A team of five art experts walked along Addison Street from Milvia Street to Shattuck Avenue last Monday afternoon, scanning the streetscape to develop plans for embedding art in the sidewalks. 

They were in the first stages of determining where to place the works of eight Berkeley artists recently selected by the Berkeley Civic Arts Commission to design art for the Addison Streetscape Project. 

The underfoot art will be created in a range of materials and textures in panels of varying sizes that meet structural, aesthetic and disability standards. It will include sections of thick glass, blue ceramic tiles, and concrete laced with rusted steel and stone. 

The entire block, which constitutes the Downtown Arts District, will display art in the sidewalk. A serpentine concrete ribbon, contrasting in color from the sidewalks, will tie in all the elements. 

This visual and tactile art will accompany the expansion of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, whose new 600-plus seat house will help solidify the theater as the Arts District anchor. 

Another theater venue will join the neighborhood when the Aurora Theater Company moves to a new home in the Kress Building on the corner of Shattuck and Addison. Its entrance will be in the landmark Golden Sheaf Bakery building on Addison next to the Kress Building. 

The music dimension arrives via The Freight and Salvage Coffee House, which is buying the old Stadium Garage with financial assistance from the city. The Capoeira Arts Café already provides a Brazilian dance studio. 

“We want to make it an environment, not just a destination,” said Mary Ann Merker-Benton, civic arts coordinator. 

People can experience different art techniques, so the street becomes a living area, she said. The city is making a major statement on this street, she said, and turning the whole sidewalk into a work of art is part of the very ambitious project. 

“I think we’re creating an environment for people to be surprised,” said Susan Medak, managing director of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. 

A huge portion of the street’s footpad art will be literary. Robert Haas, an English professor at UC Berkeley and former poet laureate of the United States, is editing and selecting poems to be placed in squares near the sidewalk edges. 

He is selecting poems that bear some relationship to life in Berkeley and evoke a sense of place, said Michael Caplan, the city’s economic development coordinator for downtown. 

Caplan said the material for the 2-foot by 2-foot squares has not yet been determined, but the poetry excerpts may be cast in bronze or etched in stone, ceramic material or glass or a combination of several media. 

The current sidewalks on the block will be removed and the poetry squares and the 12 art panels will be embedded in new sidewalks after construction work on the street is completed, probably spring of next year. 

Last Monday afternoon, the Public Art Team along with Merker-Benton stood outside the Capoeira Arts Café, looking at the construction site of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. 

Landscape architect John Roberts said its façade would contain large panels of glass and the effect would be “very light.” 

Scott Donahue, an Emeryville public artist and a consultant for the Addison Streetscape project, said it might make sense to match glass (sidewalk art panels) with glass. 

The team had only recently seen the samples of the sidewalk art, and their job is to make the best aesthetic placement possible. 

Questions they needed to answer include determining how the art relates to the buildings next to it, the themes expressed in nearby poetry squares and the other art panels on the street. 

“I think we should honor the artists’ work as much as possible,” said Merker-Benton. “They put their heart and soul into it.” 

With a background in painting and mixed media, Merker-Benton has been the city’s civic arts coordinator for two years. 

She was hired to establish a Public Arts program using Measure S bond issue funding, and in that role her job is to keep politics and art separate. She said she came in when the groundwork for public art here already was established. At the city’s request she wrote a new ordinance requiring the city to contribute 1 1/2 percent of the cost of each new structure it builds to public art. 

The California Association of Local Arts Agencies has chosen Berkeley as a model project by including the entire call for artists as an example in the city’s tool kit sent to l00 cities throughout the state in cooperation with the California League of Cities. 

“Art is now recognized as playing a very important role in the revitalization of cities,” she said. 

People come to California for the geography and the culture, she said, describing the opposites of opera and Yosemite and the effect of tourism on local economies. 

Caplan said the conception for the Arts District emerged from many conversations among city planners who realized they already had the anchor component in the Berkeley Rep.

Monday, May 15 

Acupuncture and Chinese herbology 

1:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Free Copwatch Class 

6 p.m. 

Copwatch office, 2022 Blake St. 

Learn about police accountability, your rights when dealing with the police and how to stop police brutality. Sponsored by Berkeley Copwatch. 

510-548-0425 

Write Your Own Story 

7:30-9:15 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 

Published poet and journalist Reuben Halpern will lead this workshop on writing your own stories, including poetry, short stories, diary or prose. This series continues through May 22. 

510-848-0237, ext. 128 

Tuesday, May 16 

Berkeley police answer seniors’ questions 

11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Free computer class for seniors 

1-4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

510-644-6109 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2-7 p.m. 

Derby Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

510-548-3333 

Berkeley Living Wage Demonstration 

6:30 p.m. 

Old City Hall, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

Activists will hold a demonstration before the City Council meeting to show their support for a Living Wage Ordinance for Berkeley. 

City Council meeting 

7 p.m. 

Council Chambers, Old City Hall, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

“What Makes You Laugh?” 

7-9 p.m. 

Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut Ave. 

This is a discussion group that is open to everyone regardless of age, religion or viewpoint. Even though the group meets at the JCC, there is no religious bent to the discussions. The group is led informally by Robert Berend, an investment adviser and stockbroker in Kensington. The event is free. 

510-527-5332 

BAHA Spring Lecture Series 

7:30 p.m. 

The Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. 

Richard Mohr will discuss “West By Northwest: Great Lodges in the Arts & Crafts Tradition.” This is the final lecture in the spring series sponsored by the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association. Tickets are $10 each. Tickets available at door or in advance. 

510-841-2242; 510-652-0975 

Berkeley Camera Club 

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda 

Share your slides and prints with other photographers. Critiques by qualified judges. Monthly field trips. 

510-531-8664 

Yiddish Humor and Jewish Humor 

7:30-9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 

This two-session course will examine the humor of East European Jews as one form of adaptation to their lives from the pre-World War I period to today. Cost is $15 for BRJCC members, $18 for public. The second session will be held May 23. 

510-848-0237, ext. 236 

Berkeley Chamber Performances 

8 p.m. 

Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 

Citywinds will present a wind quartet program of works by Hyo-shin Na, David Maslanka, Paquito d’Rivera, and Paul Hindemith. Tickets $15 general; $12 seniors and students. 

510-525-5211 

Wednesday, May 17 

Chinese Club meeting 

1:15 p.m. 

Caregivers group for Alzheimer’s/Dementia 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Berkeley Housing Authority meeting 

6 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

This is the first in a series of Town Hall meetings to discuss the Berkeley Housing Authority - how it operates now, how we as tenants can help to improve it and impact its planning process for the federally-required Public Housing Authority. 

1-800-773-2110; 510-549-2970 

BUSD school board meeting 

7:30 p.m. 

Board/Council Chambers, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

Improvisational theater 

7:30-9:30 p.m. 

The “Improvsters” is a group of intermediate-level improvisational players who meet weekly. The group is looking for additional members; there is no charge to join them. Call the group for specific location. 

510-848-4357 

The French Revolution, Napoleon and the Jewish People 

7:30-9 p.m. 

Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 

This two-session course will be led by Lee Marsh, chair of the Jewish Learning Center. Cost is $12 for BRJCC members, $15 for the public. The second session is May 24. 

510-848-0237, ext. 236

Not many attended the studio Open House held recently (May 8) by the University’s “New Century Plan” staff. In fact, in the hour I was there, only one other non-staff person was present. 

Exhibited on the wall were architectural renderings of low-rise structures not more than four stories high, depicting interestingly articulated buildings for student housing. All other structures shown were said to be non-residential, multi-story buildings that needed retrofitting. 

When questioning the staff as to whether the University was pressuring Berkeley planners to increase density and scale in the south of campus area, the answer was denial, saying that it was the city’s domain. No new residential structures were portrayed over four stories in the exhibit. One staff member said that students didn’t want to live above four stories. 

It was perhaps wishful thinking that “the big U” had come to their senses and had decided not to endanger hundreds of more students by housing them in dense, high-rises adjacent to the Hayward fault. 

Some days following the Open Studio event, I closely questioned the exhibit’s presentation, and learned that only Phase One (the low-rise structures) was shown. Not on exhibit was Phase Two, consisting of structures up to seven stories high intermingled with existing high-rise dorms. I was not told about these seven-story residences since they were not considered high-rises because they were lower than the nine-floor dorms on the same site. “The big U” has been known to use deceptive techniques when pursuing their development goals... and the list is long! 

In another obvious omission, the University planners had ignored their own recent, seismic warnings about the earthquake fault running through the campus. In fact, neither the Hayward Fault nor the Alquist-Priolo Zone was shown on a map in the exhibit (or in the Draft Underhill Environmental Impact Report). When this significant fact was brought to their attention, the Public Relations staff dutifully drew in the location of the fault. The Underhill EIR Draft had been written before the newest seismic information was published forecasting a disastrous impact on the campus and its surrounding community. 

These situations make it all the more important that the City of Berkeley’s maximum building height not be increased, as some are urging in the south of campus area. (A proposal to regulate building height was submitted to the Planning Commission on May l0 spelling out the existing height limits for each part of the city.) 

Future planning could be sorted out more successfully if the commissioners support at least a five-year moratorium on exceeding current zoning heights. There are real problems to incorporating 4,000 new Cal students, their faculty and staff not to mention retrofitting 640 existing apartment buildings because of weak first stories likely to collapse in the next quake. 

Martha Nicoloff is a former member of the Planning Commission and was co-author of the Neighborhood

THEATER 

IMPACT THEATRE 

“The Wake-Up Crew” by Zay Amsbury, May 5 through June 3. A comic book on stage that pits unemployed UC Santa Cruz grads against the forces of chaos and destruction. 

$10 general; $5 students. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. La Val’s Subterranean Theater, 1834 Euclid Ave., Berkeley. (510) 464-4468. 

SHOTGUN PLAYERS 

“The Skriker” by Caryl Churchill, through June 4. In this ecological play, faeries are damaged due to polluted rivers and woods, and are forgotten. 

$15 general; $10 seniors and students. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 7 p.m. The Warehouse Performance Space, 1850 Cesar Chavez St., San Francisco. (510) 655-0813. 

MUSEUMS 

UC BERKELEY ART 

MUSEUM 

“Master of Fine Art Graduate Exhibition,” May 20 through July 2. The 13th annual exhibit of work by candidates for the Master of Fine Arts degree. Artist Talk, May 21, 3 p.m. At Gallery 2. 

“Anne Chu/MATRIX 184 Untitled,” April 16 through June 18. The exhibition features a selection of Chu's T'ang dynasty funerary figures sculpted following her travels to Xian and Guangdong. The wooden figures range in height from 28 inches to over six feet.  

“China: Fifty Years Inside the People's Republic,” through June 18. The work of 25 Chinese and Western photographers explores half a century of social and political upheaval in this unusual exhibit. The 200 photographs, both black-and-white and color, cover the many regions, cultures and people that make up China as well as the mix of traditional life and the modern one. 

“Autour de Rodin: Auguste Rodin and His Contemporaries,” through August. An exhibit of 11 bronze maquettes on loan from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation in Los Angeles. The bronzes range in style from the artist's classically inspired “Torso of a Woman” to the anguish of “The Martyr.” Some of the maquettes were cast during Rodin’s lifetime, others have been cast fairly recently under the aegis of the Musee Rodin which alone is authorized to cast his sculptures posthumously. 

$6 general; $4 seniors and students ages 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 1 1 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-0808. 

HALL OF HEALTH  

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level), Berkeley 

A hands-on community health education museum and science center sponsored by Children's Hospital Oakland and Alta Bates Medical Center. 

Free. For children ages 3 to 12 and their parents. 

(510) 549-1564 

LAWRENCE HALL 

OF SCIENCE 

“Dinosaurs 2000,” through June 4. An exhibit featuring 16 lifelike robotic creatures, fossils, activities to compare yourself to a dinosaur, and daily live demonstrations. 

“The News About Dinosaurs,” through June 4. Learn more about the “Dinosaurs 2000” exhibit with live demonstrations exploring recent paleontological discoveries and how scientists know what they do about prehistoric creatures. Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. 

$6 general; $4 seniors, students and children ages 7 to 18; $2 children ages 3 to 6; free children under age 3. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

PHOEBE HEARST MUSEUM 

Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley 

“Modern Treasures from Ancient Iran,” through Oct. 29. This exhibit explores nomadic and town life in ancient and modern Iran as illustrated in bronze and pottery vessels, and textiles. 

“Pana O’ahu: Sacred Stones – Sacred Places,” through July 16. An exhibit of photographs by Jan Becket and Joseph Singer. 

Wednesday through Sunday 10 am -4:30 pm; Thursday until 9 pm (Sept-May) 

(510) 643-7648 

HABITOT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

A museum especially for children age 7 and younger. Highlights include “WaterWorks,” an area with some unusual water toys, an Infant Tree for babies, a garden especially for toddlers, a child-scale grocery store and cafe, and a costume shop and stage for junior thespians. The museum also features a toy lending library. 

Admission is $4 for adults; $6 child age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child.  

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

(510) 647-1111 

JUDAH L. MAGNES 

MUSEUM 

2911 Russell St., Berkeley 

“Telling Time: To Everything There Is A Season,” through May 2002. An exhibit structured around the seasons of the year and the seasons of life with objects ranging from the sacred and the secular, to the provocative and the whimsical. Highlights include treasures from Jewish ceremonial and folk art, rare books and manuscripts, contemporary and traditional fine art, video, photography and cultural kitsch. Through Nov. 4: “Spring and Summer.” Free. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (510) 549-6950. 

GALLERIES  

A.C.C.I. GALLERY 

“The Garden Show,” through May 20. A group exhibit of landscape paintings, ceramics and garden sculpture. Free. Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1652 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-2527. 

BERKELEY PUBLIC LIBRARY, SOUTH BRANCH 

“You’re Blase: The Art of Nick Mastick,” May 15 through June 15. An exhibit of collages. Free. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 1901 Russell St., Berkeley. (510) 644-6860. 

GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION 

“On Common Ground.” through June 23. This exhibit is a portrait of faith-based communities in Los Angeles. 

“Finding the Sacred Mountain,” through June 20. An exhibit of sumi-e and watercolors by Robert Kostka. 

Free. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 7 p.m. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., Berkeley. (510) 649-2541. 

KALA ART INSTITUTE 

“High Touch/High Tech: Crossing The Divide,” through May 26. An exhibit of juried and invited artists. Free. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Workshop Media Center Gallery, 1060 Heinz Ave., Berkeley. (510) 549-2977. 

NEW PIECES GALLERY 

“Rock, Stone, Masonry and Mosaics,” through June 1. An exhibit of quilts by Charlotte Patera. 

“The Rhapsody of Dolls,” through June 1. An exhibit of dolls by Patti Medaris Culea. 

Free. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-6779. 

Free. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-6779. 

A PIECE OF ART 

Jane Fox, Mixed Media Works, April 27 through June 10, with an artist reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 1. Ongoing new works by Gallery Artists in ceramic, metal, glass, wood and works on canvas and paper. 

Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment. Closed Monday and Tuesday. 

701 University Ave., in the parking lot across from Spenger’s. (510) 204-9653. 

TRAYWICK GALLERY 

“nudge,” May 17 through June 18. An exhibit of new work by Terry Hoff. Reception, May 17, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Artist Talk, June 9, 10:30 a.m. 

“minimalPOP,” April 15 through May 14. A group exhibit of a variety of media. 

Free. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1316 10th St., Berkeley. (510) 527-1214. 

To publicize an upcoming event, please submit information to the Daily Planet via fax (841-5695), e-mail (calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.com) or traditional mail (2076 University Avenue, 94704). 

Calendar items should be submitted at least one week before the opening of a new exhibit or performance. Please include a daytime telephone number in case we need to clarify any information.

Five individuals representing the Berkeley High girls lacrosse team literally put the icing on the 2000 season on Saturday, taking part in the annual league all-star game – an event so informal that it degenerated into a cupcake fight after the final horn sounded.  

The battle of baked goods highlighted an afternoon of friendly competition on the BHS football field, on which the top players from each league team were mixed up into two squads – blue and orange. Berkeley junior Jamie Lee and senior Dani Ganes competed for the blue squad, while seniors Naomi Coffman, Catherine Etzel and Rory Satran helped team orange to an offense-fueled 17-11 victory. BHS coach Lia Farley coached the orange squad.  

“I thought it was good to play with people from our league, and have more fun with it,” Etzel said about the traditionally relaxed approach to the all-star game. “The level of play was really high, it’s nice to see how much high school lacrosse is improving. The level of play in California lacrosse is really stepping up.” 

“You basically just go out there to have a lot of fun,” Ganes said, while attempting to wash cupcake icing from her skin and clothes. “It worked out fine – it’s a fun way to end the season.” 

All three of Berkeley High’s offensive players netted at least one goal on Saturday, with Ganes netting four of the blue team’s 11 goals in the losing effort. After the game, the coaches announced this year’s all-league selections – chosen by a vote of each head coach in league. Three of the Yellowjackets’ five all-stars would garner such honors, with Lee, Ganes and Etzel earning spots on the all-league attack, midfield and defense, respectively. 

“(They’ve been) very crucial to the team,” said Farley about her all-leaguers, also referring to Coffman, who made all-league last year, and Satran. “The past few years have been big building years for women’s lacrosse. They’ve been pioneers.” 

Though 2000 leading scorer Lee will be back as a senior for the 2001 campaign, Ganes, Coffman, Etzel and Satran are all slated to graduate, along with four other seniors: Alana Perley, Caroline Fletcher, Ellie Smith and Claire Williams. Since the eight-player exodus effectively guts the 2000 starting roster, Farley looks at next season as a chance to reload with junior varsity talent. 

“It’s a rebuilding year next year. There are a lot of (promising) players on the JV team,” the coach said. 

“Because the JV program was so big (this year), I think there’ll be some good players stepping up,” agreed Etzel, who will play lacrosse at Columbia University next fall. “There wasn’t even a JV program in my first year.”

A principal described by his teachers as a "superlative" administrator was honored Friday as the Berkeley Public Education Foundation’s educator of the Year. 

“He goes far beyond the job description of principal,” King Middle School drama teacher 

Richard Silberg said of Principal Neil Smith during last week’s BPEF luncheon. “He’s the ‘prince’ in ‘principal.’” 

In addition to honoring Smith as educator of the year, the Foundation presented UC Berkeley education professor Pedro Noguera with the “Rise to the Challenge” Special Award and gave the Distinguished Business Partners awards to Bruce Ackerman of Ackerman’s Volvo Service and Andrew and Sally Han of Elmwood Stationers. 

Smith has been King School’s principal since 1989, after spending 10 years as vice principal of San Ramon Valley High School and principal of a small parochial middle school in San Francisco. 

During his tenure, King has been recognized as a California Distinguished School, has integrated “ecoliteracy” into the curriculum through the Edible Schoolyard and has served as a model school for its English curriculum. 

A small booklet distributed at Friday’s luncheon, held at H’s Lordships restaurant, included words of praises from teachers and from Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse and founder of the Edible Schoolyard. 

A recurring comment from all the respondents was Smith’s willingness to listen to everyone – not just hear, but listen – and then provide honest feedback and search for ways to meet a need. 

“This is what I love so much about Neil: Somehow he manages to be entirely honest and straightforward and, at the same time, deliberate, authoritative and judicious,” Waters writes. “He meets problems head-on, spontaneously, by dipping into his great well of understanding.” 

In his acceptance comments, Smith emphasized the importance of building a strong team, which is the key to a successful school. 

“My primary accomplishment at King has been attracting and recruiting highly talented teachers,” he said. 

The other educator honored Friday was Noguera, a former school board member and a highly vocal critic of institutional racism in its various forms. 

He’s been active in Berkeley since 1981, when he moved to town to pursue a graduate degree in sociology at UC Berkeley. He became executive assistant to Loni Hancock when she was elected mayor in 1984, and he served on the school board from 1990 to 1994. In 1990 he also joined the faculty of the Graduate School of Education at Cal. 

In her introduction of Noguera, UC Berkeley Community Relations Director Irene Hegarty said that throughout her many interactions with her colleague – at the university, in the community, during their shared tenure on the school board – she has seen an unswerving dedication to improving public schools for all children. 

“He has a sense of purpose about having a sense of commitment,” Hegarty said. 

Noguera – who is leaving Berkeley for a professorship at Harvard University – told the audience Friday that administrators come and go, school board members come and go, even teachers come and go. The only constant in a community is the community itself, and that’s where true change begins. 

“It’s so easy to get complacent, it’s so easy to accept the disparities (between students of different races) as being normal, and think that certain kids just can’t learn, and if we believe that, then we fail.” 

Both businesses honored last week have participated in the Foundation’s “Berkeley Businesses Support Berkeley Public Schools” campaign. 

Ackerman has been a longtime supporter of New Columbus Elementary School (now Rosa Parks Elementary School) in his neighborhood in West Berkeley. He also has been a core Foundation supporter. Throughout all of the year 2000, the business is giving customers the option of directing 5 percent of their service bill to the Berkeley Public Education Foundation. 

A similar effort has been undertaken by Elmwood Stationers, which contributed 10 percent of all sales from the back-to-school months of August and September. The store gives a year-round discount to teachers, and offers a deeper discount in August and September. The business also is frequently involved in school raffles and other fund-raisers. 

In his introductory comments on the two honored businesses, Cody’s Books owner Andy Ross noted that both are involved in giving back to their community. 

“Community businesses are the goose that lays the golden egg,” he said.

I read in the May 13th Planet that the “City eyes bond for warm pool” at Berkeley High main campus. The desired $3,000,000 would fund improvements such as lockers, a water distribution system, and an air circulation system. I support the warm pool users’ quest for such improvements. The pool will provide therapeutic benefits to the disabled citizens, special education students, and seniors citizens of Berkeley. 

The voters of Berkeley should be informed, however, that repair of specific deterioration has previously been funded. Approximately 18 months ago the BUSD in partnership with the City of Berkeley contracted with an outside firm to make repairs to the roof of the warm water pool. According to the City, the job was not completed satisfactorily. The ceiling, for instance, was left as raw plywood; not even a coat of paint was applied. Rightfully so, the city demanded the job be finished before reimbursing the school district the two-thirds portion of funding the city had agreed to contribute. Now 18 months later, “the paint is peeling off; the metal is rusting” consultant Sasha Fultran confirms in the Planet’s May 13th story. The estimated shortfall of $65,000 needed to repair the roof/ceiling will be absorbed by the future $3,000,000 bond money if voters approve. One might ask why hasn’t the school district attended to ceiling/roof repairs before now? One might ask how was a contract written that did not specify payment contingent on customer satisfaction? 

On May 23rd, the school district will come to the Berkeley City council to ask that they reopen a previously completed Environmental Impact Review of the controversial East Campus playing field project. The existing EIR process closed October 8, 1999. Coincidentally the price tag for extended staff and outside consultant fees is estimated to run $65,000. Rightfully so, the city staff has said enough is enough. The city has already expended $150,000 on the earlier EIR – whose findings the community still awaits. The financially strapped school district has offered to foot the bill by forgiving the city’s “debt” for work on the warm water pool. This is a blatant example of the classic “shell game.” No money ever passes from one coffer to the other, but it comes at the sacrifice of the disabled and senior communities, and ultimately the expense of voters who support schools and help for the above mentioned communities. 

If this is an example of how allocated funds are managed, is it any wonder the school district has found itself with a deficit budget? If this is an example of why the district must return to the voters to approve future bonds, I encourage citizens to demand accountability. Up to this point the city has stood firm, requiring the BUSD to be responsible partners in joint projects. I commend the city’s good judgment exhibited by withholding their portion of the pool roof repairs. I ask that the city continue to show good judgment, model good business and budget practices, and say no to the school district when they ask approval to reopen the East Campus EIR process. Agreeing to it would make them accomplices to the district’s mismanagement of funds.  

Pamela Webster is a Berkeley resident and the parent of a BUSD student.

With 15 years of coaching success under his belt, Berkeley High track and field coach Darrell Hampton has always represented a strategic advantage to his athletes. But in Saturday’s East Bay Athletic League championship meet, Hampton admits it was the athletes alone who kept the EBAL title from going to the Wolves. 

After entering the meet expecting to take first place by a landslide, the BHS girls were awakened by an overachieving performance on the part of San Ramon Valley, which employed a strategy specifically tailored to beat the vaunted Yellowjackets. When the dust settled on the Chabot College track in Hayward, Berkeley had squeezed by the Wolves by a much smaller-than-expected margin of 133-113. 

“San Ramon Valley did a great coaching job,” Hampton said after the near uprising. “We got outcoached, it just happened that I had better athletes.” 

Because Hampton’s focus all season has been geared away from league competition in favor of more prestigious meets, he admitted that he had not done enough homework on the possible challengers, expecting his girls to breeze through the EBAL meet. San Ramon’s diverse squad remained consistent through each event – making up for its lack of competitive sprinters with solid performances in the jumps and field events.  

“I didn’t do what I should have done (in selecting runners for events),” the BHS coach said. “San Ramon Valley was very close to us – that shouldn’t have happened.” 

Despite the unexpected challenge, the Yellowjackets were able to dominate the sprint events sufficiently to hold on to the narrow victory. Senior sprint star Aisha Margain took home “Female Track Athlete of the Meet” honors for her first-place finishes in the 100m, 200m and 400m, as well as her part in the first-place 4x400 relay. Margain and teammate Katrina Keith, who finished first and second in the 100m, both broke the meet record in that event, running 12.14 and 12.28 times, respectively. 

The ’Jackets also broke the meet records in both relays. Keith, Raqueta Margain, Tatiana Newman and Simone Brooks combined for a 48.8 to secure the 4x100 mark, while Keith, T’Carra Penick and both Margain sisters outran the 4x400 record with a time of 3:54.70. 

“The varsity girls didn’t have their intensity, but they were able to get by,” said Hampton, who admits to being a bit concerned about his girls’ reputations as “big meet runners.” “That scares me. I know they’ll step up for the state meet, but that’s where batons get dropped. You have to be afraid (regardless of the competition). I do use fear as a motivator.” 

Despite the lack of intensity, the BHS coach didn’t consider the meet a setback going into this weekend’s North Coast meet. Hampton expects San Ramon Valley to be among the toughest competition at NCS, and believes that his ’Jackets will run away with the girls’ title, regardless of momentum. 

“We know as far as this section, we’ll pretty much dominate,” Hampton said about this weekend’s events. “I think San Ramon is the biggest threat. In the sprints, I only see about two other people (both from James Logan) competing.” 

North Coast action kicks off at 2 p.m. this Friday at Diablo Valley College, and continues on Saturday morning,

A sizable crowd gathered in Martin Luther King Jr. Park under the sun and blue skies Saturday for the singing, dancing, and other forms of presentation at the sixth annual Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Festival. 

Put on by the Asian Pacific Islander Committee, which is primarily composed of Berkeley High School students, the festival experienced one of its best turnouts in six years of existence. 

The theme of this year’s festival was “Through Our Eyes.” Coralie Chan, a Berkeley High senior and co-chair of the Berkeley High School Asian Pacific Islander Committee, explained that the theme reflects how Asian and Pacific Islander youths feel about being the new leaders of their communities while at the same time trying to keep certain traditions. 

“Since it’s a new millennium, we as Asian youth want the public and the rest of our community to realize that this is how we’re seeing things: through our eyes,” Chan said. 

The festival kicked off with kung fu presentations and a lion dance, courtesy of the Ying-Hung Kung Fu Club, which has performed at many shows in over 20 years of existence, including at the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade.  

Patty Chu’s Dance Group followed the Kung Fu Club. The Dance Group members, all girls ranging from 5 to 12 years old, performed four different traditional dances. 

Chinese Folk Dance Association, another group of young girls, did several traditional Chinese dances during the second half of the four-hour festival. The dances were meant to reflect the traditions passed down through generations. 

The festival also featured some modern entertainment. Singers like Repatua, Realism, Jannel and Karen Mora took the stage several times throughout the afternoon. While almost all of the songs were done in English, Mora, a 16-year-old, sang one song in Filipino. Street Poppers, a group of break-dancers, also took a turn at entertaining the crowd onstage and then spent most of the rest of the afternoon practicing moves on the grass.  

The mix of traditional and modern forms of entertainment symbolized both the old – traditions of ancestors – and the new – customs of the current generation. 

“This year the turnout was good and there was a lot of energy,” said Chan, who has been involved in the Asian Pacific Islander Festival for the last three years. 

Mayor Shirley Dean, who gave a speech about the city’s observation of May as Asian and Pacific Heritage Month, noted that this year’s festival had a larger turnout and featured more culture than in the last five years. 

“I think (the festival) is getting better,” said Dean, who has attended the festival all six years. “It’s getting a bigger turnout and I’m really pleased to hear that because I know that the club works very hard to put this thing together. 

“The important thing is the heritage that they are trying to let everybody know about. And they learn about it as they tell everybody else about it. So I would like to see that kind of emphasis continue.”

