Members of the UC Berkeley police ascend the stairs of a former university laboratory on Berkeley Way as part of the Sept. 12 exercise that was part of Urban Shield, the largest Homeland 
              Security drill in the country.
Ali Winston
Members of the UC Berkeley police ascend the stairs of a former university laboratory on Berkeley Way as part of the Sept. 12 exercise that was part of Urban Shield, the largest Homeland Security drill in the country.

Extra

Brazen Room Robbery At Clark Kerr Campus

By Richard Brenneman
Wednesday October 01, 2008 - 02:05:00 PM

A pair of brazen bandits staged a “hot prowl” heist at UC Berkeley’s Clark Kerr campus early Tuesday morning, climbing in through an open kitchen window to rob a pair of students. -more-


Teenage Bank Bandits Busted

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday September 30, 2008 - 11:01:00 AM

Two boys, ages 13 and 14, and their 18-year-old companion were arrested by Berkeley Police on Friday after their were caught staking out a Shattuck Avenue bank. -more-


Was McCain A Key Player In Point Molate Casino?

By Richard Brenneman
Monday September 29, 2008 - 04:23:00 PM

Is Republican presidential nominee John McCain the key player in the behind-the-scenes maneuvers which may turn the East Bay into California’s first urban gambling resort? -more-


Cody’s Books Former Employees Charge Bookstore With Contract Violation

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Monday September 29, 2008 - 04:16:00 PM

Two former employees of the now-defunct Cody’s Books have filed a complaint with the state Labor Commission alleging that the bookstore violated its contract with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) by not paying its workers paid time off when the store closed down in June. -more-


Dellums Proposes Layoffs, Fine Increases, And Possible One-Day Shutdowns To Cut Oakland's Deficit

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Saturday September 27, 2008 - 10:28:00 AM

With the nation's attention focused on the national credit crisis and President George Bush's proposed $700 billion bailout package, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums released his proposals to address Oakland's fiscal crisis, a $37.5 million shortfall in the 2008-09 budget. -more-


City Tells Thai Temple, Angry Neighbors To Reach Middle Ground

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday September 26, 2008 - 04:02:00 PM

Fans of authentic Thai cuisine must wait till Nov. 13 to find out if the city will allow Wat Mongkolratanaram to continue to serve Sunday brunch or ban it. -more-


Backlog Forces Commissioners To Double Up Planning Meetings

By Richard Brenneman
Friday September 26, 2008 - 04:01:00 PM

Berkeley planning commissioners are working on two parallel projects that will reshape the city center—the new Downtown Area Plan and the proposed route and configuration for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). -more-


BRT Proposal Raises Questions, Fewer Answers at Commission

By Richard Brenneman
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 05:54:00 PM

Planning commissioners Wednesday confronted what Chair James Samuels called “a chicken/egg problem”: How to define a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route without knowing its full impacts. -more-


New Budget Makes Major Cuts to BUSD’S Cost of Living

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 05:53:00 PM

California’s long overdue state budget signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Tuesday leaves the Berkeley Unified School District’s budget virtually unchanged from last year, but forces it to grapple with the rising cost of living, district officials said Thursday. -more-



Page One

Racism Motivated Tree-Sit, Chancellor Tells Donor

By Richard Brenneman
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:43:00 AM

“[R]acism against our minority student athletes ... underlies much of the opposition to our student athlete high performance center,” declared UC Berkeley Chancel-lor Robert Birgeneau in a letter sent to two major donors to the school. -more-



UC Berkeley Fund-Raising Drive Seeks $3 Billion

By Richard Brenneman
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 12:03:00 PM
UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau announces the fund-raising drive on Friday.

UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau kicked off the public phase of a $3 billion fund-raising drive Friday, seeking funds for scholarships, campus improvements, faculty salaries, research—and $600 million for buildings. -more-



Anti-Israel Graffiti Found Near Campus

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:43:00 AM

A poster promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace at an AC Transit bus stop in front of UC Berkeley’s Eshelman Hall has been repeatedly vandalized with anti-Semitic slogans and swastikas, authorities said. -more-



Community Crime Meeting Reveals Sharp Tensions

By Richard Brenneman
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:44:00 AM

Beneath the heated rhetoric and sharp divisions, one fact emerged from a Monday night meeting between Berkeley police, city officials and residents: the desire for a police force that is engaged with the community on a day-to-day basis. -more-



Off-Campus Hazing Escalates at Berkeley High

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:44:00 AM

It’s called the case of the “Freshman Fridays” at Berkeley High: seniors tossing eggs at ninth-graders when they leave school or sports practice, sometimes hitting them in the face. -more-



Council Tackles Condo Conversion, Wood Smoke and Recreation Fees

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:45:00 AM

It was a busy, eclectic night at Berkeley City Hall Tuesday, with the Berkeley City Council moving forward on a range of issues, including changing the city’s condominium conversion mitigation fees, establishing citizen nuisance wood smoke abatement procedures, and raising recreation fees. -more-



Features

Downtown Berkeley ‘Urban Shield’ Drill Draws Fire

By Ali Winston Special to the Planet
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:47:00 AM

Friday, Sept. 13, was a typical day for residents of 1910 Oxford St. in Berkeley—except for the commotion of a heavily armed SWAT team racing up the back stairway of a neighboring University building on Berkeley Way. -more-


UC Berkeley Says Fire Hazard Shut Down CampusLink

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:48:00 AM

UC Berkeley shut down the CampusLink terminals at the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union last week because of non-compliance with the fire safety code, university officials said last Wednesday. -more-


Thai Temple Asks Zoning Board to Allow Year-Round Sunday Brunch

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:45:00 AM

Wat Mongkolratanaram will be back Thursday at the Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board meeting to request a use permit modification which will allow the Berkeley Thai Temple to serve its disputed yet exceedingly popular Sunday brunch throughout the year. -more-


Berkeley Double Murder Sparks Police Call for Public Assistance

By Richard Brenneman
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:47:00 AM

Police are calling on the public to help in solving the murders of two men who were gunned down early last Thursday on Derby Street. -more-


Fire Department Log

By Richard Brenneman
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:48:00 AM

RVs roasted -more-


School District Examines Mixed Results For State, Federal Test Scores

By Riya Bhattacharjee
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:49:00 AM

The Berkeley Board of Education recently discussed the 2008 Accountability Progress Report—which provides results from California’s Academic Performance Index (API) as well as the federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and Program Improvement (PI)—with district officials at a public meeting in the City Council Chambers. -more-


Analysis of Regional Ballot Measures

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:49:00 AM

Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District Special Tax Measure VV -more-


Commissioners Add Two New High-Rises To Downtown Plan Environmental Study

By Richard Brenneman
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:50:00 AM

Berkeley Planning Commission members, missing two of their most outspoken dissenters last week, boosted by 50 percent the number of 120-foot buildings to be included in the environmental study for the new downtown plan. -more-


Frugal Foodies Learn the Magic Of Cooking on the Cheap

By Kristin McFarland
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:50:00 AM

Every Tuesday, J. Moses Ceaser invites 10-20 strangers into his home to join him in cooking a sometimes exotic and frequently delicious vegetarian meal. -more-


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Tuesday September 30, 2008 - 12:28:00 PM

Letters to the Editor

Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:59:00 AM

TAXIBUS -more-


The Bailout: Obama’s Biggest Test

By Randy Shaw
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:54:00 AM

One week before Congress was set to adjourn, and seven weeks before a presidential election that could dramatically change national policies, Wall Street and its media allies have decided to grasp another bag of goodies yet from the Bush presidency: a $700 billion taxpayer bailout of the once high-flying financial services industry. That’s right. The same Wall Street players whose greed created our economic crisis now want the taxpayers to pick up the tab. And like the Republican political operatives who went down to Florida in the days following the 2000 election and created an astroturf “base” opposed to a recount, so is Wall Street drumming up a false hysteria that claims that “regular folks” are demanding the bailout’s prompt approval. -more-


