The Week

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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


For the Love of the Dog

By Jill Posener, Special to the Planet
Tuesday January 15, 2008

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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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! -more-


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. -more-


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

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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


Berkeley This Week

Friday January 11, 2008

FRIDAY, JAN. 11 -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


Fire Department Log

Friday January 11, 2008

Fire Chars Grocery, Smog Shop -more-


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. -more-


Letters to the Editor

Friday January 11, 2008

PERILS -more-


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. -more-


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? -more-


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. -more-


‘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. -more-


Arts Calendar

Friday January 11, 2008

FRIDAY, JAN. 11 -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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.” -more-


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. -more-


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Tuesday January 15, 2008

MANTRA -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


Arts & Events

Arts Calendar

Tuesday January 15, 2008

TUESDAY, JAN. 15 -more-


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. -more-


‘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. -more-


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. -more-


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. -more-


Berkeley This Week

Tuesday January 15, 2008

TUESDAY, JAN. 15 -more-