Golly. The next time my car is broken into in the darkness on 10th Street I’ll sure be celebrating the new lighting fixtures downtown. Even though downtown is arguably the best lighted place in town next to the football stadium, my neighborhood should certainly wait for improved lighting until the downtown merchants get their Christmas lighting because, after all, aesthetics come first. 

Carol Denney 

Berkeley

It’s only May, but a coalition of progressive organizations came together last week to choose a candidate to represent students on a progressive Rent Board Slate in the November election. 

Paul Hogarth, a graduating senior in Political Science, got the nod of some 60 people who met in the ASUC chambers at a nominating convention called by Students for a Livable Southside, Berkeley Citizens Action, the Green Party of Berkeley, NAACP, Service Employees International Unions 535 and 616, Cal Berkeley Democrats, Associated Students of UC, Berkeley’s Renters Legal Assistance and other organizations. 

The groups, which plan a convention in July to nominate other candidates, wanted to nominate a student for the Rent Board slate before the summer break. 

“Rent control’s not dead,” Hogarth said in an interview Friday. “Vacancy control is dead.” 

That is why there needs to be increased vigilance against owner move-in evictions and illegal rent increases, he said. 

“Once a tenant has an apartment, the rent board has the power to regulate rents. Just cause eviction is still part of Berkeley’s rent control law,” he said. 

Hogarth, who will be looking for work, plans to continue to live in the student community. 

He said he wants to work for passage of a measure by the City Council, similar to one in Santa Barbara, where a city official videotapes newly-rented apartments. The purpose of the taping is to prevent landlords from withholding security deposits, by claiming that tenants have damaged the property, when they have not, Hogarth said. 

“I want to make sure tenants get their security deposits back,” he said. 

Hogarth also wants to educate people about their rights as tenants. 

“As long as tenants don’t know their rights, they get cheated,” he said.

Eight Berkeley artists were selected to create the sidewalk art for the Addison Streetscape. They are Lynne-Rachel Altman, Jenny Cole, Carolynn Haydu, Diana Maria Rossi, Rebecca Schwarz, Nancy Selvin, Sofie Siegmann and April Watkins. A selection panel that reports to the Civic Arts Commission chose their work from a field of 24 applicants. 

The artists have submitted drawings or samples of materials they will use in the sidewalk art consisting of 12 panels, five on the north side of the street and seven panels on the south side of Addison. 

The Streetscape Project was open to artists who live or work in Berkeley, but other public art projects both downtown and elsewhere in the city will be open to artists living anywhere in the world. 

Civic Arts Coordinator Mary Ann Merker-Benton said inquires about downtown public art drew queries from artists all over the country. 

She said the city’s aim is to have balance, to display the work of local artists and to help them develop, but also to bring in the work of people from other artistic environments. 

A stroke left John Terry aphasic and paralyzed on his right side a decade ago. And four years ago, at age 71, his wife, Ebba, who suffers from arthritis, fell and had to have a hip replaced. 

Ebba Terry wrote to the City Council, asking councilmembers to put a bond measure on the November ballot for improvements to the aging therapeutic warm pool located at Berkeley High. She said the couple’s doctors and adult children say that “our over all physical and mental health appear noticeably better when we are able to attend the water therapy sessions on a regular schedule, three times a week.” 

At its meeting Tuesday, the City Council directed its staff to assess what pool renovations could be financed for $3 million and what could be bought for more. 

A $3 million bond would cost homeowners, over a 20-year period, $2 per year if they own a house assessed at $100,000 and $8 per year if they own a house assessed at $350,000. 

Pool needs include a new water distribution system to clean the water every four hours and a new air circulation system, said Sasha Futran, a consultant working on the renovation project. 

The pool is kept at about 90 degrees and the environment is hot and humid. 

“The paint is peeling off; the metal is rusting; there are broken tiles; there are toilets without seats,” Futran said. 

The school district will be renovating the locker rooms and building a new school pool within the next few years and the current locker rooms will become unavailable. So new locker rooms will be needed as well as accessible toilets – only one stall is currently accessible. 

The school district uses the pool for 10-15 hours a week for its special education classes. The district has agreed to pay for the renovated pool’s utilities, although no formal agreement between the city and district has been signed. 

“This whole council’s for it. That in itself is amazing,” quipped Councilmember Betty Olds. 

In the next month or so, the council will formally vote on a number of ballot recommendations. 

The staff is working on wording for a parks and landscape tax, which would cost all homeowners $15 per year; a street lighting special tax, which would cost $5 per year; and a library tax, which would cost $4 per year for homeowners whose homes are assessed at $100,000 and $13 per year, for homeowners with domiciles assessed at $350,000. 

The staff is also working on wording for a ballot measure to increase the property transfer tax from 1.5 percent to 2 percent. Funds raised would be used for affordable housing. This measure was proposed by Councilmember Linda Maio, but has not yet been discussed by the council.

After striking out three times in his first three at-bats against Granada’s solid pitching staff in Friday’s home finale, Berkeley High first-baseman Greer Wiggins didn’t think it would be possible to erase the silver sombrero from the crowd’s memory in one swing. Turned out, he was wrong. 

With the Yellowjackets down by a run in the last half of the seventh, and runners on first and third, the senior slugger connected on a monster drive that cleared the Matador outfielders by 30 feet, and bounced from the grass onto the cement path beyond the home run line. After several minutes of debate between both coaches and the umpire, the ball was ruled live – as opposed to a dead-ball ground-rule double – and Wiggins stood on third base with the game-winning triple. 

“Granada pitched me real well today. Those first three strikeouts were in the back of my mind,” said the senior, whose seventh-inning shot scored teammate Noah Roper – the go-ahead run – from first base. “I knew it was out (of bounds) when I hit it. To me, it really does mean a lot, to win my last home game as a Berkeley High baseball player.” 

The clutch three-bagger completed a five-run, come-from-behind effort by the ’Jackets, who entered the final inning trailing the Matadors, 7-3. Dan Pfister, whose seventh-inning RBI single brought BHS within two, scored the tying run from third.  

Freshman hurler Sean Souders recorded the win for Berkeley, after taking over for starter Moses Kopmar in the sixth inning.  

“The entire year, we’ve seemed to start slow,” BHS coach Larri Gordon said about his squad’s recent tendency to sleepwalk through the opening innings. “The last two games, we’ve scored all our runs in the last two innings. That concerns me. I want us to start off hot early, and we don’t do that too often.” 

“At first, we weren’t making the plays we need to make,” Wiggins added. “We have a pretty good defensive team, but a couple of hops just went their way, and moved them along (the basepaths).”  

Friday’s win improved Berkeley’s overall record to 11-9, keeping the team on life-support in their hunt for a North Coast Section playoff bid. At 5-7 in league, the ’Jackets must win their final two games – both on the road - to even be considered for a third-place at-large bid. Their first challenge comes next Wednesday at Foothill – a team that currently occupies third place in the EBAL, and figures to beat out Berkeley for the postseason spot with a victory at its home field.  

“Foothill put some good numbers up on us last time we faced them,” Gordon said, referring to April 14’s loss to the Falcons at San Pablo Park. “It’s a long-shot, but if we win our remaining two games, and they lose theirs, we have a chance (at NCS playoffs). It’s a huge, huge game at their place.” 

Wednesday’s first pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 13 

Forum on city’s Arts Grants Program 

10 a.m.-noon 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

The Berkeley Civic Arts Commission, in conjunction with the City of Berkeley Civic Arts Office, will present this public forum to review new guidelines and grant applications for the city’s Arts Grants Program. The program distributes funds to eligible arts and other organizations operating within the city. 

510-705-8183 

Stop the War! The Vietnam Era 

10 a.m.-noon 

This walk is part of the Spring 2000 Walking Tours sponsored by the Berkeley Historical Society. With a limit of 30 people, the tour begins at the Free Speech Café in the Moffett Library on the UC Berkeley campus. Ann Marks, Berkeley Historical Society Board member, author, anti-war activist and curator of the Society’s Vietnam Anti-War Exhibit, will lead a walking tour of Vietnam-era protest and demonstration sites. The price is $5 per tour or $20 per season ticket for Berkeley Historical Society members. The price is $10 per tour for non-members. Call the Berkeley Historical Society for reservations. 

510-848-0181 

Berkeley Potters Guild Spring Show 

10 a.m.-6 p.m. 

Jones and Fourth streets 

This show-and-sale highlights work by clay artists, Ikebana demonstrations, one-of-a-kind bargains throughout the complex of art studios, and more. The event is free. 

510-524-7031 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Center Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

510-548-3333 

Sixth Annual Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Festival 

Noon-4 p.m. 

Civic Center Park, Downtown Berkeley 

Students from Berkeley High and other local schools are organizing this festival celebrating the diversity of Asian Pacific heritage. This year’s theme is “Through Our Eyes.” 

510-849-4898; 510-595-4645 

“School House Rock Live! Jr.” 

1 p.m. 

John Muir Elementary School Auditorium, 2955 Claremont Ave. 

This musical features an all-kids cast. Tickets are $10 general admission, $5 for children age 12 and under. 

510-762-2279 

Tiny Feet and Baby Shoes (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

2-5 p.m. 

Festival Gallery, 2216 Shattuck Ave. 

This will be a fun-filled program for the 0- to 3-year-old crowd, evoking the spirit of the old Huston Shoes site with stories, music, songs, skits, art projects and poetry all about feet and shoes. $6 adults, $3 children, FOF free. 

Capoeira Arts (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

5 p.m. 

2026 Addison St. 

Bahia Que Tem Dende, performed by Bira Almeida & Corpo Santo, a spectacular, action-packed program of dance and music of Brazil. 

510-666-1255 

“The Gate of Heavenly Peace,” Richard Gordon, Carma Hinton (US, 1995 - Berkeley Arts Festival) 

7:30 p.m. 

Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Bancroft Way 

Works in the Works 2000 (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

7:30 p.m. 

Eighth St. Studio, 2525 Eighth St. $8, FOF $7. 

Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

8 p.m. 

St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. 

Bach’s B minor Mass. Free. 

“The Love of Three Oranges” 

8 p.m. 

Live Oak Theater, Shattuck and Berryman 

Berkwood Hedge School students will present this unlikely comedy adventure of witches, wizards and princes. Tickets $4 per person. 

510-883-6990 

Chanticleer poetry event 

8 p.m. 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way 

This is a program of poems of love by Guarini and Tasso titled “Ardo d’Amore.” The varied program will include traditional Renaissance madrigals and works by d’India, Monteverdi, Gesualdo, Hawley and Adamo, all using the romantic poetry of the 16th century Italian masters. 

415-392-4400; 800-407-1400 

John Santos and Machete Ensemble Tribute to the Master, CD release party (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

8:30 p.m. 

La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. 

$14, FOF $12. 

Sunday, May 14 

Mother’s Day tea and tours 

9 a.m.-4:45 p.m. 

UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley campus 

Tea, sandwiches, cookies and homemade breads will be served at three separate seatings for moms. Space is only available in the third seating, at 3 p.m. Tours will be offered throughout the day. Cost is $10 for Garden members, $15 for non-members, $5 for children 3-12. Call ahead for reservations. 

510-643-2755 

Berkeley Potters Guild Spring Show 

10 a.m.-6 p.m. 

Jones and Fourth streets 

This show-and-sale highlights work by clay artists, Ikebana demonstrations, one-of-a-kind bargains throughout the complex of art studios, and more. The event is free. 

510-524-7031 

Mother’s Day Picket 

11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Marina Radisson, 200 Marina Blvd. 

This picket is being organized by HERE Local 2850 to raise awareness about the union’s concerns with hotel practice and policy. 

510-893-3181 

Mother’s Day 2000 Picnic 

Noon-2:30 p.m. 

Civic Center Park, Downtown Berkeley 

Women for Peace and the Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom are sponsoring this event. Scheduled speakers include Medea Benjamin, Claire Cummings, Sally Light, Cathrine Sneed, Nadia Babella and Dena Adeeb. The acoustic trio Rebecca Riots will perform. This event is free. 

Million Mom March in Oakland 

12:30-3 p.m. 

Lake Merritt, Lakeside Park, Oakland 

This is one of 57 regional marches being held in solidarity with the Million Mom March in Washington, D.C. 

510-547-8087; www.mmmsfbayarea.org 

“The Love of Three Oranges” 

2 p.m. 

Live Oak Theater, Shattuck and Berryman 

Berkwood Hedge School students will present this unlikely comedy adventure of witches, wizards and princes. Tickets $4 per person. 

510-883-6990 

Rhyme and Reason Open Mike Series 

2:30 p.m. 

UC Berkeley Art Museum, 2621 Durant Ave. 

This free event will feature poet Max Schwartz. The public and students are invited. Signups for the open mike begin at 2 p.m. 

510-234-0727; 510-642-5168 

The First-Ever Berkeley Satirithon (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

3 p.m. 

Festival Gallery, 2216 Shattuck Ave. 

This free speech fiesta will feature Selma Spector, Ed Holmes, Stoney Burke, Carol Denney, Marc McDonald, Jennifer Stone and more. Another Arnie Passman House of Cards execution. $5-$10 FOF (Friends of Festival) free. 

Chamber Music Sundays 

3:15 p.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 

San Francisco Symphony Musicians will perform a program of works by Glinka, Tchaikovsky, and Brindel. Tickets $15 general; $12 seniors and students. 

415-584-5946 

Sundays at Four Concert Series 

4 p.m. 

The Crowden School, 2401 LeConte Ave. 

Francesco Trio will present a program of works by Mendelssohn, Ravel, and Cowell. There will be a pre-concert talk at 3:15 p.m. Tickets $10 general; free children age 18 and under. 

510-559-6910 

A Taste of China, Michael Lerner (US, 1984 - Berkeley Arts Festival) 

4 p.m. 

Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Bancroft Way 

Dave Eshelman Quartet (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

4:30 p.m. 

Jazzschool/La Note, 2377 Shattuck Ave. 

General Admission is $12; students and seniors, $10; Jazzschool students and children under 13, $6. Seating is limited and reservations are recommended. 

510-845-5373 

Organ concert 

6 p.m. 

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way 

Organist Joel Martinson will perform a program of works by Bohm, Pachelbel, Buxtehude, Bach, and Martinson. Donation for admission. 

510-845-0888 

American Bach Soloists 

7:30 p.m. 

First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way 

Cathrine Bott, soprano, and Judith Malafronte, alto, will perform Pergolesi’s “Stabat Mater” and “Magnificent Mozart.” Tickets $20 to $37. 

415-392-4400 

Works in the Works 2000 (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

7:30 p.m. 

Eighth St. Studio, 2525 Eighth St. $8, FOF $7. 

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The Committee to Minimize Toxic Waste (CMTW) has put forth a new teaching on tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. Before examining this new teaching, let me remind you that the CMTW preaches that tritium is the “baddest” of all radioactive substances and that the “evil” Department of Energy (DOE) has endangered the good citizens of Berkeley by locating a scientific laboratory that uses it in a “dangerous” earthquake and firestorm area. Although the tritium at Berkeley Lab is stored in the inert form of uranium tritide, this is never mentioned in the CMTW’s teachings. Furthermore, they suppress the fact that tens of thousands of curies of tritium are also stored in fragile glass tubes in public and private buildings throughout Berkeley. 

So how do the disciples of the CMTW justify this teaching that tritium is dangerous in the Hills, but not in the Flatlands? Could it have anything to do with the fact that both the CMTW co-chairs live in the Hills? Ms. Gene Bernardi (Perspective, May 11) squares this circle by preaching that Berkeley Lab is releasing tritiated water vapor which is “bad” tritium whereas the tritium in Exit signs is in the form of hydrogen gas and is “good” tritium. 

In putting forth CMTW’s new teaching, Ms Bernardi distorts the truth by not telling the public that the tritium released from both the Berkeley Lab and stored in EXIT signs consist of mixtures of both chemical forms. In 1999, Berkeley Lab released tritium, which was 70 percent and 30 percent in the water vapor and hydrogen forms, respectively. For a six -year-old EXIT sign, the fraction of tritium in these two chemical forms is typically 10 percent and 90 percent. Thus, the ratio of “bad” tritium released from Berkeley Lab to the “bad” tritium in EXIT signs is about a factor of 10 and hardly the tens of thousands trumpeted by Ms Bernardi. Furthermore, hydrogen in the gas form is readily converted to water vapor, sometimes explosively as in the Hindenburg blimp disaster. Finally the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains that all tritium in the hydrogen form is converted to tritiated water vapor in the atmosphere. For this reason, the EPA uses the biological effectiveness of tritiated water vapor for both chemical forms when estimating radiation exposures to the public. 

So how dangerous are tritium releases from the Berkeley Lab? In 1999, 30 curies of tritium or 3 EXIT signs worth were released. If all of this tritium were breathed by a single individual, he/she would receive a sizable radiation dose. What Ms. Bernardi neglects to tell you is that the released tritium is diluted by over a trillion times. As a result, the maximum dose a person at the Lawrence Hall Science (LHS) would be exposed to is over a thousand times smaller than the dose from environmental sources and a hundred times below the regulatory limit. Even to get this small dose, a visitor to the LHS must live there for 24 hours a day for a year. Clearly visiting school children who spend only a small fraction of year at the LHS are not at risk. Furthermore, the EPA has verified these dose estimates by directly measuring the airborne tritium concentrations at the LHS. 

Ms. Bernardi implies that if a tritium-filled EXIT sign were to break in a schoolroom, it is not a cause for concern. Since a tritium-filled EXIT sign contains about 10 curies of tritium and a typical school room has a volume of about 100 m3, it is very easy to calculate the concentration that school children would be exposed to if a sign broke and released all of its tritium. Since 10 curies corresponds to 10,000,000,000,000 picocuries, by dividing the number of picocuries in the sign by the volume of the room, one obtains a tritium concentration of 100,000,000,000 picocuries/m3. Since the tritium concentration in a classroom from a broken EXIT sign would exceed those measured at the LHS by over a factor of a million, why is Ms. Bernardi not interested in these potential tritium exposures? Should not the CMTW be asking the EPA to declare all school buildings with tritium EXIT signs potential Superfund sites? Could it be that the CMTW is not interested in public health risks, but only in harassing the DOE? 

The proper way to evaluate the relative risks of tritium emissions from Berkeley Lab versus those from a broken EXIT sign would be to compare the respective radiation doses to a maximally exposed individual. In 1999 the highest potential offsite dose from Berkeley Lab air emissions was 0.1 mrem. An EXIT sign manufacturer estimates that the potential dose to an individual in a room with a broken EXIT sign would be 100 mrem, which is 1,000 times larger. Since the potential dose from a broken EXIT sign is a thousand times larger than that resulting from a field trip to the LHS, why is Ms. Bernardi not concerned about tritium that is actually in the classroom? 

With apologies to Leon Trotsky, “Everyone has the right to be wrong, but Ms. Bernardi abuses the privilege.” Perhaps, the CMTW should be called the Committee to Minimize Truth and Wisdom? For more on the CMTW Tritium Cover-up, stay tuned for a guide to the Tritium Hotspots in District 4. 

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Gordon Wozniak, Ph.D., is senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and vice chair of the City of Berkeley’s Community Environmental Advisory Commission.

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE 

“Let My Enemy Live Long!” by Tanya Shaffer, April 19 through May 12. The story of an ill-advised boat ride up West Africa's Niger River to Timbuktu. 

$19 to $48.50. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 8 p.m.; Wednesday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; April 19, 8 p.m.; NO PERFORMANCES APRIL 25 AND APRIL 26. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 845-4700 or (888) 4BRTTIX. 

IMPACT THEATRE 

“The Wake-Up Crew” by Zay Amsbury, May 5 through June 3. A comic book on stage that pits unemployed UC Santa Cruz grads against the forces of chaos and destruction. 

$10 general; $5 students. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. La Val’s Subterranean Theater, 1834 Euclid Ave., Berkeley. (510) 464-4468. 

SHOTGUN PLAYERS 

“The Skriker” by Caryl Churchill, through June 4. In this ecological play, faeries are damaged due to polluted rivers and woods, and are forgotten. 

$15 general; $10 seniors and students. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 7 p.m. The Warehouse Performance Space, 1850 Cesar Chavez St., San Francisco. (510) 655-0813. 

Not every little leaguer gets the chance to hop the fence of his favorite team’s home field, take a couple of hacks off Randy Johnson or shag flies alongside Barry Bonds. 

Not every aspiring paleontologist gets the opportunity to dig up dinosaurs in the field, and chat about punctuated equilibrium over lunch with Stephen Jay Gould. 

And not every young musician gets the chance to sit in with the city’s symphony orchestra and blast out a trumpet solo – but some do, here in Berkeley. 

The expression “only in Berkeley” is usually uttered in response to protests, politically correct ordinances and the exhibitionism of the X-Plicit Players, but it is equally applicable in describing the city symphony’s work within Berkeley’s elementary schools. 

“As a youngster, I went to concerts for kids in the Paramount Theater. I remember getting on buses, getting in a really long line, a long ramp and how big the Paramount Theater was. But that’s all I remember,” recalls Randy Porter, founder of the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra Music Education Program. “That’s one of the reasons we don’t just do something really big for lots of kids. When you’re dealing with smaller people, the intimacy is really important to them being able to have a meaningful experience.” 

So Porter, an Oakland music teacher now in his seventh year as the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra’s education director, created a unique program in 1993 in which the orchestra doesn’t just play to the kids, but with them. 

“The Berkeley Sound,” a collaborative concert with the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra and the elementary school kids is the culmination of a six-odd week music program within the schools. The program runs in four city schools a year, two at a time. Both Oxford and Washington schools knocked off their collaborative concerts Thursday morning, bathed in the multicolored sunlight beneath the rose window of St. John’s Presbyterian Church. 

“The experience of making music is not limited to those who consider themselves musicians. Today, everyone’s a musician,” said orchestra conductor George Thomson following the Thursday morning concerts. “Part of getting people used to the experience of making music is to show them that it’s cool to do it.” 

Showing the kids music’s inherent coolness is not a rapid process. Following an initial, interest-piquing concert by the orchestra, the kids – including special education or hearing impaired students – grill Thomson and the orchestra musicians in “Q and A” sessions, write poetry and set it to music (using the five black keys on the piano to “write simple, pentatonic melodies,” as Porter puts it) and craft some of the many homemade instruments in Porter’s handbook leading up to the big collaborative concert. 

“One is a film canister with a balloon stretched over it half-filled with rice,” says Porter of one of the eight kid-crafted instruments in his guidebook. “You can shake it, or pluck it – and it’s very loud, actually. You can blow across it and get a really squeally sound. Or you can put two film canisters together and get an ocarina, a kind of circular, clay flute. Or you can cut a straw’s tip and blow into it like an oboe. Sometimes teachers take their own leads and let the kids invent their own instruments. Those can be extremely wacky.” 

And while the kids seem enthused to work with the professional musicians, it certainly seems that the adults are getting a blast out of working the children as well. At Thursday’s concerts, orchestra members often smiled proudly at their little proteges, and generally seemed to be having a splendid time of it. 

“The kids were very well prepared and well behaved. I really had fun and the program was great,” said orchestra violinist Eugene Chukholov following the Oxford School concert. “My father, who is a music professor, always said playing for kids is the biggest responsibility for the professional. They’re the most honest. They’ll obviously react positively to something that’s good. 

“(Wednesday’s) rehearsal was just wonderful,” continues Chukholov. “For a musician, to get to a rehearsal at 7 a.m. is torture, because you’re playing until 2 the night before. But the teachers were really involved and the students were very involved and the rehearsal was just a treat.” 

Chukholov et al accompanied the students in a program that, at the very least, could be described as extraordinarily eclectic. The orchestra backed the young musicians and singers in such tunes as “Twinkle, Twinkle,” Haydn’s “Surprise Symphony,” Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing,” and the old Woodie Guthrie number “Goin’ Down the Old Dusty Road” (with special guest Country Joe McDonald). The concert was recorded for posterity from hundreds of angles by hundreds of proud parents wielding hundreds of camcorders. 

“I want the kids to understand that ‘I could do that,’ that this is where all those people in the orchestra started when they were kids,” says Porter of his goals for the program. “Most orchestra musicians start in school music programs like what’s in place at Berkeley Unified. I want the kids to think that if this is something they love and could be passionate about they could do this if they wanted.”

Lighting was the highest priority of participants in public workshops last year where they identified preferences for streetscape improvements for downtown Berkeley. 

At the end of the month, construction will begin on the streetscape on Shattuck Avenue from University Avenue to Channing Way and on University from Milvia Street to Oxford Street. And lighting for pedestrians will take center stage. 

The project funded by the Measure S bond issue calls for new street lights, sidewalks, trees, public art and drainage systems. 

According to Michael Caplan, the city’s economic development coordinator for downtown Berkeley, $2.5 million is targeted for the complete project, with the funds coming from 1996’s Measure S. 

“We worked close with various commissions and met with the public and civic interest groups,” he said. 

Caplan said it was decided that high-priority items would be highly visible ones with impact and that “we should get a big bang for their buck because the money is limited.” 

The first things pedestrians will notice when the project begins, said Sam Lee, associate civil engineer and project manager, are the crews identifying and marking the surface above underground electrical utilities. 

Following that evaluation, the construction engineers will dig the trench for the utilities either in the street pavement or on the sidewalk. 

Construction will proceed block by block with crews completing all the work on one block before moving to the next one, he said. 

“We hope to be finished by the holidays,” Lee said. 

Holiday time for merchants translates as Thanksgiving, said Deborah Badhia from the Downtown Berkeley Association, which markets businesses and advocates for downtown improvements. 

She’ll be a liaison between the retailers and customers and residents in the area, getting weekly updates from Lee and providing information to mitigate problems caused by the construction. 

Caplan said signage will indicate the path to the stores, to make sure customers have access to businesses. Traffic may be delayed and street closures may be necessary. 

Additionally, on-street parking may be restricted. 

Work is scheduled to run from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The contractor for the construction is Bauman Landscapes of Richmond, the company that designed Hilltop Mall. Frank Altamura, owner of Bauman Landscapes, declined to discuss the project until the contract is signed. 

The lighting for pedestrians is scaled more to human size than the large “cobra” lights currently over the intersections, said Badhia. 

Pedestrian lights like the ones to be installed on Shattuck Avenue and University Avenue already are in place on Center Street and Addison Street. The globes of those lights disperse light down to the street, Caplan said. And they evoke the turn of the century period providing a certain esthetic style. 

Additionally historical lights that originally were in place on San Pablo Avenue in the 1900s era have been transplanted to Addison Street and Shattuck Avenue as part of the project. 

Caplan said the company that made those lights, Union Metal in Ohio, still had the molds for the historic lights in its plant and made several new ones that will be placed at the intersection of Shattuck and University. They will replace the cobra lights there. 

Crosswalks will be improved on University Avenue to make them safer, and pedestrian “bulb outs” will extend the curbs into the intersection making pedestrians more visible in another safety measure.

The Yellowjackets may be out of the playoffs, but for five Berkeley High girls lacrosse players, the season isn’t quite over yet.  

Jamie Lee, Dani Ganes, Naomi Coffman, Catherine Etzel and Rory Satran were all voted on to the 2000 all-star roster by a consensus of league coaches last week, and will compete in today’s all-star game at the BHS football field. As in previous years, the game will involve two mixed teams comprised of players from all over the league, meaning the athletes may find themselves competing against members of their own team. 

“We just go out and try to have a good time,” said Lee, who will be making her second all-star appearance in two years. “It’s so much fun to be able to play with the quote-unquote best players in the league.” 

“It’s definitely going to be weird playing against our own team (and) playing with opponents,” said Satran, who was initially surprised to hear her name called among the list of all-stars. “I’m honored to be recognized (by the coaches). This means a lot to me.” 

A traditionally informal event, today’s all-star game is geared away from intense competition, and is intended more as an exhibition. Among the changes from typical competitive play are the decreased role of the coaches, who will be limited to making substitutions, and the positioning of the players, who will get the opportunity to play anywhere on the field they want. 

“We just say, ‘I’ll play this position’ and go out and play,” Lee said. “It was really fun last year.” 

“I had a lot of fun out there last year,” Coffman agreed. “I like it because we get to play with a lot of real good people.” 

Today’s game is scheduled to begin directly at the conclusion of the noon Monte Vista-St. Ignatius playoff game, hosted by Berkeley High.

Since the Alameda County Board of Education took action regarding the danger tritium emissions could pose to children on field trips to the Lawrence Hall of Science, people associated with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) have written opinion pieces attacking the credibility of the Committee to Minimize Toxic Waste. Although I’m not a member of the Committee, the tone and tenor of these attacks are such that I feel obligated to respond. The Committee is made up of citizens who volunteer their time because they are concerned about their community and the dangers posed by tritium. Although these folks are not scientists their belief that LBNL’s activities endanger this community has been confirmed on several occasions, such as when the Environmental Protection Agency, in response to a Committee complaint, put the lab site on the Superfund list because the tritium emissions were found to have exceeded federal cancer-risk screening concentrations.  

