BART Unions Vote to Strike
Two of BART’s three largest unions have voted to authorize a strike, but BART spokesman Linton Johnson said today that “it’s outrageous to even talk about a strike in these economic times.” -more-
Two of BART’s three largest unions have voted to authorize a strike, but BART spokesman Linton Johnson said today that “it’s outrageous to even talk about a strike in these economic times.” -more-
More than 200 seniors and disabled citizens rallied at the San Francisco Civic Center Tuesday to protest cuts to social, elder and disability services, which they said would force them from their homes and into institutions. -more-
The Berkeley Board of Education approved more budget reductions at a board meeting Wednesday in response to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s May revision to the state budget. -more-
In a push to reduce drug and alcohol use by Berkeley’s public school students, the Berkeley Unified School District will collaborate with the City of Berkeley government to form a committee by September to address the issue. -more-
Housing, West Berkeley and signs will be on the minds and lips of planning commissioners when they meet for their final June meeting Wednesday night, June 24. -more-
One of two men accused of murder for the 2006 death of a man who succumbed to a gunshot wound shortly after stumbling to the door of a University of California at Berkeley sorority house has pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, a prosecutor said today. -more-
The Berkeley Board of Education will seek input from Berkeley High School before crafting any kind of policy seeking to reform its School Governance Council. -more-
A Berkeley Board of Education policy subcommittee was scheduled to recommend realigning Berkeley High School’s Governance Council to make it more consistent with that of the district’s K-8 public schools at the board’s meeting, which took place yesterday, Wednesday, June 17, after the Planet went to print. A report on the meeting can be found at berkeleydailyplanet.com. -more-
Facing a $177.6 million funding gap for the upcoming fiscal year, Alameda County Administrator Susan Muranishi has proposed a $2.4 billion county budget that makes severe cuts across all levels of county services. -more-
At Wednesday’s Berkeley Board of Education meeting, about 20 Berkeley High School students protested what they called campus racism. -more-
The Zoning Adjustments Board approved a use permit for a new facility for the Berkeley Animal Shelter Thursday, June 11. -more-
The unique igloo-domed Bevatron building at UC Berkeley is coming down, the closing chapter in a political battle between city activists and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). -more-
As plazas go, Walter Hood’s design was a great one, Berkeley planning commissioners seemed to agree last week. -more-
The state Supreme Court Wednesday rejected a challenge to Berkeley Unified School District’s student assignment plan, upholding a March appellate court decision and paving the way for other school districts to replicate it. -more-
With changes in West Berkeley zoning rules on the Planning Commission’s slate, residents of the area say they want a seat at the stakeholders’ table. -more-
What began as a heated confrontation ended with qualified applause for the state’s top environmental cop during last week’s meeting of the citizen panel advising the state about the cleanup of toxic sites in South Richmond. -more-
The Berkeley City Council is expected to give final approval to its 2010 and 2011 biennial budget at its meeting on Tuesday, June 23, although “final” is a relative term in the current economic times. With continued certainty that a final state budget package will include reductions in state revenue coming to Berkeley—as well as uncertainty over how much and in what areas—the council is expected to come back after the summer break to make adjustments after the full economic situation is known. -more-
Members of the Port of Oakland’s Board of Commissioners put off the toughest decision on the controversial BART Oakland Airport Connector (OAC) project for another day, agreeing on Tuesday, June 16, to apply for federal funds for the project but adding a provision to study a rapid bus alternative. -more-
Alameda County public health officials announced the county’s second swine flu death Thursday. A middle-aged man who had been hospitalized for pre-existing health conditions died two days after the first death was reported. -more-