In Response to ‘Healing KPFA’

By Shahram Aghamir and Nick Alexander
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:55:00 AM

First of all, we must confess we were a bit puzzled that the authors of the Sept. 18 commentary, “Healing KPFA,” self-identified as “KPFA Staff,” when nearly half the six signatories are actually KPFA Local Station Board members affiliated with the “Concerned Listeners” block, rather than staff members. Furthermore, of the six actual staff signers, five are paid department heads, and not rank and file or unpaid employees. To say the least, a rather skewed sampling of “KPFA staff.” -more-


Why We Should Save All Trees

By Krishna P. Bhattacahrjee
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:56:00 AM

The excellent editorial and the news reports published in the Berkeley Daily Planet on Sept. 17 reminded me, an alumnus of UC Berkeley, of those turmoil years of the 1960s (as referred to in said editorial) when the students fought for their free speech rights. I witnessed how the sit-in demonstrators within the Sproul Hall were thrown out with water jets. And soon Mario Savio, one of the leaders, was arrested. -more-


Help Needed With Berkeley’s Alcohol Problems

By Sarah Rodriguez’G
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:56:00 AM

We were saddened to hear of a student’s death due to the over-use of alcohol on yet another college campus (“Is the Parens Patriae Power Dead at UC Berkeley?” commentary, Sept 18). This is a situation that unfortunately happens far too often in university towns all across the United States. Our culture has led us all to believe that college and alcohol go hand in hand. All one has to do is look at how the density of alcohol outlets increases as you approach the Cal campus. Is this what we want for ourselves, our students, and our community of Berkeley? -more-


New Life for Berkeley High’s Original Gym

By Henrik Bull
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:57:00 AM

The old gymnasium at Berkeley High School was granted national and state landmark status as a historic district in January 2008. Earlier, in July 2007, the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission landmarked the gymnasium. -more-


Berkeley Schools’ API Scores Are Cause for Congratulation

By Michael Mascuch
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:57:00 AM

Berkeley Unified School District students, parents, teachers, administrators, community members, and taxpayers should be commended for their schools’ achievement reflected in the 2007-08 Accountability Progress Report recently released by the state Board of Education. The results tell us that the provisions of Measure A, part of a unique and fruitful partnership between Berkeley schools and their community, are benefiting students. -more-


Why BRT Will Work

By Rob Wrenn
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:58:00 AM

I was amused by Russ Tilleman’s Sept. 18 letter opposing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). To bus riders who are frustrated by the absence of good transit and who want something done about it, he gives a Marie Antoinettish response: Let them drive cars. -more-


Context and Perspective

By Marvin Chachere
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:58:00 AM

This presidential campaign is historic in many respects but as oratory it is not different from others; verbal combat is waged under the dual canopy of context and perspective. -more-


Editorial

The Sky is Falling But We Still Have to Vote

By Becky O’Malley
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:54:00 AM

With the world economy collapsing around our ears and before our eyes, it’s difficult to focus on local level considerations. But focus we must, because the election is upon us. Absentee ballots will be mailed next week. Candidates are amassing war chests and soliciting endorsements. -more-


Columns

Economic Outlook: Stop Congress from Giving Away Your Money

By Richard Hylton
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:51:00 AM

In the latest example of privatizing profit and nationalizing risk, the Bush administration has proposed bailing out Wall Street’s investment houses, hedge funds, and all the commercial banks by giving away $700 billion of taxpayers’ money. The total cost of the ad hoc bailout of financiers may eventually exceed $1 trillion. And the administration’s Treasury secretary, Hank Paulson, says we must give him the power to use this $700 billion any way he sees fit. And, by the way, Congress has to give it to him right now! -more-


