moratorium placed on speed humps, one of the most cost-effective forms of traffic calming.  

Since then drivers in the city have had the upper hand. The prohibitively high cost of traffic circles (about 5 or more times the cost of speed humps for equivalent safety benefits) left many neighborhoods with virtually no protection. Slowly residents have aligned with the Safe Routes to School movement and others interested in safety and improving physical activity to scratch out minor improvements. There are too many gaps from this ad hoc approach. My own children must walk across Shattuck Avenue at the uncontrolled intersection of Virginia, with over 30,000 vehicles per day passing. A pedestrian was killed there in 2006, but there are still no improvements to pedestrian safety on this unsafe route to school. Drivers on many occasions have challenged my family and others in the cross walk by speeding directly at us and not slowing down until we back away. If drivers cannot muster their best behavior when the lives of little children are in the balance, what can we expect at other intersections such as the one at Marin and Colusa, which has claimed two lives in the past year?  

Fortunately after 14 years without the most cost effective traffic calming tool, the city is now piloting a new version of the speed hump, known as the speed cushion, which allows for better emergency vehicle access. But speed cushions and other traffic calming measures are almost always more likely to land in areas of highly organized or wealthy communities. While the concerns of residents must always play a role in decision-making, more often than not this reactive approach to pedestrian safety only worsens inequalities.  

Rather than approach these problems on a complaint or accident basis, the councilmembers should resolve in 2008 to implement area-wide traffic calming. Area-wide traffic calming would systematically address large sections of the city to ensure that all residents benefited equally, not just those who are wealthy, organized, educated or particularly concerned because they have children. The key to area-wide measures is that they are integrated and will not just push traffic from one street to the next. Instead these measures slow traffic everywhere within a specified zone. The evidence from the academic literature is clear: area-wide traffic calming prevents accidents and saves lives. 

This type of traffic calming will require money, which could be paid for by direct charges on drivers entering sensitive areas of Berkeley. This can be implemented through increased levies on parking, on congestion charges for persons commuting from outside the city, on delivery companies who frequent residential neighborhoods, on additional sales taxes on all goods related to automobiles, and from a variety of other user fees that hit drivers in the pocket book. London, England, has implemented a congestion zone charge that has been effective enough that they are planning to expand the area in the next few years. New York City and San Francisco are considering similar plans. By charging drivers directly, our city can also ensure that commuters and delivery companies who use our streets as a cut-through on their way to employment hubs here pay their fair share, something that for too long has gone as a free ride. When the true costs of driving become apparent to commuters, their incentive to drive alone into Berkeley is reduced. Trucks will see cheaper routes and commuters may take public transit or form car pools.  

There are proven solutions available to Berkeley, but will politicians and city staff resolve to put pedestrian safety first, and move forward to again become a leader in protecting public health from this serious risk?  

 

Michael Jerrett is associate professor of geographic information science and spatial analysis in UC Berkeley School of Public Health’s Division of Environmental Health Sciences.


Commentary: Bus Rapid Transit Means More Convenience, Less Global Warming

By Roy Nakadegawa
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Opponents of Bus Rapid Transit complain about parking and traffic problems, but they ignore the fact that parking and traffic problems will increase whether BRT is built or not. They also ignore an issue that Berkeleyans overwhelmingly agree that we need to address: reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.  

Studies overwhelmingly show that, if we do not reduce GHG emissions, the consequences will be unimaginable and dire. Yet some people look at how BRT will affect the parking and congestion they deal with only in the present or status quo, and they do not consider how it will affect our children and future generations. 

These people should acknowledge that transportation generates more than half the GHG emissions in our region. Legislation and industry efforts to reduce GHG emissions will not accomplish the 20-30 percent reduction needed in the next 20 years. Reaching that goal will also require individual efforts to change how we live and travel. 

BRT will reduce emissions far more than current buses operating in mixed flow traffic. BRT will provide faster more convenient and reliable service, attract more riders, and having more passengers per bus will further reduce emissions. Some say we already have BART, but to access BART is generally beyond walking distances and to ride a feeder bus and transfer will take up more time than the trip time on BART, so it will not be faster or as convenient for local trips up to 10-12 miles. 

Berkeley’s recent Downtown Plan calls for coordinating development with transit and essentially accepts BRT on dense transit corridors. With this sort of coordinated planning, BRT can provide frequent, reliable service that lets people reach their destinations in about the same time that it takes to drive and park their cars. 

In the last 20 years even without much development while Berkeley lost population, Berkeley’s traffic and parking has gotten worse. In the near future because of increasing population, jobs and development, traffic will increase along with congestion and parking problems and without a good transit alternative, we will be worse off in congestion and parking. 

Congestion and parking problems are inevitable, so we must focus on transit and non-motorized modes of transportation and provide better transit that is convenient, more reliable and faster to attract riders to reduce GHG emissions. 

Parking is a universal problem, and cities in other countries are taking much stricter measures than we are. Tokyo, Japan, requires car buyers to prove they have a guaranteed off-street parking space before they can purchase a car. In Sweden, there are pedestrian-oriented Transit Villages with communal parking lots, where drivers may have to walk a block or more to use their cars. 

In addition, in most Western European countries, fuel taxes alone exceed the $3 per gallon that we pay as the total cost of gasoline. Their total gasoline cost is $6 to $8 per gallon, and they rarely provide free parking for they still have problems of increased traffic congestion and parking. 

Also since auto use affects livability, costs and parking needs, other countries have imposed many forms of pricing on the use of the auto to pay for roadway and parking infrastructure and maintenance as compared to California where the general public pays a substantial cost through sales tax and bonds. Other countries are imposing tolls on the use of the expressways, higher auto registration and license fees and taxes and permit fees on parking. Some countries are using pricing to reduce congestion and parking needs by imposing tolls to enter central business district, and the revenues collected are used to improve transit, which improves their environment and quality of life. One country even limits the number of auto registration. 

Because they have better transit and denser urban areas, these countries produce only about half the per capita GHG emissions than we do in America. Yet, their cities are more livable and more convenient than in America.  

Therefore, In the discussions of BRT, rather than complaining about congestion and parking problems, which will always be with us no matter what we do, we should focus on our overall quality of life and on the urgent imperative to protect the global environment that will affect us locally by controlling global warming caused by excessive emission of GHG.  

 

Roy Nakadegawa P.E. is a retired traffic engineer, a member of Friends of BRT, and served as an elected transit director 32 years (20 years with AC Transit and 12 with BART). He also serves on Transportation Research Board (a branch of the Academy of Science) on their Standing Committee on Public Transportation and Development. 


Commentary: How to Make Berkeley Pure Green

By Fred E. Foldvary
Tuesday January 15, 2008

To make Berkeley the first pure green city in the planet, the City Council has to make all polluters compensate society for the damage caused by their pollution. The promotion of cleaner city vehicles, energy-efficient lighting, and “spare the air” days are very nice, but there is no good substitute for a comprehensive policy if we are to be serious about minimizing greenhouse gas emissions. 

