Alta Bates Registered Nurses Stage Walkout
Posted Thurs., March 20—Registered nurses at Berkeley’s Alta Bates Summit and Herrick Hospitals are walking out Friday for a 10-day strike against the Sutter hospital chain. -more-
Posted Thurs., March 20—Registered nurses at Berkeley’s Alta Bates Summit and Herrick Hospitals are walking out Friday for a 10-day strike against the Sutter hospital chain. -more-
Posted Thurs., March 20—Calling for immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq, participants in daylong events in Berkeley marked the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War on Wednesday with protests at the downtown Marine Recruiting Center and a rally in Civic Center Park. -more-
Posted Wed., March 19—San Francisco police arrested 10 UC students who chained themselves to the doors of the UCSF Mission Bay community center this morning (Wednesday) in an attempt to prevent the UC Board of Regents from meeting. -more-
Posted Wed., March 19—Flying in the face of his hosts' concerns regarding demonstrations at the Marine Recruiting Center, Mayor Tom Bates spoke out about his opposition to the War in Iraq and support for peaceful demonstrations. The speech was delivered Tuesday at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon where the mayor was the featured speaker. -more-
Posted Wed., March 19—One of the most highly anticipated Oakland election battles in years may have been knocked off the ballot when veteran District 3 Oakland School Board member Greg Hodge came up one signature short of qualifying to run in the June 3 race for the Oakland City Council. -more-
Posted Tue., March 18—The embattled AC Transit District is considering its fifth fare change in the last 13 years, with a possible increase in adult fares of as much as 25 cents and increases to the youth and senior passes coming as early as this summer. -more-
Fifty-five teachers and counselors in the Berkeley Unified School District received pink slips over the weekend notifying them of anticipated layoffs in face of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposal to slash state education funds by $4.6 billion. -more-
Candidates in the hotly contested Democratic primary race to succeed Loni Hancock as District 14 Assemblymember are relying upon distinctly different fund-raising strategies, with a Richmond City councilmember dividing his contributions almost evenly between individual and business or labor group donors and Berkeley City Councilmember Kriss Worthington and Berkeley physician Phil Polakoff taking 98 percent of their donations from individuals, but with the majority of Worthington’s donations coming from inside District 14 and the majority of Polakoff’s coming from outside. -more-
World War II veteran Selwyn Jones, 86, told the Police Review Commission at Thursday’s public hearing on the Berkeley Police Department’s response to recent demonstrations that he’d been pushed to the ground by police during a recent protest at the Marine Recruiting Station. -more-
UC Berkeley’s local tree-sitter Michael Schuck—who calls himself Fresh—climbed down from his leafy perch outside Wheeler Hall Friday and was promptly arrested by university police for trespassing. He was issued a citation and released later that day. -more-
Two Code Pink members who entered the Marine Recruiting Center at 64 Shattuck Square Friday and asked its officers to leave were arrested by Berkeley police for trespassing on private property. -more-
The question of how to approach matters of peace and justice took center stage at the March 11 Berkeley City Council meeting. At the meeting the council also looked at a new report on pedestrian safety, asked staff to write a graywater permit process and more. -more-
A number of events were held last weekend leading up to the five-year anniversary of the Iraq War—among them a demonstration at the Richmond Chevron refinery, where two dozen protesters were arrested, a rally in Walnut Creek and a town meeting with Rep. Barbara Lee in Oakland. -more-
Objections from the Berkeley Landmarks Commission and the Elmwood-Claremont Neighborhood Association over the Berkeley Unified School District’s proposal to paint John Muir Elementary School blue and green forced the Berkeley Board of Education to reject the proposed colors and stick to its original scheme instead. -more-
The Berkeley Unified School District’s student assignment system was once again challenged by Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) Monday when the Sacramento-based right-wing public interest litigation firm appealed an April 2007 court decision which had ruled in favor of the district. -more-
Berkeley High Lady Jackets were soundly defeated by Long Beach Poly 55-31 Saturday in the state CIF Basketball Championship Div. I game at Arco Stadium in Sacramento. -more-