Dispatches From The Edge: Dangerous Crises in South Asia

By Conn Hallinan
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:52:00 AM

If most Americans think Iran and Georgia are the two most volatile flashpoints in the world, one can hardly blame them. The possibility that the Bush administration might strike at Teheran’s nuclear facilities has been hinted about for the past two years, and the White House’s pronouncements on Russia seem like Cold War déjà vu. -more-


Undercurrents: On the Army Base Conversion, Oakland Should Pass on Tagami

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:53:00 AM

A little over a year from now, Oakland city staff will recommend—and the Oakland City Council will thereafter make a decision on—the master developer for one of Oakland’s largest and most important development projects in decades: the 108-acre Gateway Project on the old Oakland Army Base. -more-


Green Neighbors: In Praise of the Black Phoebe

By Joe Eaton
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 11:56:00 AM
A black phoebe near its nest at Tilden Regional Park's Little Farm.

The black phoebe is an admirable bird in many ways. What I appreciate most about it is its identifiability. No other California bird is anything like it: small, black with a white belly, short crest, upright posture. This is remarkable in a member of the tyrant flycatcher family, many of whose species are cryptic in the extreme. -more-


About the House: How Much Wire Do You Really Need?

By Matt Cantor
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 11:12:00 AM

I confess to some iconoclastic tendencies. I’m probably more geek than rebel but I certainly don’t like to run with the pack. One way in which this is true is that I’m a big fan of antique wiring. It might seem obvious that very old wiring systems are inherently dangerous but it ain’t necessarily the case. Some of these are in great shape and can serve your need handsomely and some are either inherently inadequate by design or have been ruined by any of the armies of despoilers that roam the country. -more-


Total Recall

By Justin DeFreitas
Monday September 29, 2008 - 06:18:00 PM

Arts Listings

The 17th annual Berkeley Video and Film Festival features its usual eclectic mix of independent cinema, from The Road to Bonneville, a documentary about hot rod racing in the salt flats of Utah, to George Aguilar’s virtual cinema-poems, with avatar Cecil Hervi roaming the world of Second Life, to California King, a simple tale of budding romance in a mattress showroom.

Berkeley Video and Film Festival Showcases the Indie Spirit

By Justin DeFreitas
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 10:16:00 AM

Arts Calendar

Thursday September 25, 2008 - 10:02:00 AM

Martha Toledo Sings at La Peña

By Ken Bullock Special to the Planet
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 10:01:00 AM

Shotgun Players Stage ‘Vera Wilde’ at the Ashby Stage

By Ken Bullock Special to the Planet
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 10:03:00 AM

Books: How Berkeley Changed the World

By Steven Finacom Special to the Planet
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 10:10:00 AM

Books: Useful Advice for Building Sustainable Communities

By Carol Polsgrove Special to the Planet
Thursday September 25, 2008 - 10:12:00 AM

Events Listings

Community Calendar

Thursday September 25, 2008 - 09:51:00 AM

Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

The Sky is Falling But We Still Have to Vote 09-25-2008

Cartoons

Total Recall By Justin DeFreitas 09-29-2008

Public Comment

Letters to the Editor 09-30-2008

Letters to the Editor 09-25-2008

The Bailout: Obama’s Biggest Test By Randy Shaw 09-25-2008

In Response to ‘Healing KPFA’ By Shahram Aghamir and Nick Alexander 09-25-2008

Why We Should Save All Trees By Krishna P. Bhattacahrjee 09-25-2008

Help Needed With Berkeley’s Alcohol Problems By Sarah Rodriguez’G 09-25-2008

New Life for Berkeley High’s Original Gym By Henrik Bull 09-25-2008

Berkeley Schools’ API Scores Are Cause for Congratulation By Michael Mascuch 09-25-2008