The rationale for pollution charges is that people should be responsible for the social costs of their actions. A complete green-city policy would cover pollution from all sources: manufacturing, buildings, vehicles, and pedestrians. The most effective policy is to focus the charges on actual, measured pollution, rather than proxies such the ownership and use of cars or of the contents of houses. Charging for pollution would also minimize invasions of privacy and not cause damage to the local economy. 

Pollution charges should not be confused with energy efficiency. One can have a very inefficient car or heating system that pollutes very little. If people want to waste money with inefficient appliances, that is their problem, not society’s problem. 

The technology to measure pollution is already available. Devices include diffusion tubes that trap samples of pollutants such as ozone, and pumps that push air through a collector. Such instruments should be used to measure both particulate matter such as dust and soot, as well as gases. After collection, they are sent to laboratories for analysis.  

To make Berkeley pure green, the city should place measuring devices by factories and also periodically inspect the area around all buildings, both commercial and residential, for pollution. This measurement could be coordinated with the activities of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the U.S. and California Environmental Protection Agencies. 

There is no need to enter any residence, as what matters for greenhouse gasses is the pollution emitted from the building. The owners would then be sent monthly bills with pollution charges in proportion to the environmental damage done by the emissions. A homeowner with a large bill would be invited to consult with city officials to reduce the pollution. 

Smokers are banned from indoor places such as restaurants, but they pollute the air with a trail of smoke by walking down the street, their arm swinging a burning cigarette. Street and park smokers could be fined $10 for each smoking incident, enforced by parking meter officers who spot them. 

Much of the air pollution in the San Francisco Bay Area is from vehicles, and regulations such as smog tests, gasoline additives, and engine requirements have failed to eliminate this source of emissions. A more effective way to minimize emissions from cars is to charge the owners. Most auto emissions come from about ten percent of vehicles. The cleanest 90 percent of automobiles generate less than 15 percent of the pollution. Therefore pollution charges can be effective if they are placed on the few cars that pollute the most. 

The City of Berkeley cannot control the pollution from California-controlled freeways, but the city should have authority over its streets. Berkeley could measure the actual pollution from cars with remote sensors, such as those pioneered by Donald Stedman. These devices emit an infrared beam across the street, and as a car passes, the exhaust absorbs the beam’s light waves. The sensor can measure the concentrations of pollutants in the exhaust and differentiate among various types of pollution, such as carbon monoxide versus carbon dioxide. 

Berkeley could place these sensors on street intersections and freeway entrances along with video equipment that reads the license plates of the cars passing by. If theft or destruction is a problem in some places, the devices can be put in the backs of vans and moved around. If a car exceeds a limit several times, the owner would be sent a pollution bill. The remote sensor devices are inexpensive, and the pollution charges would more than pay for the cost. Some drivers could try to thwart the sensor readings by covering their license plates, but that can be spotted and penalized by the Berkeley police. 

Vehicles whose owners live outside of Berkeley would be charged just as much as residents. A visitor to Berkeley has to pay sales tax on purchases here, some of which goes to the city. Likewise, a nonresident could be fined for littering in Berkeley. So the same principle applies to nonresidents who pollute the city. They are causing damage to the residents of Berkeley, as well as to the planet, so they should be fined. 

These pollution charges would be adjusted in response to the reduction in emissions. If cars and buildings continue to pollute after a remote sensor and billing system is in place, the charges can be increased until we achieve the reduction to the 80 percent target set by Measure G. Charging for pollution would be a great way to push car owners to go green. 

I wrote the argument against Measure G because it was not green enough, as it did not specify how pollution would be reduced, and the target date of 2050 is too far in the future. The Kitchen Democracy vote on the target date was in favor of an earlier year, 2020. We can best achieve a swift reduction of greenhouse gasses without disrupting the economy with pollution charges. 

Indeed, most likely the pollution levies will be greater than the enforcement costs. The revenue generated by pollution charges could be used to reduce taxes, such as on utilities. Pollution charges would make Berkeley pure green both by reducing pollution and by compensating society for the pollution that remains.  

A successful implementation of pollution charges would make the whole world pay attention. Berkeley would be the global leader in the effort against global warming. The City of Berkeley will decide his year on how to implement Measure G. We could do this best with pollution charges. 

 

Fred Foldvary teaches public finance and real estate economics at Santa Clara University. 


Columns

Column: No Butts, Said the Pregnant Lady

By Susan Parker
Tuesday January 15, 2008

I’ve spent the last two months campaigning against Measure A. That’s the $300 million parcel tax on the Feb. 5 ballot which calls for Alameda County property owners to subsidize construction of a 12-story high-rise for Children’s Hospital Oakland, a private medical center serving northern California.  

The proposed 180-foot-tall building, crowned by a helicopter landing pad will be located at the end of my block, five doors from my home.  

My neighbors and I first learned about the tower at a community meeting on Sept. 13. At the time I was too stunned to ask any questions. I could not imagine a 12-story building in a neighborhood of one and two-story homes. The closest structure of that size is the Kaiser pediatric building located on Broadway, near McArthur and 580. When I found out it would be my own tax dollars helping to pay for it, I began to get cranky. 

Since then I’ve been doing all I can to uncover Children’s plans. I’ve learned that California hospitals must meet earthquake safety standards by 2013, but that Children’s doesn’t need to build a 180-foot tower in a residential neighborhood in order to meet these requirements. A new report by the California Health Care Foundation says that nearly half of California’s hospitals won’t meet the deadline, and many won’t meet the final 2030 deadline.  

As of this writing, Children’s has no architectural drawings, no master plan, and no contingency plan if the ballot measure doesn’t pass. The only thing my neighbors and I have seen is an aerial photograph of the four blocks between MLK and the freeway, and 52nd and 54th streets. In that photo you can see a little gray speck near the intersection of Dover and 54th streets. That’s my house. Half a block away my neighbor Bob’s house is covered in red. He’s in the footprint of the tower, a home that will not exist if CHO has its way. 

For several weeks I have stood at the entrance to the Temescal Farmers Market, passing out flyers, explaining to patrons what the passage of Measure A means to the neighborhood. Many are shocked to learn that Children’s is a private hospital asking for Alameda County tax dollars to pay for a facility that serves all of Northern California. They wonder if a 12-story tower is necessary. When they ask if there are alternative building plans, or if the neighborhood has had any input, I have to shrug my shoulders and say no.  

