The Quarter Meal—Berkeley’s only daily dinner service for low income and homeless residents and one of the city’s largest programs to meet their needs—will cut back service from five days a week to three beginning March 1, and to shut down by June 24. 

According to a press release issued Monday by the Berkeley Food and Housing Project (BFHP)—the organization that administers the program—cuts were forced by unexpected mid-year expenses, including rising workers compensation premiums, employee medical benefits and mandatory compliance with the city’s Living Wage Ordinance. 

Program workers serving meals Monday night refused additional comment on the cutbacks, referring reporters to the single-page press release.  

In the release, the BFHP say they support living wage increases (which they are mandated to meet because they have a contract with the city) but were unable to budget for the extra $110,000 in total expenses they now face. 

Other programs administered by the BFHP were reviewed before the decision was made to cut the Quarter Meal, but those programs were spared, according to the release, because they focus on housing and support services for homeless and people in transition. 

BFHP said that while donations were up 24 percent from this same time last year they weren’t enough to meet increased costs. 

In the meantime, BFHP said they hope to find a funding commitment for the program that will last three to five years, sometime before the planned June closure. They will also help those who regularly attend the meals find other sources in the city. 

“It’s a real bummer,” said John Spencer, one of the people who regularly eats at the Quarter Meal. “A lot of people depend on it.” 

He said he expects he’ll find other places to eat, but the convenience and reliability of the program will be a real loss. 

“We can eat in this city, but it takes all our time to do so,” he said.

TUESDAY, FEB. 3 

UC Hotel and Conference Center, Planning Commission Sub-Committee, meets at 1 p.m. in the 2nd floor conference room, Permit Center, 2120 Milvia St. 

“Whales, Bears, Eagles and Icebergs: The Wonders of Alaska” with wildlife photographer Ron Sanford at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

“Conscience and the Constitution” a film about the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WW2, at 6 p.m. at Rockridge Branch Library, 5366 College Ave. Sponsored by Refuse and Resist. 704-5293. 

Writers’ Room Coach Training is offered from 7 to 9:30 p.m. for volunteers who would like to help students improve their writing and critical thinking skills. To attend please call 849-4134 or email Bloomburgh@sbcglobal.net 

“Taking Care of Your Elderly Parent” meets Tuesdays, Feb. 3 - 24 at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Fee is $40. 848-0327, ext. 112. 

Berkeley Ecological and Safe Trasportation (BEST) monthly meeting at 6 p.m. at the Berkeley Central Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 913-4682. 

“Judaism, What is it all About?” an interactive lecture series with Rabbi Judah Dardik, at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at Beth Jacob Congregation, 3778 Park Blvd., Oakland. 482-1147. www.bethjacoboakland.org 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers We are a few slowpoke seniors who walk between a mile or two each Tuesday, meeting at 9:30 a.m. in the Little Farm parking lot. To join us, call 215-7672.  

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Paul Bendix, Transportation Advocate, will talk about Amtrak’s Coast Starlight and the future of Amtrak at 11 a.m. 845-6830. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 234-4783. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 4 

Public Meeting/Workshop on West Street, formerly Santa Fe Railroad Right of Way, Improvement Project for Bikeway and Pedestrian Path that will run from Delaware St. to University Ave., at 7 p.m. at Ala Costa Center, 1300 Rose St. For information call Niran at 981-6396 or Michael at 981-2490. 

Lynne Stewart will speak at 6 p.m. at Boalt Law School, UC Campus. Sponsored by the National Laywers Guild. For more information call 684-8270. www.lynnstewart.org 

Want your country back? Join your neighbors at the next Meet-up for Democratic presidential Candidate Howard Dean. Learn more about Dr. Dean, and what you can do to make a difference, at 7 p.m. at three Berkeley locations: Au Coquelet, 2000 University Ave., Sweet Basil Thai, 1736 Solano Ave., and Raleigh's, 2438 Telegraph Ave. 843-8724. http://Dean2004.Meetup.com.  