Why BRT Will Work By Rob Wrenn 09-25-2008

Context and Perspective By Marvin Chachere 09-25-2008

News

Brazen Room Robbery At Clark Kerr Campus By Richard Brenneman 10-01-2008

Teenage Bank Bandits Busted By Richard Brenneman 09-30-2008

Was McCain A Key Player In Point Molate Casino? By Richard Brenneman 09-29-2008

Cody’s Books Former Employees Charge Bookstore With Contract Violation By Riya Bhattacharjee 09-29-2008

Dellums Proposes Layoffs, Fine Increases, And Possible One-Day Shutdowns To Cut Oakland's Deficit By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 09-27-2008

City Tells Thai Temple, Angry Neighbors To Reach Middle Ground By Riya Bhattacharjee 09-26-2008

Backlog Forces Commissioners To Double Up Planning Meetings By Richard Brenneman 09-26-2008

BRT Proposal Raises Questions, Fewer Answers at Commission By Richard Brenneman 09-25-2008

New Budget Makes Major Cuts to BUSD’S Cost of Living By Riya Bhattacharjee 09-25-2008

Racism Motivated Tree-Sit, Chancellor Tells Donor By Richard Brenneman 09-25-2008

UC Berkeley Fund-Raising Drive Seeks $3 Billion By Richard Brenneman 09-25-2008

Anti-Israel Graffiti Found Near Campus By Riya Bhattacharjee 09-25-2008

Community Crime Meeting Reveals Sharp Tensions By Richard Brenneman 09-25-2008

Off-Campus Hazing Escalates at Berkeley High By Riya Bhattacharjee 09-25-2008

Council Tackles Condo Conversion, Wood Smoke and Recreation Fees By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 09-25-2008

Downtown Berkeley ‘Urban Shield’ Drill Draws Fire By Ali Winston Special to the Planet 09-25-2008

UC Berkeley Says Fire Hazard Shut Down CampusLink By Riya Bhattacharjee 09-25-2008

Thai Temple Asks Zoning Board to Allow Year-Round Sunday Brunch By Riya Bhattacharjee 09-25-2008

Berkeley Double Murder Sparks Police Call for Public Assistance By Richard Brenneman 09-25-2008

Fire Department Log By Richard Brenneman 09-25-2008

School District Examines Mixed Results For State, Federal Test Scores By Riya Bhattacharjee 09-25-2008

Analysis of Regional Ballot Measures By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 09-25-2008

Commissioners Add Two New High-Rises To Downtown Plan Environmental Study By Richard Brenneman 09-25-2008

Frugal Foodies Learn the Magic Of Cooking on the Cheap By Kristin McFarland 09-25-2008

Columns

Economic Outlook: Stop Congress from Giving Away Your Money By Richard Hylton 09-25-2008

Dispatches From The Edge: Dangerous Crises in South Asia By Conn Hallinan 09-25-2008

Undercurrents: On the Army Base Conversion, Oakland Should Pass on Tagami By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 09-25-2008

Green Neighbors: In Praise of the Black Phoebe By Joe Eaton 09-25-2008

About the House: How Much Wire Do You Really Need? By Matt Cantor 09-25-2008

Arts & Events

Berkeley Video and Film Festival Showcases the Indie Spirit By Justin DeFreitas 09-25-2008

Arts Calendar 09-25-2008

Martha Toledo Sings at La Peña By Ken Bullock Special to the Planet 09-25-2008

Shotgun Players Stage ‘Vera Wilde’ at the Ashby Stage By Ken Bullock Special to the Planet 09-25-2008

Books: How Berkeley Changed the World By Steven Finacom Special to the Planet 09-25-2008

Books: Useful Advice for Building Sustainable Communities By Carol Polsgrove Special to the Planet 09-25-2008

About the House: How Much Wire Do You Really Need? By Matt Cantor 09-25-2008

Community Calendar 09-25-2008