Contrast this with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), which gets millions of dollars to do tritium experiments, or the Lawrence Hall of Science, which makes money for each visiting student. We need not wonder if economic motives might one day cause the LBNL to deceive the public, they have already been caught misleading the public on several occasions. 

• On April 20, 1998 LBNL discharged 160 gallons of water contaminated with tritium, arsenic, mercury and lead into a storm drain and failed to report it, later claiming they were not required to. Nabil Al-Hadithy, Director of Berkeley’s Toxic Management Division, responded with a letter stating, “Since your communication sets a dangerous precedent in pollution prevention it is being forwarded to the District Attorney...” 

• On May 15, 1998 LBNL mixed tritium with toxic waste, mislabeled it, and send it to a facility that is not licensed to dispose of radioactive material. 

• When LBNL accidentally released tritium on July 24, 1998, they delayed taking urine samples from lab employees for three days and failed to report the incident to the public for six days. And these are just some of the things we know about!  

So when one is weighing credibility one should keep these facts in mind. Still it’s hard to decide who to believe. Both the members of the Committee to Minimize Toxic Waste, and LBNL supporters speak with a passion that comes from believing they are right. The difference in perspective comes down to something called the “precautionary principle,” a public health doctrine that states “When an activity raises threats of harm to the environment or human health, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically.” 

The “precautionary principle” has been used in Europe since the 1980s, and is a major reason European countries insist that bioengineered food products be labeled. In the United States, regulatory agencies often require “scientific certainty” of harm before declaring a chemical, product or activity to be dangerous. “Scientific certainty” is the approach that industry used for three decades to convince the Environmental Protection Agency not to regulate carbon dioxide emissions since there was no scientific certainty such emissions would result in global warming. Now that the evidence is in, no credible scientist disagrees that carbon dioxide emissions did resulted in global warming. 

But despite the lessons of global warming Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) opposes the “precautionary principle.” They don’t want non-scientists, such as teachers or parents, to make decisions that might cost Lawrence Hall of Science money unless it is “scientifically certain” that the levels of tritium the children are exposed to are dangerous. The weakness of the “scientific certainty” approach is that it will not acknowledge an activity or product to be dangerous until the damage is done. 

In this case children visiting the Lawrence Hall of Science are the guinea pigs. Decades from now, if they suffer from cancer or give birth to deformed children, “scientific certainty” will conclude that tritium levels were harmful. Considering that nearly 100,000 children a year visit the Lawrence Hall of Science the school board should not risk the health and safety of so many children. They should adopt the “precautionary principle” and suspend all field trips to the Lawrence Hall of Science until an independent study can determine to a “scientific certainty” that exposure to tritium does NOT pose a future threat to the health and safety of these young people. 

----------------- 

Berkeley resident Elliot Cohen has been involved in researching nuclear issues for more than 20 years. In the mid 1980s he worked for New York City Council Member Ruth Messinger as a environmental aide, where his duties included researching and drafting comments regarding low-level radioactive waste disposal. In Berkeley he helped organize the protest against the Cassini space launch, and has spent two years studying the Nuclear Free Berkeley Act.

ASHKENAZ 

The Johnny Otis Show, Clarence Van Hook, May 13, 9:30 p.m. $20. 

Caminos Flamencos, May 14, 7:30 p.m. $10. 

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5099 or www.ashkenaz.com 

BLAKES 

Nobody From Ipenema, Brazilian Dance Party, May 13. $6. 

Ten Ton Chicken, May 14. $3. 

For age 18 and older. Music at 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. (510) 848-0886. 

FREIGHT AND SALVAGE 

18.50. 

Robin Flower and Libby McLaren, May 13. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Kathy Kallick Mother's Day Show, May 14, 2 p.m. $5.50 kids/ $7.50 general. 

Melody of China with Wu Wei, May 14. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Music at 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 548-1761 or (510) 762-BASS. 

LA PEÑA CULTURAL CENTER 

John Santos and the Machete Ensemble, May 13, 8:30 p.m. $15. 

Cafe Rumba, May 14, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.  

Cancionero, May 14, 8 p.m. $8. 

3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

924 GILMAN ST. 

The Oozzies, Trust Fund Babies, May 13. 

$5. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. (510) 525-9926. 

THE STARRY PLOUGH PUB 

The Damnations, TX, The Ex-Husbands, May 13. $7. 

For age 21 and over. Wednesday, 8 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:45 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-2082.

Berkeley police are searching for a woman they believe is responsible for a strong-armed robbery late Thursday night. 

The incident occurred around 11 p.m. in the 2600 block of Regent Street, according to Police Lt. Russell Lopes. Two women were walking along and were approached by two other pedestrians. The female pedestrian suddenly accosted one of the women and attempted to steal her purse. During the struggle, the suspect managed to rip the purse away from the victim. The suspect, accompanied by a man, immediately fled the scene. 

The victim was able to call police right away, and a nearby officer tracked down the two suspects. As the officer was taking the man – 27-year-old Jesus Dickey – into custody, the female suspect managed to escape, and police were unable to locate her. 

Lopes identified the female suspect as 21-year-old Mukuta Francine Muanza, who apparently has had run-ins with the police department before. She is described as a black woman, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing around 150 pounds. She was wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans, according to witnesses. 

Neither suspect has a permanent place of residence, Lopes said. 

Dickey was arrested on a charge of robbery. Muanza is being sought on the robbery charge and a $5,000 warrant for a prior misdemeanor arrest. 

The victim’s purse was recovered, Lopes said.

UC BERKELEY ART 

MUSEUM 

“Master of Fine Art Graduate Exhibition,” May 20 through July 2. The 13th annual exhibit of work by candidates for the Master of Fine Arts degree. Artist Talk, May 21, 3 p.m. At Gallery 2. 

“Anne Chu/MATRIX 184 Untitled,” April 16 through June 18. The exhibition features a selection of Chu's T'ang dynasty funerary figures sculpted following her travels to Xian and Guangdong. The wooden figures range in height from 28 inches to over six feet.  

“China: Fifty Years Inside the People's Republic,” through June 18. The work of 25 Chinese and Western photographers explores half a century of social and political upheaval in this unusual exhibit. The 200 photographs, both black-and-white and color, cover the many regions, cultures and people that make up China as well as the mix of traditional life and the modern one. 

“Autour de Rodin: Auguste Rodin and His Contemporaries,” through August. An exhibit of 11 bronze maquettes on loan from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation in Los Angeles. The bronzes range in style from the artist's classically inspired “Torso of a Woman” to the anguish of “The Martyr.” Some of the maquettes were cast during Rodin’s lifetime, others have been cast fairly recently under the aegis of the Musee Rodin which alone is authorized to cast his sculptures posthumously. 

$6 general; $4 seniors and students ages 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 1 1 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-0808. 

HALL OF HEALTH  

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level), Berkeley 

A hands-on community health education museum and science center sponsored by Children's Hospital Oakland and Alta Bates Medical Center. 

“This is Your Heart!” ongoing. An in teractive exhibit on heart health. 

“Good Nutrition,” ongoing. This exhibit includes models for making balanced meals and an exercycle for calculating how calories are burned. 

“Draw Your Own Insides,” ongoing. Human-shaped chalkboards and models with removable organs allow visitors to explore the inside of their bodies. 

“Your Cellular Self and Cancer Prevention,” ongoing. An exhibit on understanding how cells become cancerous and how to detect and prevent cancer. 

Free. For children ages 3 to 12 and their parents. 

(510) 549-1564 

LAWRENCE HALL 

OF SCIENCE 

“Dinosaurs 2000,” through June 4. An exhibit featuring 16 lifelike robotic creatures, fossils, activities to compare yourself to a dinosaur, and daily live demonstrations. 

“The News About Dinosaurs,” through June 4. Learn more about the “Dinosaurs 2000” exhibit with live demonstrations exploring recent paleontological discoveries and how scientists know what they do about prehistoric creatures. Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. 

$6 general; $4 seniors, students and children ages 7 to 18; $2 children ages 3 to 6; free children under age 3. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

PHOEBE HEARST MUSEUM 

Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley 

“Modern Treasures from Ancient Iran,” through Oct. 29. This exhibit explores nomadic and town life in ancient and modern Iran as illustrated in bronze and pottery vessels, and textiles. 

“Pana O’ahu: Sacred Stones – Sacred Places,” through July 16. An exhibit of photographs by Jan Becket and Joseph Singer. 

“Phoebe Hearst Museum-Approaching a Century of Anthropology,” a sampling of the vast collections of the museum, its mission, history, and current research, with selections from ancient Egypt, ancient Peru, California Indians, Asia (India), and Africa. 

“Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” Ishi, the last Yahi Indian of California, spent the final years of his life, 1911 to 1916, living at the museum, working with anthropologists to record his culture, demonstrating technological skills, and retelling Yahi myths, tales, and songs. 

Wednesday through Sunday 10 am -4:30 pm; Thursday until 9 pm (Sept-May) 

(510) 643-7648 

HABITOT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

A museum especially for children age 7 and younger. Highlights include “WaterWorks,” an area with some unusual water toys, an Infant Tree for babies, a garden especially for toddlers, a child-scale grocery store and cafe, and a costume shop and stage for junior thespians. The museum also features a toy lending library. 

Exhibit: “Back to the Farm,” open-ended. This interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels like an earthworm, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and much more.  

Admission is $4 for adults; $6 child age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child.  

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

(510) 647-1111 

JUDAH L. MAGNES 

MUSEUM 

2911 Russell St., Berkeley 

“Telling Time: To Everything There Is A Season,” through May 2002.  

An exhibit structured around the seasons of the year and the seasons of life with objects ranging from the sacred and the secular, to the provocative and the whimsical. Highlights include treasures from Jewish ceremonial and folk art, rare books and manuscripts, contemporary and traditional fine art, video, photography and cultural kitsch. Through Nov. 4: “Spring and Summer.” 

Free. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

(510) 549-6950.

Ron Mix, founding publisher of the Berkeley Daily Planet, has resigned his position with Bigfoot Media Inc. to accept the position of Vice President/Chief Operating Officer with Pizazz Printing in Milpitas, the company that prints the Planet. 

“It has indeed been a pleasure being part of such a special project as birthing a community newspaper for a city such as Berkeley,” Mix said. “Despite a few bumps in the road up the hill, the newspaper is an unqualified success and has gained broad acceptance as the community’s daily newspaper. I believe we have shown Berkeley that it needed its own community newspaper, and the community has responded favorably with its support.” 

Mix was part of the team that launched the Berkeley Daily Planet on April 7, 1999. Assuming the title of publisher as of today is Bigfoot Chief Executive Officer Arnold Lee. Day-to-day sales operations will be directed by Lori O’Neill, the Planet’s new general manager. Formerly with McGraw Hill Publications, O’Neill is a Berkeley-area resident and is the former general manager of The Daily Californian, the student newspaper at UC Berkeley. 

News operations will continue to be directed by Rob Cunningham, who has served as editor since the newspaper’s launch last year. 

Mix cited personal reasons for leaving the Daily Planet. 

“For the past 15 months I have labored up to 16 hours a day producing what I believe is a fabulous community newspaper,” Mix said. “That has meant being away from my family for weeks at a time. My new position will allow me to be home every night. That means too much to me.” 

Mix and his family reside in the Central Valley community of Turlock, where his two daughters attend Turlock High School. His wife is employed by Valley Mountain Regional Center in Modesto. 

Prior to joining Bigfoot Media 16 months ago, Mix served as publisher of the Turlock Journal and general manager of the Merced Sun-Star with US Media Group. Before moving to California four years ago, Mix was editor and publisher of weekly and daily newspapers in Missouri and Illinois and owned community newspapers in Missouri. 

“Berkeley is about as far away and as different from Missouri as you can get,” Mix said. “But no matter what the locale, people need and want a good community source for news.” 

While Mix leaves Bigfoot Media Inc., he remains a stockholder in the company. 

“I wish to thank Ron for all of his hard work and effort in helping to found and grow the Berkeley Daily Planet,” said Bigfoot CEO Arnold Lee. “Of course, while it is never easy to see such a valuable colleague move on, we wish him all the best with his new career. At the same time, we are extremely excited and pleased to have Lori O’Neill on board as General Manager as she is already helping us continue to grow very rapidly as we have already successfully done in the past 12 months. 

“It also goes without saying that we continue (as always) to be committed to the highest quality of news reporting provided by the Berkeley Daily Planet.”

A.C.C.I. GALLERY 

“The Garden Show,” through May 20. A group exhibit of landscape paintings, ceramics and garden sculpture. Free. Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1652 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-2527. 

BERKELEY PUBLIC LIBRARY, SOUTH BRANCH 

“You’re Blase: The Art of Nick Mastick,” May 15 through June 15. An exhibit of collages. Free. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 1901 Russell St., Berkeley. (510) 644-6860. 

GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION 

“On Common Ground.” through June 23. This exhibit is a portrait of faith-based communities in Los Angeles. 

“Finding the Sacred Mountain,” through June 20. An exhibit of sumi-e and watercolors by Robert Kostka. 

Free. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 7 p.m. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., Berkeley. (510) 649-2541. 

KALA ART INSTITUTE 

“High Touch/High Tech: Crossing The Divide,” through May 26. An exhibit of juried and invited artists. Free. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Workshop Media Center Gallery, 1060 Heinz Ave., Berkeley. (510) 549-2977. 

NEW PIECES GALLERY 

“Rock, Stone, Masonry and Mosaics,” through June 1. An exhibit of quilts by Charlotte Patera. 

“The Rhapsody of Dolls,” through June 1. An exhibit of dolls by Patti Medaris Culea. 

Free. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-6779. 

Free. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-6779. 

A PIECE OF ART 

Jane Fox, Mixed Media Works, April 27 through June 10, with an artist reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 1. Ongoing new works by Gallery Artists in ceramic, metal, glass, wood and works on canvas and paper. 

Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment. Closed Monday and Tuesday. 

701 University Ave., in the parking lot across from Spenger’s. (510) 204-9653. 

TRAYWICK GALLERY 

“nudge,” May 17 through June 18. An exhibit of new work by Terry Hoff. Reception, May 17, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Artist Talk, June 9, 10:30 a.m. 

“minimalPOP,” April 15 through May 14. A group exhibit of a variety of media. 

Free. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1316 10th St., Berkeley. (510) 527-1214. 

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To publicize an upcoming event, please submit information to the Daily Planet via fax (841-5695), e-mail (calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.com) or traditional mail (2076 University Avenue, 94704). Calendar items should be submitted at least one week before the opening of a new exhibit or performance. Please include a daytime telephone number in case we need to clarify any information.

When patrons of the Claremont Branch Library walk through the doors of the reopened facility Monday morning, they’ll find wider aisles, more accessible restrooms and improved wheelchair ramps and railings. 

And just as importantly, the “hideous” orange carpet has been replaced. 

“I think a lot of people will be happy to see that gone,” Audrey Powers, branch services manager for the Berkeley Public Library, said on a walkthrough of the renovated library Wednesday morning. 

While aesthetic changes will be appreciated by almost everyone, disabled and mobility-impaired patrons have particular reason to be pleased. The men’s and women’s restrooms have been redesigned and are now fully accessible to wheelchairs; an automatic-opening front door has been installed; aisles between shelves are wider, allowing wheelchairs to move smoothly through the library; new shelves are in place; and the children’s storyroom is now on the same elevation as the rest of the library. 

Other improvements include interior repainting, a new book drop, improved wiring system and, of course, that new carpet (instead of “hideous” orange, it’s now a more modern, multicolor mix). The library also now has some new, ergonomically sound furniture for the staff. 

Most of the $250,000 project was funded through the city’s ADA Building Improvement Fund, which is used to make city structures compliant with federal Americans with Disabilities Act standards. Remaining money came from the library’s budget, the Friends of the Berkeley Public Library, and the Claremont Branch Gift Fund, including a donation from Red Oak Realty. 

The library was scheduled to reopen a few weeks ago, but that was delayed because of problems encountered along the way, including roof leaks and extensive mildew. 

During Wednesday’s walkthrough with the Daily Planet, Powers pointed out some of the internal changes that have been made to the library’s book and periodical collections. For example, in the children’s department, two of the most popular sections – dinosaurs and animals, and fairy tales – are located along the widest aisle, thanks to the reconfiguration. 

And outdated reference books, some upwards of 30 years old, have been removed. 

“By virtue of our being closed, we had some extra staff time to do some collection cleanup,” Powers said. “It’s a much better collection, and it will be cleaner, nicer and more updated.” 

Other staff members seemed generally pleased with the changes to their library. Children’s Librarian Dawn Swanson said many parents will be glad that all of the picture books are now placed in the children’s storyroom. 

“I don’t think it will result in any changes in our programs,” she said. “But it’s great that it’s all accessible now.” 

The library at 2940 Benvenue Ave. reopens at 10 a.m. Monday for its regular hours: from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. 

By allowing the construction with virtually no public process of an immense industrial-style tower on McKinley Street, our highly competent City staff has created a huge, needless problem for itself. The thing is a desecration of the Civic Center in general, of Old City Hall in particular, which it looms over like a giant oil derrick, and an almost inconceivable affront to the residential neighborhood in which it stands. Because I have the highest respect for our staff, I am dumbfounded that they would commit such a foolish blunder. But there it is. They’ve done it. Their job now is to remove it with as little further disruption as possible for the rest of us. Neither Council nor residents should have to waste another minute assisting them out of their blunder. 

Berkeley’s commitment to careful regulation of new construction is very clear. Our process for granting approval for such construction is very clear. If the staff feels it needs such a thing, they should have no trouble finding out what steps to follow to have their application considered. How can we expect citizens to comply with our very carefully crafted land-use standards if our own government gets away with such a blatant flouting of those standards? 

The construction of this tower disfigures our civic life in two major ways. It places an unthinkably ugly structure at the heart of the city. And it reveals, amazingly, that the staff still does not understand the importance to Berkeley’s residents of appropriate process in relation to changes that have major impacts on our lives. 

None of us, including the Council, should have to get distracted into solving this problem for the staff along the lines suggested by a recent staff report. But because the staff has yet to acknowledge and accept responsibility for the enormity of its infraction, citizens and Council are being asked to endure a public hearing on the subject at the Council meeting scheduled for 7 o’clock on Tuesday, May 16. Those who value the integrity of our planning process, the architectural countenance of our Civic Center, and the livability of our neighborhoods should attend. 

I think the appropriate course is very clear. It has two parts. First, the Council should instruct the staff to remove the McKinley Street tower as soon as possible. Second, and equally important, the Council should do everything it can to ensure that the staff fully and finally understands the importance to Berkeley of following appropriate process where major construction is concerned, so that they spare themselves and us any other blunders on this scale. 

Rob Browning is a Berkeley resi

Just one day after Kevin Brown and Randy Johnson pitched a near-perfect eight innings apiece in the much-anticipated National League baseball showdown, Berkeley High’s Lilli Bermeo and Granada’s Sylvia Moses set out to make Thursday’s East Bay Athletic League softball matchup just as classic. 

It was déjà vu at the Matadors’ home field, as both pitchers matched Brown and the Big Unit in innings and effectiveness, each going the full eight in the extra-inning battle. And when you throw in Bermeo and Moses’ strikeout statistics – they combined for 10 – you might say it was “K”-ja vu. 

With two dominant hurlers on the hill, “run support” seemed to be missing from both teams’ vocabularies. Though both squads scattered baserunners throughout the afternoon, neither the Matadors nor the ’Jackets were able to get on the board in seven innings of regulations. Granada finally broke the dry spell in the bottom half of the eighth, manufacturing a run on a leadoff hit and a very costly Yellowjacket error. The 1-0 walkoff defeat dropped Berkeley High’s league record to 2-10. 

“My outfielder charged the ball, and it went about two steps over her head. It was just a lapse of fundamentals,” BHS coach Elena Bermeo said about the miscue – only the second of the entire game by the otherwise solid ’Jacket defense. “This game was really frustrating, because we played so hard.” 

“It was basic plays that should have been made – we had two runners picked off, people weren’t heads up enough on the bases,” junior catcher Alice Brugger added. “We played tight defense, and got out of a lot of situations. We had opportunities to get runners in, but we didn’t finish.” 

Moses piled up six strikeouts on the way to the winning decision, while Bermeo fanned four in yet another outing unsupported by offense. Though coach Elena Bermeo contends that her team has made marked improvement at the plate in the second half of the EBAL season, she admits that the lineup lacks a true RBI threat – a void that often results in multiple runners left on base. 

“They were hitting. We got on base – even a few runners on third base, in scoring position,” the coach said. “There’s no one player that’s too consistent. At any given time, a girl can do anything. We don’t have a go-to player.” 

According to the Berkeley High coach and players, the 1-0 defeat ranked among the worst all season, because of the sudden and heartbreaking manner in which it occurred. After the game, Bermeo shared in her players’ disappointment, but attempted to find a silver lining in the setback. 

“It was a hard loss, probably the hardest of the year. They knew they had that one,” the coach said. “We have to look at the bright side – that we did hold them that long.” 

“Lilli pitched a good game, and we played well (on defense),” Brugger agreed. “I think we’re gelling now that we’re set in our positions. Everybody’s focused on what we have to do. We want to go out (of the EBAL) with a bang.” 

The ’Jackets return to the diamond next Tuesday, hosting Foothill in a 3:45 p.m. home battle at James Kenney

THEATER 

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE 

“Let My Enemy Live Long!” by Tanya Shaffer, April 19 through May 12. The story of an ill-advised boat ride up West Africa's Niger River to Timbuktu. 

$19 to $48.50. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 8 p.m.; Wednesday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; April 19, 8 p.m.; NO PERFORMANCES APRIL 25 AND APRIL 26. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 845-4700 or (888) 4BRTTIX. 

IMPACT THEATRE 

“The Wake-Up Crew” by Zay Amsbury, May 5 through June 3. A comic book on stage that pits unemployed UC Santa Cruz grads against the forces of chaos and destruction. 

$10 general; $5 students. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. La Val’s Subterranean Theater, 1834 Euclid Ave., Berkeley. (510) 464-4468. 

SHOTGUN PLAYERS 

“The Skriker” by Caryl Churchill, through June 4. In this ecological play, faeries are damaged due to polluted rivers and woods, and are forgotten. 

$15 general; $10 seniors and students. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 7 p.m. The Warehouse Performance Space, 1850 Cesar Chavez St., San Francisco. (510) 655-0813. 

MUSIC VENUES 

ASHKENAZ 

Mutabaruka, DJ Zodiac Soundz, May 12, 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. $11. 

The Johnny Otis Show, Clarence Van Hook, May 13, 9:30 p.m. $20. 

Caminos Flamencos, May 14, 7:30 p.m. $10. 

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5099 or www.ashkenaz.com 

BLAKES 

Orixa, Fuzzbucket, May 12. $6. 

Nobody From Ipenema, Brazilian Dance Party, May 13. $6. 

Ten Ton Chicken, May 14. $3. 

For age 18 and older. Music at 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. (510) 848-0886. 

FREIGHT AND SALVAGE 

Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, May 12. $17.50 to $18.50. 

Robin Flower and Libby McLaren, May 13. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Kathy Kallick Mother's Day Show, May 14, 2 p.m. $5.50 kids/ $7.50 general. 

Melody of China with Wu Wei, May 14. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Music at 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 548-1761 or (510) 762-BASS. 

LA PEÑA CULTURAL CENTER 

The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, May 12, 8 p.m. $12. 

John Santos and the Machete Ensemble, May 13, 8:30 p.m. $15. 

Cafe Rumba, May 14, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.  

Cancionero, May 14, 8 p.m. $8. 

3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

924 GILMAN ST. 

Sangre Amado, Blood Hag, Noise of Struggle, May 12. 

The Oozzies, Trust Fund Babies, May 13. 

$5. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. (510) 525-9926. 

THE STARRY PLOUGH PUB 

Stikman, Faun Fables, Brian Kenney Fresno, May 12. $5. 

The Damnations, TX, The Ex-Husbands, May 13. $7. 

For age 21 and over. Wednesday, 8 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:45 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-2082. 

MUSEUMS 

UC BERKELEY ART 

MUSEUM 

“Master of Fine Art Graduate Exhibition,” May 20 through July 2. The 13th annual exhibit of work by candidates for the Master of Fine Arts degree. Artist Talk, May 21, 3 p.m. At Gallery 2. 

“Anne Chu/MATRIX 184 Untitled,” April 16 through June 18. The exhibition features a selection of Chu's T'ang dynasty funerary figures sculpted following her travels to Xian and Guangdong. 

“China: Fifty Years Inside the People's Republic,” through June 18. The work of 25 Chinese and Western photographers explores half a century of social and political upheaval in this unusual exhibit. 

$6 general; $4 seniors and students ages 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 1 1 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-0808. 

HALL OF HEALTH  

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level), Berkeley. A hands-on community health education museum and science center sponsored by Children's Hospital Oakland and Alta Bates Medical Center. Free. For children ages 3 to 12 and their parents. (510) 549-1564 

LAWRENCE HALL 

OF SCIENCE 

“Dinosaurs 2000,” through June 4. An exhibit featuring 16 lifelike robotic creatures, fossils, activities to compare yourself to a dinosaur, and daily live demonstrations. 

“The News About Dinosaurs,” through June 4. Learn more about the “Dinosaurs 2000” exhibit with live demonstrations exploring recent paleontological discoveries and how scientists know what they do about prehistoric creatures. Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. 

$6 general; $4 seniors, students and children ages 7 to 18; $2 children ages 3 to 6; free children under age 3. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

HABITOT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

A museum especially for children age 7 and younger. Highlights include “WaterWorks,” an area with some unusual water toys, an Infant Tree for babies, a garden especially for toddlers, a child-scale grocery store and cafe, and a costume shop and stage for junior thespians. The museum also features a toy lending library. 

Admission is $4 for adults; $6 child age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child.  

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

(510) 647-1111 

JUDAH L. MAGNES 

MUSEUM 

2911 Russell St., Berkeley 

“Telling Time: To Everything There Is A Season,” through May 2002. An exhibit structured around the seasons of the year and the seasons of life with objects ranging from the sacred and the secular, to the provocative and the whimsical. Highlights include treasures from Jewish ceremonial and folk art, rare books and manuscripts, contemporary and traditional fine art, video, photography and cultural kitsch. Through Nov. 4: “Spring and Summer.” Free. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

(510) 549-6950. 

GALLERIES  

A.C.C.I. GALLERY 

“The Garden Show,” through May 20. A group exhibit of landscape paintings, ceramics and garden sculpture. Free. Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1652 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-2527. 

GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION 

“On Common Ground.” through June 23. This exhibit is a portrait of faith-based communities in Los Angeles. 

“Finding the Sacred Mountain,” through June 20. An exhibit of sumi-e and watercolors by Robert Kostka. 

Free. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 7 p.m. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., Berkeley. (510) 649-2541. 

KALA ART INSTITUTE 

“High Touch/High Tech: Crossing The Divide,” through May 26. An exhibit of juried and invited artists. Free. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Workshop Media Center Gallery, 1060 Heinz Ave., Berkeley. (510) 549-2977. 

NEW PIECES GALLERY 

“Rock, Stone, Masonry and Mosaics,” through June 1. An exhibit of quilts by Charlotte Patera. 

“The Rhapsody of Dolls,” through June 1. An exhibit of dolls by Patti Medaris Culea. 

Free. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-6779. 

A PIECE OF ART 

Jane Fox, Mixed Media Works, April 27 through June 10, with an artist reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 1. Ongoing new works by Gallery Artists in ceramic, metal, glass, wood and works on canvas and paper. 

Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment. Closed Monday and Tuesday. 

701 University Ave., in the parking lot across from Spenger’s. (510) 204-9653. 

TRAYWICK GALLERY 

“minimalPOP,” April 15 through May 14. A group exhibit of a variety of media. 

Free. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1316 10th St., Berkeley. (510) 527-1214. 

To publicize an upcoming event, please submit information to the Daily Planet via fax (841-5695), e-mail (calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.com) or traditional mail (2076 University Avenue, 94704). Calendar items should be submitted at least one week before the opening of a new exhibit or performance. Please include a daytime telephone number in case we need to clarify any information.

OAKLAND – The trial of middle-school teacher Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi, charged with obstructing a police officer in the course of duty, opened in superior court Thursday morning. 

Jacobs-Fantauzzi, 24, is accused of deliberately standing in the path of a peace officer, as part of the multiple acts of civil disobedience stemming from a conflict between KPFA and its governing board, the Pacifica Foundation. KPFA is a 50-year-old listener-sponsored radio station in Berkeley. 

A jury of 13, including one alternate - seven men, six women, of whom six appear to be African American, five appear Caucasian, one appears Asian-American and one whose ethnicity is not clearly evident – listened intently as Assistant District Attorney David Lim outlined the facts which, he said, would lead them to conclude that Jacobs-Fantauzzi is guilty of standing in the way of an officer who was trying to get to a protester, illegally setting up a tent on the sidewalk in front of the radio station. 