A few days ago my next door neighbor, Jenna, and I dragged ourselves over to the office of Mary Dean, CHO’s Senior Vice President of External Affairs, to ask her some questions. I say dragged because Jenna is nine months pregnant, about to give birth at any moment. The three-block walk to Mary’s office was about as far as Jenna could go. During the meeting, Jenna raised many of our neighbors’ concerns. How much sunlight will be blocked by the tower? How much noise and light pollution can we expect? How long will construction take and how will traffic patterns change? Can the building be smaller and built further away from residential homes? Can’t Children’s keep the helicopter pad where it already is, between the freeway and the MLK off ramp, so that it is not directly above our heads?  

Then Jenna got down to the nitty gritty. “What will be at the end of our block?” she asked. “Is our neighborhood going to be the butt of the hospital, the place where all the trash, poisons, and medical waste is removed?”  

Mary said she didn’t know.  

“I don’t want to be the butt of anything,” said Jenna. And then we left because I didn’t want Jenna to grow more upset and have her baby on Mary Dean’s office floor, albeit it was a pretty nice office, and we could have probably found someone relatively knowledgeable to help with the delivery.  

 

 


Wild Neighbors: Squirrels Vs. Snakes: The Snakeskin Treatment

By Joe Eaton
Tuesday January 15, 2008

I was interested to note that Kathleen Wong, who was (briefly) my editor at the late California Wild, has an article in the current Bay Nature about the California ground squirrel. It’s a nice summary of several decades’ work of research by Donald Owings and Richard Coss at UC Davis, who have discovered remarkable things about the relationship between ground squirrels and rattlesnakes.  

Adult ground squirrels in rattler-infested areas are immune to the snakes’ venom, but their pups are vulnerable. So the squirrels have developed a whole behavioral repertoire for dealing with snakes. They can assess the potential danger from an unseen rattlesnake by the sound of its rattle, and will goad a visible snake into striking so they can gauge its reach. They can also distinguish visually between venomous rattlesnakes and nonvenomous gopher snakes, although the two reptile species may have similar patterns. 

Wong also covers the recent finding that the squirrels communicate with the snakes—pit vipers that sense heat—in the snakes’ own medium. The squirrels are able to divert body heat to their tails as they wave them, sending an infrared warning to the reptiles. Nothing like this had ever been documented. 

But there’s more. According to Davis graduate student Barbara Clucas, the lead author of an article published in the journal Animal Behaviour last fall, ground squirrels use the shed skin of rattlesnakes for defensive purposes. They chew up the skin and anoint themselves by licking their fur. 

Clucas makes a good case that this odd behavior, documented in both California ground squirrels and closely related rock squirrels, serves to mask the squirrels’ own odor from prowling rattlers. She tested a couple of other hypotheses, though. One was that essence of snakeskin might discourage fleas and other ectoparasites; another, that snake scent application has something to do with aggression between male squirrels. 

The anti-parasite idea was suggested by the phenomenon of anting in birds. Birds of several species (mainly songbirds and woodpeckers) have been observed rubbing crushed ants over their feathers. Some use millipedes, and I once watched a Swainson’s thrush rubbing itself with what appeared to be a beetle. There’s apparently some evidence that the formic acid and other insect secretions repel feather lice and mites. 

Then there are the self-anointing hedgehogs. These odd creatures have a predilection for chewing various substances—from coffee beans to toadskin—and working up a kind of lather, which they then spread over their bristles. Clucas categorizes this as antipredator behavior, with a possible social role; its frequency seems to vary seasonally. I suspect that no one is quite sure what’s going on with the hedgehogs. 

And don’t forget the tendency of wolves—including domestic dogs—to roll in what for purposes of this discussion we will call filth. There’s actually a word for this canine behavior: xenosmophilia, a preference for foreign smells. Some suggest it may have served to disguise a hunting wolf’s smell from its prey; others claim a social function.  

I remember, years ago, going to Monterey in a small car with a friend and her two generally well-behaved dogs. We stopped at a picturesque beach which was littered with windrows of red pelagic crabs. The dogs, a cocker spaniel and a miniature poodle, went wild. They rolled in the dead crabs with abandon. Then they ate a few. And on the way back to Berkeley, they threw up in the car. It was a long trip. Xenosmophilia indeed. 

But back to the ground squirrels. Juvenile ground squirrels have heavier flea loads than adults. If snake scent application is an ectoparasite defense, juveniles should indulge in it more than adults. Although Clucas found that juveniles did it more frequently than adult males, there was no difference between juveniles and adult females. 

Were the squirrels using the borrowed snake scent to intimidate their rivals? Adult males are more aggressive than either adult females or juveniles, but they had the lowest rates of snake scent application. 

So Clucas concludes that an antipredator function is most likely. Juvenile ground squirrels, after all, would be a rattlesnake’s prime targets, and it’s the females who tend the young and defend them against snakes. This, like the hot-tail warning, would be something unprecedented in animal behavior.  

It’s been known for a long time that some insects acquire chemical protection from the plants they eat (monarch butterflies and milkweed). A few vertebrates—arrow-poison frogs and the pitohui bird of New Guinea—similarly sequester insect toxins, and there’s at least one snake that stockpiles toad toxin. But “no vertebrate has clearly been demonstrated to use a self-applied chemical from a foreign source in predator defense.” Until now. Those squirrels are just full of surprises. 

 

 

Photograph by Ron Sullivan. 

California ground squirrel at  

rattlesnake-free Cesar Chavez Park.  

 

Joe Eaton’s “Wild Neighbors” column appears every other Tuesday in the Berkeley Daily Planet, alternating with Ron Sullivan’s “Green Neighbors” column on East Bay trees.


Arts & Events

Arts Calendar

Tuesday January 15, 2008

TUESDAY, JAN. 15 

FILM 

Experimental Documentaries “Best in the West” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

JCC Film Salon “The Unkown Soldier” at 7:30 p.m. at at the JCC of the East Bay, 1414 Walnut St. Tickets are $6-$8. 848-0237. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Marc Lecard, mystery novelist, reads at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Laurie R. King reads from her new mystery “Touchstone” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Tom Rigney & Flambeau at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Singers’ Open Mic with Ellen Hoffman at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Rebecca Griffin, jazz, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Albany High School Jazz Band at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $15. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Jazzschool Tuesdays, a weekly showcase of up-and-coming ensembles from Berkeley Jazzschool at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 16 

EXHIBITIONS 

East Bay Women Artists “Begin the Beguine” Reception at 6 p.m. at Royal Ground Gallery, 2058 Mountain Boulevard, Oakland. 841-0441. 

FILM 

The Medieval Remake “The Valley of the Bees” at 6:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Penny Rimbaud, poet, with saxophonist Louise Elliotat 7:30 p.m. at Moe's Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Cafe Poetry, hosted by Paradise, at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Fred Luskin describes “Forgive for Love: The Missing Ingredient for a Healthy and Lasting Relationship” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Whiskey Brothers, old-time and bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Beatitude Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Swing Fever at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Swing dacne lesson at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Orquestra Borinquen at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Salsa dance lessons at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Neurohumors at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Anais Mitchell at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

David Hildalgo and Louie Perez of Los Lobos at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $30. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, JAN. 17 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Cultural Connections” Group show in various media with a special tribute to Chauncey Bailey. Opening reception at 5 p.m. at the Craft & Cultural Arts Gallery, State of California Bldg. Atrium, 1515 Clay St. 622-8190. 

