WILLARD POOL IS FILLED UP WITH DIRT: A reader reports that "Willard Pool has been filled in. Since it was 'de-funded' the empty, unattended pool was seen as a hazard, and this was the solution." The top picture is his Photoshopped guess at what the site now looks like from a satellite.  The satellite picture he started with is below.
By David Rowland (and Photoshop)
WILLARD POOL IS FILLED UP WITH DIRT: A reader reports that "Willard Pool has been filled in. Since it was 'de-funded' the empty, unattended pool was seen as a hazard, and this was the solution." The top picture is his Photoshopped guess at what the site now looks like from a satellite. The satellite picture he started with is below.

Page One

Lawrence Berkeley Lab's RFQ Points toward Richmond Site Choice

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 05:36:00 PM

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory [LBNL] plans a massive new second campus — including 2 million square feet of buildings up to 3,000 feet long —and they’re looking for a place to put it.

The main LBNL campus, the first of UC Berkeley’s Department of Energy [DOE] laboratories, will remain at its current site in the Berkeley Hills above Strawberry Canyon, while the new campus will consolidate existing labs scattered around the East Bay into a single new site.

Lab officials will pick the final site in June, with construction of the first phase currently set to begin in July 2013, with scientists taken possession of the new facilities in December 2015. -more-



Press Release: UC Faculty Outraged by "The Gilded 36", Worried About Repercussions

From the Berkeley Faculty Association
Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 04:25:00 PM

Nearly 1000 UC faculty and staff have signed a petition to UC President Mark Yudof condemning the demands of the 36 UC executives threatening to sue UC over the pension cap on salaries above $245K. The number of signatories is remarkable given that the petition has been circulating for less than two days and campuses are only slowly reopening after winter break. Approximately 80% of the signatories are faculty. -more-



Press Release: UC Police Report Telegraph Assault Last Thursday

From UC Police Department
Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 04:17:00 PM

On Thursday, December 30, 2010 at approximately 1:15 a.m. two male victims and a few friends, affiliation unknown, were walking on Telegraph from Larry Blakes. At the intersection of Durant and Telegraph one of the victims was approached by an unknown male who stabbed him in the head. One of victim’s male companions intervened and was stabbed in the lower back by the suspect. The suspect and two companions fled the scene on foot. BPD responded to the scene and searched the area for the suspect and his companions but were unable to locate them. BFD treated the victims at the scene for non-life threatening injuries and transported them to a local trauma center. -more-



Oakland's First Chinese-American Mayor Walks Through the City

David Bacon
Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 04:12:00 PM

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan walked through the city on her inauguration day. She is the first Chinese American woman elected mayor. She started at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center in Chinatown. She then stopped at the Asian Resource Gallery, which featured an exhibit of posters curated by Greg Morizumi, from the Third World Strike at the University of California and political movements in the Asian American community since the 1960s. Mayor Quan designed one of the posters in the exhibit, protesting the beating death of Vincent Chin. -more-



Caffe Med Licking Its Wounds After Spate of Recent Violence;
"BabyCott" Sputters

By Ted Friedman
Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 04:09:00 PM

Twas the night before New Year's Eve and the Caffe Mediterraneum on Telegraph Avenue was peacefully licking its wounds after a recent spate of violence and a boycott. -more-



Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 07:41:00 PM

The Oaks Theater is No More! Witch Hunt; Cursed Cell Phones! The Truth about the Tea Party Movement; The New Left; No Need to Close the Warm Pool in June; Clarification -more-


Chase Bank Customer Complains of Mistreatment:
Deposit Missed, Checks Bounced and Worse

By Judy Lackey
Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 04:36:00 PM

My husband and I (Berkeley residents) were recently treated terribly by Chase Bank, as I briefly describe below. I think that this story is of interest to many of your readers because Chase is a new bank in California. We, along with thousands of other Californians, had our Washington Mutual accounts become Chase accounts after the buy-out. I've heard many stories of people being mistreated by Chase, whereas Washington Mutual was known for their customer service -- my husband, a Seattle native, had his Washington Mutual account since he was a child. -more-


“Plant Blight” Update: “Well...if you insist...meddling can be such fun!”

By Robert Brokl
Monday January 03, 2011 - 05:07:00 PM

A recent op ed in the Berkeley Daily Planet recounted how the verdant garden Alfred Crofts and I have tended for a decade at a nearby rental property aroused the ire of a neighbor who reported us for “blight”, resulting in steep fines. Since then, we’ve continued research--talking to other victims of the blight ordinance and pursuing an as yet-incomplete Public Records Act search of our file over Community and Economic Development (CEDA) stonewalling. We found a neighbor who had to spend $10,000 replacing shingles because some were “cracked.”