Court hearings are slated this week in two major Berkeley land disputes, one involving the university and the other the so-called Trader Joe’s building. -more-
The 20/20 Vision is a public declaration that sets a goal for the elimination of the “achievement gap” by the year 2020. 2020 is the year when our children who entered kindergarten in September 2007 are scheduled to graduate from Berkeley High School. United In Action (UIA), a multiethnic community coalition in Berkeley, conceived the declaration. It poses a challenging question: “On that graduation day in 2020, will we be able to beam with pride at our success?” -more-
Since my childhood, the Berkeley Marina has been a place of sanctuary and reflection for my wandering mind and feet. As a child I went to birthday parties there, flew kites on windy days, and rolled down the big hills with my hermana. It was a place of infinite beauty, with a panoramic view of the bay area and a sunset that no words could be tailored for. Before we’d leave, my father would always calm us to take a moment and appreciate our place in the universe. We would breathe in deep, feel the setting sun against our faces, and stare at the horizon with a humbling appreciation for the world we often forget is bigger than ourselves. To this day, I still frequent the Berkeley Marina and César Chávez Park, and am always met with the same feelings of reflection and awe during my peaceful visits. -more-
Becky O’Malley’s savaging of Ralph Nader and Matt Gonzalez (Editorial, March 10) is singularly unfair. Pollit’s editorial hit piece, which O’Malley cites, explicitly states that “Ralph Nader has a perfect right to run for president.” -more-
In her autobiography, Living History, Senator Hillary Clinton portrays herself as an advocate for children, a defender of women and human rights. In fact, the Clintons have a long history of sacrificing the rights, even the lives of children, for political expediency. It is time to set the record straight. -more-
Daily Planet Executive Editor O’Malley and many of the readers of this newspaper have been affected with a dangerous infection of the mind recently identified as the “anti-Nader” virus. This virus was created by leaders of the Demopublican Party after the narrow victory of their candidate Al Gore in the 2000 presidential selection. When Republican Party apparatchiks and Cuban-American thugs barged into the Dade County elections office and forced a stop to a recount, when winning candidate Gore refused to call for a full recount, when tens of thousands of Floridians and New Mexicans of color were deliberately prevented from voting, when the Supreme Court unconstitutionally intervened to steal the election in a bloodless coup d’etat, these so-called “leaders” did nothing to defend the constitution or the right to vote. -more-
On Oxford Street these days a massive pile of concrete and steel is starting to take shape. It’s already impossible to look past it to see the hills above to the east or a slice of ocean to the west. It comes right up to the sidewalk on the corner, leaving no room for a patch of green to refresh pedestrians. When the two buildings on the site are completed to the planned heights, that stretch of Oxford will become a canyon. -more-
The March 11 Mississippi primaries signaled the end of the second of four acts in the competition for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. Act I began on Jan. 5 with the Iowa caucuses and ended on Jan. 26 with the South Carolina primary, where the race was winnowed down to Sens. Clinton and Obama. Act II began on Feb. 5, Super Tuesday, and plodded on for five weeks. Act III begins with the Pennsylvania primary on April 22 and ends on June 3 or possibly later if Florida and Michigan have to revote. Act IV will be the convention beginning Aug. 25, where the nominee will be selected. -more-
On the median strip under the BART tracks along Martin Luther King Jr. Way, just a few blocks past the city line and into Oakland, there lives a flowering quince I’ve always thought of as The Brave Little Toaster. Aside from the fact that it’s nothing like a toaster at all, I find the name apt. -more-
Editorial: Bubbles Come and Go, But Builders Thrive Regardless 03-18-2008
Editorial: How Much Do Race and Gender Matter? 03-14-2008
Letters to the Editor 03-18-2008
Commentary: The 20/20 Vision: How Good is Our Garden? By Santiago Casal and Michael Miller 03-18-2008
Commentary: The Nature of Cesar Chavez By Rafael Casal 03-18-2008
Commentary: Blame Bipartisan Collusion, Not Nader, for Hard Times Ahead By Harry S. Pariser 03-18-2008
Commentary: Hillary Clinton’s Shameful Vote on Cluster Bombs By Paul Rockwell 03-18-2008