FILM 

“Lola Montez” with film historian Stefan Drossler in person at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Michael Parenti discusses “Contrary Notions” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

“Open Secrets: The Literature of Uncounted Experience,” with author Anne-Lise Francois at 5:30 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. www.universitypressbooks.com 

Marion Bundy reads Dorothy Parker at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Glenn Staller, classical guitar, at 12:15 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 5th flr., 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6100. 

Beau Soleil with Michael Doucet at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $13-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Reid Whatley Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Yolanda & Ric at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Disappear Incompletely, Adam Shulan Quartet at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

David Hildalgo and Louie Perez of Los Lobos at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $30. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

FRIDAY, JAN. 18 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley “Barefoot in the Park” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. at Berryman, through Feb. 16. Tickets are $10-$12. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Altarena Playhouse “Wait Until Dark” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High St., Alameda, through Feb. 16. Tickets are $17-$20. 523-1553. www.altarena.org 

Encore Theatre Company & Shotgun Players “The Shaker Chair” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m., at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through Jan. 27. Tickets are $20-$30. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Masquers Playhouse “Angel Street” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2:30 p.m. through Feb. 23 at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond. Tickets are $18. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Heart of the Matter” an exhibition by Laney College students. Sidewalk reception at 5 p.m. at Addison Street Windows Gallery, 2018 Addison St. 981-7546. 

FILM 

“The 400 Blows” with Laura Truffaut in person at 7 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Shelby Steele describes “A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can’t Win” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com  

Kazue Sawai, Japanese koto master, lecture and demonstration at 4 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

MamaCoAtl, Steve Taylor-Ramírez and Alfredo Gomez “Songs of Love and Protest” at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Sam Adams Quartet with Jarrett Cherner, Hamir Atwal, Anthony Diamond at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Kirsten Strom Quintet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Native Elements with Dub Fix and Faya at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Pam & Jeri Show at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Phil Berkowitz & Louis’ Blues at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Calvin Weston and Monster Cock Rally, Slydini, Phillip Greenlief with Thomas Doyle at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Avengers, Pansy Division, R’N’R Adventure Kids at 7:30 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

Oh-no Stonesthrow, Zeph & Azeem, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $12. 548-1159.  

Macabea at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Bobby Hutcherson with Russell Malone, Joe Gilman, Dwaybe Burno and Eddie Marshall at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun.. Cost is $18-$24. 238-9200.  

SATURDAY, JAN. 19 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Abby and the Pipsqueaks at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $5 for adults, $4 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Active Arts Theatre for Young Audiences “Little Women” Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m., through Feb. 3, at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $14-$18. 925-798-1300.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“Trading Traditions: California’s New Cultures” opens at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak St., Oakland. 238-2022. www.museumca.org 

“Oakland Cityscapes and Landscapes” Photographs by Richard Leon. Reception at 6 p.m. at Luka's Lounge, 2221 Broadway, Oakland. 451-4677. 

“Art in Nature” Paintings by Mari Kearney. Reception at 1 p.m. at Piedmont Yarn & Apparel, 3966 Piedmont Ave., Oakland.  

THEATER 

San Francisco Theater Project “Aftermath of War: in their own words” Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 7:30 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $15-$20. 925-798-1300.  

FILM 

“The Magic of George Melies” at 3 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Justin Frank talks about “Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Dream Kitchen with John Schott, Marc Bolin and John Hanes at 8 p.m. at 2213 Shattuck Ave., at Allston Way. Tickets are $5-$10, children under 12, free. www.berkeleyartsfestival.com 

Four Seasons Concerts Borealis Wind Quintet, and Leon Bates, pianist, at 7:30 p.m. at Regents Theater, Holy Names University, 3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Tickets are $35-$40. 601-7919.  

Bach to Bachianas Brasileiras with The Wiley-Husbands Duo at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $8-$12. 549-3864. 

Novella Quartet at 4 p.m. at a home in North Berkeley. Space is limited, please make reservations. 452-8202.  

Anatolian Rhythms with Yore and Collage Dance Ensembles at 8 p.m. at Roda Theater, 2015 Addison St. Tickets are $15-$30. 647-2949.  

Jazz Fourtet at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Saoco, Latin Hip Hop, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568.  

Faye Carol & Her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Shimshai with Tina Malia, Jagadambe at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $12-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Moment’s Notice improvised music, dance & theater at 8 p.m. at Western Sky Studio, 2525 8th St. Cost is $8-$15. 992-6295. 

Charming Hostess and Tsipi Gabbai at 8 p.m. at the JCC of the East Bay, 1414 Walnut St. Tickets are $10-$12. 848-0237. 

High Diving Horses, Luther Monday at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. 

Robert Gastelum Group at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Gandolph Murphy & the Slambovian Circus of Dreams at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Other Perspectives in Improvised Music at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Port, Melodic Jones, Jamie Jenkins at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Jeffree Star, Von Iva, Bob Weirdos at 7:30 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, JAN. 20 

CHILDREN 

Asheba at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $4-$6. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

“3” Works by Diana Guerrero-Maciá, Kelsey Nicholson, Lena Wolff opens at Traywick Gallery, 895 Colusa Ave. 527-1214. www.traywick.com 

FILM 

“The Nibelungen Part 1: Siegfried’s Death” at 1 p.m. and “Part 2: Kriemhild’s Revenge” at 4 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“In the Name of Love” Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, Rhiannon and Terrance Kelly, Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Oakland Children’s Community Choir and Oaktown Jazz Workshop at 7:30 p.m. at Oakland Scottish Rite Center, 1547 Lakeside Dr. Tickets are $6-$22. 800-838-3006. www.mlktribute.com 

Chamber Music Sundaes with musicians and friends from the San Francisco Symphony at 3 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $18-$22. 415-753-1792. 

Rebecca Riots in a family-friendly concert at 4:30 p.m. at Kehilla Community Synagogue,1300 Grand Ave., Piedmont. Tickets are $5-$15. 1-800-838-3006. www.BrownPaperTickets.com/event/24792 

Live Oak Concert with Temescal Trio, Karen Wells, clarinet, Madeleine Prager, viola, John Burke, piano at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center 1275 Walnut St. Tickets are $10. 644-6893. berkeleyartcenter.org 

Anna Carol Dudley, soprano, will celebrate her birthday by giving a free public recital at 2 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley, Channing and Dana. 205-8826. 

Jazz at the Chimes with Bruce Forman, guitar, at 2 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $10-$15. 228-3218. 