Northbrae Community Church monthly dinner at 6 p.m. at 941 The Alameda. The Berkeley Camera Club will show slides on “Bhutan and Nepal.” Dinner cost is $7.50 for adults, $3.50 for children. For reservations call 526-3805.  

Fun with Acting class meets at 11 a.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Free, all are welcome. 985-0373. 

Prose Writers Workshop We’re a serious but lively bunch whose focus is on issues of craft. Novices welcome. Experienced facilitator. Community sponsored, no fee. Meets 7 to 9 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut, at Rose. For information call 524-3034. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Vigil at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. ww.geocities.com/ 

vigil4peace/vigil 

Amnesty International Berkeley Community Group meets at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1606 Bonita Ave., at Cedar St. 872-0768. 

Berkeley CopWatch open office hours 7 to 9 p.m. Drop in to file complaints, assistance available. 548-0425. 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7:15 a.m. at Hide-A-Way Café, 6430 Telegraph Ave. For information call Fred Garvey, 925-682-1111, ext. 164. 

Free Feldenkrais ATM Classes for adults 55 and older at 10:30 and 11:45 a.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut at Rose. For information call 848-0237. 

THURSDAY, FEB. 5 

Tuesday Morning Birdwalk at Tilden Nature Center from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Call if you need to borrow binoculars. 525-2233. 

“Oil, Power and Empire: Iraq & the U.S. Global Agenda” with Larry Everest and Daniel Ellsberg, at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. 548-0542. www.mecaforpeace.org 

“Insurrection: Citizen Challenges to Corporate Power” with Kevin Danaher and Jason Mark from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave, near Dwight Way. 548-2220, ext. 233.  

Berkeley Democratic Club general meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda.  

Alameda County Measure A organizing committee to support the initiave which would raise the sales tax to support our county’s public health system from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m at District 5 headquarters, 2135 Broadway, Oakland.  

“The Bancroft Library: Past, Present, and Future” with Charles Faulhaber, Director of The Bancroft Library, at 6 p.m. at the Society of California Pioneers, 300 Fourth St. at Folsom in SF. 415-957-1849. www.californiapioneers.org 

“How the West was Made: Faults, Plates, and Other Geological Wonders” with Dr. Tanya Atwater, professor of geophysics at U.C. Santa Barbara, at 7:30 p.m. at The College Preparatory School, Buttner Auditorium, 6100 Broadway (north), Oakland. Cost is $5-$10. 658-5202.  

Presentations and Public Dialogue on 9/11, Demolishing Pretexts For The “War On Terror” at 6:30 p.m. at 1924 Cedar St. at Bonita. Sponsored by the Social Justice Committee of the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists. Suggested donation $5. 527-7543.  

Berkeley Liberation Radio 104.1 FM holds public meetings for all interested people first and third Thursdays, 7 p.m. at the Long Haul Info Shop, 3124 Shattuck Ave. 595-0190.  

FRIDAY, FEB. 6 

Tom Torlakson, California State Senator, will speak on “Regionalism: New Thinking for A New Century” at 1:30 p.m. at UC Berkeley Alumni House Toll Room. Sponsored by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) and the Political Science Department. 642-1474. 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with As’ad Abukhallil, Prof. Dept. of Politics, CSU, Stanislaus, “The Middle East After the Iraq War” Luncheon 11:45 a.m. $11.50 - $12.50. Speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 526-2925.  

Upper San Leandro Reservoir Hike at 4 p.m. Meet at Valle Vistas Staging area. Rain cancels. For more information call Vonnie 925-376-5352 or Phyllis 525-2299. Sponsored by the Sierra Club Solo Sierrans. 

Berkeley Chess Club meets Fridays at 7:15 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Players at all levels are welcome. 652-5324. 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com, 548-6310, 845-1143. 

Meditation, Peace Vigil and Dialogue, gather at noon on the grass close to the West Entrance to UC Berkeley, on Oxford St. near University Ave. People of all traditions are welcome to join us. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

Overeaters Anonymous meets at 1:30 p.m. at the Northbrae Church at Solano and The Alameda. Parking is free and is handicapped accessible. 525-5231. 

