The Opinion Pages

Editorials

Editorial: Learning From the King Legacy

—Becky O’Malley
Tuesday, April 08
Reminders of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, 40 years ago on Friday, were everywhere last week. His sonorous voice was replayed again and again on every radio station—his picture was in every paper. For me, the most immediate and vivid memories of that dreadful week in 1968—indeed, of that whole dreadful year—came flooding back at the Tuesday farmers’ market, to which Full Belly Farms brought huge fragrant bunches of lilacs. -more-

Letters

Letters to the Editor

Tuesday, April 08

Editorial Cartoon

Reader Commentaries

Commentary:‘Bus Rapid Transit or Nothing’ Is a False Choice

By Joyce Roy
Tuesday, April 08
The either/or alternatives of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) vs. no-project is a false choice. But before I suggest another choice let us step back and look at the goal of BRT and what we can learn from the current BRT dry run. -more-

Commentary: A Greener, Friendlier, Economical Alternative to Bus Rapid Transit

By Merrilie Mitchell
Tuesday, April 08
This is a people-friendly, eco-friendly plan to increase riders and decrease congestion and pollution. It will save millions for transit improvements. -more-

Commentary: It’s Only Halftime for BRT Decision

By Alan Tobey
Tuesday, April 08
Even though AC Transit began planning for Bus Rapid Transit 18 years ago, in Berkeley we’re still only about half way to deciding whether to build such a system in south Berkeley along with neighbor cities Oakland and San Leandro. -more-

Commentary: Invasion of the Condo Boxes

By Toni Mester
Tuesday, April 08
The architect Frank Lloyd Wright is supposed to have said that the right angle is a fascist symbol. That observation may be apocryphal, but it well applies to some of the newer buildings on Berkeley’s commercial corridors, big square apartment complexes that dwarf adjacent residential properties. Currently, the boxes are creeping north along San Pablo Avenue and threatening to change the character of West Berkeley. -more-

Commentary: Why the Governor’s Budget Matters — And What You Can Do About It

By Cathy Campbell
Tuesday, April 08
When figures like $16 billion and $8 billion and $5 billion are tossed about on a regular basis it’s fair for a person to wonder how Gov. Schwarzenegger’s budget proposal for next year affects the average citizen. What can I do, one might ask, about a gaping deficit of billions of dollars, and why should I care? -more-