Gil Shaham, violin, and Akira Eguchi, piano, at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $34-$62. 642-9988.  

Grupo Falso Baiano at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Mariospeedwagon at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Jazzschool Studio Band at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $25. 845-5373.  

MONDAY, JAN. 21 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

PlayGround Six emerging playwrights debut new works at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Rep, 2025 Addison St.Tickets are $18. 415-704-3177. 

Ann Wright and Daniel Ellsberg discuss “Dissent: Voices of Conscience” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 559-9500. 

Ivan Arguelles & John M. Bennett read their poetry at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Poetry Express on “Other People’s Poems” at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. Email poetryexpress@gmail.com for rules. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Ellis Island Band, klezmer, at 7 p.m. at Le Bateau Ivre, 2629 Telegraph Ave. 849-1100. www.lebateauivre.net 

Trovatore, traditional Italian music, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

West Coast Songwriters Competition at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $5. 548-1761 www.freightandsalvage.org 

Corey Harris and the 5x5 Band at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $16-$20. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

 


The New Year of East Bay Theater

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

Theater’s just starting up after a hiatus that featured mainly holiday shows in December. After increasingly vigorous seasons over the past two years, it will be intriguing to see what Berkeley area stage companies have come up with to follow the wealth of productions in the immediate past.  

The resident companies are gearing up with shows to be launched in the coming week or two—and further work that will go up by spring. Berkeley Rep is hosting hip-hopper solo artist Danny Hoch in Taking Over, directed by the Rep’s Tony Taccone. In February, author-actress-Hollywood to-the-manor-born Carrie Fisher, also directed by Taccone, appears in her own solo piece, “a sobering look at her Hollywood hangover,” Wishful Drinking. 

Next door on Addison, the Aurora opens Diana Sen’s Satellites, in a West Coast premiere, as a Korean-American architect and her African-American husband move into a new neighborhood and find a brick thrown through their window. Directed by Kent Nicholson.  

In April, Aurora founder Barbara Oliver directs Ellen McLaughlin’s adaptaion of Euripides’ tragedy The Trojan Women. Oliver helmed Aurora’s production of McLaughlin’s version of Aeschylus’ The Persians a couple of years ago; this is—quite literally—another classic about the effects of a foreign war ... in this case, the misery of the conquered. 

More than a month before The Trojan Women opening in April, Oliver will direct Euripides’ seminal—and still hair-raising—late tragedy, performed in Athens only after the tragedian’s death in exile, The Bacchae, for the UC Berkeley Department of Theater and Dance at the excellent Zellerbach Playhouse, from Feb. 29 to March 9. Euripides pits the self-proclaimed forces of reason and order against ecstatic religiosity and sexuality. This was the favorite play of theatrical visionary and poet Antonin Artaud. 

At Shotgun, where Adam Bock’s acclaimed The Shaker Chair is on through Jan. 29, innovative Banana Bag & Bodice will put on their performance extravaganza of Beowulf (A Thousand Years of Baggage, directed by Ron Hipskind. Coming this summer is Ubu for President, Josh Costello’s adaptation of the original scandal of the Paris avant-garde, directed by artistic director Patrick Dooley. 

The community theaters are also opening with their newest shows. Actors Ensemble of Berkeley goes up this weekend at Live Oak Theatre with Neil Simon’s original ’60s hit, Barefoot in the Park.  

On Jan. 25, Contra Costa Civic Theatre (whose founder, Louis Flynn just died after a long career, appearing onstage in Meet Me in St. Louis last summer as a trolley driver) will open yet another Marx Bros. musical—The Coconuts (music by Irving Berlin, book by Kaufman and Ryskind) at their theater in El Cerrito.  

And in Pt. Richmond, the Masquers will make audiences quake with Frederick Knott’s thriller chestnut, Wait Until Dark, opening this weekend.


‘Love, Grandma’ — Letters in Print

By Dorothy Bryant, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

In December 2005, a group of women met to form Grandmothers Against the War, planning their first action—a Valentine’s Day 2006 rally and attempt to enlist at the Oakland Induction Center.  

While at a planning meeting for other independent street actions and joint actions with other groups, someone looked around and suddenly tossed out, “The women in this room must represent more than half a century of activism in almost every good cause anyone could name.”  

Another woman quickly caught her message and tossed back, “Our experience is worth something. We have stories to tell, experiences to pass forward.”  

From that exchange came the question, “How about letters to our grandchildren, biological or virtual?” 

On June 9, 2006, the Grandmothers’ Letters Project put out a call to other grandmother groups across the nation, asking for letters of 200 to 1,000 words, telling stories of real experiences, addressed to actual or imagined young people of any age.  

Letters Project coordinators agreed that the writer need not be actually a grandmother or even a woman, just a concerned person with a “grandmotherly attitude” toward the person addressed.  

Letters could be e-mailed or mailed to a Berkeley address. A page for “Love, Grandma” letters was added to the Grandmothers Against the War website www.gawba.org 

Soon letters were arriving from all over the country, narrating a wide variety of experiences. Some writers had led safe lives in America and knew war only as a distant disaster. Some had lost friends or relatives on some battlefield or in some besieged city. A few had themselves lived through horrendous experiences, like losing most of their family in the Holocaust or surviving the literal pulverizing of their small village between opposing armies. 

Wouldn’t such stories only frighten and depress young people? One Grandma letter might be reassuring. A German-American woman recalled learning from her parents and all other adults that Nazis were evil people who must be killed. Then, one day, at a Midwest ice cream social, a man called her “kind of pretty for a Nazi kid.” At this sudden revelation of her evil identity, the girl became haunted by fear, wondering when her parents would discover she was a Nazi, and would they then have to kill her?  

That story should remind us that as children we seldom found honest accounts of reality too much to bear; it was usually a misunderstanding that led to unspeakable, imagined horrors and gave us nightmares; honest stories of the ordeals of survivors and/or activists inspired us more than our favorite fairy tales of imaginary heroes. 

Now over 50 of the letters are available in a print edition. Some letters are from people whose life-long commitment is rooted in and strengthened by religious tradition, while others take a staunchly secular or rationalist stance against all religious faith.  

One writer credited her father for repeatedly telling her the story of his father taking him to witness a lynching, a sight that awakened a thirst for justice he was determined to pass on down the generations. Some recalled a childhood incident in which they discovered, on their own, that adults in authority were misinformed or lying.  

Some letters were poems; some were full of advice and analysis; some began with questions from their real grandchildren: “You asked why you’re always seeing me in the newspaper wearing a crazy hat and carrying a big sign ...” Some admit to doubts that never cease: “I asked myself what am I doing camped out here? What good is it? But then I thought, how could I tell you I’d given up trying to pass on a better world to you?” 

