A bulldozer removes trees and shrubs in Berkeley's People's Park.
Carol Denney
A bulldozer removes trees and shrubs in Berkeley's People's Park.

Extra

Fire Investigators Seeking Cause of Three-Alarm Berkeley Hills Blaze

By Bay City News
Thursday December 29, 2011 - 10:01:00 AM

Fire investigators today are returning to the scene of a three-alarm blaze that badly damaged two homes in the Berkeley hills on Wednesday night, a Berkeley fire official said.

The fire was reported at 8:32 p.m. in the 1000 block of Miller Avenue, near Grizzly Peak Boulevard. Firefighters arrived to find two homes burning and called for a second-alarm response, Deputy Fire Chief Gil Dong said. -more-


UC Berkeley's Union Gardeners Not Part of People's Park Bulldozing (Comment)

By Hank Chapot
Thursday December 29, 2011 - 09:57:00 AM

I want to point out that the work at People's Park was carried out by a private company, not UC gardeners. While the University cuts the grounds department budget mercilessly, they contract out more and more of the landscaping(and other maintenance) work. Thus, reasonably paid unionized positions are cut and non-union companies are brought in to do the dirty work. And, if rats are the issue, they can start with the fat and healthy rat population in Sproul Plaza. -more-


Flash: UC Berkeley Bulldozes People's Park to Make It More "Sanitary".

By Carol Denney and Planet
Wednesday December 28, 2011 - 03:37:00 PM

Bulldozers ploughed through the west end of People’s Park today turning decades of community garden into rubble. Dozens of police watched as crews tossed mountains of healthy plants and a community-built arbor into dumpsters, leaving behind stripped earth. -more-



Page One

Two Men Injured in Berkeley Shooting

By Jeff Shuttleworth (BCN)
Friday December 23, 2011 - 10:19:00 PM

Two men were hospitalized with gunshot wounds after being shot near the intersection of Sacramento and Woolsey streets in Berkeley around 12:40 p.m. today, according to police. -more-



Updated: Goodbye, and Good Riddance (?) to Camp Occupy Berkeley

By Ted Friedman
Friday December 23, 2011 - 05:10:00 PM
Thursday After eviction the night before, this is a section of the "main camp."

Police said they'd enforce no-camping restrictions in Civic Center Park, but they didn't say when. When has since come and gone—and so has the encampment. Goodbye, and good riddance?

Twenty-five Occupy addicts, and some curiosity-seekers showed up at Thursday's general assembly, in Civic Center Park, to debate responses to the city's take-down of the camp. Many denounced the troubled camp, but some supported it.

One Occupier tried to rally the GA to march across the street to the Berkeley police station, but had to do so, himself. After 10 minutes, he returned—a man without a crowd.

The GA was disrupted repeatedly, as police staged a ten-man mop-up operation of the few remaining tents in the now barren and soggy park, as sprinklers tried to save the life of a trampled lawn. -more-



Press Release: District Court Rules Against Jewish Student Allegations, in Favor of UC Berkeley

By Public Affairs, UC Berkeley
Friday December 23, 2011 - 10:18:00 PM

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California dismissed a lawsuit this week that claimed UC Berkeley had interfered with the speech and religious rights of Jewish students. The suit, Felber v. Yudof, was brought by one present and one former student and asserted that UC Berkeley failed to prevent anti-Israel demonstrations on campus. -more-



ALERT: To Those Who Lost Possessions at Civic Center Park

Saturday December 24, 2011 - 09:11:00 AM

According to Berkeley Police, property confiscated from Civic Center Park can be returned at 2nd and Harrison St., Tuesday and Thursday 12-4p.m., next week, and Berkeley Mental Health thereafter. People seeking more information should call the police at 981-5900. -more-



ALERT: To Those Who Lost Possessions at Civic Center Park

Friday December 23, 2011 - 10:22:00 PM

According to Berkeley Police, property confiscated from Civic Center Park can be returned at 2nd and Harrison St., Tuesday and Thursday 12-4p.m., next week, and Berkeley Mental Health thereafter. People seeking more information should call the police at 981-5900. -more-



Editorial

Don't Bother Waiting for the One Percent to Shape Up--Here in Berkeley It's a DIY Holiday

By Becky O'Malley
Friday December 23, 2011 - 02:24:00 PM

Being out and about in Berkeley in the week before Christmas provides a good window on the world in 2011. A lot of fuss has been made, rightly so, about the major divide between the 1% super-rich and the 99% others, but the old distinction of the haves versus the have-nots is still valid.

Berkeley has recently been certified as the center of this split. We have the biggest gap between the rich and the poor of any city in the Bay Area.

Of course, the simple explanation is that we’re the rich city most tolerant of also including some less-well-off residents, which can be construed as being praiseworthy. We’ve even had a historic commitment (now in the process of being breached) to adding a few less expensive units to our luxury condo developments and plush mini-dorm rentals which are being constructed downtown for U.C. students.