SATURDAY, FEB. 7 

Tour of Proposed UC Hotel and Conference Center Complex with UC Senior Planner & Project Manager Kevin Hufferd and organized by The Planning Commission subcommittee. Meet at 10 a.m. at the plaza in front of the Bank of America on the east side of Shattuck near Center St. In the event of inclement weather, the tour will be rescheduled. 

“A Walk Through History” The legacy of the past is on display in this stroll around Aquatic Park’s Middle Pond. Meet outside the Cabin at the park’s southern entrance at 10 a.m. Aquatic Park EGRET egret@lmi.net or 549-0818. 

Gardening for Wildlife Learn to diversify your gardens by including CA native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers that provide food, shelter, and nesting places for a variety of wildlife, including birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Coyote Hills Regional Park, 8000 Patterson Ranch Rd, Fremont. Cost is $25, pre-registration required. 231-9430. mary@aoinstitute.org 

Kids Garden Club We'll build a cob greenhouse for the season of cold and chills. From 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, in Tilden Park. Cost is $3. Wheelchair accessible. 525-2233. tnarea@ebparks.org 

Walk in the Eastshore State Park Learn about plans for creek daylighting and nature restoration. Meet at Sea Breeze market, University Ave. just west of the freeway at 10 a.m. 848-9358. www.fivecreeks.org 

Garden Basics, Part I with Robin North. Learn how to prepare for this spring’s planting season, and acquire some strategies for long-term success. At 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens Nursery, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. 

Free Emergency Preparedness Class on Responding to Terrorism for anyone who lives or works in Berkeley, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Fire Department Training Center, 997 Cedar St. Register on-line at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/oes.html or by calling 981-5506. 

Free Emergency Preparedness Class on Earthquake Retrofitting for anyone who lives or works in Berkeley, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Building Education Centre, 812 Page St. Register on-line at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/oes.html or by calling 981-5506. 

Piedmont Children’s Choir Auditions for ages 7-10, 9:30 a.m. to noon. Children with no experience are encouraged to apply. To arrange an appointment call, 547-4441, ext. 2. 

An Evening of Improv Comedy with Platypus Jones at 8 p.m. at Café Eclectica, 1309 Solano Ave. Cost is $7, $5 with student i.d. 338-3899. 

The East Bay Marxist Forum Political Affairs Readers Group meets at 10 a.m. to discuss Democracy Matters: An Interview with Sam Webb, Chair of the Communist Party, USA, at 10 a.m. at the Niebyl-Proctor Marxist Library 6501 Telegraph Ave. Oakland. 595-7417. 

Introduction to the Alexander Technique, an educational method that helps you eliminate harmful habits of tension through increased awareness and control in everyday activities. From 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Berkeley YWCA, 2600 Bancroft Way. 848-6370.  

Visual Arts and Theological Studies Conference with a focus on the theological themes in three works of art: Junko Chodos’ “Requiem for a Executed Bird,” Stephen De Staebler’s “Winged Figure,” and Daniel Solomon’s Beth Israel Memorial Chapel. From 8:45 to 5:30 p.m. in the GTU Hewlett Library. Cost is $50, students $15. 849-8285. 

Rainbow Cafe ASTRAEA Fundraiser, lesbian singles dining and book tasting at 7:30 p.m. at Boadecia’s Books, 398 Colusa Ave. Cost is $30, dinner included. RSVP required with www.eastbayvoice.org/tickets 

Yoga for Seniors at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St., on Saturdays from 10 to 11 a.m. Open to non-members of the club for $8 per class. 848-7800. 

SUNDAY, FEB. 8 

“Shorebirds of Berkeley's Wetlands” An array of over-wintering ducks has joined the resident population at Aquatic Park. Meet outside the Cabin at the park’s southern entrance at 2 p.m. Aquatic Park EGRET egret@lmi.net or 549-0818. 