Lim said that the officer asked Jacobs-Fantauzzi to move and when he refused, he went around him in order to go to the protester. But when the officer moved to the left, Jacobs-Fantauzzi moved in order to stop the officer from accomplishing his mission. 

Jacobs-Fantauzzi’s attorney, Richard Krech, painted a different picture for the jury, contending that his client was illegally arrested. 

“The evidence will show that Mr. Jacobs-Fantauzzi did not delay or obstruct police officers,” he told the jury. 

To prove his allegations, Lim put Sgt. Randolph Files on the stand as his first witness. Files was the officer in charge of arresting Jacobs-Fantauzzi. 

Files told the jurors how he and fellow officers crossed the street, walking toward the protester who was setting up a tent. 

“Mr. (Jacobs-)Fantauzzi demanded to know why we were there and what we were intending to do,” he told the court, explaining that, after some dialogue, he told Jacobs-Fantauzzi that if he didn’t move, he would be arrested. 

“Mr. (Jacobs-)Fantauzzi was 2 1/2 to 3 feet away, a distance that makes me feel unsafe, invading my personal zone,” Files said. 

“In an effort to de-escalate (the situation) I stepped out of Mr. (Jacobs-)Fantauzzi’s way,” Files told the jury, demonstrating how he stepped to the left. “Mr. (Jacobs-)Fantauzzi stepped in front of me again,” he said. Then he said he told Jacobs-Fantauzzi, as he had earlier, that if he wouldn’t move, he would be arrested. 

Jacobs-Fantauzzi didn’t move and Files ordered his arrest. 

“The whole exchange took less than – or about – one minute,” he said. 

Files said that Jacobs-Fantauzzi first went limp, then stiff, then flailed with his arms and legs, making it difficult to arrest him. Finally, the officers picked him up and carried him to a police van. 

When it was time for his cross-examination, Krech tried to show the jury inconsistencies in Files testimony. In his March 6 testimony, during a pre-trial hearing, Files said Jacobs-Fantauzzi went limp, but in his police report, Krech said that Files wrote “we took him to the ground.” 

Files explained the apparent inconsistency by saying that Jacobs-Fantauzzi’s demeanor changed from going limp to being active and that officers needed to intervene. 

Later in the cross examination, Krech posed a number of questions, trying to ascertain whether the two officer-witnesses may have talked together about the facts of the case, thus leading to possible adjustments in one story or another. 

Krech had Files point out to the jury that, just that morning, Files and another witness, Officer Kevin Schofield, viewed a videotape of the arrest together in Lim’s office. This videotape has been entered into evidence. 

Files stated unequivocally that even thought the two witness officers viewed the tape at the same time, they did not discuss the facts of the case together. 

Files continues on the stand today at 9:30 a.m., Department 105, Superior Court, 661 Washington St., Oakland. 

Friday, May 12 

Berkeley Potters Guild Spring Show 

10 a.m.-6 p.m. 

Jones and Fourth streets 

510-524-7031 

“Russia Today” 

Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 

Nicholas V. Riasanovsky, history professor at UC Berkeley, will speak during this week’s meeting of the City Commons Club. Social hour begins at 11:15 a.m. Luncheon is served from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Speaker starts promptly at 12:30 p.m. Lunch is $11 or $12.25; admission to the speech is $1, free for students. 

510-848-3533 

Berkeley Public Education Foundation Spring Luncheon 

11:30 a.m. 

H’s Lordships restaurant, 199 Seawall Drive 

This year’s luncheon honors Neil Smith, Principal, Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, as Distinguished Educator of the Year; Ackerman’s Volvo Service and Elmwood Stationers as Distinguished Business Partners; and Pedro Noguera, Professor of Education, UC Berkeley with a Rise to the Challenge Special Award. 

Fund-raiser for the Aquatic Park Children’s Playground 

6 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley YMCA, 2001 Allston Way 

This event will help raise funds for the Aquatic Park Children’s Playground project. Build Days are May 18-21 and May 31-June 4. Volunteers (skilled and unskilled), food, beverages, and money are needed for that event. Sliding scale donation of $2 to $10 per person for the fund-raiser. 

510-649-9874; ZasaSwanson@EminentSoftware.com; http://www.bpfp 

To Live, Zhang Yimou (China, 1994 - Berkeley Arts Festival) 

7 p.m. 

Life on a String, Chen Kaige (UK/China/Germany, 1990) 

9:25 p.m. 

Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Bancroft Way 

Poetry reading 

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books, 398 Colusa Ave. Kensington 

Monza Neff will read from her two poetry collections. 

510-559-9184 

Sub Human, Sea Tales from the Depths (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

8 p.m. 

Festival Gallery, 2216 Shattuck Ave. 

Ed Holmes’ one-man show is the true and salty tale of his journey from boy to sailor to performer. $7-$8, FOF (Friends of the Festival) free 

“The Love of Three Oranges” 

8 p.m. 

Live Oak Theater, Shattuck and Berryman 

Berkwood Hedge School students will present this unlikely comedy adventure of witches, wizards and princes. Tickets $4 per person. 

510-883-6990 

Ethnic Heritage Ensemble (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

8 p.m. 

La Peña Cultural Center, 3015 Shattuck Ave. 

This will be a jazz performance and discussion. $14 FOF $12. 

Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

8 p.m. 

St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. 

Bach’s B minor Mass. Free. 

Saturday, May 13 

Forum on city’s Arts Grants Program 

10 a.m.-noon 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

The Berkeley Civic Arts Commission, in conjunction with the City of Berkeley Civic Arts Office, will present this public forum to review new guidelines and grant applications for the city’s Arts Grants Program. The program distributes funds to eligible arts and other organizations operating within the city. 

510-705-8183 

Stop the War! The Vietnam Era 

10 a.m.-noon 

This walk is part of the Spring 2000 Walking Tours sponsored by the Berkeley Historical Society. Ann Marks, Berkeley Historical Society Board member, author, anti-war activist and curator of the Society’s Vietnam Anti-War Exhibit, will lead a walking tour of Vietnam-era protest and demonstration sites. The price is $5 per tour or $20 per season ticket for Berkeley Historical Society members. The price is $10 per tour for non-members. Call the Historical Society for reservations. 

510-848-0181 

Berkeley Potters Guild Spring Show 

10 a.m.-6 p.m. 

Jones and Fourth streets 

This show-and-sale highlights work by clay artists, Ikebana demonstrations, one-of-a-kind bargains throughout the complex of art studios, and more. The event is free. 

510-524-7031 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Center Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

510-548-3333 

Sixth Annual Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Festival 

Noon-4 p.m. 

Civic Center Park, Downtown Berkeley 

Students from Berkeley High and other local schools are organizing this festival celebrating the diversity of Asian Pacific heritage. This year’s theme is “Through Our Eyes.” 

510-849-4898; 510-595-4645 

“School House Rock Live! Jr.” 

1 p.m. 

John Muir Elementary School Auditorium, 2955 Claremont Ave. 

This musical features an all-kids cast. Tickets are $10 general admission, $5 for children age 12 and under. 

510-762-2279 

“The Love of Three Oranges” 

8 p.m. 

Live Oak Theater, Shattuck and Berryman 

Tickets $4 per person. 

510-883-6990 

Sunday, May 14 

Mother’s Day tea and tours 

9 a.m.-4:45 p.m. 

UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive, UC Berkeley campus 

Tea, sandwiches, cookies and homemade breads will be served at three separate seatings for moms. Space is only available in the third seating, at 3 p.m. Tours will be offered throughout the day. Cost is $10 for Garden members, $15 for non-members, $5 for children 3-12. Call ahead for reservations. 

510-643-2755 

Berkeley Potters Guild Spring Show 

10 a.m.-6 p.m. 

Jones and Fourth streets 

510-524-7031 

Mother’s Day Picket 

11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. 

Berkeley Marina Radisson, 200 Marina Blvd. 

This picket is being organized by HERE Local 2850. 

510-893-3181 

Mother’s Day 2000 Picnic 

Noon-2:30 p.m. 

Civic Center Park, Downtown Berkeley 

Women for Peace and the Women’s International League of Peace and Freedom are sponsoring this event. Scheduled speakers include Medea Benjamin, Claire Cummings, Sally Light, Cathrine Sneed, Nadia Babella and Dena Adeeb. The acoustic trio Rebecca Riots will perform. This event is free.

With Thursday’s three-game sweep over East Bay Athletic League rival California High in the bag, the Berkeley High boys volleyball team can only sit back and play a different game until Sunday’s playoff seeding meeting: namely, the waiting game. 

In attempting to put together a late-season run to impress the NCS committee, the ‘Jackets have seemingly lived up to their part of the bargain, winning three out of four matches to close out the EBAL season at 6-6. With a respectable 12-9 overall record, and split series with such powerhouses as James Logan and Amador Valley, Berkeley High believes it has done enough to slip into one of the final spots in next week’s NCS playoff draw. 

“We went 4-2 over our last six, and we’re playing better at the end than we were the first time through (the league schedule),” said BHS coach Justin Caraway, who expects the NCS to invite at least one additional EBAL squad, besides league champion Foothill and runner-up San Ramon. “Our records certainly aren’t stellar, but they’re probably good enough to get us in.” 

Should Berkeley qualify for the postseason, Thursday’s 15-11, 17-15, 17-15 defeat of the Grizzlies would figure to play a big part in restoring the Yellowjackets’ confidence, after Tuesday’s four-game loss to first-place Foothill. While Caraway saw room for improvement in the Cal High game – especially in passing and serving – he considered the triumph a mark of progress. 

“I think we did a pretty good job, in general. The scores looked a lot closer than they actually were,” the coach said. “We were ahead in all three games, and we did a pretty good job of siding out. Once we got to 14, we really stepped up.” 

If the NCS selection committee does deem BHS worthy of postseason play, the ‘Jackets would likely open the playoffs with a first-round road game on Tuesday evening.

Officially, no one from the Berkeley Unified School District or the Berkeley Federation of Teachers cannot discuss “all matters” surrounding the current state of mediation between the two sides. 

But that doesn’t mean they’re not delivering any messages. 

During Wednesday’s special meeting of the school board, both sides had an opportunity to make brief comments on the blackout imposed Tuesday by the state mediator. Board President Joaquin Rivera was the first to speak. He told the small crowd in the room – and those watching or listening at home – that he was unable to deliver on his goal to provide more detailed information on the offers being put forward by both sides. 

“I am still of that opinion, because I feel very strongly that without knowledge of where we are, the public cannot really judge us and really talk about our commitment to making sure that teachers are our No. 1 prior And in effect, he told the public that he disagreed with the blackout. He said that he knows the rules, and “sometimes I don’t agree with the rules and would like to figure out ways around them.” But Rivera said that because the mediator has declared a blackout, “I must do what he says.” 

BFT President Barry Fike, who noted that the board agenda didn’t include time specifically for any union or advisory committee to speak, was given the opportunity to address the board and the public. Unlike the passion and emotion shown in recent meetings, Fike was remarkably calm and collected Wednesday night. 

“I totally concur and agree with President Rivera’s comments tonight in terms of this blackout, called for by the mediator,” Fike said in his opening. 

He went on to read a letter that was being distributed to all teachers in regards to the blackout. The district distributed a message Wednesday to all district employees and board members instructing them not to speak about anything happening in negotiations for however long the blackout is in effect. Right now, the directive stands until next week, when the two sides hold their next mediation session. That blackout will be re-evaluated at that time. 

But, in an attempt to provide its own interpretation on the blackout, the BFT produced its own letter on Thursday, passing along the same direction for teachers to abide by the directive. It also seemed to speak to an issue that may have initiated the blackout. 

“Reports indicate that during the several days leading up to (Tuesday’s) negotiation session, leaks and/or a spreading of misinformation on current BUSD and BFT proposals beginning to occur at school sites and elsewhere,” Fike read from the letter. “The state mediator has indicated that a further spreading of false rumors and speculation between now and our next scheduled negotiation session may likely inhibit the process rather than help it.” 

The entire blackout marks a shift from comments made by the BUSD and BFT last week. Rivera said at last week’s meeting that he welcomed the opportunity to release more information to the public, and Fike said the union has been open to such an opportunity.

A proposal to raise fees for some planning and development permits will be the topic of a public hearing during next week’s City Council meeting. 

The resolution asks the council to adopt the fee schedule for the Permit Service Center Fund for all development-related services provided by the department. 

“We’re proposing to change just a few fee categories,” said Current Planning Manager Mark Rhoades, whose department proposes increasing about 12 of 40 fee categories. 

Fees went up two years ago across the board, he noted. This time the planners made an eight-month study of how much staff time is spent in determining if permits should be issued. “We’re trying to adjust the fees to pay for the time actually spent,” said Dan Lambert, senior management analyst in the Planning Department. 

The additional annual revenue from the proposed fee increases is estimated to be $326,999, and the total fee revenue is projected to be $4,324,262, according to the report on “Changes in Development Fees for the Permit Service Center Fund.” 

Building permits would not increase, Lambert said. Those permits comprise two-thirds of the total revenue, he said, and the fees will not go up even though costs are increasing. 

The biggest changes proposed are in Current Planning’s permits, where only 40 percent of the cost is being recovered, he said, adding that these pose the most complex issues. 

While total fee revenue is $4.3 million, the expenditure budget including administrative and indirect costs is more than $5 million, according to the report. 

“Historically the City Council has subsidized zoning fees,” said Rhoades. To keep the process accessible to the public the city has provided about half the cost (from the General Fund). 

“We’re proposing an adjustment to get up to half and subsidize to the tune of 50 percent in most applications.” 

The proposal is expected to generate some opposition. Rachel Rupert, chief executive officer of the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce, said Thursday that the Chamber was preparing a letter about the proposed fee increases. 

“You can’t tell just by looking at the fee structure what are the implications, and how far reaching they are,” said Rupert. 

“We wanted to see if the fee increases are legitimate and warranted and that we have explored them.” 

Chamber representatives are expected to be present at Tuesday’s hearing. 

At the present time Current Planning is recovering 40 percent of its cost. 

Rhoades said the fees charged by Berkeley, even with the proposed increases, are comparable to other local municipalities including Oakland, Emeryville and Fremont. 

One prominent category, Administrative Use Permits, which received 221 applications in the last fiscal year, is the most visible to the general public. 

Administrative Use Permits for altering buildings have three levels of review, said Rhoades, for commercial and industrial uses as well as residential. 

Rhoades said the city has determined in these permits that a public hearing is not needed, he said, but it needs review and posting in the neighborhood. 

Also the city gets the opportunity to add conditions of approval. 

Under the proposal, the permit for a major residential addition of 500 square feet or more would increase from $450 to $600. 

In the Design Review category, where permits are required for exterior changes to commercial and industrial buildings, increases include a change of $235 to $325 for signs and awnings, and from $380 to $400 for staff analysis of projects under $50,000. 

If the Design Review Committee studies an exterior change that will cost less than $50,000, the fee will increase from $570 to $750. However, if the change is greater than $50,000 the fee drops $55 to $900. There were 81 Design Review applications in the last fiscal year. 

In the category of Use Permits, which received 99 applications in the last year, Rhoades said there are seven types, and his staff is proposing to change only one of them. 

In a whopping increase the Use Permit that requires a public hearing would change from $675 to $2,000. In this case, the report indicates, the city is recovering only one-fourth of the cost of staff time. 

In explaining Use Permits, Rhoades said every zoning district has a threshold for public hearings for different kinds of uses. 

For instance, if the question is how many square feet of floor will be built, that is reflected in the zoning ordinance providing that certain projects need more review and public input, he said. 

Speaking in a general way about zoning, Rhoades said leaders of the city have recognized that Berkeley is a “very special city.” 

“It is fine-grained from a land use standpoint, and we want to be very careful about the type of use and development projects in the city, so we spend a lot of time looking at them.” 

Defending the increases, he said, “More things are subject to review and more staff resources are required to review them.” The significant level of public participation also plays a role in the process, he said. 

For several types of landmark permits sizeable increases also are suggested: Signs and Awnings up from $180 to $500, and Design Review alteration from $180 to $550. 

According to the report the department recovers less than 20 percent of the cost of processing these permits. 

Planners also are asking the city to rescind the $345,000 cap on all waivers and limit future waivers that are not funded, to seismic strengthening.

The Berkeley Civic Arts Commission will present a public forum Saturday to review new guidelines and grant applications for the Arts Grants Program. 

The forum will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the North Berkeley Senior Center at 1901 Hearst Ave. The Forum is open to the public, and interested arts organizations, artists and all others are encouraged to attend. 

The agenda for the forum includes an explanation of the proposed changes to the city’s resolution for the grants program, questions from attendees and suggestions on the proposed drafts of the program components. The forum is being held now to give community arts organizations and artists the opportunity to give input to revisions to the program well in advance of the next funding cycle. The FY 2001 Arts Grants Program will take place from April 2001, when guidelines and applications are distributed, through August 2001 when awards are made. This will not apply to the current funding cycle. The City of Berkeley Arts Grants Program distributes funds to eligible arts and other organizations operating within the City of Berkeley. 

The nine-member Berkeley Civic Arts Commission implements this program supporting art and culture in the city. 

The Berkeley Civic Arts Commission oversees the Arts Grants Program, the newly initiated Public Art program, the existing City Art Collection, the Addison Street Window Gallery, and provides information to the public on the arts and culture in Berkeley, as well as support and technical assistance to artists and arts organizations.

There’s a twist some might call “ironic” in the case of Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi, accused of obstructing a police officer during the summertime height of the conflicts between KPFA “free-speech” radio and its governing board. Jacobs-Fantauzzi’s attorney Richard Krech subpoenaed photographs taken by The Oakland Tribune the morning of the arrest, but the newspaper’s chief photographer, Ron Riesterer, is refusing to turn them over. The Trib’s attorneys are evoking California’s shield law, which protects journalists, including photographers, from having their work used in behalf of a particular party. 

The law was written “so newspapers don’t become an evidence-gathering branch” of government, said Tribune attorney Duffy Carolan of Crosby Heafey Roach and May. 

In a hearing earlier this week, the court found Riesterer guilty of contempt. Carolan said the paper plans to appeal the decision, but no date for the appeal has been set. 

In a hearing Thursday, the court reduced the number of photographs under consideration from eight to four. 

Jacobs-Fantauzzi said he agrees with the paper’s First Amendment rights, but at the same time “if it will prove my innocence, I have a need to pursue it.” 

Krech argued that “the police are not telling the truth.” The photographs and videotapes will show that Kahlil was acting as a peacemaker when he was arrested, he said.

Another protest. Another forcible ejection by the authorities. Yet another opportunity for outsiders to exclaim “only in Berkeley” (perhaps condescendingly, perhaps not). Another odd amalgamation of anger, hope and happiness. 

Another convocation. 

Another class graduated at UC Berkeley. 

Security was tight at yesterday’s Class of 2000 Commencement Convocation anticipating protests of the keynote speaker, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Hordes of three-piece-suited Secret Service agents saturated the Greek Theatre crowd of roughly 5,000, joined by white-uniformed federal officers, UC police, security guards, a bomb-sniffing dog and various other authority figures. 

They needed them all. 

While the protests were nonviolent, they were loud, frequent and incredibly disruptive. In addition to the noisy protests in front of the theatre, 59 demonstrators were ejected from within the proceedings with no reported arrests. 

The many protesters – demonstrating against U.S. actions in the Balkans, Colombia and most especially the ongoing embargo of Iraq – immediately unfurled banners the instant Albright was introduced, chanting slogans and continually interrupting her speech with cries of “murderer” and “genocide.” A small propeller plane towing a banner reading “1.7 Mil(lion) Iraqis Dead – End Sanctions Now!” even flew over the theater. 

“I’m so glad to be at Berkeley,” exclaimed Albright while waiting for a particularly noisy protester to be shown out of the theater. “The United States is not perfect. Like other nations, we have had shameful periods and practices in the past. But I believe deeply in the fundamental goodness of our country, the immense value of our leadership in democracy, justice and peace. That, in a nutshell, is my story.” 

Albright, cheered by the vast majority of the crowd, received her loudest ovation when speaking of the advancement of women in politics and the world. 

“I’m often asked what it’s like to be a female in this job, and most people who ask expect me to say it makes no difference,” said Albright. “But after 63 male Secretaries of State, I was determined to make a difference. I’m proud of successes in the efforts to advance women in mainstream foreign politics.” 

Albright also received applause when she mentioned her attempts to curb abusive practices against women worldwide, and exited the stage to a standing ovation. Scheduled to appear last as keynote speaker, Albright actually spoke first and left the stage immediately following her speech. 

The change of plans was a surprise for the crowd, and even crossed up the speakers. University Medalist Fadia Rafeedie – a Palestinian-American and Arab activist – had hoped to bring up the Iraqi embargo with Albright, but found her intended audience had long since left the building amidst a sea of Secret Service agents. Rafeedie scrapped her planned speech and instead opted to “speak from the heart.” 

“I want to talk for a lot of my comrades out there who (were ejected),” said the history major. “I want to give them a voice. There are about 5,000 people here today. About that may Iraqis will die before we graduate. Commencement means beginning. Where civilization itself began, it’s now being destroyed. 

“I think the protesters didn’t embarrass the University, I think they dignified it,” continued Rafeedie. “Secretary Albright did not mention Iraq. Failing to mention things is like actually lying about them. The cancer rate in Iraq has risen over 70 percent since the Gulf War. The children dying of malicious diseases weren’t even born when the Gulf War happened. You gave a standing ovation to a woman who stands for everything I’m against.” 

Between the bedlam surrounding Albright’s appearance and Rafeedie’s heartfelt words, Professor Robert Berring and former Congressman Jerome Waldie served much the same role as the drunken doorman in “Macbeth” – much-needed comic relief. 

“You’ve actually lost something here at UC Berkeley. You’ve lost the right to ever say you don’t have a shot. That you don’t have a chance,” said Berring, a law professor at Boalt Hall. “Perhaps you’ve had something else taken away from you too – maybe a lot of things. Maybe a laptop! Maybe a calculator! Maybe a bicycle! I don’t understand bicycles; I’ve lost three now, where do they go? I wish you could just make a deal with the thieves to make a monthly payment from your MasterCard and keep your stuff!” 

Waldie, a member of the Cal class of 1950, represented Contra Costa County in the U.S. Congress from 1966 to 1974. He recalled his own commencement 50 years ago – and the cold beer he slipped in under his graduation robe. He also recalled seeing Richard Nixon politicking near campus in the late 1940s. 

“Some people were wearing gags to protest a law Nixon had proposed to limit free speech,” said Waldie. “I was not much impressed with Mr. Nixon that day, and I guess you could say my feelings reached their peak a quarter-century later, when as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, I voted to impeach the president.”

Thursday, May 11 

Orchestra concert with elementary students 

9:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 

The first part of the concert, at 9:30, will feature Oxford Elementary School students performing with the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra. Students from Washington Elementary School will perform at 10:45. 

Men’s chorus performance 

11:15 a.m. 

Movie: Outbreak 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Jazzschool BART Plaza Concert (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

Noon 

The Brazilian Ensemble, under the direction of Marcos Silva, will perform. The concert is sponsored by the Downtown Berkeley Association, Amoeba Music, BART and the Berkeley Daily Planet. 

Free computer class for seniors 

1-4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

510-644-6109 

Berkeley Arts Magnet Instrumental and Choral Concert 

1:30 p.m. 

1645 Milvia St. 

Carefree Carfree Tour to Judah L. Magnes Museum (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

1:30 p.m. 

Meet at the Festival Gallery, 2216 Shattuck Ave. 

Berkeley Chamber of Commerce: Showcase 2000 

5-7:30 p.m. 

H’s Lordships restaurant, 199 Seawall Drive 

About 50 local businesses are sponsoring booths at this event, and Cal football coach Tom Holmoe will speak at 5:15 p.m. on “Recruiting the Best.” 

Community Health Commission 

6:30 p.m. 

Mental Health Clinic, 2640 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way 

Among the items the commission will address are: the Health Access Report, the midwife crisis and the budget. 

Zoning Adjustment Board 

7 p.m. 

Council Chambers, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

Among the items the board will discuss is a recommendation to deny a permit to demolish a 2,900 square-foot house on Woodmont Avenue and replace it with a 5,200 square-foot house. 

College Avenue repaving planning 

7 p.m. 

Willard Middle School auditorium, Stuart and Regent 

510-644-6398 

Update on Haiti 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Unitarian Fellowship, Cedar and Bonita 

Members of a recent delegation to Haiti, including local activists Pierre Laboissiere, will be talking about their trip, the recent episodes of violence in that country and the upcoming elections. The event is sponsored by Global Exchange, the Bay Area Haitian American Committee and others. 

The Plight of the Redwoods 

7 p.m. 

Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 

Forest defender Redwood Mary, tree-sitter Nate Madsen (via live cell phone), and Chie Abad, human rights activist and former Saipan sweatshop worker will be on hand to explain the current campaign to focus attention on the connection between sweatshops, Fair Trade, and forest destruction. There also will be a screening of the 20-minute video “ Timber Gap” by the Headwaters Action Video Collective, about the efforts to save the last of Mendocino’s coastal redwood forest from overexploitation. 

510-548-2220, ext. 233 

Friday, May 12 

Berkeley Potters Guild Spring Show 

10 a.m.-6 p.m. 

Jones and Fourth streets 

This show-and-sale highlights work by clay artists, Ikebana demonstrations, one-of-a-kind bargains throughout the complex of art studios, and more. The event is free. 

510-524-7031 

“Russia Today” 

Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. 

Nicholas V. Riasanovsky, history professor at UC Berkeley, will speak during this week’s meeting of the City Commons Club. Social hour begins at 11:15 a.m. Luncheon is served from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Speaker starts promptly at 12:30 p.m. Lunch is $11 or $12.25; admission to the speech is $1, free for students. 

510-848-3533 

Berkeley Public Education Foundation Spring Luncheon 

11:30 a.m. 

H’s Lordships restaurant, 199 Seawall Drive 

This year’s luncheon honors Neil Smith, Principal, Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, as Distinguished Educator of the Year; Ackerman’s Volvo Service and Elmwood Stationers as Distinguished Business Partners; and Pedro Noguera, Professor of Education, UC Berkeley with a Rise to the Challenge Special Award. 

Fund-raiser for the Aquatic Park Children’s Playground 

6 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley YMCA, 2001 Allston Way 

This event will help raise funds for the Aquatic Park Children’s Playground project. Build Days are May 18-21 and May 31-June 4. Volunteers (skilled and unskilled), food, beverages, and money are needed for that event. There is a sliding scale donation of $2 to $10 per person for the fund-raiser. 

510-649-9874; ZasaSwanson@EminentSoftware.com; http://www.bpfp 

To Live, Zhang Yimou (China, 1994 - Berkeley Arts Festival) 

7 p.m. 

Life on a String, Chen Kaige (UK/China/Germany, 1990) 

9:25 p.m. 

Pacific Film Archive, 2575 Bancroft Way 

Buses No. 7, 51, 64 

Poetry reading 

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books, 398 Colusa Ave. Kensington 

Monza Neff will read from her two poetry collections, “Exultation: A Poem Cycle in Celebration of the Seasons” and “Healing the Womanheart.” This event is free. 

510-559-9184; www.boadeciasbooks.com 

Sub Human, Sea Tales from the Depths (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

8 p.m. 

Festival Gallery, 2216 Shattuck Ave. 

Ed Holmes’ one-man show is the true and salty tale of his journey from boy to sailor to performer. $7-$8, FOF (Friends of the Festival) free 

“The Love of Three Oranges” 

8 p.m. 

Live Oak Theater, Shattuck and Berryman 

Berkwood Hedge School students will present this unlikely comedy adventure of witches, wizards and princes. Tickets $4 per person. 

510-883-6990 

Ethnic Heritage Ensemble (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

8 p.m. 

La Peña Cultural Center, 3015 Shattuck Ave. 

This will be a jazz performance and discussion. $14 FOF $12. 

Bus No. 43 

Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

8 p.m. 

St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. 

Bach’s B minor Mass. Free. 

Bus No. 51 

Saturday, May 13 

Forum on city’s Arts Grants Program 

10 a.m.-noon 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

The Berkeley Civic Arts Commission, in conjunction with the City of Berkeley Civic Arts Office, will present this public forum to review new guidelines and grant applications for the city’s Arts Grants Program. The program distributes funds to eligible arts and other organizations operating within the city. 

510-705-8183 

Stop the War! The Vietnam Era 

10 a.m.-noon 

This walk is part of the Spring 2000 Walking Tours sponsored by the Berkeley Historical Society. With a limit of 30 people, the tour begins at the Free Speech Café in the Moffett Library on the UC Berkeley campus. Ann Marks, Berkeley Historical Society Board member, author, anti-war activist and curator of the Society’s Vietnam Anti-War Exhibit, will lead a walking tour of Vietnam-era protest and demonstration sites. The price is $5 per tour or $20 per season ticket for Berkeley Historical Society members. The price is $10 per tour for non-members. Call the Berkeley Historical Society for reservations. 