But by and large, the retail stores you see if you try to Shop Local are comfortable accommodations for the carriage trade, for people who don’t have to sweat the disposition of their purchasing dollars. Even our student population, once considered low-income, is increasingly drawn from more privileged segments because costs have gotten so high. -more-


Columns

DISPATCHES FROM THE EDGE: Obama’s Dangerous Asia “Pivot”

By Conn Hallinan
Friday December 23, 2011 - 01:08:00 PM

“On his recent trip to Asia Pacific, the President made it clear that the centerpiece of this strategy includes an intensified American role in this vital region,” Financial Times Nov. 28, 2011 —Tom Donilon, President Barak Obama’s national security advisor -more-


WILD NEIGHBORS; The Feeder Log

By Joe Eaton
Friday December 23, 2011 - 02:21:00 PM
Young male Townsend's warbler, a suet fancier.

We’ve been getting a lot of traffic and a rewarding variety of species at the bird feeders this fall. Or maybe it’s just the observer effect, influenced by the late onset of the rains. In any case, it’s been a good opportunity to watch bird behavior up close while waiting for the drier cycle to finish. -more-


THE PUBLIC EYE: A Christmas Carol for 2011

By Bob Burnett
Friday December 23, 2011 - 12:40:00 PM

It’s been 168 years since Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol to illustrate the horrific living conditions of the English poor and promote the true nature of Christmas. If Dickens were still alive, he’d be compelled to update his tale. -more-


SENIOR POWER: Getting there’s half the fun…

By Helen Rippier Wheeler
Friday December 23, 2011 - 12:58:00 PM

Some states license older drivers but apply restrictions. Restriction numero uno on senior drivers is vision-related. It usually requires the driver to wear glasses or corrective contact lenses. Other common restrictions include using adequate support to ensure a proper driving position, no freeway driving, no driving without a right side mirror, no nighttime driving. A time of day restriction such as no driving during rush hour traffic is also possible. Only Illinois requires senior drivers to take a road test regularly. -more-


Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

Don't Bother Waiting for the One Percent to Shape Up--Here in Berkeley It's a DIY Holiday 12-23-2011

The Editor's Back Fence

Making a Mess Even Messier: Evicting Occupy Berkeley 12-21-2011

Cartoons

Bounce: Good Vanities By Joseph Young 12-21-2011

Odd Bodkins: Santa By Dan O'Neill 12-21-2011

Public Comment

New: Occupy Berkeley: Where It is Now By Thomas Lord 12-21-2011

New: Bill Bahou and the Roxie Deli Need Your Help By Donna Mickelson 12-20-2011

New: Vandals Paste Gingrich Quote on Berkeley Rabbi's Home By Rabbi Michael Lerner 12-20-2011

Oil Company Advertisements and the Propagation of Malaise By Jack Bragen 12-20-2011

Judging the Monterey Market: Another Point of View By Ruchama Burrell 12-20-2011

Judging the Monterey Market By Jordan Rosenberg 12-20-2011

News

Fire Investigators Seeking Cause of Three-Alarm Berkeley Hills Blaze By Bay City News 12-29-2011

UC Berkeley's Union Gardeners Not Part of People's Park Bulldozing (Comment) By Hank Chapot 12-29-2011

Flash: UC Berkeley Bulldozes People's Park to Make It More "Sanitary". By Carol Denney and Planet 12-28-2011

Two Men Injured in Berkeley Shooting By Jeff Shuttleworth (BCN) 12-23-2011

Updated: Goodbye, and Good Riddance (?) to Camp Occupy Berkeley By Ted Friedman 12-23-2011

Press Release: District Court Rules Against Jewish Student Allegations, in Favor of UC Berkeley By Public Affairs, UC Berkeley 12-23-2011

ALERT: To Those Who Lost Possessions at Civic Center Park 12-24-2011

ALERT: To Those Who Lost Possessions at Civic Center Park 12-23-2011

Earthquake Hits Berkeley Tonight By Bay City News 12-22-2011

Updated: Impending Eviction at Occupy Berkeley on Hold, as Occupiers Scatter By Ted Friedman 12-22-2011

A You Tube Video Depicts Police Action Last Night 12-22-2011

Some Occupy Berkeley Campers Stay Despite Police Eviction Notice By Sasha Lekach (BCN) 12-22-2011

Berkeley Occupiers Defiant Wednesday Night, as Berkeley Police March Into Camp to Distribute Shelter Information By Ted Friedman 12-21-2011

Press Release: Berkeley Police Statement on the Situation at Occupy Berkeley Site From Sgt. Mary Kusmiss, Public Information Officer, City of Berkeley Police Department 12-21-2011

Updated: Berkeley Police Threaten to Evict Occupy Berkeley Encampment Tonight--Councilmembers Not Consulted 12-21-2011

Berkeley Holiday Street Fair Survives Closure by Ghost of the Sequoia By Ted Friedman 12-18-2011

St. John's Church Carols for Occupy Berkeley By Mark Coplan 12-20-2011

Up-arming the Movies By Gar Smith 12-20-2011

Columns

DISPATCHES FROM THE EDGE: Obama’s Dangerous Asia “Pivot” By Conn Hallinan 12-23-2011

WILD NEIGHBORS; The Feeder Log By Joe Eaton 12-23-2011

THE PUBLIC EYE: A Christmas Carol for 2011 By Bob Burnett 12-23-2011

SENIOR POWER: Getting there’s half the fun… By Helen Rippier Wheeler 12-23-2011

DISPATCHES FROM THE EDGE: Gingrich, The Times & Doomsday By Conn Hallinan 12-13-2011