Commentary: Dangerous Mind Virus Strikes the East Bay! By Bob Marsh 03-18-2008
Letters to the Editor 03-14-2008
Commentary: West Berkeley Plan and Sustainability Forum By Rick Auerbach 03-14-2008
Commentary: Why the Nader-as-Spoiler Argument Carries Little Weight By Ruthanne Shpiner 03-14-2008
Commentary: Students Deserve A Real College Town By Scott Silver 03-14-2008
Commentary: Freedom of Information — A Sham in Berkeley? By Laurie Baumgarten 03-14-2008
Commentary: Some Practical Questions About Bus Rapid Transit By Steven Finacom 03-14-2008
Alta Bates Registered Nurses Stage Walkout By Richard Brenneman 03-18-2008
Peaceful Protests in Berkeley Mark Five Years of War By Judith Scherr 03-18-2008
UC Students Arrested at Regents Rally By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-18-2008
Mayor Speaks Against War at Chamber Lunch By Judith Scherr 03-18-2008
Greg Hodge Fails to Qualify for Oakland Council Race By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 03-18-2008
AC Transit Sets Hearing for Fare Increase By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 03-18-2008
School District Sends Out 55 Layoff Notices By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-18-2008
Thurmond Leads Fundraising In Race for Assembly 14 Seat By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 03-18-2008
Police Review Commission Plans Crowd Control Review By Judith Scherr 03-18-2008
Tree-Sitter Arrested Upon Descending By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-18-2008
Two Code Pink Members Arrested For Trespassing By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-18-2008
Council Considers Questions of Peace and Justice By Judith Scherr 03-18-2008
Peace Notes: Bay Area Marks Iraq War’s Fifth Anniversary By Judith Scherr 03-18-2008
Neighbors Nix Plan to Paint John Muir School Blue and Green; BHS Gets International Program By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-18-2008
Pacific Legal Foundation Appeals BUSD Diversity Ruling By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-18-2008
Berkeley Ladies Take Second Place— Again 03-18-2008
Hearings This Week in Stadium, Trader Joe’s Cases By Richard Brenneman 03-18-2008
BUSD to Send Out 50 Lay Off Notices By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-14-2008
SEIU Hosts Spirited Kickoff for Wage Negotiation By Judith Scherr 03-14-2008
Police Hold Gun On Teacher Aboard Bus Full of Students By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-14-2008
Saudi University Joins UC in Controversial Partnership By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-14-2008
Hancock and Chan Vie for Funding By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 03-14-2008
Iraq Veteran Speaks Out Against War By Judith Scherr 03-14-2008
Willard Vice Principal Under Investigation Resigns By Riya Bhattacharjee 03-14-2008
Code Pink Clashes with City Code Enforcement By Judith Scherr 03-14-2008
UC Berkeley Scientists Remain Bullish on Nuclear Power By Richard Brenneman 03-14-2008
UC’s Ethanol Partner Delays Annual Report Release By Richard Brenneman 03-14-2008
Density Bonus Debate Faces Proposition 98 June Threat By Richard Brenneman 03-14-2008
Monday Meeting Focuses on BRT By Richard Brenneman 03-14-2008
Hamill Files Papers for Oakland Council Seat By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 03-14-2008
First Person: A Memoir of Herrick Mental Hospital By Jack Bragen 03-14-2008
Fire Department Log By Richard Brenneman 03-14-2008
The Public Eye: Campaign 2008: Act III By Bob Burnett 03-18-2008
Green Neighbors: The Brave Little Quince By Ron Sullivan 03-18-2008
Column: Dispatches From the Edge: The Story Behind Colombia’s Attack By Conn Hallinan 03-14-2008
Column: Undercurrents: Democratic Presidential Contest Turns Nasty By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 03-14-2008
Garden Variety: Plants That Turn the Tables By Ron Sullivan 03-14-2008
About the House: Don’t Let Your Plumber or Electrician Be a Cut-Up By Matt Cantor 03-14-2008
Arts Calendar 03-18-2008
‘Jazz Explosion VII’ Spotlights Young Musicians By Zelda Bronstein, Special to the Planet 03-18-2008
Remembering Malvina Reynolds By Michael Rossman, Special to the Planet 03-18-2008
Green Neighbors: The Brave Little Quince By Ron Sullivan 03-18-2008
Berkeley This Week 03-18-2008
Arts Calendar 03-14-2008
The Theater: Fisher’s ‘Wishful Drinking’ is Spectacle, if Not Exactly Theater By Ken Bullock, Special to The Planet 03-14-2008
Oakland East Bay Symphony Celebrates Persian New Year By Ken Bullock, Special to the Planet 03-14-2008
Garden Variety: Plants That Turn the Tables By Ron Sullivan 03-14-2008
About the House: Don’t Let Your Plumber or Electrician Be a Cut-Up By Matt Cantor 03-14-2008
Berkeley This Week 03-14-2008