510-848-0181 

Berkeley Potters Guild Spring Show 

10 a.m.-6 p.m. 

Jones and Fourth streets 

510-524-7031 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Center Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

510-548-3333 

Sixth Annual Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Festival 

Noon-4 p.m. 

Civic Center Park, Downtown Berkeley 

Students from Berkeley High and other local schools are organizing this festival celebrating the diversity of Asian Pacific heritage. This year’s theme is “Through Our Eyes.” 

510-849-4898; 510-595-4645 

“School House Rock Live! Jr.” 

1 p.m. 

John Muir Elementary School Auditorium, 2955 Claremont Ave. 

This musical features an all-kids cast. Tickets are $10 general admission, $5 for children age 12 and under. 

510-762-2279 

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To publicize an upcoming event, please submit information to the Daily Planet via fax (841-5695), e-mail (calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.com) or traditional mail (2076 University Avenue, 94704). Calendar items should be submitted at least four days in advance. Please include a daytime telephone number in case we need to clarify any information.

At the School Board meeting on May 3rd, the board excepted the challenge of PFIST (Parents For Increased Salaries for Teachers) for a forum on May 16th, where both the union and the board could give some real answers to the community. Board President Joaquin Rivera, (a teacher himself) advised the community to put pressure on both parties, the board and the union, or the forum could be blocked. He pointed out that both sides would have to allow the mediator to lift the vow of silence that has kept us uninformed up until now. He also said that the public had a right to hear both sides, and that the board wanted for that to happen. The board spoke more freely that night than I have ever witnessed in my 5 years as a PTA officer, and I think they enjoyed that freedom. 

Barry Fike, president of the BFT (Berkeley Federation of Teachers), was there and challenged the board to listen to the community. 

Everyone left that night with a clear understanding that both the union and the board had committed to the forum, and the next day Joaquin Rivera began looking for a location, as PFIST had also requested that the district provide the venue. 

By Friday, Berkeley Arts Magnet had been selected, and PFIST had requested that the PTA Council sponsor the event. We immediately requested that the League of Women Voters moderate the event, as they are experts in this area. 

I was stunned when on Sunday, PFIST advised me that Barry Fike had informed them that the union had not actually been invited to a forum. I was stunned, because I don’t think that there was a parent or a teacher in that room who didn’t leave with the clear understanding that both sides had agreed to attend. 

I immediately wrote a letter outlining that understanding to Barry Fike, Joaquin Rivera, and to Jon Marley, founder of PFIST. Because I was occupied at the Capitol on Monday, I e-mailed the letter on Tuesday. 

Apparently my letter was too late, because a “blackout” has been declared on all communications, from all parties. It would appear that something has effectively blocked that critical forum from taking place, and we need to know what that was. We as a community need to put the pressure on. We have one week to have the blackout lifted, and the planing of the forum will continue. The forum will take place on Tuesday the 16th of May, 7 p.m. in the main auditorium at Berkeley Arts Magnet Elementary School. Volunteers will be needed for the setup and breakdown of chairs and tables, and possibly traffic and crowd control. 

I ask that the League continue planing the format for the event, as they will make all of the rules and set all of the guidelines. 

We must move forward, the forum must take place, because we as a community deserve to be informed. This forum is our only chance for that, and we must insist that the blackout be lifted, and the Forum go on as scheduled. I will be at B.A.M. on the 16th, either inside for the Forum, or carrying a sign out in front. I don’t think that I’ll be alone. 

I call on every man, woman, and child to write a letter demanding that the forum go on, and to make three copies: one for the board, one for the union, and one for the mediator. And ask for a response. 

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Mark Coplan is president of the Berkeley PTA Council.

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE 

“Let My Enemy Live Long!” by Tanya Shaffer, April 19 through May 12. The story of an ill-advised boat ride up West Africa's Niger River to Timbuktu. 

$19 to $48.50. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 8 p.m.; Wednesday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; April 19, 8 p.m.; NO PERFORMANCES APRIL 25 AND APRIL 26. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 845-4700 or (888) 4BRTTIX. 

IMPACT THEATRE 

“The Wake-Up Crew” by Zay Amsbury, May 5 through June 3. A comic book on stage that pits unemployed UC Santa Cruz grads against the forces of chaos and destruction. 

$10 general; $5 students. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. La Val’s Subterranean Theater, 1834 Euclid Ave., Berkeley. (510) 464-4468. 

SHOTGUN PLAYERS 

“The Skriker” by Caryl Churchill, through June 4. In this ecological play, faeries are damaged due to polluted rivers and woods, and are forgotten. 

$15 general; $10 seniors and students. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 7 p.m. The Warehouse Performance Space, 1850 Cesar Chavez St., San Francisco. (510) 655-0813. 

The Berkeley High girls lacrosse team finally got the mixture of offense and defense it’s been searching for all year in Wednesday’s first-round playoff matchup with Monte Vista. But even the Yellowjackets’ best game against their league nemeses in three meetings wasn’t enough, as Monte Vista advanced to the second round with an 8-5 win.  

“We felt like we played them well. That’s something we emphasized before the game: playing proud, and they did,” BHS coach Lia Farley said after the game. “Our defense was playing spectacular. But they were beating us to a lot of ground balls, getting second chances.”  

Thanks to a stellar first half by goalkeeper Joanna Hoch, the ’Jackets went into the break trailing by just a goal, at 2-1. Though both offenses began to pick up in the second stanza, Berkeley managed to keep the game within one, until Monte Vista’s Noami Hites rifled in a goal at the two-minute mark to extend the advantage to 7-5. The Mustangs would score once more in the closing minutes to seal the playoff victory – their first in three years. 

“(The Mustangs are) definitely the best they’ve ever been, they’ve cleaned up a lot of their play,” said Farley, whose squad had defeated Monte Vista in the first round of the playoffs the past two years before Wednesday’s setback. “They don’t have great stick skills, they’re just really aggressive.” 

Hoch’s 15 saves highlighted the solid defensive outing, while junior attacker Jamie Lee led the BHS offense with three goals. Alana Perley and Dani Ganes also chimed in with a score apiece. Lee and Ganes were both named to the league all-star team, along with Yellowjacket standouts Naomi Coffman, Catherine Etzel and Rory Satrin. 

“It was pretty much a one-point game the whole way, until the very end,” Farley said. “Our defensive effort was the biggest factor in this game - holding them to two points in the first half was huge. Lots of people stepped up today.” 

Berkeley’s quintet of all-stars are scheduled to compete in one final game this Saturday. Though BHS hopes to host the annual All-star game, the event’s official time and location are yet to be announced.

Scores of protesters used Wednesday’s appearance by U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as an opportunity to denounce this country’s foreign policy in several regions of the world. 

The activism began at noon with a protest and teach-in at Sproul Plaza, where some 300 people chanted such phrases as “NATO bombs won’t bring peace/in Serbia or the Middle East.” 

The invitation to Albright “is an insult to academic values represented in the classroom,” said Hatem Baziam, lecturer in Near Eastern Studies at the university, underscoring that he was addressing the crowd from the “Mario Savio steps” – Savio was a leader in the Free Speech Movement of the 1960s. 

Albright “stands for genocide,” Baziam said. “We tell the students not to cheat and not to plagiarize,” but by inviting Albright to speak, “we are saying it is acceptable to kill 1.5 million (Iraqi) children.” 

U.S. sanctions against Iraq contribute directly to children’s deaths from diarrhea, said Marzia Elterza, one of the protesters standing in the crowd. These deaths are attributed to a lack of clean drinking water. 

“The plumbing system was bombed during the Gulf War,” Elterza said. 

“Iraq cannot import new pipes to fix the problem. And adding chlorine to the water would help, but they cannot import it either.” 

Importing medicines such as penicillin and insulin is also prohibited, said protest organizer Snehal Shingari. “They might have military uses.”  

Amina Jandali spoke to the crowd, but addressed herself directly to Albright: “You target innocent children, who have a right to chalk, a right to pencils. How can you deny them basic human rights?” 

Resuming their chants, protesters headed toward to Greek Theatre where Albright was to speak. 

While one Vietnam veteran who now seeks a peaceful world said he wished more students had been present at the “unwelcoming” ceremony, it was clear that the several thousand people inside the Greek Theatre heard the message that the protesters delivered. 

Shouting from high-powered megaphones, protesters called Albright a war criminal and a mass murderer, and one sign even labeled her as a vampire. 

But the protest was peaceful and one onlooker early in the afternoon quipped that the protest was “puny by Berkeley standards.” 

By the time Albright arrived about 3:30 p.m. – accompanied by a police escort and sirens and was whisked into the theater wearing a cap and gown – the protesters had reached peak velocity. 

They massed on Gayley Road, and looking upward at the Greek Theatre, they booed Albright’s appearance loudly and used a megaphone to tell the audience inside: “Turn your backs.” 

A middle eastern woman spoke stridently into the megaphone as she led protesters with signs around and around in a large circle. 

“Where are your voices?” she asked. A student of international relations at San Francisco State University, Iman Farajallah, 29, was dressed in a black “hijab,” a traditional head to toe black veil worn by women. 

A member of American Muslims for Global peace and justice, she said in simple terms the sanctions against Iraq mean the country cannot export or import any kinds of goods, including medicines and food. 

“It is important to raise our voices to Madeleine Albright and say we are refusing your policies,” said Farajallah. 

“No justice, no peace, U.S. out of the Middle East,” protesters chanted as they circled for two hours. “More graduates, less caskets.” 

A woman dressed in a white evening dress handed out “congratulations graduates” leaflets that on the inside page opposed U.S. foreign policy. 

“Protest is a part of life in Berkeley,’’ said senior Colin Lober, an English major. Albright has the forum in the Greek Theater, he said. The protesters have the street. 

Speaking again of Berkeley’s reputation, Jonah Zern, 22, railed that “in the home of the free speech movement,” he was forcibly evicted even though he held a ticket to the event, because he spoke out against Albright’s policies. 

For one graduate in cap and gown the ceremony itself focused all her attention. Kiki Douveas, 55, a dramatic arts major from Walnut Creek, said she was following in her kids’ footsteps.

The Committee to Minimize Toxic Waste (CMTW) wishes Gordon Wozniak (Perspective, April 29) would do some thinking about a more serious radioactive problem instead of trying to distract the public with a sermon of his beliefs about tritium-filled exit signs. 

Wozniak needs to get his priorities straight. His first warning to the public should be that the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is so radioactively contaminated that it is eligible to be considered for the Superfund National Priorities List for cleanup. The Lab is eligible because the amount of tritiated water vapor found in more than 50 percent of air samples exceeds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Cancer Risk Screening Concentration. This, despite the fact that in one of the years looked at, the National Tritium Labeling Facility (NTLF) was closed for at least six months. 

Wozniak, a Lab employee, when he warns of tritium exit signs in the flatlands being filled with tritium gas (doesn’t the Lab have exit signs?) conveniently fails to inform the public that tritium gas is a different order of hazard magnitude than the tritiated water vapor expelled from the NTLF’s stacks. Tritiated water vapor, unlike tritium gas, can be absorbed through the skin and lungs, and is 25,000 times more biologically harmful than the tritium gas (Journal of Health Physics, Dec. 1993, Vol. 65, p 598). The body cannot distinguish between ordinary water and tritiated water. That’s why tritium is used for labeling drugs, insecticides and pheromones in experiments testing the effectiveness of these substances in the body. 

Furthermore, when tritiated water is absorbed within the body it may become organically bound. Organically bound tritium is 250,000 times more biologically harmful than tritium gas (Kirchman et al, Journal of Health Physics, 1971, Vol. 21). This is the reason children and pregnant women should stay away from the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and the Lawrence Hall of Science, because children and the unborn fetus are more vulnerable to the effects of radiation. Tritium can cause a female fetus to be born with fewer eggs than normal, thus affecting that female’s future reproductivity. Tritium also causes low sperm count, leukemia and other genetic mutations which may skip a generation. 

We appreciate Wozniak putting CMTW on the map. However, we want him to know that the Committee’s mission “is to eliminate toxic contamination of soil groundwater, plants and the atmosphere through remediation and by drastically reducing and eventually eliminating the generation and storage of hazardous, radioactive and radioactive mixed wastes.” Therefore, it is obvious we are concerned about other sources of radioactivity and not just tritium. 

The Lab’s representative also states “all air leaving this building is filtered.” However, tritium cannot be filtered out. The Lab, in converting tritium gas to tritiated water, captures some tritiated water on silica gel, but being extremely volatile, both tritium gas and tritiated water escape through the stack, only 110 meters from the Lawrence Hall of Science. As far as regulatory agencies go, the California Department of Health Services and Department of Toxic Substance Control have no jurisdiction over radionuclides, of which tritium is one. Our critic claims that the U.S. Department of Energy, which owns the Lab, and the U.S. EPA conduct regular reviews. However, those reviews consist of merely looking at documents provided by LBNL which does its own sampling, i.e. self-investigation. Nevertheless, the EPA is now conducting a site “investigation,” also based on LBNL’s own sampling, to determine whether to place the Lab on the Superfund National Priorities List for cleanup. The Precautionary Principle is in order here, that is, “When an activity raises threats of harm to the environment or human health, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically.” 

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Gene C. Bernardi is co-chair of the Committee to Minimize Toxic Waste. She has worked as a research sociologist for UC Berkeley and the USDA.

ASHKENAZ 

Grateful Dead DJ Night with Digital Dave, May 11, 10 p.m. $5. 

Mutabaruka, DJ Zodiac Soundz, May 12, 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. $11. 

The Johnny Otis Show, Clarence Van Hook, May 13, 9:30 p.m. $20. 

Caminos Flamencos, May 14, 7:30 p.m. $10. 

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5099 or www.ashkenaz.com 

BLAKES 

Ripe, Sol Fire, May 11. $4. 

Orixa, Fuzzbucket, May 12. $6. 

Nobody From Ipenema, Brazilian Dance Party, May 13. $6. 

Ten Ton Chicken, May 14. $3. 

For age 18 and older. Music at 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. (510) 848-0886. 

FREIGHT AND SALVAGE 

Ferron, Lui Collins, May 11. $17.50 to $18.50. 

Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, May 12. $17.50 to $18.50. 

Robin Flower and Libby McLaren, May 13. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Kathy Kallick Mother's Day Show, May 14, 2 p.m. $5.50 kids/ $7.50 general. 

Melody of China with Wu Wei, May 14. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Music at 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 548-1761 or (510) 762-BASS. 

LA PEÑA CULTURAL CENTER 

Zapatista Band Fest, May 11, 8 p.m. Featuring Venus Loon, Epidemia, Blasfemia, Caradura, Lodo y Asfalto. $8 to $10. 

The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, May 12, 8 p.m. $12. 

John Santos and the Machete Ensemble, May 13, 8:30 p.m. $15. 

Cafe Rumba, May 14, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.  

Cancionero, May 14, 8 p.m. $8. 

3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

924 GILMAN ST. 

Sangre Amado, Blood Hag, Noise of Struggle, May 12. 

The Oozzies, Trust Fund Babies, May 13. 

$5. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. (510) 525-9926. 

THE STARRY PLOUGH PUB 

Hanuman, Shelley Doty X-tet, May 11. $5. 

Stikman, Faun Fables, Brian Kenney Fresno, May 12. $5. 

The Damnations, TX, The Ex-Husbands, May 13. $7. 

For age 21 and over. Wednesday, 8 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:45 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-2082. 

The Berkeley High Yellowjackets aren’t big disco fans, but “Stayin’ Alive” will be No. 1 on their list of priorities, when they battle league rival California High in today’s regular-season volleyball finale. 

With a near-.500 record in the stacked East Bay Athletic League, the ’Jackets hope to close the season out on a high note, so as to attract a bid to North Coast Section playoffs, held later this month. BHS snapped a two-game winning streak on Tuesday evening, losing in four games at first-place Foothill, making today’s 5 p.m. showdown critical in its hunt for a postseason. 

“They know the importance. They know it’s on the line,” Berkeley High coach Justin Caraway said about his squad’s mental preparation for the Cal High match. “We talked after the (Foothill) match about coming prepared to play. We’ve got to do some things much better (against the Grizzlies).” 

Though Caraway was somewhat disappointed with Berkeley High’s play against the undefeated Falcons, he considers resilience one of his team’s best qualities, and expects them to regroup in time to take care of business against California High. 

“One thing we work hard on is making sure we know that once a match is over, there’s nothing we can do about it,” the coach said after the Foothill loss. “It does no good to dwell on a match. You’ve got to be ready for the next one.”

Berkeley Unified School District Superintendent Jack McLaughlin will meet with the San Francisco school board sometime this weekend for a second interview for that district’s top job. 

But as of late Wednesday night, he didn’t know exactly when or where the interview was going to be conducted, and he didn’t know how many other finalists made this cut. 

McLaughlin told the Daily Planet that his wife received the phone call while he was at the special BUSD school board meeting. The only information relayed at that time was that the San Francisco Unified School District board was asking him to come back for a second interview. 

“My wife asked for a few more details, but they wouldn’t let her know,” he said. 

The SFUSD board had narrowed its field of candidates to six finalists earlier this week. Wednesday night’s closed-door session was expected to see that list narrowed further. 

The SFUSD job is the third superintendent post that McLaughlin has considered this year. In January, he met with the Oakland Unified School Board about its superintendent job but withdrew his name from the race. In February, he was one of three finalists for the top job with the Salem-Keizer School District in Salem, Ore. After a series of interviews and community meetings McLaughlin removed his name from consideration. He says the San Francisco job appeals to him because his career goal has been to oversee a large, urban school district. 

The 58-year-old McLaughlin has been superintendent of the BUSD since November 1994. Before coming to Berkeley, he was a superintendent in Hemet from 1987 to 1994 and in Sunnyvale from 1974 to 1987.

UC BERKELEY ART 

MUSEUM 

“Master of Fine Art Graduate Exhibition,” May 20 through July 2. The 13th annual exhibit of work by candidates for the Master of Fine Arts degree. Artist Talk, May 21, 3 p.m. At Gallery 2. 

“Anne Chu/MATRIX 184 Untitled,” April 16 through June 18. The exhibition features a selection of Chu's T'ang dynasty funerary figures sculpted following her travels to Xian and Guangdong. The wooden figures range in height from 28 inches to over six feet.  

“China: Fifty Years Inside the People's Republic,” through June 18. The work of 25 Chinese and Western photographers explores half a century of social and political upheaval in this unusual exhibit. The 200 photographs, both black-and-white and color, cover the many regions, cultures and people that make up China as well as the mix of traditional life and the modern one. 

$6 general; $4 seniors and students ages 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 1 1 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-0808. 

HALL OF HEALTH  

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level), Berkeley 

A hands-on community health education museum and science center sponsored by Children's Hospital Oakland and Alta Bates Medical Center. 

Free. For children ages 3 to 12 and their parents. 

(510) 549-1564 

LAWRENCE HALL 

OF SCIENCE 

“Dinosaurs 2000,” through June 4. An exhibit featuring 16 lifelike robotic creatures, fossils, activities to compare yourself to a dinosaur, and daily live demonstrations. 

“The News About Dinosaurs,” through June 4. Learn more about the “Dinosaurs 2000” exhibit with live demonstrations exploring recent paleontological discoveries and how scientists know what they do about prehistoric creatures. Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. 

$6 general; $4 seniors, students and children ages 7 to 18; $2 children ages 3 to 6; free children under age 3. 

Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Centennial Drive, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

PHOEBE HEARST MUSEUM 

Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley 

“Modern Treasures from Ancient Iran,” through Oct. 29. This exhibit explores nomadic and town life in ancient and modern Iran as illustrated in bronze and pottery vessels, and textiles. 

“Pana O’ahu: Sacred Stones – Sacred Places,” through July 16. An exhibit of photographs by Jan Becket and Joseph Singer. 

“Phoebe Hearst Museum-Approaching a Century of Anthropology,” a sampling of the vast collections of the museum, its mission, history, and current research, with selections from ancient Egypt, ancient Peru, California Indians, Asia (India), and Africa. 

“Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” Ishi, the last Yahi Indian of California, spent the final years of his life, 1911 to 1916, living at the museum, working with anthropologists to record his culture, demonstrating technological skills, and retelling Yahi myths, tales, and songs. 

Wednesday through Sunday 10 am -4:30 pm; Thursday until 9 pm (Sept-May) 

(510) 643-7648 

HABITOT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

A museum especially for children age 7 and younger. Highlights include “WaterWorks,” an area with some unusual water toys, an Infant Tree for babies, a garden especially for toddlers, a child-scale grocery store and cafe, and a costume shop and stage for junior thespians. The museum also features a toy lending library. 

Exhibit: “Back to the Farm,” open-ended. This interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels like an earthworm, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and much more.  

Admission is $4 for adults; $6 child age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child.  

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

(510) 647-1111 

JUDAH L. MAGNES 

MUSEUM 

2911 Russell St., Berkeley 

“Chagall: Master Prints and Posters, Selections from the Magnes Museum Collection.” Accompanying the exhibition is “Exploring Chagall and His Use of the Elements of Art,” a child-friendly Interactive Educational Room with five work-stations and a central activities space. 

Free. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

(510) 549-6950. 

The Cal basketball program recognized walk-on forward Ryan Forehan-Kelly’s 1999-2000 contributions on Wednesday, granting him a scholarship for the 2000-2001 season.  

Forehan-Kelly played a much larger than expected role for the Bears last season, shooting 50 percent on the year, while averaging 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. After playing in just 10 games in his 1998-99 freshman year, the consistent outside shooter played in all but three regular-season games last season, before starting in all three postseason NIT contests.  

“I feel fortunate that the coaches have given me this opportunity,” Forehan-Kelly said. “I’m happy that they’ve recognized my hard work and have rewarded me for it.” 

As a sophomore, Forehan-Kelly was especially dangerous from beyond the arc, hitting 24-of-53 three-pointers on the year to lead all Bears with a .453 percentage. The sophomore’s career-high came on March 11, when he nailed six treys on the way to scoring 20 total points. 

“I’m glad we had this opportunity to reward Ryan for his loyalty, leadership and dedication to the Cal basketball program,” Cal head coach Ben Braun said on Wednesday. “He has shown a strong commitment to the team, and his contributions have been invaluable.” 

Braun awarded a similar scholarship last year, to senior walk-on guard Robbie Jones. Though the coach still has one scholarship remaining below the maximum, he does not plan to use it before next season.

Opponents of a proposed University Avenue housing project aimed at housing persons with disabilities and limited income say they’re not NIMBYs – Not-in-My-BackYarders. 

Rather, they argue that their opposition to the project, proposed by Affordable Housing Associates at 1719-1725 University Ave., is based on both the would-be developer’s inadequate explanation of the project design and his reticence to be specific about the population expected to live there. 

Project supporters “are playing the NIMBY card” against neighbors, said Jim Wemmer, who lives directly behind the project. Wemmer contends that AHA Executive Director Ali Kashani is being deliberately obtuse, refusing to provide specifics of the project he wants to build. 

“I want to know who my neighbors are going to be,” he said, adding, “(Kashani) won’t answer questions. He says, ‘We’ll look into it.’” 

At its meeting Tuesday night, the City Council voted unanimously to delay voting on a request from AHA for $450,000 to help purchase the property. With Councilmember Linda Maio recusing herself from the vote – she lives nearby the project and has worked professionally with the project developer – the council has only four liberal/progressive votes from people who clearly favor the project. Five councilmembers are needed to approve the purchase of the property. 

The council will be asked to vote on the funding June 13, after the developer has met with neighbors and detailed his plans. If the council approves funding at that time, the developer will still have to get his plans approved by the Zoning Adjustment Board, whose vote can be appealed to the City Council. 

Kashani apologized to the council for the lack of specifics to this point, explaining that he originally had three parcels for the project, but lost one. 

“We changed the project because we lost part of the property,” Kashani said. 

The reconfiguration came about when the Flamingo Motel at 1761 University decided to take advantage of its first rights to purchase the parcel on which it is located, one of the three parcels on which Affordable Housing Associates had counted on for the project. The real estate agent, selling parcels of a deceased client, had not realized in the early stages of the deal that the motel held those rights. 

Kashani holds the right to purchase the two other parcels until the end of June. 

“We don’t know how big it’s going to be - five stories or two stories,” Mayor Shirley Dean said. “It’s a challenge to you, Mr. Kashani. Either you can meet the questions that are being thrown at you, or you can’t.” 

Kashani, however, says he is now able to outline his proposal: The project he hopes to build would be a four-story, 30- to 40-unit structure. The fourth floor would extend only to the northern half of the building, so that light would not be obstructed to the parcel behind it. 

About a third of the apartments would have three bedrooms. Rents would be affordable to persons earning 30 to 60 percent of the median income – that is a family of three which earns from about $18,000 to $35,500 annually. Monthly rents for a two-bedroom apartment would be $443 to $886 and rents for a three-bedroom apartment would be $513 to $1,025. 

There would be a resident manager and house rules would be enforced, Kashani said. 

“There’s nothing to fear from this project,” argued Councilmember Dona Spring, who noted the housing would be for the working poor, disabled people on disability insurance who have worked in the past, and retired persons. 

Councilmember Margaret Breland pointed to the three-bedroom component of the proposed project. 

“That’s something we need to see,” she said. 

Councilmembers grilled Kashani about what disabilities the population might have, whom he would serve. In particular, they said they feared that there may be drug addicts among them. 

“It’s been a long time since I have seen a project which has so very frightened people,” said Councilmember Betty Olds. 

Kashani told the council that the project is designed for people who can live independently – not for people who would need the kind of controls that a substance abuse program would provide. 

Moreover, these kinds of arguments are often a smokescreen, he said. 

“A lot of people who oppose low income housing don’t come out and say it. What people are raising is basically, that they don’t want this housing,” he said.

A.C.C.I. GALLERY 

“The Garden Show,” through May 20. A group exhibit of landscape paintings, ceramics and garden sculpture. Free. Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1652 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-2527. 

BERKELEY PUBLIC LIBRARY, SOUTH BRANCH 

“You’re Blase: The Art of Nick Mastick,” May 15 through June 15. An exhibit of collages. Free. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 1901 Russell St., Berkeley. (510) 644-6860. 

GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION 

“On Common Ground.” through June 23. This exhibit is a portrait of faith-based communities in Los Angeles. 

“Finding the Sacred Mountain,” through June 20. An exhibit of sumi-e and watercolors by Robert Kostka. 

Free. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 7 p.m. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., Berkeley. (510) 649-2541. 

KALA ART INSTITUTE 

“High Touch/High Tech: Crossing The Divide,” through May 26. An exhibit of juried and invited artists. Free. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Workshop Media Center Gallery, 1060 Heinz Ave., Berkeley. (510) 549-2977. 

NEW PIECES GALLERY 

“Rock, Stone, Masonry and Mosaics,” through June 1. An exhibit of quilts by Charlotte Patera. 

“The Rhapsody of Dolls,” through June 1. An exhibit of dolls by Patti Medaris Culea. 

Free. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-6779. 

Free. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-6779. 

A PIECE OF ART 

Jane Fox, Mixed Media Works, April 27 through June 10, with an artist reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 1. Ongoing new works by Gallery Artists in ceramic, metal, glass, wood and works on canvas and paper. 

Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment. Closed Monday and Tuesday. 

701 University Ave., in the parking lot across from Spenger’s. (510) 204-9653. 

TRAYWICK GALLERY 

“nudge,” May 17 through June 18. An exhibit of new work by Terry Hoff. Reception, May 17, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Artist Talk, June 9, 10:30 a.m. 

“minimalPOP,” April 15 through May 14. A group exhibit of a variety of media. 

Free. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1316 10th St., Berkeley. (510) 527-1214. 

To publicize an upcoming event, please submit information to the Daily Planet via fax (841-5695), e-mail (calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.com) or traditional mail (2076 University Avenue, 94704). 

Calendar items should be submitted at least one week before the opening of a new exhibit or performance. 

Please include a daytime telephone number in case we need to clarify any information.

Former Cal football star Deltha O’Neal was awarded with a Pac-10 conference medal for his athletic and academic career on Tuesday afternoon, at the athletic program’s annual Academic Honors Celebration Luncheon. 

O’Neal, who was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round of last month’s NFL draft, was the Bears’ offensive and defensive leader in 1999, setting school records in interceptions returned for touchdowns and punt returns. The All-American cornerback majors in social welfare, and was selected for the accolade for his leadership, as well as field and classroom prowess. 

Cal swimmer Elli Overton took home the Pac-10 medal on the women’s side, after winning two conference titles in her career, and being named to the All-America team a staggering 14 times. Overton, a Sydney, Australia, native majoring in business administration, plans to swim in this year’s summer Olympics, hosted by her hometown. 

The luncheon also yielded Golden Bear Individual Awards – given to outstanding athletes with a minimum GPA of 3.2 – to athletes in each Cal varsity sport. Among the recipients were Yauger Williams, for football, Janet Franey, for women’s basketball, and Morgan Lingle for men’s basketball. Williams was also named to the Pac-10 All-Academic team for winter and fall sports, along with women’s basketball star Paige Bowie.