Implicit in all the letters collected in Love, Grandma is a sense of community, even joy, that reminds me of my marching buddy back in the days of the Vietnam War. I would call him and say, “Hey, Al, there’s a demonstration in San Francisco tomorrow. Shall we go?” And Al would answer, “Hell, yes, it’s been a while since our last religious experience!” 

Love, Grandma is available for a donation of $7.50 plus shipping. Go to www.lulu.com and put “Love, Grandma” in the search box. Then click on “add to cart” and follow lulu instructions on ordering and payment. The print edition of Love, Grandma is also available at Cody’s Books in Berkeley and at Walden Pond Books in Oakland. 

 

 

(Disclaimer: this article is adapted from the introduction to Love, Grandma, which I wrote, in a shameless effort to lure the susceptible into this conspiracy of troublesome old [and some young] ladies [and some men]—Grandmothers Against The War.) 

 


East Bay Symphony Unveils ‘Sounds of China’ Program

By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

At a lively press conference at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center in Chinatown Friday, Oakland East Bay Symphony music director and conductor Michael Morgan introduced San Francisco jazz composer, pianist and educator John Jang, whose piece “Chinese American Symphony” was commissioned by the symphony and will premiere at the symphony’s Sounds of China: Celebrating Chinese New Year concert Friday, Feb. 22, at the Paramount Theatre, along with music by Academy Award-winning Chinese composer Tan Dun, John Adams and Igor Stravinsky. 

The conference also served as a preview for an innovative season for the East Bay Symphony, one that demonstrates their commitment to diversity and community building with unusual, provocative programming. 

Sounds of China includes Stravinsky’s short orchestral piece, “Fireworks” (1908).  

“You would expect Tan Dun on a program for Chinese New Years, and John Adams for ‘Nixon in China,’” Morgan said, “but not expect Stravinsky. It’s a four-minute piece. We hope the audience will see the connection to China, the East-West tie: we both have fireworks, and they come from China.” 

Shared experience was the keynote to Morgan’s commentary.  

“A diverse audience can just enjoy a great piece of music together,” he said, “then later younger people may go back out of curiosity to find out about the historical side—and older people can suddenly see different levels of experience, go back and fill in the gaps ... Even if we can’t talk about it, we can understand it together. It’s what we have in common, so we can begin to make a real community.” 

Jang endorsed Morgan’s vision. “I remember seeing an Oakland East Bay Symphony concert,” he said, “where people of all different backgrounds, all the different colors embraced Mozart under Michael’s leadership, seeing that this music is for everybody.” 

Jang’s “Chinese American Symphony” (with no hyphen; “it looks like a minus, less than American!” he said) is a tribute to the Chinese workers, from a nation “hurt by the Opium War” with England, “going to what they hope is a better land, to make money building the railroad, but the U.S. was hostile.”  

He explained various melodies, orchestral sounds, colors and movements he uses to tell that story.  

“It’s so immediate, audiences can latch onto the story,” Morgan said. “It’s why we commissioned a piece like this, and why we use composers who have the gift for making a connection for the audience: to transcend differences, bring people together who might not be able to communicate verbally.” 

Jang explained the use of the two-stringed Chinese classical “violin,” the erhu, which will be played by erhu virtuoso Jiebing Chen, and a wealth of meaningful correspondences he’s built into the piece. “One movement’s 24 minutes intentionally—‘no work stoppage.’ The Chinese workers were incessant, working 24/7.” 

“I’m hearing that for the first time!” laughed Morgan. 

A little bit later, Jang paused in his spirited delivery for an aside: “Maybe I should stop here; this is getting more epic than the piece!” 

Morgan discussed “Water Concerto for Water Percussion and Orchestra” (1998), written in memory of composer Toru Takemitsu by Dun, famed for his film score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.  

“The violin section actually has splash guards! It features percussionist Ward Spangler, who at one point plays the gong while it’s immersed in water—a completely different sound. And there’s the rhythms of splashing water like children in a bathtub. There’s lots of imagery people will get—in John Adams’ very theatrical ‘The Chairman Dances: Foxtrot for Orchestra’ (1985), a spinoff of ‘Nixon in China,’ with Madame Mao dancing with an effigy of her husband while Nixon plays cocktail piano ...  

“All new pieces have an impact on coming generations,” Morgan continued, “who will associate the train in John’s piece with the erhu, will put the story together and understand why the elements go together ... learning history through music, making an initial association, then learning later what it means—like those of us who learned classical music through Bugs Bunny!” 

Both Morgan and Jang spoke about how his piece brings out a hidden history, something untold, that would have an impact on second-generation Chinese Americans—a point ratified by audience members at the conference. 

 

Upcoming programs 

Other upcoming programs aim at the same diversity in music and audience experience: following Sounds of China is Notes from Persia on Friday, March 14, for Persian New Year, Nowwuz, the lunar spring holiday, dating back to a Zoroastrian holiday, celebrated around the Middle East and Central Asia.  

The program is also musically diverse, with mezzo-soprano Raeeka Shehabi-Yaghmai singing Persian songs, composer Aminollah Hossein’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (1946), Loris Tjeknavorian’s Suite from the opera ‘Rostam and Sohrab’ (1985), as well as Richard Strauss’ ‘Don Juan’ (1889) and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s ‘Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini’ (1934). Pianist Tara Kamangar of the Royal Academy of Music in London will be featured. 

 

 


Wild Neighbors: Squirrels Vs. Snakes: The Snakeskin Treatment

By Joe Eaton
Tuesday January 15, 2008

I was interested to note that Kathleen Wong, who was (briefly) my editor at the late California Wild, has an article in the current Bay Nature about the California ground squirrel. It’s a nice summary of several decades’ work of research by Donald Owings and Richard Coss at UC Davis, who have discovered remarkable things about the relationship between ground squirrels and rattlesnakes.  

Adult ground squirrels in rattler-infested areas are immune to the snakes’ venom, but their pups are vulnerable. So the squirrels have developed a whole behavioral repertoire for dealing with snakes. They can assess the potential danger from an unseen rattlesnake by the sound of its rattle, and will goad a visible snake into striking so they can gauge its reach. They can also distinguish visually between venomous rattlesnakes and nonvenomous gopher snakes, although the two reptile species may have similar patterns. 

Wong also covers the recent finding that the squirrels communicate with the snakes—pit vipers that sense heat—in the snakes’ own medium. The squirrels are able to divert body heat to their tails as they wave them, sending an infrared warning to the reptiles. Nothing like this had ever been documented. 

But there’s more. According to Davis graduate student Barbara Clucas, the lead author of an article published in the journal Animal Behaviour last fall, ground squirrels use the shed skin of rattlesnakes for defensive purposes. They chew up the skin and anoint themselves by licking their fur. 

Clucas makes a good case that this odd behavior, documented in both California ground squirrels and closely related rock squirrels, serves to mask the squirrels’ own odor from prowling rattlers. She tested a couple of other hypotheses, though. One was that essence of snakeskin might discourage fleas and other ectoparasites; another, that snake scent application has something to do with aggression between male squirrels. 