At the pocketbook level, we’re now out over $1300 in fines and a lien was placed on the property despite the payment. Our appeal dated Dec. 3, reviewed in-house by the CEDA Building Services Dept., was denied without comment or explanation Dec. 9. We were charged an additional $113 for their effort, and expect another charge for the “billing dispute” denial, both of which we were told to file to keep our appeal alive. The only options left to us now are small claims court or other legal action. And under the “two strikes” bite of the blight ordinance, we are vulnerable to the same fees for the next two years! -more-


Grandma Bev Defies Union-Busting at Summit Hospital

By Paul Rockwell
Monday January 03, 2011 - 07:05:00 PM

I am sitting at a table in the Summit Hospital cafeteria in Oakland, California. Beverly Griffith, a spirited African-American grandparent who worked for 32 years in the Summit EVS (Housekeeping) department, taps my arm. “See that security guard at the table? He’s watching us. SEIU gets Security to follow me.” -more-


Pepper Spray Times

Grace Underpressure
Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 06:58:00 PM

Editor's Note: The latest issue of the Pepper Spray Times is now available. -more-


Obituaries

Jean Benson Wilkinson
November 24, 1914 - December 28, 2010

By Tony Wilkinson and Jo Wilkinson
Monday January 03, 2011 - 07:13:00 PM

Jean Benson Wilkinson, a longtime defender of civil liberties and beloved teacher, passed away at the age of 96 in Berkeley, California, on December 28 surrounded by her loving family. Jean was a California native with deep Bay Area roots whose life embodied almost a century of the state's history. She was a pioneering teacher who believed in allowing high school students to grapple with controversial issues and a civil liberties advocate who, with her husband, stood up for their belief in the constitutional protection of free speech in the face of the McCarthy-era HUAC and the State Committee on Un-American Activities–and paid a high cost. Jean was an active member of the teachers union, an advocate for academic freedom, women's history and multi-cultural education. -more-


Editorial

"The Future Lies Ahead"--But What Does It Hold?

By Becky O'Malley
Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 05:49:00 PM

“The Future Lies Ahead.”

As the year turns the temptation to consider this topic, time-honored at hundreds of thousands of high school graduations, becomes irresistible. And the break in routine provided by the winter holidays made it possible to read other writers’ speculations on the topic, particularly what’s being opined about the future of what is loosely called journalism. -more-


Columns

2010 Dispatches From the Edge Awards

By Conn Hallinan
Monday January 03, 2011 - 07:37:00 PM

Each year the column Dispatches From The Edge awards news stories and newsmakers that fall under the category of “Are you serious?” Here are 2010’s winners. -more-


The Public Eye: 2010 “Person” of the Year: The US Supreme Court

By Bob Burnett
Monday January 03, 2011 - 05:14:00 PM

It’s difficult to look beyond the tumult of current events and ask, “what happened this year that will be remembered ten, twenty, or fifty years from now?” However, there was one 2010 event that, in terms of its long-term impact, loomed above the others, the Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court Decision. -more-


The Public Eye: 2010: America Held Hostage

By Bob Burnett
Monday January 03, 2011 - 05:04:00 PM

If you were out of the United States for most of the year, or rely upon the mainstream media for all your “information,” you missed the big news of 2010: we’re having a class war and greed is winning. To get their way, the rich are holding working Americans hostage. -more-


Ecletic Rant: Facebook and Privacy

By Ralph E. Stone
Monday January 03, 2011 - 05:33:00 PM

I am not here to bash Facebook. (Did I hear Mark Zuckerberg’s sigh of relief?) However, I do want to sound a note of caution to present and future Facebook users. -more-


Senior Power: “Graying prisons,” early release, and ‘assisted living’

By Helen Rippier Wheeler
Monday January 03, 2011 - 05:01:00 PM

The U.S. prison population grew from over 319,000 in 1980 to nearly 1.5 million in 2005. Elderly inmates represent the fastest growing segment of federal and state prisons.Conservative estimates suggest that this population now represents 33%, reflecting the general aging of society. -more-


On Mental Health: Adequate Housing Is An Inalienable Right

By Jack Bragen
Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 04:38:00 PM

Affordable, safe, accessible, clean housing should be provided for all persons with major mental illnesses, across the board. This is an area that creates numerous and persistent problems for those who are economically and otherwise affected by having these psychiatric diseases. -more-


Cartoon Page: Odd Bodkins, BOUNCE

Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 04:00:00 PM

Arts & Events

Around & About—Theater & the Performing Arts ...