A passenger riding in the rear seat of a Saturn sedan was killed early Tuesday morning when the car collided with a bread truck at the intersection of University Avenue and Sixth Street. 

The man, identified as 26-year-old Christopher Michael Gum of Sacramento, was pronounced dead on arrival at Alta Bates Medical Center. 

He was sitting in the right rear of the vehicle with another passenger, Jasey Leigh McVicar, 24, of Sacramento. 

McVicar was admitted to Highland Hospital for treatment. The driver of the Saturn, Eric Case Nietzel, 24, of Stockton, was treated for cuts from glass on his face and arms. 

Rodolfo Gonzalez, 30, the driver of the Bread Works Ford Van and a Berkeley resident, did not require hospitalization. 

Capt. Bobby Miller of the Berkeley Police Department said that 5:30 a.m. when the accident occurred, the traffic lights for east-west traffic on University Avenue flash yellow caution, which does not require drivers to stop. 

The lights on Sixth Street at that time flash red caution, requiring drivers to stop and then proceed if it is safe to do so, he said. 

Miller said the Bread Works truck was going west on University Avenue when it collided with the right side passenger door of the Saturn that was going north on Sixth Street. The sedan was pushed into a utility pole. 

Miller would not release any other information about the accident pending investigation by the department’s Traffic Bureau. 

The team of investigators in the bureau will determine the circumstances of the accident such as how fast the cars were traveling, and if one or both of the drivers were at fault.

The owner of the Raja Restaurant at 2160 University Ave. was shot in the leg early Wednesday morning in an attempted robbery. 

The owner left his business about 2:45 a.m. and was confronted by an African-American male, 5 feet, 11 inches tall, 170 pounds, with a goatee. The suspect, wearing white shoes, blue jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt and brown cap, brandished a handgun and demanded money from the restaurant owner. 

The victim ran back into the restaurant and was pursued by the suspect, who was still holding the gun. The gunman overtook the restaurant owner and as they struggled the suspect shot the victim in the right calf. 

Police Capt. Bobby Miller said the suspect fled, getting no money in the attempted robbery. 

The victim drove himself to Alta Bates Medical Center.

A 10-year-old girl crossing the intersection of Alcatraz Avenue and Ellis Street on her bicycle around 3 p.m. Wednesday was hit by a driver in a Ford van but was not seriously injured. 

The driver of the van didn’t see her until it was too late to stop clear of the girl, said Capt. Bobby Miller of the Berkeley Police. 

Miller said the girl had looked both ways before crossing, and one car passed her. She entered the intersection but didn’t see the van coming in the other direction in time to avoid the collision. The driver hit the rear tire of her bicycle and it caused her to tumble over onto the street. 

She was taken to Children’s Hospital Oakland with a left leg injury, and it was not determined whether the leg was broken or not.

Police have noted a rise in the number of compact discs stolen from apartments and houses in recent burglaries. 

In a burglary Saturday in an apartment in the 2900 block of Regent Street, 70 CDs were stolen, along with a 19-inch television and a telephone. The burglar entered the apartment through unlocked French doors. 

In a Sunday burglary in the 2600 block of Parker Street where two residents had separate bedrooms in an apartment, 250 compact discs were taken from one of the bedrooms and 70 from the other one. The burglar entered from an opened window in one of the bedrooms. 

On Monday a burglary was reported at 11:30 p.m. in the 2500 block of Etna Avenue in a rear cottage. Earlier in the day a stack of about 60 compact discs was stolen from the living room of the home. The victim, said Police Capt. Bobby Miller, believes the burglar entered from an unlocked front door. The plastic wrappers still were on some of the discs. 

Miller said thieves frequently try to sell stolen CDs on the street or to music stores that buy used compact discs. He said the police department enlists the cooperation of such stores as Rasputin Music and Amoeba Music, asking them to be aware of people selling large lots of the discs. 

Inspector Arnold Liu noted compact discs are one of the items that are more easily converted to cash and easier to haul away than a 27-inch television. But he said victims of a burglary often have left a door or window unlocked making it even easier for a burglar. 

He said one ruse used by thieves to cash in on CDs is to find some on the street, paying that person to use his or her identification to sell them in a store. 

Liu said his detail speaks to store personnel about “being leery of who they buy from,” and to question the veracity of two sellers when one of them acts like the owner but the other shows the identification. 

Marc Weinstein, owner of Amoeba Music on Telegraph Avenue and in San Francisco, said the store keeps lists of collections that have been stolen by the counter. Hopefully titles are included, he said. 

“A lot of people walk in with 10 or 20 CDs,” Weinstein said. If they match the list of the customer who told Amoeba they were stolen, the store keeps them aside and contacts the police with information about the person who sold them. 

He said they must provide current California identification to sell compact discs to the store. “At least once every few weeks we catch them.” 

People who want to safeguard their CDs can take a few steps that could help, including writing their names on the cover of the CD jacket and investing in renters’ insurance. The names can discourage thieves from either stealing or attempting to resell the discs, and insurance often proves to be a worthwhile investment for renters. 

Wednesday, May 10  

Demonstration against Secretary of State Madeline Albright 

Noon 

Sproul Plaza, UC Berkeley campus 

Bay Area organizations, groups, students, and individuals representing a diversity of issues and viewpoints are organizing a regional response to protest Secretary of State Madeline Albright’s appearance as the Commencement Speaker for UC Berkeley’s graduation ceremony. At 1:30 p.m., protesters will march to the Greek Theatre, where Albright will be speaking later in the day. Demonstrators will be protesting Albright’s support for sanctions against Iraq, the embargo against Cuba, the drug war in Columbia and more. 

510-343-2139 x1957; 510-548-0524 

Low-vision support group 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Discussion of Globalization, hosted by the Berkeley Gray Panthers 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

Medea Benjamin from Global Exchange will be the featured speaker. 

510-548-9696 

Carefree, Carfree Tour to Berkeley Art Center (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

1:30 p.m. 

Festival Gallery, 2216 Shattuck Ave. 

UC Berkeley Commencement Convocation 

4 p.m. 

Greek Theatre, UC Berkeley campus 

U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will be the keynote speaker. This event is open to students, faculty and family, and a ticket is required. 

510-642-7026 

Commission on Disability 

6:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

Among the items the commission will address are: working with implementing recommendations on the Bike/Pedestrian Task Force and Berkeley Bike Coalition on Traffic Calming; the advisability of having disability organizations “ghettoized” at the proposed Ed Roberts campus at the Ashby BART station, and recommendation on the continuing lack of accessible polling places. 

Special BUSD school board meeting 

7-10 p.m. 

Board/Council Chambers, Old City Hall, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

The board will discuss reports for the current and upcoming fiscal years. The board also will receive a more comprehensive overview of the Maintenance Report, which highlighted various maintenance problems around the district and funding proposals to address those problems. 

Planning Commission Meeting 

7 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda 

As part of the General Plan planning process the commission will discuss land use in Berkeley. Information is on the city web site at: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Planning/advplan/genplan/GenPlan2ndDraft/lunot.htm. 

Improvisational theater 

7:30-9:30 p.m. 

The “Improvsters” is a group of intermediate-level improvisational players who meet weekly. The group is looking for additional members; an audience is also welcome and there is no charge to join them. Call the group for specific location. 

510-848-4357 

Poetry Flash at Cody’s (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

7:30 p.m. 

2474 Telegraph Ave. 

Hannah Stein, Sandra Gilbert will be the featured poets. 

Buses No. 40, 64 

Pianist John Wolf Brennan and flutist Diane Grubbe 

7:30 p.m. 

Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. 

Tickets are $12. 

510-84-JULIA 

New Music Bay Area (formerly 20th Century Forum - Berkeley Arts Festival) 

8 p.m. 

Festival Gallery, 2216 Shattuck Ave. 

This is a concert of music by Bay Area composers foreshadowing music of the 21st century. $8, FOF free. 

Thursday, May 11 

Orchestra concert with elementary students 

9:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 

The first part of the concert, at 9:30, will feature Oxford Elementary School students performing with the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra. Students from Washington Elementary School will perform at 10:45. 

Men’s chorus performance 

11:15 a.m. 

Movie: Outbreak 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Jazzschool BART Plaza Concert (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

Noon 

The Brazilian Ensemble, under the direction of Marcos Silva, will perform. The concert is sponsored by the Downtown Berkeley Association, Amoeba Music, BART and the Berkeley Daily Planet. 

Free computer class for seniors 

1-4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

510-644-6109 

Berkeley Arts Magnet Instrumental and Choral Concert 

1:30 p.m. 

1645 Milvia St. 

Carefree Carfree Tour to Judah L. Magnes Museum (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

1:30 p.m. 

Meet at the Festival Gallery, 2216 Shattuck Ave. 

Community Health Commission 

6:30 p.m. 

Mental Health Clinic, 2640 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way 

Among the items the commission will address are: the Health Access Report, the midwife crisis and the budget. 

Zoning Adjustment Board 

7 p.m. 

Council Chambers, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

Among the items the board will discuss is a recommendation to deny a permit to demolish a 2,900 square-foot house on Woodmont Avenue and replace it with a 5,200 square-foot house. 

Update on Haiti 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Unitarian Fellowship, Cedar and Bonita 

Members of a recent delegation to Haiti, including local activists Pierre Laboissiere, will be talking about their trip, the recent episodes of violence in that country and the upcoming elections. The event is sponsored by Global Exchange, the Bay Area Haitian American Committee and others. 

The Plight of the Redwoods 

7 p.m. 

Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 

Forest defender Redwood Mary, tree-sitter Nate Madsen (via live cell phone), and Chie Abad, human rights activist and former Saipan sweatshop worker will be on hand to explain the current campaign to focus attention on the connection between sweatshops, Fair Trade, and forest destruction. There also will be a screening of the 20-minute video “ Timber Gap” by the Headwaters Action Video Collective, about the efforts to save the last of Mendocino’s coastal redwood forest from overexploitation. 

510-548-2220, ext. 233 

Friday, May 12 

Berkeley Potters Guild Spring Show 

10 a.m.-6 p.m. 

Jones and Fourth streets 

This show-and-sale highlights work by clay artists, Ikebana demonstrations, one-of-a-kind bargains throughout the complex of art studios, and more. The event is free. 

510-524-7031 

Fund-raiser for the Aquatic Park Children’s Playground 

6 p.m. 

Downtown Berkeley YMCA, 2001 Allston Way 

This event will help raise funds for the Aquatic Park Children’s Playground project. Build Days are May 18-21 and May 31-June 4. Volunteers (skilled and unskilled), food, beverages, and money are needed for that event. There is a sliding scale donation of $2 to $10 per person for the fund-raiser. 

510-649-9874; ZasaSwanson@EminentSoftware.com; http://www.bpfp 

Poetry reading 

7:30 p.m. 

Boadecia’s Books, 398 Colusa Ave. Kensington 

Monza Neff will read from her two poetry collections, “Exultation: A Poem Cycle in Celebration of the Seasons” and “Healing the Womanheart.” This event is free. 

510-559-9184; www.boadeciasbooks.com 

Saturday, May 13 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

10 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Center Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

510-548-3333

The U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments Program was established in 1974, providing project-based and tenant-based housing assistance to low-income persons who rent. When both tenant and landlord qualify under Section 8, tenant pays one third of her/his income for rent, with the balance subsidized. It has been one of the best possible uses of federal funds, because it countermands need for costly welfare-type expenditures associated with sheltering persons with small incomes who are willing, able, and eager to live independently. And yet when conservatives’ attempts to eliminate HUD failed, they were able to focus on the Section 8 program and its various components. Seniors currently receiving Section 8 rent subsidies in project-based buildings, for example, have been receiving annual notices of possible loss of their status. 

Landlords prefer not to accept vouchered tenants and are not renewing their Section 8 contracts with HUD because they can get bigger rents and what they consider “desirable tenants” on the “open market,” where the demand exceeds the supply. Market-rate rents are highest in Bay Area California. 

In Berkeley, it may also be possible for a low-income family to obtain a Section 8 voucher in a Berkeley Housing Authority lottery. Then, within a short period of time, they must also find a vacant apartment owned by a landlord who will accept both the subsidized rent voucher and a tenant who may or may not fit a model profile! In addition to managing these “tenant-based” Section 8 rentals, the Berkeley Housing Authority has the city’s public housing within its purview. 

HUD requires that housing authorities involve residents in the planning process by means of a Resident Advisory Committee or board (RAB) consisting of public housing residents and Section 8 participants renting in tenant-based buildings. The RAB’s role is to make informed comments regarding proposed procedures. The Center for Community Change has declared that residents will have to be vigilant to make sure that this happens in a meaningful way, and cautions that, where there is a history of mistrust and hostility between residents and housing authority management, housing authorities may meet only the minimal requirements to involve residents or even less than what is required. 

In October 1999 the Berkeley City Council authorized the Affordable Housing Advocacy Project, with the goals of providing coalition-building, tenant organizing, and other activities to help save Federal Section 8 and other affordable housing programs. An AHAP goal is to join with other active tenant organizations in the Bay Area, state and nation to pursue these goals. (For more information about the AHAP, contact Wanda Remmers at Housing Rights, Inc., 510-548-8776, 1-800-261-2298.) 

An important element in AHAP’s mission is involvement in and influence upon the federally-required Public Housing Authority Plan that the Berkeley Housing Authority is presently developing. During the month of May, AHAP is sponsoring a series of Town Hall Meetings throughout Berkeley to discuss the Berkeley Housing Authority – how it operates now, how Berkeley tenants can help to improve it, and how they can impact its planning process. The Town Hall meetings are being held from 6 to 8 p.m. on May 17 (North Berkeley Senior Center), May 24 (South Berkeley Senior Center), and May 31 (West Berkeley Senior Center). Anyone who lives in Berkeley Housing Authority-managed public housing or who has a Section 8 voucher or certificate, or who is a tenant-based Section 8 renter is urged to attend. This is your opportunity to influence your housing situation. Don’t agonize – organize! 

Helen Rippier Wheeler is a member of the Berkeley Housing Authority, the Affordable Housing Advocacy Project steering committee, and the Alameda County

THEATER 

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE 

“Let My Enemy Live Long!” by Tanya Shaffer, April 19 through May 12. The story of an ill-advised boat ride up West Africa's Niger River to Timbuktu. 

$19 to $48.50. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 8 p.m.; Wednesday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; April 19, 8 p.m.; NO PERFORMANCES APRIL 25 AND APRIL 26. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 845-4700 or (888) 4BRTTIX. 

IMPACT THEATRE 

“The Wake-Up Crew” by Zay Amsbury, May 5 through June 3. A comic book on stage that pits unemployed UC Santa Cruz grads against the forces of chaos and destruction. 

$10 general; $5 students. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. La Val’s Subterranean Theater, 1834 Euclid Ave., Berkeley. (510) 464-4468. 

SHOTGUN PLAYERS 

“The Skriker” by Caryl Churchill, through June 4. In this ecological play, faeries are damaged due to polluted rivers and woods, and are forgotten. 

$15 general; $10 seniors and students. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 7 p.m. The Warehouse Performance Space, 1850 Cesar Chavez St., San Francisco. (510) 655-0813. 

MUSIC VENUES 

ASHKENAZ 

Red Archibald and The Internationals, May 10, 9 p.m. $8. 

Grateful Dead DJ Night with Digital Dave, May 11, 10 p.m. $5. 

Mutabaruka, DJ Zodiac Soundz, May 12, 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. $11. 

The Johnny Otis Show, Clarence Van Hook, May 13, 9:30 p.m. $20. 

Caminos Flamencos, May 14, 7:30 p.m. $10. 

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5099 or www.ashkenaz.com 

BLAKES 

Third World with UC Buu, DJ Add, Jah Bonz, Big Willie, May 10. $5. 

Ripe, Sol Fire, May 11. $4. 

Orixa, Fuzzbucket, May 12. $6. 

Nobody From Ipenema, Brazilian Dance Party, May 13. $6. 

Ten Ton Chicken, May 14. $3. 

For age 18 and older. Music at 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. (510) 848-0886. 

FREIGHT AND SALVAGE 

Alison Kinnaird and Christine Primrose, May 10. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Ferron, Lui Collins, May 11. $17.50 to $18.50. 

Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, May 12. $17.50 to $18.50. 

Robin Flower and Libby McLaren, May 13. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Kathy Kallick Mother's Day Show, May 14, 2 p.m. $5.50 kids/ $7.50 general. 

Melody of China with Wu Wei, May 14. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Music at 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 548-1761 or (510) 762-BASS. 

LA PEÑA CULTURAL CENTER 

Zapatista Band Fest, May 11, 8 p.m. Featuring Venus Loon, Epidemia, Blasfemia, Caradura, Lodo y Asfalto. $8 to $10. 

The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, May 12, 8 p.m. $12. 

John Santos and the Machete Ensemble, May 13, 8:30 p.m. $15. 

Cafe Rumba, May 14, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.  

Cancionero, May 14, 8 p.m. $8. 

3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

924 GILMAN ST. 

Sangre Amado, Blood Hag, Noise of Struggle, May 12. 

The Oozzies, Trust Fund Babies, May 13. 

$5. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. (510) 525-9926. 

THE STARRY PLOUGH PUB 

Hanuman, Shelley Doty X-tet, May 11. $5. 

Stikman, Faun Fables, Brian Kenney Fresno, May 12. $5. 

The Damnations, TX, The Ex-Husbands, May 13. $7. 

For age 21 and over. Wednesday, 8 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:45 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-2082. 

MUSEUMS 

UC BERKELEY ART 

MUSEUM 

“Master of Fine Art Graduate Exhibition,” May 20 through July 2. The 13th annual exhibit of work by candidates for the Master of Fine Arts degree. Artist Talk, May 21, 3 p.m. At Gallery 2. 

“Anne Chu/MATRIX 184 Untitled,” April 16 through June 18. The exhibition features a selection of Chu's T'ang dynasty funerary figures sculpted following her travels to Xian and Guangdong. The wooden figures range in height from 28 inches to over six feet.  

“China: Fifty Years Inside the People's Republic,” through June 18. The work of 25 Chinese and Western photographers explores half a century of social and political upheaval in this unusual exhibit. The 200 photographs, both black-and-white and color, cover the many regions, cultures and people that make up China as well as the mix of traditional life and the modern one. 

“Autour de Rodin: Auguste Rodin and His Contemporaries,” through August. An exhibit of 11 bronze maquettes on loan from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation in Los Angeles. The bronzes range in style from the artist's classically inspired “Torso of a Woman” to the anguish of “The Martyr.” Some of the maquettes were cast during Rodin’s lifetime, others have been cast fairly recently under the aegis of the Musee Rodin which alone is authorized to cast his sculptures posthumously. 

$6 general; $4 seniors and students ages 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 1 1 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-0808. 

HALL OF HEALTH  

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level), Berkeley 

A hands-on community health education museum and science center sponsored by Children's Hospital Oakland and Alta Bates Medical Center. 

“This is Your Heart!” ongoing. An in teractive exhibit on heart health. 

“Good Nutrition,” ongoing. This exhibit includes models for making balanced meals and an exercycle for calculating how calories are burned. 

“Draw Your Own Insides,” ongoing. Human-shaped chalkboards and models with removable organs allow visitors to explore the inside of their bodies. 

“Your Cellular Self and Cancer Prevention,” ongoing. An exhibit on understanding how cells become cancerous and how to detect and prevent cancer. 

Free. For children ages 3 to 12 and their parents. 

(510) 549-1564 

LAWRENCE HALL 

OF SCIENCE 

“Dinosaurs 2000,” through June 4. An exhibit featuring 16 lifelike robotic creatures, fossils, activities to compare yourself to a dinosaur, and daily live demonstrations. 

“The News About Dinosaurs,” through June 4. Learn more about the “Dinosaurs 2000” exhibit with live demonstrations exploring recent paleontological discoveries and how scientists know what they do about prehistoric creatures. 

Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. 

$6 general; $4 seniors, students and children ages 7 to 18; $2 children ages 3 to 6; free children under age 3. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

PHOEBE HEARST MUSEUM 

Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley 

“Modern Treasures from Ancient Iran,” through Oct. 29. This exhibit explores nomadic and town life in ancient and modern Iran as illustrated in bronze and pottery vessels, and textiles. 

“Pana O’ahu: Sacred Stones – Sacred Places,” through July 16. An exhibit of photographs by Jan Becket and Joseph Singer. 

“Phoebe Hearst Museum-Approaching a Century of Anthropology,” a sampling of the vast collections of the museum, its mission, history, and current research, with selections from ancient Egypt, ancient Peru, California Indians, Asia (India), and Africa. 

“Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” Ishi, the last Yahi Indian of California, spent the final years of his life, 1911 to 1916, living at the museum, working with anthropologists to record his culture, demonstrating technological skills, and retelling Yahi myths, tales, and songs. 

Wednesday through Sunday 10 am -4:30 pm; Thursday until 9 pm (Sept-May) 

(510) 643-7648 

HABITOT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

A museum especially for children age 7 and younger. Highlights include “WaterWorks,” an area with some unusual water toys, an Infant Tree for babies, a garden especially for toddlers, a child-scale grocery store and cafe, and a costume shop and stage for junior thespians. The museum also features a toy lending library. 

Exhibit: “Back to the Farm,” open-ended. This interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels like an earthworm, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and much more.  

Admission is $4 for adults; $6 child age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child.  

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

(510) 647-1111 

JUDAH L. MAGNES 

MUSEUM 

2911 Russell St., Berkeley 

“Chagall: Master Prints and Posters, Selections from the Magnes Museum Collection.” Accompanying the exhibition is “Exploring Chagall and His Use of the Elements of Art,” a child-friendly Interactive Educational Room with five work-stations and a central activities space. 

Free. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

(510) 549-6950. 

GALLERIES  

A.C.C.I. GALLERY 

“The Garden Show,” through May 20. A group exhibit of landscape paintings, ceramics and garden sculpture. Free. Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1652 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 843-2527. 

BERKELEY PUBLIC LIBRARY, SOUTH BRANCH 

“You’re Blase: The Art of Nick Mastick,” May 15 through June 15. An exhibit of collages. Free. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 1901 Russell St., Berkeley. (510) 644-6860. 

GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION 

“On Common Ground.” through June 23. This exhibit is a portrait of faith-based communities in Los Angeles. 

“Finding the Sacred Mountain,” through June 20. An exhibit of sumi-e and watercolors by Robert Kostka. 

Free. Monday through Thursday, 8:30 am. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 7 p.m. Flora Lamson Hewlett Library, 2400 Ridge Rd., Berkeley. (510) 649-2541. 

KALA ART INSTITUTE 

“High Touch/High Tech: Crossing The Divide,” through May 26. An exhibit of juried and invited artists. Free. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Workshop Media Center Gallery, 1060 Heinz Ave., Berkeley. (510) 549-2977. 

NEW PIECES GALLERY 

“Rock, Stone, Masonry and Mosaics,” through June 1. An exhibit of quilts by Charlotte Patera. 

“The Rhapsody of Dolls,” through June 1. An exhibit of dolls by Patti Medaris Culea. 

Free. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-6779. 

Free. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1597 Solano Ave., Berkeley. (510) 527-6779. 

A PIECE OF ART 

Jane Fox, Mixed Media Works, April 27 through June 10, with an artist reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 1. Ongoing new works by Gallery Artists in ceramic, metal, glass, wood and works on canvas and paper. 

Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and by appointment. Closed Monday and Tuesday. 

701 University Ave., in the parking lot across from Spenger’s. (510) 204-9653. 

TRAYWICK GALLERY 

“nudge,” May 17 through June 18. An exhibit of new work by Terry Hoff. Reception, May 17, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Artist Talk, June 9, 10:30 a.m. 

“minimalPOP,” April 15 through May 14. A group exhibit of a variety of media. 

Free. Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. 1316 10th St., Berkeley. (510) 527-1214. 

To publicize an upcoming event, please submit information to the Daily Planet via fax (841-5695), e-mail (calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.com) or traditional mail (2076 University Avenue, 94704). 

Calendar items should be submitted at least one week before the opening of a new exhibit or performance. 

Please include a daytime telephone number in case we need to clarify any information. 

The “belly-itcher” in the well-known ballyard chant was nowhere to be found on Tuesday afternoon – just two great pitchers – as the Berkeley High softball team took on league powerhouse Livermore at James Kenney Park.  

Berkeley’s Lilli Bermeo pitched a complete seven innings, striking out eight Cowboys, but it was Livermore’s all-league starting pitcher, Jen Graver, who stole the show. Graver shut down a BHS offense that scored 16 runs last Thursday against Monte Vista, striking out four Yellowjackets on the way to a shutout victory. Bermeo allowed a handful of earned runs in front of an unusually error-prone defense, and the Cowboys left Berkeley with a comfortable 8-0 triumph. 

“Livermore is one of the top teams in the league. The first time we played them, we got no hits at all,” said Bermeo, who managed a double against the highly-touted Graver, who is headed to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo on a softball scholarship next season. “We’re hitting pretty well now. We stuck with them.” 

“Last time we played them we didn’t get on base,” agreed BHS coach Elena Bermeo. “We got on base six times today, and even had two or three girls in scoring position – that’s definitely a huge improvement.” 

Livermore’s Danielle Cuellar anchored the Cowboys’ offensive effort, teeing off on Bermeo pitches for a double and a triple. Candice Brook also managed a pair of extra-base hits, drilling two doubles en route to two runs scored.  

“This is the No. 1 team, they have a lot of titles under their belts,” the Berkeley High coach said about Tuesday’s opponent. “They go to hitting coaches and have a batting cage. We’ve never beaten Livermore in four seasons, playing them twice a year. The girls wanted this one, especially the seniors.” 

According to the BHS players, Tuesday’s shutout loss will not be a setback for the squad, which continues East Bay Athletic League play at Granada High on Thursday. At 2-9 in league, the ’Jackets hope to close out the final three games of the season with at least one victory. 

“Every team we play in the second half (of the season), we’ll get better. Now we’ve seen all the pitchers,” BHS third-baseman Emily Friedman said. “I definitely think we can take (May 18 opponent) Cal High – they’re really not as intense a team (as Livermore). We can play with them, especially with our pitching.” 

“(California High) is one that’s beatable, but there are no easy teams in this league,” Elena Bermeo added. “On any given day, any given team can really do anything.” 

Thursday’s game begins at 3:45 p.m. at the Matadors’ home field.

In a surprising twist, a state mediator issued a “total press and information blackout” Tuesday in connection with the contract negotiations between the Berkeley Unified School District and the Berkeley Federation of Teachers. 

That means people who attend tonight’s special board meeting expecting to hear what offers are on the table will walk away disappointed. 

“I just wanted to make sure that negotiations stayed within the negotiating room,” mediator Ron McGee said Tuesday night. “I asked the parties to agree to the blackout.” 

That action applies to “all matters related to, and/or issues under discussion,” and must be followed by anyone who knows anything about the negotiations: board members, district administrators, union staff and teachers. 

The blackout is a sudden shift from comments made a week ago by School Board President Joaquin Rivera and BFT President Barry Fike. Rivera said it was possible that after this week’s mediation session, held Tuesday, that it was possible that the two sides would release more information about the negotiations, including information on what’s currently on the table. And Fike told the Daily Planet that the union had been willing to release much of that information for some time. 

When reached by telephone Tuesday night, Rivera said that based on his immediate interpretation of the mediator’s decision, he was unable to offer any comment on the reasons the blackout was imposed. Fike did not return a phone call Tuesday night. 

The mediator’s decision casts shadows on the likelihood of an informational forum scheduled for next week. The event was supposed to be an opportunity for the community to direct questions to the union and the school district. 

“That’s outrageous, absolutely outrageous,” PTA Council President Mark Coplan said, after hearing about the blackout. “Publicly, both sides accepted the challenge to this event, and apparently privately, one side put a nix to it.” 

Late last week, the PTA Council had assumed responsibility for organizing the forum. The event was initiated by the newly formed group Parents For Increased Salaries for Teachers, but was adopted by the neutral PTA Council. The League of Women Voters had agreed to moderate the forum at Berkeley Arts Magnet School. 

While revelations of negotiation stances won’t be on the agenda, the school board will hold a special meeting tonight – it’s actually a combination of two workshops – from 7 to 10 p.m. in Board/Council Chambers in Old City Hall, at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The first 90 minutes will feature a discussion of the budgets for the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 fiscal years, and consideration of budget reallocations. 

Those reallocations include a proposal to cut the budget by $2 million through a variety of actions, including cutting nine teaching positions, eliminating a school psychologist position and chopping $10 per student in school supplies. 

The second 90 minutes will address the report prepared by the Facilities Maintenance and Security Advisory Committee. That document called for the school district to significantly increase its corrective and preventative maintenance spending. 

No action will be taken by the board tonight on either the budgetary or maintenance issues.