Calling the current budget crisis “the most difficult financial situation that we have ever encountered in our university careers,” University of California Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost George Breslauer said this week in a general letter addressed to the campus community that the university is facing severe program and personnel cutbacks for the 2009-10 academic year. -more-
GUTSY INVESTIGATION -more-
Terry Kalahar’s job title as a City of Berkeley employee—Assistant Men-tal Health Clinician—tells you little about his job. You are likely to see him arrive at work in jeans, flannel shirt, heavy shoes, helmeted on his bicycle, which he parks inside a shared windowless office at one of the city’s senior centers. -more-
I found the Daily Planet’s in-depth coverage (June 4th edition) of the organized campaign to “reform” your newspaper or drive it out of business thought-provoking, disturbing, and a reflection of the conservative and fearful times we live in. -more-
There are some shocking and disturbing misconceptions among some humans in Berkeley that desperately need to be debunked, among them: that any type of development is progress, no matter how inappropriate and ill-conceived; that Berkeley residents get special favors to protect them from said development; that Berkeley residents mysteriously do not have a right to participate in the process, that it is our responsibility to “get out of the way.” -more-
A couple of sort-of-newby sort-of-techies have started a blog where others similarly situated have been pooling their enthusiasms for the many virtues of their new home in Berkeley. You can find out, for example, that there are 10 restaurants within walking distance of College and Ashby that are pretty darn good, and (there’s a connection) that houses in Elmwood (near the same corner) are pretty darn pricey. By and large, their excitement is sweetly touching, kind of like kids at Christmas. Santa’s left all this great stuff for us! -more-
Five months after his inauguration, Barack Obama has finished his honeymoon period. Republicans attacked the president from day one, now there’s indication of pushback from Democrats, too. -more-
Expressions of relief and joy from supporters of Don Perata were both understandable, expected, and proper in the wake of the decision by the United States Attorney’s office to drop their years-long corruption investigation of the former California State Senate President. Had an indictment gone forward, Mr. Perata faced, at the worst, possible jail time and heavy fines if convicted and, at the least, the end of any plans to run for mayor of Oakland in 2010. This is not a “full vindication” or “a complete affirmation … that I’ve acted appropriately in both my professional life and my career in public service,” as Mr. Perata asserted in a statement released immediately after the announcement, since U.S. attorneys—or federal juries, for that matter—cannot prove innocence of charges, they can only prove and decide guilt. Until then, by U.S. law, innocence is presumed, and needs no proof. Still, this is an enormous victory for Mr. Perata, and he and his supporters have earned the right to gloat. -more-
Some books change the way you see the world. Parasite Rex, by Carl Zimmer, was one of those for me—an account of life and evolution from a parasite’s perspective. (Marlene Zuk’s more recent Riddled with Life is also recommended.) One of the things I took away from it was how finely tuned host-parasite relationships can be. Many parasites, like the brown pelican pouch louse, are found only on a specific body part of a single host species. -more-
Villa Grimaldi: Archaeology of Memory in Three Cantos, a documentary film by Berkeley producer and director Marilyn Mulford, follows Bay Area Chilean exile musician and writer Quique Cruz, traveling to Chile and back as he creates the multimedia masterwork of the title. The film—a healing task for Cruz and the other contributing artists, some of whom were victims of torture under the Pinochet regime—will be screened tonight, Thursday, June 18, at 7 p.m., and followed by a question-and-answer period with the filmmaker. The program is the latest in the Berkeley Filmmakers Screening Series, which is shown on the third Thursday of every month at the Saul Zaentz Media Center, in the third-floor screening room at the old Fantasy Films and Records Building, 2600 Tenth Street, where Fantasy Studios remains part of the community. -more-