By Ken Bullock
Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 05:08:00 PM

Looking back on a year of theater, a few moments spring to mind, more than a view of the whole of what took place ... The last scene, especially, in Central Works' Penelope's Odyssey, with Terry Lamb's outrageous portrait of the wily Odysseus as a raucous drunk, retailing war stories, capper to a collaborative show that displayed, once again, what makes that little company unique—and plucky. Jan Zvaifler, Leontyne Mbele-Mbong, Matt Lai all played at the top of their game—as did director John Patrick Moore, playwright-lighting designer Gary Graves, soundman Greg Scharpen and costumer Tammy Berlin. In the same room at the City Club, Just Theater produced a very contemporary rendering of the Arabian Nights, Jason Grote's '1001', which also showed the theatricality a small company could create onstage with limited means, in many ways more artistically successful than more lavish stagings locally of the same material. -more-


Arts Listings

Stage-San Francisco Through January 16

Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 07:43:00 PM

Readings-East Bay Through January 16

Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 07:42:00 PM

Stage-East Bay Through January 16

Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 07:42:00 PM

Professional Dance-East Bay Through January 16

Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 07:41:00 PM

Classical Music-San Francisco Through January 16

Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 07:34:00 PM

Classical Music-East Bay Through January 16

Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 07:15:00 PM

Popmusic-East Bay Through January 16

Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 07:40:00 PM

Events Listings

Outdoors-East Bay Through January 16

Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 07:40:00 PM

Museums-San Francisco Through January 16

Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 07:39:00 PM

Kids-East Bay Through January 16

Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 07:38:00 PM

Museums-East Bay Through January 16

Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 07:38:00 PM

General-East Bay Through January 16

Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 07:37:00 PM

Highlights-East Bay Through January 16

Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 07:37:00 PM

Exhibits-San Francisco Through January 16

Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 07:36:00 PM

Exhibits-East Bay Through January 16

Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 07:35:00 PM

Dance-East Bay Through January 16

Tuesday January 04, 2011 - 07:35:00 PM

Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

"The Future Lies Ahead"--But What Does It Hold? 01-04-2011

Cartoons

Cartoon Page: Odd Bodkins, BOUNCE 01-04-2011

Public Comment

Letters to the Editor 01-04-2011

Chase Bank Customer Complains of Mistreatment:
Deposit Missed, Checks Bounced and Worse
By Judy Lackey 01-04-2011

“Plant Blight” Update: “Well...if you insist...meddling can be such fun!” By Robert Brokl 01-03-2011

Grandma Bev Defies Union-Busting at Summit Hospital By Paul Rockwell 01-03-2011

Pepper Spray Times Grace Underpressure 01-04-2011

News

Lawrence Berkeley Lab's RFQ Points toward Richmond Site Choice By Richard Brenneman 01-04-2011

Press Release: UC Faculty Outraged by "The Gilded 36", Worried About Repercussions From the Berkeley Faculty Association 01-04-2011

Press Release: UC Police Report Telegraph Assault Last Thursday From UC Police Department 01-04-2011

Oakland's First Chinese-American Mayor Walks Through the City David Bacon 01-04-2011

Caffe Med Licking Its Wounds After Spate of Recent Violence;
"BabyCott" Sputters
By Ted Friedman 01-04-2011

Jean Benson Wilkinson
November 24, 1914 - December 28, 2010
By Tony Wilkinson and Jo Wilkinson 01-03-2011

Columns

2010 Dispatches From the Edge Awards By Conn Hallinan 01-03-2011

The Public Eye: 2010 “Person” of the Year: The US Supreme Court By Bob Burnett 01-03-2011

The Public Eye: 2010: America Held Hostage By Bob Burnett 01-03-2011

Ecletic Rant: Facebook and Privacy By Ralph E. Stone 01-03-2011

Senior Power: “Graying prisons,” early release, and ‘assisted living’ By Helen Rippier Wheeler 01-03-2011

On Mental Health: Adequate Housing Is An Inalienable Right By Jack Bragen 01-04-2011

Arts & Events

Stage-San Francisco Through January 16 01-04-2011

Readings-East Bay Through January 16 01-04-2011

Stage-East Bay Through January 16 01-04-2011

Professional Dance-East Bay Through January 16 01-04-2011

Classical Music-San Francisco Through January 16 01-04-2011

Classical Music-East Bay Through January 16 01-04-2011

Popmusic-East Bay Through January 16 01-04-2011

Around & About—Theater & the Performing Arts ... By Ken Bullock 01-04-2011

Outdoors-East Bay Through January 16 01-04-2011

Museums-San Francisco Through January 16 01-04-2011

Kids-East Bay Through January 16 01-04-2011

Museums-East Bay Through January 16 01-04-2011

General-East Bay Through January 16 01-04-2011

Highlights-East Bay Through January 16 01-04-2011

Exhibits-San Francisco Through January 16 01-04-2011

Exhibits-East Bay Through January 16 01-04-2011

Dance-East Bay Through January 16 01-04-2011