St. Mary’s High 1998 graduate Jerriod Mack, who helped establish the Panthers as a boys track and field powerhouse before moving on to Cal, was recognized by the Pac-10 conference on Tuesday as the Men’s Field Athlete of the Week. 

The accolades came three days after Mack led the Bears to a 84-79 victory over Stanford in the 106th Big Meet, held at Edwards Stadium. Despite having his entire season threatened by a burst appendix in early April, the Cal sophomore recovered in time to take first place in the triple jump, his primary event, and second in the long jump, with a season-best 23-7.5 mark. The stellar performance netted Mack eight key team points. 

As the close meet score indicated, the Bears would not have been able to top Stanford, had Mack and Nate DeSomber – an injured Cal thrower who took second in the shotput – not made lightning-fast recoveries and combined for 11 points.  

Mack next competes this Saturday, along with the bulk of the Cal track and field squad, at the 59th annual Modesto Relays in the Central Valley. The Bears will also send representatives to Friday’s Cardinal Qualifier, hosted by Stanford, and this weekend’s Pac-10 multi-event competition in Eugene, Ore.

There were plenty of woofs and cheers from the several dozen dog-lovers at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, after the body voted unanimously to make permanent a year-old off-leash dog area at Cesar Chavez Park. 

The dog owners told the council that they had worked hard over the last year educating dog owners about keeping dogs leashed in the designated area, cleaning up after careless dog owners, and even pulling out the dreaded star thistle, a non-native plant that tends to overrun native species. 

Sporting a paper dog-bone in support of the park, Friends of Cesar Chavez Park Board Member Ken McNeil told the council that fears of other park users had been assuaged. “Kite flyers and bird watchers were afraid they would be excluded,” he said, explaining that all the different park users now share the off-leash space. 

“The Friends of Cesar Chavez Park have done a fabulous job,” said Councilmember Polly Armstrong, who walks her two small pooches, Franklin and Theodore, at the park regularly. 

While voting in support of the off-leash area, Councilmember Margaret Breland noted that she had received a number of complaints from people who said there needed to be better enforcement by animal control officers to keep the unleashed dogs within the proper area. 

Staff responded that her request for more enforcement would be costly and it was put on the long list of “to-be-funded” items that the council will address as part of budget discussions in the coming weeks. 

Councilmember Linda Maio shared her concerns for nesting birds and asked that the dog park area have clearer designation so that owners would keep their animals away from the wildlife. 

“It’s hard for new visitors to recognize the boundaries,” she said. 

Parks Director Lisa Caronna talked about plans to install a number of long, narrow vertical markers to demarcate the boundaries. The parks department would also prepare maps of the area as handouts. 

Of some concern is a proposal for what some are calling a solar calendar and others are calling an amphitheater. Caronna said the project, which will come before the Parks and Recreation Commission at some point in the future for its approval, will be about 100 feet in diameter and serve as a place for gatherings and celebrations. It would include a solar clock to mark the hours and seasons. 

The resolution as passed Tuesday says the boundary of the off-leash area will exclude the solar calendar area, which would be on the central western ridge. 

The resolution also included the unobtrusive vertical boundary markers, improved signage for the natural protected areas, continued enforcement by Animal Control, improved disabled access into the area and continued public education in partnership with the Friends of Cesar Park about the rights and responsibilities of dog park users.

With four days remaining in the 2000 boys volleyball season, there’s still a chance that somebody in the East Bay Athletic League will beat league leader Foothill. But it won’t be Berkeley High. 

The Yellowjackets rode a two-game winning streak into Pleasanton on Tuesday evening, hoping to take the undefeated Falcons down a notch. Instead, Foothill controlled three of four games with superb blocking, and had little trouble defending its home court with a 15-7, 15-5, 13-15, 15-6 win. 

“Foothill’s going to win that battle in the middle, they’re just too big. And they have more experience than my middle blockers,” Yellowjackets’ coach Justin Caraway said after the match. “Foothill kept a lot of balls in play – some of the balls we hit would have gone down against Amador Valley or San Ramon.” 

The Falcons’ sizable blockers – standing 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-4 – gave Berkeley fits throughout the evening, beating the ’Jackets with intimidation, as well as strong hitting. Though freshman middle blocker Robin Roach managed five kills in a reasonably strong individual outing for BHS, Caraway admitted that his middles were significantly outmatched. 

“Their middles had a field day. It sucked for us, but it was pretty impressive to see from the sidelines,” the Berkeley High coach said. “They came ready to play. We didn’t match their intensity.” 

Besides snapping Berkeley’s short win streak, the loss to the Falcons also put the Yellowjackets’ backs to the wall in their hunt for a North Coast Section playoff berth. According to the coach, this Thursday’s regular-season finale against California High will be crucial, if his squad hopes to be selected with an at-large berth. 

“I still think we have a pretty good shot of getting in, certainly it’s going to be close,” Caraway said. “They know the importance (of the California High game). They know it’s on the line.” 

Thursday’s game kicks off at 5 p.m. at the Grizzlies’ home court in San Ramon.

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, one of the most prominent women in American public life and the outspoken advocate of President Clinton’s foreign policy, is the lead speaker at the UC Berkeley commencement today. 

She’ll speak to graduating seniors and their guests at the commencement convocation at 4 p.m. in the Hearst Greek Theatre on campus, but not before a group of protesters offers its dissent. 

A protest rally/teach-in is scheduled for Sproul Plaza from 12 to 1 p.m. today by the “Madeleine Albright Unwelcoming Committee.” 

Following the speeches at the teach-in, the rally is scheduled to move across campus to the Greek Theatre, where guests will be admitted as early as 2 p.m., said Stephen Dunifer, who is coordinating the rally. 

The Berkeley activist and community organizer said speakers at the rally would represent the spectrum of dissent with Clinton foreign policy in general. 

Dunifer said the Unwelcoming Committee has contacted dozens of groups in the Bay Area, and peace and justice centers are organizing car pools for the rally. 

The International Action Center in San Francisco has contacted groups, he said, and the protest plans are being aired on radio station KPFA. 

“We hope at least 1,000 people will show up,” Dunifer said, adding that enthusiasm is still high from protests in Seattle and in Washington, D.C. 

The committee has its own web site with a picture of the secretary of state with a hawkish visage compared to the softer image of Albright on a State Department web site. 

One of the central issues for the groups expected to attend is the Clinton Administration’s sanctions against Iraq. Dunifer and others have said the economic sanctions against Iraq are killing hundreds of thousands of children there. 

Others are protesting the embargo of Cuba, which affects food supplies among other things; military aid for what Dunifer said is the “supposed drug war in Columbia;” the bombing of Yugoslavia; and trade normalization with China. 

Capt. Bill Cooper of the University of California Police Department said the department will increase the number of officers on duty at the graduation ceremony to 45 officers, but more could be added depending upon the crowds. 

The university will work in tandem with security forces from the United States Department of State, and as a precaution, all guests at the event will walk through a metal detector. 

Berkeley Schools Superintendent Jack McLaughlin has kept his word – in a manner of speaking. 

In late February, after withdrawing his name for the list of candidates for a superintendent post in Salem, Ore., McLaughlin said that he wouldn’t pursue jobs in any other district except San Francisco. 

And he’s now a finalist for the job across the Bay. 

“My personal goal, for many years now, has been to head a large, urban school district,” he told the Daily Planet on Tuesday. “Berkeley in many ways is a lot like San Francisco, and I like both places a lot.” 

The 58-year-old McLaughlin, who was named California Superintendent of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators last year, has held the Berkeley Unified School District job since November 1994. Before coming to Berkeley, he was a superintendent in Hemet from 1987 to 1994 and in Sunnyvale from 1974 to 1987. 

The San Francisco Unified School District job is the third one that McLaughlin has considered this year. 

In January, he met with the Oakland Unified School Board about the superintendent job for their beleaguered district. He withdrew his name on Jan. 31 and threw his support behind Dennis Chaconas, superintendent of the Alameda Unified School District, whom the board ended up hiring. 

In February, he was one of three finalists for the top job with the Salem-Keizer School District in Salem, Ore. After a series of interviews and community meetings – the hiring process in Oregon is, by law, an open process, which officially is different from here in California – McLaughlin decided he “couldn’t make that commitment.” 

In both cases, McLaughlin was contacted by recruiters. 

This time around, it was personal interest that attracted him to the open position. He worked as an assistant superintendent in South San Francisco from 1972 to 1974, and interacted frequently with administrators from the SFUSD. And it would be a natural final step for his career. 

San Francisco, with its 66,000 students, would be far and away the biggest district on McLaughlin’s resume, if he gets the job. The BUSD currently has around 9,500 students, and the largest district he has overseen was Hemet Unified, which had 15,000 students when he left. 

The SFUSD is meeting in closed session tonight to discuss the six finalists for the superintendent position, which has been filled on an interim basis by Linda Davis since June 1, 1999. Tonight’s meeting is expected to narrow the field. 

“There is no final date set for a decision,” said LaVoneia Steele, a consultant from the California School Board Association who is assisting the SFUSD. She’s also a former BUSD superintendent, serving from 1990 to 1994. 

“With this kind of process, it’s difficult to set a definite date.” 

Neighbors have started calling the 170-foot triangular structure at McKinley and Addison streets the “tower of power” or the “oil rig.” 

The recently erected police and fire communications tower at the new public safety building destroys views and hurts home values, they say. 

Moving the tower or breaking it up into smaller pieces would satisfy the Martin Luther King Jr. Way-Addison Street-Grant Street-Neighborhood Association members. 

But without an expert to back their demands for its displacement, MAGNA is having a hard time putting teeth into its fight against city hall. 

Councilmember Dona Spring, who represents the area, has placed an item on the 1,000-plus-page agenda for tonight’s City Council meeting, asking the city to allocate $10,000 to hire an expert in communications equipment to examine alternative sites or configurations for the antennae. 

“The city has a conflict of interest at this point,” Spring said, explaining that, having erected the tower at its present location, city staff will not objectively examine other sites. 

“I think they have not explained (the alternatives to) the full extent,” she said. 

Capital Projects Director John Rosenbrock says there is no conflict of interest for the staff. 

“We’ll do whatever we’re directed to do by the council,” he said. 

However, he argues that there is every reason not to move the tower. Moving it away from the security of the communications building site makes the tower accessible to vandals and distancing it from the 911 center increases the possibility of the loss of communication between the center and the tower. 

“Moving it to another neighborhood can create problems in that neighborhood,” Rosenbrock added. 

Staff estimates that moving or reconfiguring the tower could cost anywhere from $200,000 to $2 million. 

Although Spring’s item appears on tonight’s agenda, a public hearing on the tower is not scheduled until the May 16 council meeting. 

Tuesday, May 9  

Cragmont School Instrumental and Choral Concert 

9:30 a.m. 

Cragmont Elementary School, 830 Regal Road 

510-644-8810 

Exercise to music with Doris Echols 

10 a.m. 

Community meeting about the senior center 

1:15 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Free computer class for seniors 

1-4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

510-644-6109 

Berkeley Farmers’ Market 

2-7 p.m. 

Derby Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Milvia Street 

510-548-3333 

Historical Institutionalism Seminar 

4 p.m. 

119 Moses Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Robert Kagan and William P. Nelson, both from UC Berkeley, will speak on “The Politics of Tobacco Regulation in the United States.” 

City Council meeting 

7 p.m. 

Council Chambers, Old City Hall, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

The council holds its first regular meeting after its spring recess. 

Wealth, Poverty, and Alan Greenspan: Social Policy and Macro Economic Policy 

7 p.m. 

Sibley Auditorium, Bechtel Hall, UC Berkeley campus 

Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich, now Maurice B. Hexter Professor of Social and Economic Policy at the Heller Graduate School at Brandeis University, will be the featured speaker. This event, sponsored by the School of Social Welfare at UC Berkeley, is open to the public. 

510-642-4408; swdean@uclink4.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley Camera Club 

7:30 p.m. 

Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda 

Share your slides and prints with other photographers. Critiques by qualified judges. Monthly field trips. 

510-531-8664 

DAMO Disabled Advocates of Color presents “New Voices” Poetry Reading (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

7:30 p.m. 

Festival Gallery, 2216 Shattuck Avenue. 

Disabled poets of color reading their poems of life, love, and surviving being disabled and minorities in America. Hosted by Gary Norris Gray, co-founder. $5, FOF (Friends of the Festival) free. 

Wednesday, May 10  

Demonstration against Secretary of State Madeline Albright 

Noon 

Sproul Plaza, UC Berkeley campus 

Bay Area organizations, groups, students, and individuals representing a diversity of issues and viewpoints are organizing a regional response to protest Secretary of State Madeline Albright’s appearance as the Commencement Speaker for UC Berkeley’s graduation ceremony. At 1:30 p.m., protesters will march to the Greek Theatre, where Albright will be speaking later in the day. Demonstrators will be protesting Albright’s support for sanctions against Iraq, the embargo against Cuba, the drug war in Columbia and more. 

510-343-2139 x1957; 510-548-0524 

Low-vision support group 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Discussion of Globalization, hosted by the Berkeley Gray Panthers 

1:30 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

Medea Benjamin from Global Exchange will be the featured speaker. 

510-548-9696 

Carefree, Carfree Tour to Berkeley Art Center (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

1:30 p.m. 

Festival Gallery, 2216 Shattuck Ave. 

UC Berkeley Commencement Convocation 

4 p.m. 

Greek Theatre, UC Berkeley campus 

U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will be the keynote speaker. This event is open to students, faculty and family, and a ticket is required. 

510-642-7026 

Special BUSD school board meeting 

7 p.m. 

Board/Council Chambers, Old City Hall, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way 

The board will discuss reports for the current and upcoming fiscal years. The board also will receive a more comprehensive overview of the Maintenance Report, which highlighted various maintenance problems around the district and funding proposals to address those problems. 

Improvisational theater 

7:30-9:30 p.m. 

The “Improvsters” is a group of intermediate-level improvisational players who meet weekly. The group is looking for additional members; an audience is also welcome and there is no charge to join them. Call the group for specific location. 

510-848-4357 

Poetry Flash at Cody’s (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

7:30 p.m. 

2474 Telegraph Ave. 

Hannah Stein, Sandra Gilbert will be the featured poets. 

Buses No. 40, 64 

Pianist John Wolf Brennan and flutist Diane Grubbe 

7:30 p.m. 

Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. 

Tickets are $12. 

510-84-JULIA 

New Music Bay Area (formerly 20th Century Forum – Berkeley Arts Festival) 

8 p.m. 

Festival Gallery, 2216 Shattuck Ave. 

This is a concert of music by Bay Area composers foreshadowing music of the 21st century. $8, FOF free. 

Thursday, May 11 

Orchestra concert with elementary students 

9:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. 

St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 

The first part of the concert, at 9:30, will feature Oxford Elementary School students performing with the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra. Students from Washington Elementary School will perform at 10:45. 

Men’s chorus performance 

11:15 a.m. 

Movie: Outbreak 

1 p.m. 

North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

510-644-6107 

Jazzschool BART Plaza Concert (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

Noon 

The Brazilian Ensemble, under the direction of Marcos Silva, will perform. The concert is sponsored by the Downtown Berkeley Association, Amoeba Music, BART and the Berkeley Daily Planet. 

Free computer class for seniors 

1-4 p.m. 

South Berkeley Senior Center, 2939 Ellis St. 

This free course offers basic instruction in keyboarding, Microsoft Word, Windows 95, Excel and Internet access. Space is limited; the class is offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Call ahead for a reservation. 

510-644-6109 

Berkeley Arts Magnet Instrumental and Choral Concert 

1:30 p.m. 

1645 Milvia St. 

Carefree Carfree Tour to Judah L. Magnes Museum (Berkeley Arts Festival) 

1:30 p.m. 

Meet at the Festival Gallery, 2216 Shattuck Ave. 

Update on Haiti 

7 p.m. 

Berkeley Unitarian Fellowship, Cedar and Bonita 

Members of a recent delegation to Haiti, including local activists Pierre Laboissiere, will be talking about their trip, the recent episodes of violence in that country and the upcoming elections. The event is sponsored by Global Exchange, the Bay Area Haitian American Committee and others. 

The Plight of the Redwoods 

7 p.m. 

Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 

Forest defender Redwood Mary, tree-sitter Nate Madsen (via live cell phone), and Chie Abad, human rights activist and former Saipan sweatshop worker will be on hand to explain the current campaign to focus attention on the connection between sweatshops, Fair Trade, and forest destruction. There also will be a screening of the 20-minute video “ Timber Gap” by the Headwaters Action Video Collective, about the efforts to save the last of Mendocino’s coastal redwood forest from overexploitation. 

510-548-2220, ext. 233

Kudos for your front-page coverage of Rick Young’s sit-and-sleep-in on the University’s Underhill parking lot (Wednesday, May 3). Rick’s dramatic action underscores the University’s unwillingness to listen to and engage the larger Berkeley community beyond a vocal minority of parking-obsessed faculty on the Academic Senate’s Sub-Committee on Parking and Transportation. 

As co-chair of Students for a Livable Southside (SLS), a student-based group advocating for balanced transportation and housing solutions, I fully support Rick’s effort to bring attention to the University’s unbalanced approach to a prime site in the heart of Berkeley’s densest (and most damaged) pedestrian-oriented neighborhood. 

Under current UC policy, parking spaces take precedence over housing when it comes to allocating UC Berkeley’s scarce land resources. At an ASUC housing summit in the fall, Chancellor Berdahl casually dismissed any suggestion that he or his staff should sit down with students to discuss the administration’s much-maligned $22K parking “replacement” policy. The current policy requires student housing to “compensate” parking - at $22K per space - for the privilege of using public land once devoted to surface parking lots. To the best of my knowledge, no student representatives were consulted when drafting this policy. 

The fact that the recently released Underhill EIR dismisses every alternative to adding a three-story parking structure with 1,400-car capacity on the site bounded by College, Channing, Bowditch and Haste is just one more indication of the administration’s “parking-uber alles” approach to neighborhood planning. 

The social and environmental consequences of ignoring the concerns of the greater Southside community are significant. They include a further erosion of town-gown relations, greater auto congestion, increased localized carbon dioxide and particulate pollution, slower and less reliable transit service, and a hostile biking and walking environment. 

Rather than continuing this criticism, SLS has developed a simple list of constructive policy ideas that take the entire Berkeley community’s concerns into account: faculty, staff, students, residents, people who need to drive, those who don’t, those who take the bus or ride a bike and those who walk. Consider the following list a complimentary “cheat sheet” for Chancellor Berdahl if and when he decides to meet with Rick Young. 

Renegotiate the $22K “parking replacement” policy. The current policy discourages housing in favor of parking. Instead of excluding students from policy-making entirely, hold good faith negotiations with representatives from the ASUC and the GA to determine a more equitable and fair approach to sharing UC land. 

Subsidize transportation choices, not parking garages. Instead of providing parking as a subsidized perk, which encourages driving, let individuals decide how to spend their own transportation dollars. Provide a monthly “cost of transportation” benefit to all faculty and staff, linked to inflation, equal to the price of monthly market-rate parking. Those staff and faculty who need (or chose) to drive can devote their monthly fee towards parking, but those who chose other modes (like bikes, buses or BART) are allowed to “cash out” and invest their savings in non-automotive pursuits. Think of this as an auto-free incentive, as opposed to a mandate. 

Reallocate existing parking spaces based on need, not seniority. Existing parking should be allocated based on demonstrated needs, like family obligations or lack of viable alternatives, rather than staff and faculty hierarchies. A single mother who must drop-off and pick up her children from day care in Albany deserves a space closer to campus than a tenured faculty member who lives within walking distance of campus. Under the current system, rigid rules trump social justice. 

Develop realistic alternatives in the Underhill Draft EIR. The current DEIR does not adequately explore alternatives that meet the goals of UC, the students and the larger Berkeley community. Host a series of small “roundtable” discussions with community representatives, hosted by a neutral third party like TAA, to provide constructive feedback on such alternatives. 

Do not build parking for 1,000-1,400 cars on the Underhill Lot. Seriously consider options that dramatically reduce the share of parking on this site, like moving 500-600 cars to a mixed-use office, student services and parking structure on the Tang Center parking lot. Parking on this site could be actually generating income for UC at night, when movie and restaurant patrons need access to Downtown. Merchants would probably support the idea, as would neighborhood groups. 

I hope that the UC administration will take this opportunity to reconsider its current trajectory and begin putting people and places before parking. Until they do, SLS will make sure that Rick Young is comfortable in his new $22,000 home. 

Michael R. Yarne is a graduate student at the Boalt Hall Law School and Department of City and Regional Planning. He is co-chair of Students for a Livable Southside, and a board member of the Telegraph Area Association and Urban Ecology.

SAN FRANCISCO – Margaret Edson’s rich and powerful 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Wit” opened last week at San Francisco’s Curran Theater in a strong touring production starring Judith Light, best known from television’s “Who’s the Boss?” 

Centered around Light’s very moving performance, “Wit” tells a powerful and, yes, funny story about a brilliant, highly regarded, arrogant, 50-year-old literature scholar who, after a successful, independent professional life, suddenly finds herself diagnosed with stage four metastatic ovarian cancer, and facing death. 

Directly addressing the audience, the sarcastic, funny, impatient, judgmental Vivian Bearing (Light), two hours before her death, invites the audience to hear her cancer story in a series of flashbacks over past last eight months. 

Profound loss of control, by someone who lived for control, and the humiliation over the deterioration of her body, force Bearing to a dramatic re-evaluation of the meaning of her life. 

She is reluctant to do this. And, in the end, she is not happy with what she sees. 

A researcher herself, Bearing agrees to participate in the cancer physicians’ cutting-edge research and therapy program. Although she has trouble dealing with the arrogant doctors, she slowly realizes they are a reflection of herself. 

Bearing is a scholar of 17th century English poetry with a focus on the religious and metaphysical poetry of John Donne, whose work examines connections among life, death, and life-after-death. 

In the play’s central conceit, the arrogance of Bearing’s professional expertise in the metaphysics of immortality is contrasted with her human vulnerability in the face of actual death. 

An insightful parallel is drawn between the poetry scholar’s interest in Donne’s desire to understand mortality and eternal life, and the medical scholars’ desire to understand what they perceive to be the immortality of cancer. 

Ultimately, “Wit” is about an arrogant person who learns that humanity, humility, compassion and vulnerability are more important than brains and material success. 

“Wit” is also about learning to listen to other people, and about the emptiness of a life lived outside of compassionate relationships. 

Despite its morbid-sounding story, the play is quite funny. Bearing’s angry, sarcastic, acerbic tongue, and her intolerance of the world of nitwits she perceives to be around her, make for much humor. 

If “Wit” has one limitation, it’s that it makes its point about Bearing’s ironic and limited apprehension of the world over and over. The message gets heavy handed and didactic at moments. 

But this is a small deficiency, in comparison to the otherwise powerful achievement of the play. 

The performers in this show are pros, and they all do nice work. Brian Smiar doubles as the arrogant, self-absorbed cancer physician attending Bearing, as well as her father in a flashback. 

Daniel Sarnelli is funny and frightening as Bearing’s former student, now a medical resident more interested in disease research than in the people who have the diseases. 

Lisa Tharps, as a nurse attending Bearing, proves to be the transforming sympathetic agent to Bearing’s emotional discovery process. 

The production is vividly directed by Leah C. Gardiner, based on original direction by Derek Anson Jones. The design team of Myung Hee Cho (scenic), Ilona Somogyi (costumes) and Michael Chybowski (lighting) do some great work on a stark white set that displays occasional distinct colorful moments. 

For example, Bearing wears white hospital garb with a red baseball cap to cover her head, which is bald from chemotherapy. 

Further, the largely white set, defined by white curtains drawn one way or another to define hospital room spaces, occasionally has its neutral color design changed by lighting to, say, hospital green, to establish mood and place. 

Good new plays don’t come along very often. If you enjoy theater, “Wit” is one to go see. 

“Wit” runs through May 28 at the Curran Theater, 445 Geary (at Mason), San Francisco. For ticket and information, call 415-551-2000, or visit www.bestofbroad

THEATER 

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE 

“Let My Enemy Live Long!” by Tanya Shaffer, April 19 through May 12. The story of an ill-advised boat ride up West Africa's Niger River to Timbuktu. 

$19 to $48.50. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 8 p.m.; Wednesday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; April 19, 8 p.m.; NO PERFORMANCES APRIL 25 AND APRIL 26. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 845-4700 or (888) 4BRTTIX. 

IMPACT THEATRE 

“The Wake-Up Crew” by Zay Amsbury, May 5 through June 3. A comic book on stage that pits unemployed UC Santa Cruz grads against the forces of chaos and destruction. 

$10 general; $5 students. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. La Val’s Subterranean Theater, 1834 Euclid Ave., Berkeley. (510) 464-4468. 

SHOTGUN PLAYERS 

“The Skriker” by Caryl Churchill, through June 4. In this ecological play, faeries are damaged due to polluted rivers and woods, and are forgotten. 

$15 general; $10 seniors and students. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 7 p.m. The Warehouse Performance Space, 1850 Cesar Chavez St., San Francisco. (510) 655-0813. 

MUSIC VENUES 

ASHKENAZ 

Edessa, Poullard/Thompson Cajun Band, May 9, 9 p.m. $8. 

Red Archibald and The Internationals, May 10, 9 p.m. $8. 

Grateful Dead DJ Night with Digital Dave, May 11, 10 p.m. $5. 

Mutabaruka, DJ Zodiac Soundz, May 12, 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. $11. 

The Johnny Otis Show, Clarence Van Hook, May 13, 9:30 p.m. $20. 

Caminos Flamencos, May 14, 7:30 p.m. $10. 

1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5099 or www.ashkenaz.com 

BLAKES 

Third World with UC Buu, DJ Add, Jah Bonz, Big Willie, May 10. $5. 

Ripe, Sol Fire, May 11. $4. 

Orixa, Fuzzbucket, May 12. $6. 

Nobody From Ipenema, Brazilian Dance Party, May 13. $6. 

Ten Ton Chicken, May 14. $3. 

For age 18 and older. Music at 9:30 p.m. 2367 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley. (510) 848-0886. 

FREIGHT AND SALVAGE 

Alison Kinnaird and Christine Primrose, May 10. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Ferron, Lui Collins, May 11. $17.50 to $18.50. 

Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, May 12. $17.50 to $18.50. 

Robin Flower and Libby McLaren, May 13. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Kathy Kallick Mother's Day Show, May 14, 2 p.m. $5.50 kids/ $7.50 general. 

Melody of China with Wu Wei, May 14. $15.50 to $16.50. 

Music at 8 p.m. 1111 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 548-1761 or (510) 762-BASS. 

LA PEÑA CULTURAL CENTER 

Zapatista Band Fest, May 11, 8 p.m. Featuring Venus Loon, Epidemia, Blasfemia, Caradura, Lodo y Asfalto. $8 to $10. 

The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, May 12, 8 p.m. $12. 

John Santos and the Machete Ensemble, May 13, 8:30 p.m. $15. 

Cafe Rumba, May 14, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.  

Cancionero, May 14, 8 p.m. $8. 

3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 849-2568 or www.lapena.org 

924 GILMAN ST. 

Sangre Amado, Blood Hag, Noise of Struggle, May 12. 

The Oozzies, Trust Fund Babies, May 13. 

$5. Music at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 924 Gilman St., Berkeley. (510) 525-9926. 

THE STARRY PLOUGH PUB 

Hanuman, Shelley Doty X-tet, May 11. $5. 

Stikman, Faun Fables, Brian Kenney Fresno, May 12. $5. 

The Damnations, TX, The Ex-Husbands, May 13. $7. 

For age 21 and over. Wednesday, 8 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:45 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley. (510) 841-2082. 

MUSEUMS 

UC BERKELEY ART 

MUSEUM 

“Anne Chu/MATRIX 184 Untitled,” April 16 through June 18. The exhibition features a selection of Chu's T'ang dynasty funerary figures sculpted following her travels to Xian and Guangdong. The wooden figures range in height from 28 inches to over six feet.  

“China: Fifty Years Inside the People's Republic,” through June 18. The work of 25 Chinese and Western photographers explores half a century of social and political upheaval in this unusual exhibit. The 200 photographs, both black-and-white and color, cover the many regions, cultures and people that make up China as well as the mix of traditional life and the modern one. 

“Autour de Rodin: Auguste Rodin and His Contemporaries,” through August. An exhibit of 11 bronze maquettes on loan from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation in Los Angeles. The bronzes range in style from the artist's classically inspired “Torso of a Woman” to the anguish of “The Martyr.” Some of the maquettes were cast during Rodin’s lifetime, others have been cast fairly recently under the aegis of the Musee Rodin which alone is authorized to cast his sculptures posthumously. 

$6 general; $4 seniors and students ages 12 to 18; free children age 12 and under; free Thursday, 1 1 a.m. to noon and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. (510) 642-0808. 