The late Junius Courtney, trumpeter and vocalist, came west to Berkeley from New Orleans in 1945, founding a number of East Bay combos that broke the color bar. He played society and country club functions before establishing his Big Band in 1966, which long remained a staple at the Shattuck Hotel. Courtney Big Band veteran trumpeter and arranger George “Jazzbeaux” Spencer (also formerly with John Handy and Johnny Otis) now directs the band with the founder’s son, Nat Courtney, on drums and occasional vocals. SF Jazz Heritage Hall of Fame inductee trumpeter Frank Fisher, Cal Tjader alumnus Terry Hilliard on bass, and longtime Courtney pianist Roberta Mandel count for just a few of the 18-member veteran orchestra that makes its long overdue Yoshi’s debut. Bay Area favorite Denise Perrier sings. Monday evening, June 22, at 8 p.m. for The Arrangers’ Showcase. $14. 238-9200; www.yoshis. com. -more-
I’m not sure how Led Zeppelin is going to sound to me when I’m 80 but I’m determined to find out. I really don’t mind the idea of getting older. Well, maybe I do mind some of the changes in my body, like my gradual waning of flexibility, the loss of my close-up vision and having to get up too often at night. Aging is annoying but I have no desire to be 14 again. I was miserable. I didn’t like myself. I had few friends and the world seemed terrifying. Age has opened my life more and more and the price of the trip is more than worth it. I understand that I will lose more and more of the capabilities that I used to take for granted but oh well. Better prepare for the road ahead. -more-
What’s Wrong With Downtown Berkeley, and How to Fix It 06-18-2009
Obsessed With Israel By Justin DeFreitas 06-18-2009
Letters to the Editor 06-18-2009
Readers Respond to ‘The Campaign Against the Daily Planet’ 06-18-2009
Helping Berkeley’s Aging Homeless By Judy Turiel 06-18-2009
A Challenge to an Open, Public, In-Person Discussion By Richard Fabry 06-18-2009
United We Stand: Doing It the Berkeley Way By Regan Richardson 06-18-2009
BART Unions Vote to Strike Bay City News 06-24-2009
Seniors, Disabled Take to Streets in SF to Protest State Budget Cuts By Riya Bhattacharjee 06-23-2009
More Cuts On the Way for School District, Adult Education By Riya Bhattacharjee 06-22-2009
School District Convenes Committee to Address Drug, Alcohol Use at Berkeley High By Riya Bhattacharjee 06-20-2009
West Berkeley, Housing, Signs Top Planning Commission Slate By Richard Brenneman 06-19-2009
Man Pleads Guilty to Voluntary Manslaughter for 2006 Homicide Bay City News 06-19-2009
School Board Asks Berkeley High to Weigh in on School Governance Reform By Riya Bhattacharjee 06-18-2009
Parent Complaints Prompt Berkeley High School Governance Realignment By Riya Bhattacharjee 06-18-2009
County Supes Look for Ways to Close Budget Gap By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 06-18-2009
Students Protest Racism on Berkeley High School Campus By Riya Bhattacharjee 06-18-2009
Berkeley Animal Shelter Gets a New Home By Riya Bhattacharjee 06-18-2009
Bevatron Demolition Underway By Richard Brenneman 06-18-2009
Commissioners Praise Plan for Center Street Pedestrian Plaza By Richard Brenneman 06-18-2009
State Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Berkeley’s Assignment Plan By Riya Bhattacharjee 06-18-2009
West Berkeley Zoning Changes Stir Neighbor Concerns By Richard Brenneman 06-18-2009
Richmond Toxic Oversight Panel Gets Mixed Message From State By Richard Brenneman 06-18-2009
Council to Vote on Final Budget June 23 By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 06-18-2009
Port Agrees to Seek Airport Connector Money By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 06-18-2009
Alameda County Reports Second Swine Flu Death By Riya Bhattacharjee 06-18-2009
Chancellor Warns of Hiring Freeze, Program and Wage Cuts for UCB By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 06-18-2009
Fire Dept. Log 06-18-2009
More Juneteenth Photos By Richard Brenneman 06-18-2009
Clarification, Corrections 06-18-2009
The Public Eye: Obama’s Honeymoon is Over By Bob Burnett 06-18-2009
UnderCurrents: Don Perata Sets His Sights on Oakland By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor 06-18-2009
Wild Neighbors: Parasites Regained: The Case of the Beaver Mites By Joe Eaton 06-18-2009
About the House: Aging In Place By Matt Cantor 06-18-2009
Arts Calendar 06-18-2009
Jericho Road at the Hella Fresh Theater By Ken Bullock Special to the Planet 06-18-2009
La Fête de la Musique in Oakland By Ken Bullock Special to the Planet 06-18-2009
2009: A Space Oddity By Gar Smith Special to the Planet 06-18-2009
Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus By Ken Bullock Special to the Planet 06-18-2009
‘Villa Grimaldi’: a Film of Art and Exile By Ken Bullock Special to the Planet 06-18-2009
Around the East Bay: Courtney Big Band at Yoshi's 06-18-2009
About the House: Aging In Place By Matt Cantor 06-18-2009
Community Calendar 06-18-2009