The anti-parasite idea was suggested by the phenomenon of anting in birds. Birds of several species (mainly songbirds and woodpeckers) have been observed rubbing crushed ants over their feathers. Some use millipedes, and I once watched a Swainson’s thrush rubbing itself with what appeared to be a beetle. There’s apparently some evidence that the formic acid and other insect secretions repel feather lice and mites. 

Then there are the self-anointing hedgehogs. These odd creatures have a predilection for chewing various substances—from coffee beans to toadskin—and working up a kind of lather, which they then spread over their bristles. Clucas categorizes this as antipredator behavior, with a possible social role; its frequency seems to vary seasonally. I suspect that no one is quite sure what’s going on with the hedgehogs. 

And don’t forget the tendency of wolves—including domestic dogs—to roll in what for purposes of this discussion we will call filth. There’s actually a word for this canine behavior: xenosmophilia, a preference for foreign smells. Some suggest it may have served to disguise a hunting wolf’s smell from its prey; others claim a social function.  

I remember, years ago, going to Monterey in a small car with a friend and her two generally well-behaved dogs. We stopped at a picturesque beach which was littered with windrows of red pelagic crabs. The dogs, a cocker spaniel and a miniature poodle, went wild. They rolled in the dead crabs with abandon. Then they ate a few. And on the way back to Berkeley, they threw up in the car. It was a long trip. Xenosmophilia indeed. 

But back to the ground squirrels. Juvenile ground squirrels have heavier flea loads than adults. If snake scent application is an ectoparasite defense, juveniles should indulge in it more than adults. Although Clucas found that juveniles did it more frequently than adult males, there was no difference between juveniles and adult females. 

Were the squirrels using the borrowed snake scent to intimidate their rivals? Adult males are more aggressive than either adult females or juveniles, but they had the lowest rates of snake scent application. 

So Clucas concludes that an antipredator function is most likely. Juvenile ground squirrels, after all, would be a rattlesnake’s prime targets, and it’s the females who tend the young and defend them against snakes. This, like the hot-tail warning, would be something unprecedented in animal behavior.  

It’s been known for a long time that some insects acquire chemical protection from the plants they eat (monarch butterflies and milkweed). A few vertebrates—arrow-poison frogs and the pitohui bird of New Guinea—similarly sequester insect toxins, and there’s at least one snake that stockpiles toad toxin. But “no vertebrate has clearly been demonstrated to use a self-applied chemical from a foreign source in predator defense.” Until now. Those squirrels are just full of surprises. 

 

 

Photograph by Ron Sullivan. 

California ground squirrel at  

rattlesnake-free Cesar Chavez Park.  

 

Joe Eaton’s “Wild Neighbors” column appears every other Tuesday in the Berkeley Daily Planet, alternating with Ron Sullivan’s “Green Neighbors” column on East Bay trees.


Berkeley This Week

Tuesday January 15, 2008

TUESDAY, JAN. 15 

The Berkeley Garden Club meets at 1 p.m., at Epworth United Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St. The speaker will be Amy Meyer, Co-Chair, GGNRA, speaking on “The Creation of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Its Ongoing Ecological Restoration.” Cost is $3, free for members. 845-4482.  

Solo Sierrans Hike in Tilden Park to explore watersheds, newts and winter topics, on a trail that might be muddy. Meet at 1:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area. Optional dinner follows. 234-8949. 

“Meeting Resistance” Molly Bingham and Steve Connors’ documentary on the the Iraq insurgency at 7:30 p.m. at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. Cost is $10. 452-3556. 

“The Short Life of José Antonio Gutierrez” Film screening followed by discussion of the impact of war and military recruiting on immigrant youth, at 4 p.m. at Oakland Public Library, Cesar Chavez Branch, 3301 E. 12th St., Ste. 271 Free for youth. 535-5620. 

Retirement Community Information Fair with representatives from 12 East Bay retirement communities and the Adult Day Network of Alameda County from 1 to 3 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Martin Luther King Way. 848-1960, ext. 246.  

“If These Walls Could Talk” Video at 7 p.m. at Revolution Books, 2425 Channing Way. 848-1196. 

“What is Everyday Creativity?” with Ruth Richards at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Buddhist Monastery, 2304 McKinley Ave. 848-3440. www.ahimsaberkeley.org 

The Café Literario, book discussion group in Spanish, meets to discuss “El Túnel” by Ernesto Sábato at 7 p.m. at the West Branch Library, 1125 University Ave. 981-6270. 

“Winter Mountaineering: Basic to Advanced” A slide presentation with Tim Keating at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

Red Cross Blood Drive from noon to 6 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. 215-7672, 524-9992. 

End the Occupation Vigil every Tues. at noon at Oakland Federal Bldg., 1301 Clay St. www.epicalc.org 

Family Storytime at 7 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043.  

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 16 

“Caught in the Crossfire” A documentary on the plight of civilians in Fallujah and “Children of Abraham” at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation $5. www.Humanist Hall.org 

Teen Chess Club from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the North Branch Library, 1170 The Alameda at Hopkins. 981-6133. 

War and Peace Book Group meets to discuss “A Very Long Engagement” by Sebastian Japrisot at 7 p.m. at Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 16. 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes and a warm hat. Heavy rain cancels. 548-9840. 

Morning Meditation Every Mon., Wed., and Fri. at 7:45 a.m. at Rudramandir, 830 Bancroft Way at 6th. 486-8700. 

THURSDAY, JAN. 17 

Alan Alda in Conversation with Bob Osserman on Alda’s lifelong interest in science at 7 p.m. at The Roda Theater, 2015 Addison St. Tickets are $14-$22. 647-2949. www.msri.org 

Golden Gate Audubon Society “Antartica: An Unforgettable Journey” with Eleanor Briccetti at 7:30 p.m. at Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 843-2222. 

“Workshop: Zen and the Art of Mushroom Hunting” Discover the world of mushrooms with Debbie Viess in an evening slide lecture (and a field trip on Sat. the 19th) at 7:30 p.m. at Oakland Museum of CA, 1000 Oak St., at 10th St., Oakland. Cost is $35. Registration required. 843-2222. www.museumca.org 

Cell-Phone Antenna Dispute in Point Richmond at 7 p.m. at Richmond Planning Commission, City Hall, 1401 Marina Way South, Richmond.  

Berkeley Democratic Club General Membership Meeting with Prof. David Tabb, on “The Presidential Primary” at 7:30 p.m. at Northbrae Community Church, Parlor Room, 941 The Alameda. www.berkeleydemocraticclub.com 

LeConte Neighborhood Association meets at 7:30 p.m. at the LeConte School cafeteria. (Please use Russell St. entrance.) Agenda includes a discussion of ways to make our homes and streets safer and Board election for 2008. karlreeh@aol.com 

Appreciating Diversity Film Series “Aging Out” about foster youth who “age out” of the system at 7 p.m., followed by discussion, at Ellen Driscoll Theater, 325 Highland Ave., Piedmont. Appropriate for children 12 and older. www.diversityfilmseries.org 

“Dissent: Voices of Conscience” Celebrate the release of Col. Wright’s new book at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St. Cost is $5-$10. 488-3559. 