HALL OF HEALTH  

2230 Shattuck Ave. (lower level), Berkeley 

A hands-on community health education museum and science center sponsored by Children's Hospital Oakland and Alta Bates Medical Center. 

“This is Your Heart!” ongoing. An in teractive exhibit on heart health. 

“Good Nutrition,” ongoing. This exhibit includes models for making balanced meals and an exercycle for calculating how calories are burned. 

“Draw Your Own Insides,” ongoing. Human-shaped chalkboards and models with removable organs allow visitors to explore the inside of their bodies. 

“Your Cellular Self and Cancer Prevention,” ongoing. An exhibit on understanding how cells become cancerous and how to detect and prevent cancer. 

Free. For children ages 3 to 12 and their parents. 

(510) 549-1564 

LAWRENCE HALL 

OF SCIENCE 

“Dinosaurs 2000,” through June 4. An exhibit featuring 16 lifelike robotic creatures, fossils, activities to compare yourself to a dinosaur, and daily live demonstrations. 

“The News About Dinosaurs,” through June 4. Learn more about the “Dinosaurs 2000” exhibit with live demonstrations exploring recent paleontological discoveries and how scientists know what they do about prehistoric creatures. Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. 

$6 general; $4 seniors, students and children ages 7 to 18; $2 children ages 3 to 6; free children under age 3. Daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Centennial Drive, University of California, Berkeley. (510) 642-5132 or www.lhs.berkeley.edu 

PHOEBE HEARST MUSEUM 

Kroeber Hall, UC Berkeley 

“Modern Treasures from Ancient Iran,” through Oct. 29. This exhibit explores nomadic and town life in ancient and modern Iran as illustrated in bronze and pottery vessels, and textiles. 

“Pana O’ahu: Sacred Stones – Sacred Places,” through July 16. An exhibit of photographs by Jan Becket and Joseph Singer. 

“Phoebe Hearst Museum-Approaching a Century of Anthropology,” a sampling of the vast collections of the museum, its mission, history, and current research, with selections from ancient Egypt, ancient Peru, California Indians, Asia (India), and Africa. 

“Ishi and the Invention of Yahi Culture,” Ishi, the last Yahi Indian of California, spent the final years of his life, 1911 to 1916, living at the museum, working with anthropologists to record his culture, demonstrating technological skills, and retelling Yahi myths, tales, and songs. 

Wednesday through Sunday 10 am -4:30 pm; Thursday until 9 pm (Sept-May) 

(510) 643-7648 

HABITOT CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 

Kittredge Street and Shattuck Avenue 

A museum especially for children age 7 and younger. Highlights include “WaterWorks,” an area with some unusual water toys, an Infant Tree for babies, a garden especially for toddlers, a child-scale grocery store and cafe, and a costume shop and stage for junior thespians. The museum also features a toy lending library. 

Exhibit: “Back to the Farm,” open-ended. This interactive exhibit gives children the chance to wiggle through tunnels like an earthworm, look into a mirrored fish pond, don farm animal costumes, ride on a John Deere tractor and much more.  

Admission is $4 for adults; $6 child age 7 and under; $3 for each additional child.  

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

(510) 647-1111 

JUDAH L. MAGNES 

MUSEUM 

2911 Russell St., Berkeley 

“Chagall: Master Prints and Posters, Selections from the Magnes Museum Collection.” Accompanying the exhibition is “Exploring Chagall and His Use of the Elements of Art,” a child-friendly Interactive Educational Room with five work-stations and a central activities space. 

Free. Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

(510) 549-6950. 

To publicize an upcoming event, please submit information to the Daily Planet via fax (841-5695), e-mail (calendar@berkeleydailyplanet.com) or traditional mail (2076 University Avenue, 94704). Calendar items should be submitted at least one week before the opening of a new exhibit or performance. Please include a daytime telephone number in case we need to clarify any information.

Jamie Lee scored seven goals to lead an offensive field day for the Berkeley High girls lacrosse team on Saturday, as the Yellowjackets closed out the 2000 regular season with a 16-2 annihilation of Robert Louis Stevenson, at the BHS home field. 

“I think it’s a confidence-builder,” said Lee, who missed her season-high by a goal. “We had a chance to work on some things. It was like a practice.”  

With a spot in this week’s league playoffs already clinched, the BHS squad went into Saturday’s matchup with last-minute adjustments in mind. The ’Jackets begin postseason play this Wednesday, when they visit Monte Vista in a first-round showdown.  

“We were using it as a tune-up game for playoffs,” Berkeley High coach Lia Farley said about the final home game. “We worked on things we need to use against Monte Vista this Wednesday, like midfield defense, and double-teams.” 

“We focused on getting the double-teams. It was good, because there was room for mistakes,” Lee added. “Their defense was pretty bad, and once you get one-on-one with the goalie, it’s hard for the goalie to win.” 

While Saturday’s competition pales in comparison to the challenge awaiting Berkeley High this Wednesday, Farley is not concerned that her team has become complacent with its recent winning streak. According to the coach, the ’Jackets have already faced Monte Vista so many times over the years, that there will be no element of shock. 

“They know exactly what the competition’s going to be,” said Farley, whose squad has beaten the Mustangs in the first round of the playoffs the last two years. “I don’t think (the RLS) game helped or hurt anyone’s confidence, since it was such a blowout. They know they can take on Monte Vista.” 

The Mustangs, who defeated the ’Jackets in both 2000 regular-season meetings, bring a consistent offensive attack to the field, as well as a tenacious midfield known for hustling to loose balls. Berkeley High will also have to contend with Monte Vista’s physical style of play, which has taken the Yellowjackets out of both games this season. 

“I think we’re ready,” Lee said. “We’ll come into the game ready to play.” 

Wednesday’s matchup begins at 4 p.m. at the Mustangs’ home field.

At least 500 parents, teachers and community leaders from Berkeley joined thousands of other people in Sacramento on Monday to urge the governor to make public schools a top priority when decided how to spend the state’s estimated $13 billion budget surplus. 

“California enjoys the richest economy in the nation, but our schools are confronting a terrible funding crisis that is not of local making, and the solution must be statewide,” Berkeley parent and PTA Council member Simone Young said during the rally, according to a copy of the speech provided to the Daily Planet. 

“We call on all Californians to make sure that our state is not only the first in wealth, but also first in educational opportunity.” 

The timing of Monday’s huge rally was intentional. Next Monday, Gov. Gray Davis plans to release his revised state budget plan, including his proposals for spending the surplus estimated by the Legislature’s budget analyst as up to $13 billion over two years. 

The Democratic governor’s revised 

budget is the real start to legislative budget negotiations for the new fiscal year that starts on July 1. 

Preparing for those talks, the Senate passed a preliminary $92.8 billion budget proposal Monday that could grow to a record $100 billion with Davis’ revised revenue figures next week.  

Monday’s rally at the Capitol – attendance was estimated at around 8,000 people – was organized by the California Teachers Association and included representatives from around the state. Among the crowd were hundreds of Berkeleyans, who rode up on six school buses and dozens of private vehicles. 

Mark Coplan, president of the Berkeley PTA Council and a lead organizer of local participation in the rally, said he was pleased by the event, particularly the response to a Berkeley-led petition effort. A new organization called “Advocates for Public Schools,” has created a petition that calls for the state to help provide “fair pay” for teachers, fund ongoing teacher training and parent involvement, finance academic support programs and allow districts greater flexibility in how they use certain portions of state-allocated funds. 

As of Sunday night, the group had collected at least 1,000 signatures, Coplan said. Between 2,000 and 3,000 people from other parts of the state signed on Monday, and thousands of petitions were distributed to the crowd to take home. 

Berkeley’s delegation included a wide range of school, city and community representatives. Four of the five elected school board members and the student representative were at the rally, as were the mayor and two councilmembers. The Berkeley Federation of Teachers also was represented with union leaders and teachers from the district. 

The local group was invited to participate in the rally, and Coplan and Young spoke to the crowd to tell them of their petition efforts. 

Young said she hopes to governor really listened to what was said during the event. 

“If he expects people to vote for him (for another term or for another office), he better do something now,” she told the Daily Planet. “He really needs to listen to the people, and I hope that the speeches today helped make him more aware. Otherwise, teachers aren’t going to put up with it, and parents aren’t going to put up with it. 

“He needs to remember what his platform was going in, and we want him to put the money where his mouth is.” 

The California School Boards Association, whose 5,000 members are the locally elected board members at the state’s nearly 1,000 school districts, held its annual legislative conference Monday with lobbying also aimed at increasing school funding. 

Many board members also attended the rally on the Capitol lawn. 

Public schools are certain to get a hefty increase in funding. Davis told the California State Parent-Teacher Association convention Saturday that he will double the school funding increase he proposed in January.  

He would not give specific figures. His January budget proposals included $28.2 billion for schools in the 2000-01 fiscal year, a $1.8 billion increase from this fiscal year.  

“What really matters is what happens when the governor releases his revised budget,” Coplan said. “We’re talking about money that’s going to be there, and we want to see more of it spent on education.” 

The Senate budget plan approved Monday by a 27-11 vote includes $1.3 billion for public schools above the governor’s January figure.  

Davis maintains the state is getting very close to the national average in per-pupil spending, which can be measured several different and complicated ways.  

The CTA disagrees and insists the state is $1,200-per-student below that average, based on 1997 National Education Association figures.  

The CTA has an initiative that would require the Legislature to increase taxes by billions of dollars to bring per-pupil spending to the national average. The CTA is expected to submit signatures to try to qualify for the November ballot this week.  

The initiative could split the education community, which otherwise is united in its desire for increased “discretionary” school funding, meaning money that districts can use for their individual needs. Davis on Saturday promised a “very substantial amount” of discretionary funds in next week’s increase. 

Other major school groups would like to give the governor a chance to increase funding and are wary of the CTA initiative, said Kevin Gordon of the California Association of School Business Officials, the chief financial officers for the districts. 

“We have very serious reservations about asking voters to support a $5 billion tax increase when the revenues are there to get to the national average right now,” he said Monday. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The North Coast Section has always rewarded two things when choosing its at-large seeds for postseason boys volleyball: Quality of competition and late-season improvement. 

As members of the East Bay Athletic League, which Berkeley High coach Justin Caraway considers the best league, top to bottom, in the NCS, the Yellowjackets would seemingly have no trouble fulfilling the first requirement. And with BHS currently riding a two-game winning streak into today’s penultimate regular-season matchup with first-place Foothill, Caraway’s squad has a chance to fit the North Coast’s at-large profile perfectly. 

“Hopefully we’ll take care of business against Foothill, win the next two games,” senior setter Luis Ramirez said after last Thursday’s convincing four-game win over Granada. “This team is very talented. When I first walked into (Donahue) Gym, I knew this team could go to the playoffs.” 

This evening’s opponent, Foothill, is inaptly named, as the undefeated Falcons will be more of a mountain for the ’Jackets, who lost the schools’ previous meeting in a three-game sweep on April 6. The Falcons field a versatile attack with no real weaknesses, and according to the BHS coach, there is no trick or gimmick that can be employed to battle the Falcons. 

“Just be prepared, is really the strategy,” Caraway said about today’s 5 p.m. showdown at Foothill’s home court in San Ramon. “We’ll go in expecting a tough match, expecting them to have some big kills. We have to settle down and play disciplined volleyball.” 

Though the Yellowjackets seem to be peaking, having won their last two games, Caraway has no illusions about today’s challenge. According to the coach, even his team’s recent surge will not mean enough momentum for the Foothill battle. After the Granada win, the coach complained of shortcomings in passing and blocking, as well as intensity and focus. 

“If we play with this type of emotion, Foothill’s going to kill us,” Caraway said after Thursday’s four-game triumph over Granada. “Foothill keeps the ball in play, we’ve got to be prepared to get in there. I think we’ll be ready to go.” 

“We could have been a little more crisp, (against the Matadors),” agreed Ramirez, who is confident that his team will rise to the occasion with a solid effort against the Falcons. “Foothill’s a big one. (But) we’re definitely where we want to be right now.

More than 1,000 pages of briefings on 72 agenda items will be before the City Council for possible discussion or action tonight. 

One of the more intriguing items on the agenda deals with religious holidays. It seems that a number of important community meetings were held on April 19, the first day of Passover, one of the more significant of the Jewish holidays. 

“We are dismayed at your disregard for permitting the scheduling of public meetings on a religious holiday which automatically excludes the possibility of a section of our citizenry to attend these meetings,” Viki Tamaradze and others wrote Mayor Shirley Dean. 

So, in an item before the council, Dean is proposing that the city manager write an annual calendar taking into account the major religious holidays and distribute the calendar to those persons who schedule city-sponsored meetings. 

An aide to the mayor was unable to say which religions and which holidays would get on the calendar. She said that would probably have to be debated in a public forum. 

An item likely to spark some discussion is a request by Councilmember Dona Spring for equity in city mailings and TV time. 

Spring says the mayor had more than her share of TV time through her televised State of the City address, and that the other eight councilmembers should each get an hour of TV time, paid for by the city. 

Spring also said Councilmember Betty Olds and the mayor have been signaled out for recognition on city mailings, while others have been ignored. She wants the city to fund mailings for the other seven councilmembers to advertise their meetings. 

Some dozen items are repeats of items that have come to the council, but that the council has not discussed over the past weeks and months. 

Other items are new. The manager is scheduled to present a mid-term budget report, although the report had not yet been submitted to council at the time the agenda packet was distributed. The budget is on a two-year cycle, so this would be a preliminary discussion of the Fiscal Year 2000-2001 budget. 

Other new items include: 

• Discussing a proposal to go to court to authorize using Measure G funds to purchase the Cragmont Water Tank from the East Bay Municipal Utility District. 

• Making permanent the temporary off-leash dog park at Cesar Chavez Park. 

• Discussing which measures to put on the November ballot, including taxes for fire safety, affordable housing, public arts (a hotel tax), city hall expansion, a youth center, an animal shelter, remodeling the warm pool, and more. 

Some three-dozen items appear on the council’s consent calendar. If these items stay on the consent calendar, they will be passed with nominal comment. Councilmembers, however, often remove some of these items for discussion later in the evening or at another meeting. Councilmembers can also opt to place noncontroversial items – yes, there are some – from other sections of the agenda, onto the consent calendar. 

Consent calendar items include: 

• Mandating training for commission chairpersons. 

• Adding a year to the retrofit-property transfer tax program, so that people who buy new property will have two years to protect their homes from earthquakes and still receive a transfer tax rebate. 

• Establishing a position of information technology director with a pay range of $90,000-$123,500 annually. 

• Changing the name of the Personnel Department to the Human Resources Department. 

• Approving $17,000 in state health funds, in addition to $18,000 in state health money already allocated to the program for a community-wide prenatal through preschool health needs assessment. 

• Naming the public safety building and its plaza after two officers who were killed in the line of duty. 

• Endorsing a May 13 rally to stop the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal, who is seeking a new trial after being convicted of killing a police officer. 

A number of items on the consent calendar and regular agenda are referrals to budget discussions that will take place later this month. They include: 

• Funding a position – or part of a position – as an employment specialist to link training and placement agencies for the high-tech/multi-media industry. The economic development division is asking for $65,000 for this function. 

• Funding $35,000 for a meals program for Section 8 residents of Strawberry Lodge. Strawberry Lodge is a residential housing project for seniors. 

• Funding $21,000 for the Hope Pre-Recovery Program, a shelter for homeless youth 18-25 years old, sponsored by Jubilee Restoration, Inc. Most the shelter funding comes from federal sources. 

• Funding $50,000 for bicycle and pedestrian safety efforts. 

The council meeting takes place after the housing authority meeting a few minutes past 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. It is broadcast on KPFB 89.3-FM and televised on Ch-25. 

OAKLAND – Some 50 people showed up Monday morning to support Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi, on trial for obstructing a police officer during the height of the summertime conflict between KPFA and the Pacifica Foundation, which holds the license to the community radio station. 

In a rally/press-conference outside Superior Court, Davey D., a disc jockey on KPFA’s Hard Rock Radio show and KMEL, called for support for the 23-year-old middle-school teacher of Puerto Rican ancestry. 

The continued prosecution of Jacobs-Fantauzzi “sends a message to others. Why should we take a stand when we’ll have to go through this process?” he said. 

Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson also spoke. 

“It’s a very somber day for free speech,” Carson said, noting that he had written District Attorney Tom Orloff three weeks earlier, asking him to drop charges against Jacobs-Fantauzzi. Carson said he received no response. 

The Berkeley City Council and the Pacifica Foundation Board have also asked that charges be dismissed. 

Supporters say that Jacobs-Fantauzzi, the only person to go to trial for civil disobedience during last summer’s conflicts, has been signaled out for his youth and because he is a person of color. 

Police say he is guilty of obstructing officers when they were trying to arrest protesters in front of KPFA July 21. 

Some 100 other protesters were arrested during the conflicts. Most cases were dismissed. A few protesters were cited for jaywalking and given time served. 

Friday, a judge offered to let Jacobs-Fantauzzi plead guilty to disorderly conduct, a lesser crime than obstructing an officer. 

But he turned it down. 

“I’m not guilty of any crime,” Jacobs-Fantauzzi said. 

In court Monday, Jacobs-Fantauzzi’s attorney, Richard Krech, argued that he should be allowed to introduce videotapes of the arrest as evidence. The court approved that motion. Both Krech and the prosecution have asked the Oakland Tribune to turn over photographs a photographer took of Jacobs-Fantauzzi’s arrest. The newspaper, however, has so far declined to do so. 

The trial moves into the jury selection phase today at 2 p.m., 661 Washington St., Oakland.

A woman walking home with her infant son in her arms about 7 p.m. Sunday on 10th Street near Bancroft Way was robbed by a man who held his hand under his jacket as if he were holding a gun. 

According to Capt. Bobby Miller from the Berkeley Police Department, the victim saw the suspect get off the No. 73 bus at Bancroft Way and San Pablo Avenue, as she was walking west on Bancroft. The suspect caught up with her from behind, and simulating that he was holding a gun, he told her he would kill her if she didn’t give him her purse, As she bent down to put her baby on the ground so she could hand over her backpack-type black nylon purse, he reached out and grabbed the strap from around her back and ran off on 10th Street with the purse. It contained children’s clothing, a zippered coin purse and approximately $100. 

The suspect is described as an African-American male, 30 years old, 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighing around 180 pounds. He was wearing a three-quarter length black leather coat, blue jeans and tennis shoes.

Smokers who want to quit the habit may want to consider changing jobs. 

A recent UC Berkeley study found that smokers employed in locations with strong anti-smoking workplace ordinances were 38 percent more likely to quit over a six-month period than those in regions with no such laws. 

Results of the new study will be published in the May 2000 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.  

“The benefits of workplace smoking ordinances for non-smokers are well known,” study co-author Joel Moskowitz, a director of UC Berkeley’s Center for Family and Community Health in the School of Public Health, said in a news release. “This is the first time we’ve seen such a big benefit for smokers also.” 

Moskowitz and co-researchers Zihua Lin of UC Berkeley and Esther Hudes of UC San Francisco examined data from a statewide field survey sponsored by the California Department of Health Services. It was conducted in 1990, before California had a statewide workplace smoking law and when job sites still were governed by local legislation. 

In communities with tough laws, 26.4 percent of smokers quit and remained non-smokers within six months of the survey. In communities with no workplace restrictions, only 19.1 percent of smokers quit, the team found. 

The effects were greatest in regions with the strongest rules. Such rules included prohibiting smoking in restrooms, meeting rooms and hallways; allowing employees to designate their work area as smoke free; permitting nonsmokers’ concerns to take precedence in a conflict; and not exempting any businesses with four or more employees.  

Today, California’s statewide law prohibits all indoor smoking at work sites. It is the strongest anti-smoking legislation in the nation. 

Moskowitz said the new findings make a great deal of sense from the standpoint of what influences smokers to quit. For instance, what he calls “the nuisance factor” associated with workplace restrictions – having to seek an outdoor spot to smoke, timing smoking around work breaks and so forth – probably motivates smokers to stop. But he said perhaps even more important are two other factors: the support of nonsmoking co-workers and the smoke-free air itself, which decreases the biochemical and psychological cues to light up in the first place. 

Mandatory workplace ordinances have been controversial nationwide, Moskowitz said. Some employers are concerned about increased compliance and enforcement burdens. Others believe that a positive effect on the bottom line health of workers has not been proven sufficiently. But California’s experience suggests otherwise. 

Moskowitz said the new results are quite promising for employers and show for the first time that government intervention can help both the nonsmoker and the smoker.

The legacy of musician, professor and minister W. Hazaiah Williams will be honored during a memorial concert Saturday night at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Oakland. 

Williams (1930-1999) played an influential role in the life of the Bay Area. He was the first African-American Impresario in the country of a major classical music concert series. For 40 years he presented world-class musicians in San Francisco, the East Bay, New York City and in Paris under the auspices of two organizations which he formed: Today’s Artists Concerts and Four Seasons Concerts. 

For 20 years Williams was professor at the Graduate Theological Union and was the founder of the Center for Urban-Black Studies. He founded and pastored the Church For Today in Berkeley for more than 40 years. He served on the Berkeley Board of Education for eight years and was active as a leader of the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s. 

Saturday’s night’s concert is titled “Three Generations: A Program of African-American Spirituals.” The three featured artists, all baritones, presented in this memorial concert were all part of Williams’ concert programming. William Warfield was presented in a solo recital on Williams’ first concert series at the Oakland Auditorium Theatre (now the Calvin Simmons Theatre) in 1958. Benjamin Matthews was presented many times by Williams, including his Carnegie Hall recital debut performance. Robert Sims joined Williams’ roster of artists in 1987 in a concert at Oakland’s Scottish Rite Auditorium. 

This concert is offered free of charge by its sponsors as a gift to the community, but reserved seat tickets are required. To reserve tickets, which will be held at the box office the night of the concert, call 510-451-0775, or e-mail foursc1@juno.com. Sponsors are: U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Berkeley Vice-Mayor Maudelle Shirek, the Scottish Rite Center, Marcus Book Stores, Pro Piano, The Church For Today, The Center For Urban-Black Studies, the Post Newspaper Group, Four Seasons Concerts, and Emeryville Performing Arts. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. and will be held at the Scottish Rite Auditorium at 1547 Lakeshore Drive, Oakland.

A man was robbed in his apartment building on the 2500 block of Piedmont after returning home from a card club in Oakland about 2:40 a.m. Tuesday. He drove home and walked up to the second floor and was about to enter his apartment when he was suddenly accosted by two men in the hallway. 

Police Capt. Bobby Miller said the victim had not seen or heard anyone coming up behind him, so it is assumed the robbers were already in the building. They pushed the man against a wall and took his wallet. In the fray he suffered a cut lip. 

A witness said he heard a noise outside his door and looked out and saw the victim with two men huddled over him. One of the suspects is an African-American male, 5 feet, 10 inches tall, medium build, wearing a white T-shirt and blue nylon sweat pants. The only description provided on the second suspect was that he was an African-American male. 

In another strong-arm robbery, a man was shot near Strawberry Creek park about 1 a.m. Wednesday as he fled from two gunmen who demanded money. 

The man who was shot and another male victim and a woman were seated on a bench when the suspects brandished guns and threatened them. The victims fled on foot with guns pointed at them and one the rounds of bullets hit one of the fleeing victims in the buttocks. The suspects ran west on Bonar Street. 

The two suspects are described as African-American males. One of them is described as 26 years old, 5 feet, 6 inches tall, 160 pounds, wearing blue pants and a hooded gray sweatshirt. His gun was black, possibly a 9mm weapon, said Miller. 

The other suspect is described as 24 years old, 5 feet, 4 inches tall, 130 pounds with a mustache. He was wearing a black Raiders jacket, and his handgun may have been a .25-caliber weapon.

The usefulness – of utter lack thereof – of tracking the nation’s average wage was demonstrated in a big way Tuesday night by a little guy – former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich. 

“If anyone brings up averages when they’re talking about the economy, watch your wallet,” warned Reich, speaking to a packed crowd at Sibley Auditorium on the UC Berkeley campus. “Shaquille O’Neal and I have an average height of 6-foot-1. Averages don’t tell you what’s going on with the little guy.” 

Reich (who, for point of illumination, has a stature closer resembling a jockey’s than an NBA center’s) pointed out that the skyrocketing average wage in today’s economy is largely due to the huge successes of those on the top of the financial pyramid. The secretary of labor in Bill Clinton’s first administration maintained that median wages for the middle class and poor had elevated only slightly, with that demographic working much longer, harder hours than in previous years. 

That striking point was used to bolster Reich’s main claim – that the nation’s macroeconomic and social policies are inexorably intertwined, with a particular emphasis on the activities of the Federal Reserve Board. 

“We tend not to think about what the Federal Reserve Board Open Market Committee does. We assign their role to the business pages of newspapers,” said Reich, now a professor of social and economic policy at Brandeis University’s Heller Graduate School. “But what you must understand is, in this economy this is the most important group in Washington and perhaps the most important group in the nation in terms of governance of the country. It’s not an exaggeration to say that (Reserve Board Chairman) Alan Greenspan is, in terms of the economy, the most powerful man in the nation, and the singularly most important person in the world economy.” 

The Fed has raised short-term interest rates five times since June, and is meeting again next week (where popular opinion states rates will be hiked an additional one-half percentage point). 

Reich claims this action – undertaken to keep the economy from outpacing itself by slowing it, consequently preventing inflation (and raising unemployment) – hurts the Americans who are most vulnerable. 

“If The Fed slows down the economy, unemployment starts to creep upwards,” said Reich. “People who are societally excluded will be the first to lose their jobs or any gains made in terms of earnings if they keep their jobs. Those at the end of the job queue will be the first to be laid off when unemployment rises. And, let me emphasize, they are also going to pay more as a percent of income in interest rate costs, borrowing costs. Poor people are in debt more than those who are wealthy. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out.” 

Reich also emphasized that a societal plan to preserve the economy by hiking unemployment coupled with the dismantling of the welfare system could deal a crippling blow to the nation’s working poor. 

The author of the best-selling book “Locked in the Cabinet” contended that economic modes equating low unemployment with impending inflation are outmoded, due to increased price competition and better worker productivity via technological improvements. Reich pointed out that the nation’s unemployment rate stands at 3.9 percent, and has stood at below 4.5 percent with “no signs of accelerated inflation.” 

With this in mind, Reich emphasized that pre-emptive steps to curb inflation by raising interest rates would be a step in the wrong direction. 

“I submit the Federal Reserve Board should wait until it actually sees the whites of the eyes of accelerated inflation before it raises interest rates any further,” said Reich. “Because, my friends, this economy is different than the textbooks of the ‘70s, ‘80s and even early ‘90s. When I went to Washington in 1993, the assumption was you couldn’t get below 6 percent (unemployment) without accelerated inflation. That was the so-called natural rate of unemployment. 

“The reason it’s now possible to run the economy with much lower rates of unemployment and at a faster growth rate is because of the new technology,” continued Reich. “It’s a new economy. It allows us to grow a tighter labor market than ever before. I don’t know how low unemployment can get without accelerated inflation. Let’s try to get unemployment as low as we can, and as much rapid growth as we can, so we can help out the good old working class and poor who haven’t gotten much out of this recovery. Let us not raise interest

A UC Berkeley law student protesting development plans for the Underhill area is about to make a sacrifice for his cause: He’s going to miss an in-class final instead of leaving his site in the Underhill parking lot. 

“I don’t think I have much choice really,” Rick Young said Monday night. “The (Boalt Hall) dean said an in-class final is an in-class final, but I’m not going to leave.” 

Young has been camped out in the parking lot since April 30 after delivering a five-point letter to Chancellor Robert Berdahl’s office, asking him to discuss such issues as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and emphasizing Southside housing over parking. 

On Friday, Young received a letter from Cummins, John F., the assistant chancellor/chief of staff for Berdahl, stating that while “opinions vary widely” over the Underhill issue, the appropriate way to express viewpoints is through the established public comment process. At this point, that would mean submitting written statements to the university by June 9. 

The Underhill block – bordered by College Avenue, Channing Way, Bowditch Street and Haste Street – used to house a multi-level parking structure topped by a gargantuan Astroturf playfield. Following the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989, the upper levels of the structure were demolished, leaving the resultant parking pit. Under the current plan, the university is aiming to rebuild the multi-tiered structure, increasing the lot’s capacity from around 400 to over 1,000 or up to 1,450 with attendant parking. Right now, the lot can handle around 400 cars. 

A key argument Young makes is that the university has exaggerated the number of parking spaces lost between 1988 and 1999. Based on the statistics he has compiled, he says UCB has only lost 64 spaces during that time, from 7,450 to 7,386. 

The university disagrees with Young’s conclusions. Officials also note the projects for the Underhill area include the addition of nearly 900 student beds. 

So, the student activist and his university have reached an impasse, and the immediate sacrifice is one of Young’s classes at Boalt Hall. He’s been able to take two take-home finals, but his professor and dean both reached the same conclusion on the Corporations class final: It must be taken in class. 

“I never really planned on pushing this to the limit, but