Botanic Garden Foray Search for stinkpods, and learn why they should be called “stickpods” and other early bloomers in this native plant oasis. From 10 a.m. to noon at Tilden Botanical Garden, in Tilden Park. 525-2233. tnarea@ebparks.org 

Berkeley Women and the History of the University’s YWCA Dorothy Clemens, author of a book on the University’s YWCA, will discuss the role of Berkeley women, both town and gown, and the history of our own YWCA. From 2 to 4 p.m. at the Berkeley History Center, 1931 Center St. 848-0181. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc/ 

A Tu B’Shvat Seder, celebrating the Jewish holiday of the trees will be held at 5:30 pm, at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. A benefit for the Jerusalem based Rabbis for Human Rights. 

Valentine’s Day Card Workshop Join us to make cards and to learn about the cultural history of Valentine’s Day, from 10 a.m. to noon at Tilden Nature Area. Meterials provided. Cost is $5, non-residents $7. 525-2233. tnarea@ebparks.org 

Chocolate Tastings with Alice Medrich, author of “BitterSweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate” at 1 p.m. at The Pasta Shop, 1786 Fourth St. 528-1786. 

Workshop on Storytelling for the whole family from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Berkeley Rep School of Theater, 2071 Addison St. Admission is free, please bring a children’s book as a donation to the John Muir School Library. 647-2972. 

The Berkeley Cybersalon invites everyone to a participatory discussion on the New Publishing Model with journalists/publishers from the SF Chronicle, Salon, Wired, and the UCB Graduate School of Journalism from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. $10 donation requested. www.berkeleycybersalon.com  

8th Annual Bike Film Fest from 4 to 9 p.m. at La Peña, 3015 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10-$20. Fundraiser for Bicycle Friendly Berkeley Coalition (BFBC).. Free valet bike parking. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

MONDAY, FEB. 9 

“Fifty Years: Brown v. Board of Education: A Troubled Legacy” with Waldo Martin, Professor of History at UC Berkeley, at 10 a.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

The Women’s Cancer Resource Center Volunteer Orientation for compassionate volunteers to help support women with cancer and their loved ones. From 6 tp 8 p.m. Please call Emily for more information 601-4040, ext. 109. emily@wcrc.org 

Fitness for 55+ A total body workout including aerobics, stretching and strengthing at 1:15 p.m. every Monday at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5170. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

ONGOING 

Young People’s Symphony Orchestra misses its alums! As our nation’s second oldest youth orchestra, based in Berkeley, YPSO is in possession of a treasure trove of memorabilia dating as far back as 1936. To preserve and share these photographs, letters, programs and other interesting materials YPSO is creating a Digital Online Museum. If you participated in the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra please contact David Davis at davisde@yogashorts.com or 543-4054. 

Did Your Family Live in Berkeley from 1890 to1925? This spring the Berkeley Historical Society is opening an exhibit on early Berkeley Bohemians, artists, poets, writers, musicians, photographers and other creative folks who lived in our city 1890-1925. If your family was here then, check your photo albums and other records to see if you have any photos or personal accounts of these activities. If so, we would like to try to include this information in our exhibit. If you can help, please contact Ed Herny, co-curator for this exhibit at 415-725-4674 or by e-mail at edphemra@pacbell.net  

Vocal Jazz Workshops on Saturdays for teenagers and adults, beginners and intermediate, begin Feb. 7 and run to April 10, at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave. Cost is $122 for Albany residents, $132 for others. 524-9283. 

Voice Technique Classes for Adults begin Feb. 11. Cost is $290 for 8 wks. Ongoing classes for children and teens. Verna Winter Studio, 1312 Bonita Ave. 524-1601. 

Valentine Day Weddings The Alameda County Clerk-Recorder’s Office is pleased to announce that the office will be open Valentine’s Day, Sat., Feb. 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to issue marriage licenses and perform wedding ceremonies. The office is located at 1106 Madison Street, in Oakland. The fee for a marriage license is $79, which includes one certified copy. The fee for a ceremony is $50 (cash or checks accepted). Interested parties should make an appointment. 272-6362.  