Computer and Office Technology Classes begin at Berkeley City College, 2050 Center St. Enrollment open through Feb. 9. www.peralta.edu. 981-2800. 

“Sustainable Urbanism” with David Baker at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

Berkeley School Volunteers Orientation from 4 to 5 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. Come learn about volunteer opportunities. 644-8833. 

Small Business Panel and workshop for people thinking of starting, mamnaging and growing a small business at 7 p.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito. 526-7512.  

Babies & Toddlers Storytime at 10:15 and 11:15 a.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043.  

Avatar Metaphysical Toastmasters Club meets at 6:45 p.m. at Spud’s Pizza, 3290 Adeline. namaste@avatar.freetoasthost.info  

FRIDAY, JAN. 18 

“Celebrate the Dream” Opening Ceremony, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King’s 79th Birthday, with a speech by U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Frank Ogawa Plaza, 14th St. and Broadway, Oakland. 444-CITY. 

Iraq Moratorium Vigil to Protest the War from 2 to 4 p.m. at the corners of University and Acton. Sponsored by the Strawberry Creek Lodge Tenents Assoc. and the Berkeley-East Bay Gray Panthers. 548-9696. 

Teen Playreaders meets to read “Hamlet” and other plays based on the classic, at 4 p.m. at Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue at Ashby. 981-6121. 

Friday Films for Teens at 3:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 3rd flr., 2090 Kittredge St. For details call 981-6121. 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Mike Goldstein, Office of General Counsel, UCB on “The Tree Dwellers of UC Berkeley: The Univesity’s Perspective” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 526-2925.  

Berkeley Women in Black weekly vigil from noon to 1 p.m. at Bancroft and Telegraph. Our focus is human rights in Palestine. 548-6310. 

SATURDAY, JAN. 19 

“Trading Traditions: California’s New Cultures” opens at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak St., Oakland. 238-2022. www.museumca.org 

Weed Wrenchers Work Party From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pt. Isabel, Rydin Rd, off Central Ave. near Costco, Richmond. Sponsored by Greens at Work. kyotousa@sbcglobal.net 

Solo Sierrans Bayshore Walk in El Cerrito Meet at 2 p.m. at small parking lot at Rydin St., off Central Ave. Bring binoculars to observe the many shore birds. Optional oriental dinner at Pacific East Mall. Wheelchair accessible. Rain cancels. 234-8949. 

California Writers Club with Charles Rubin, author of “Don’t Let Your Kids Kill You” at 10 a.m. at Barnes & Noble, Jack London Square. www.berkeleywritersclub.org 

Drawing Our Days A series of three free classes with Jan Wurnm at 10:30 a.m. at Berkeley Public Library, Art and Music Dept., 2090 Kittredge St. Other classes are Jan. 26 and Feb. 2. 981-6100. 

Techno Geek Art Challenge from 1 to 4 p.m. at Museum of Children’s Art, 528 9th St., Oakland. 465-8770. 

Families to Amend California’s Three Strikes Law, The East Bay Chapter will meet at 1 p.m. to plan to collect 700,000 signatures at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. arinkarolweitzman@yahoo.com  

“Enough Cancer! Nutrition to Stop This Plague” Learn about cancer protective food, culinary and medicinal herbs and dietary supplements at 10 a.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Teen Knitting Circle at 3 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 4th floor, 2090 Kittredge St. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

SUNDAY, JAN. 20 

Community Labyrinth Peace Walk at 3 p.m. at Willard Middle School, Telegraph Ave. between Derby and Stuart. Everyone welcome. Wheelchair accessible. Rain cancels. 526-7377. 

“Arrogant Humanism versus Respectful Humanism” with Sterling Bunnell at 11 a.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation $5. www.Humanist Hall.org 

Grandmothers for the Oaks Celebration Bring warm clothes to donate, hot food and songs of solidarity at 2 p.m. at Memorial Oak Grove. www.saveoaks.com 

“At the River I Stand” screening at 5 p.m. followed by a discussion, in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at Cerrito Speakeasy Theater, 10070 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito.  

“Crossing the Line: Multiracial Comedians” A documentary, followed by discussion, at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $8-$10. 849-2568.  

Berkeley Cybersalon Explores the Next Spiritual Frontier with Steven Vedro, author of Digital Dharma: A User's Guide to Expanding Consciousness in the Age of the Infosphere at 4 p.m. at Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Cos tis $15 at the door.  

“Trading Traditions: California’s New Cultures” A celebration of Faith in California at 2 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak St., Oakland. 238-2022.  

East Bay Atheists Gene Gordon and Larry Hicok will jointly speak about Materialism at 1:30 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 3rd floor meeting room, 2090 Kittredge St. 222-7580. 

MONDAY, JAN. 21 

Golden Gate Audubon Society Bike Trip “Eastshore State Park” Meet at 9 a.m. at El Cerrito Del Norte BART. Bring lunch and bike helmet. 843-2222. 

CodePINK “Fierce Voter Pink Tea Party” from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Redwood Gardens, 2951 Derby St. RSVP to 524-2776. 

Contra Costa Chorale rehearsal at 7:15 p.m. at Hillside Community Church, 1422 Navallier St., El Cerrito. New singers welcome. 527-2026. www.ccchorale.org 

ONGOING 

E-Waste Recycling St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County accepts electronic waste including computers, dvd players, cell phones, fax machines and many other ewaste products for disposal free of charge at many of its locations throughout Alameda County. Make a tax-deductible donation while disposing of your ewaste appropriately and helping those in need. Free bulk pick-up available. 638-7600. www.svdp-alameda.org 

Help a Newt Cross the Road Every year newts migrate across Hillside Drive to reach their breeding pools in Castro Creek. Volunteers prevent many of these creatures from being crushed by cars. We need volunteers every evening during January and February in El Sobrante. The newts are most active on rainy nights. annabelle11_3@yahoo.com 

Free Tax Help If your 2007 household income was less than $42,000, you are eligible for free tax preparation from United Way's Earn it! Keep It! Save It! Sites are open now through April 15 in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. To find a site near you, call 800-358-8832. www.EarnItKeepItSaveIt.org 

CITY MEETINGS 

City Council meets Tues., Jan. 15, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci.erkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Fair Campaign Practices Commission meets Thurs., Jan. 17, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6950.  

Housing Advisory Commission meets Thurs., Jan. 17, at 7 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5400.  

Transportation Commission meets Thurs., Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7010.