CITY MEETINGS 

Commission on the Status of Women meets Wed., Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Ruby Primus, 981-5106. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/women 

Fire Safety Commission meets Wed., Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the Emergency Operations Center, 997 Cedar St. David Orth, 981-5502. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/firesafety 

Community Environmental Advisory Commission meets Thurs., Feb. 5, at 7 p.m., at 2118 Milvia St. Nabil Al-Hadithy, 981-7461. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/commissions/environmentaladvisory 

Housing Advisory Commission meets Thurs. Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Oscar Sung, 981-5400. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/housing 

Public Works Commission meets Thurs., Feb. 5, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Jeff Egeberg, 981-6406. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/publicworks 

West Berkeley Project Area Commission meets Thurs. Feb. 5, at 7 p.m., at the West Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7520. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/westberkeley

GETTING IT STRAIGHT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Gilbert Bendix, in a letter to the Daily Planet (Jan. 30-Feb. 2 edition), alleges that the Smithsonian Institution “emasculated the Enola Gay exhibit on Clark Kerr’s watch.” 

To my knowledge, Clark Kerr never had any connection with the Smithsonian during his long and distinguished life. Mr. Bendix is possibly referring to I. Michael Heyman, former chancellor at Berkeley and former secretary of the Smithsonian for a few years. If Mr. Bendix wishes to denigrate someone, he should at least get his people straight. 

Sherry Smith 

• 

COUNCIL CHANGES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

When I came to Berkeley 17 years ago, I soon went to a city council meeting to get a feel for what was happening here. After 20 years of life in Orange County’s Fullerton, I was astounded by the difference in style. 

In Berkeley there were women on the council—even the mayor was female—and the members listened and were responsive to citizen input. Besides, it felt like the best show in town, with individual citizens shouting rudely from their seats, groups chanting slogans and folks wearing costumes and carrying picket signs. 

In Fullerton, strict decorum was maintained. Any of the aforementioned behavior would have led to immediate banishment. The councilpersons—all male for many years—filed in punctually, wearing three-piece suits and a stony expression. Meetings always started with both a Christian benediction and the Pledge of Allegiance. Although residents did have the opportunity to make statements, we all knew that the council had already reached a decision and sat through citizen participation because it was mandatory. Meetings rarely went past 10 p.m. 

Having experienced both ends of the spectrum, I much prefer the Berkeley spirit, but I wish a couple of changes could be made: (1) Let’s not turn the meeting into a circus. Save the show for street theater where it belongs. (2) During open mike, please limit the number of speakers per issue to two speakers who will not repeat each other. This will allow time to cover additional issues. In this period of budget-cutting, we need to provide first-hand information that would be helpful to the council and staff in making decisions. 

Rhoda Levinson 

• 

GLASS COMMISSION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It is now about one month since I wrote about the broken glass gracing the sidewalk of Bancroft Way just west of Shattuck Avenue. At the time I wrote an opinion piece mentioning it (“Berkeley Officialdom Ignores an Impending Danger,” Daily Planet, Jan. 2-5) the broken glass had been there for more than three months without the city having done anything to clean it up. There are now, I am told, 49 separate city commissions. I suggest we set up a fiftieth (it’s a round number) to study the problem of the broken glass on the sidewalk. Then hire a couple of $100,000-a-year consultants to advise what to do. On second thought, I take it back. They might decide to bestow official landmark status on the broken glass. 

Paul Glusman 

• 

CRITIC CRITIQUE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a 20-year resident of Central Berkeley, I feel compelled to respond to the commentary “Architectural Surprises Await in the ‘Flatlands’” by John Kenyon (Daily Planet, Jan. 27-29). The article attempts ‘architectural criticism’ but fails because it only shows the bias of the author’s perspective. Kenyon seems shocked to find examples of architecture worthy of his attention in the ‘visual limbo’ of the flatlands. Kenyon states: “Apart from a handful of surviving Victorians in Oceanview, the original water-based settlement is an uneventful mix of modest bungalows ranging from ‘Sub Craftsman’ to ‘Plebian Ranch,’ and made bearable here and there by surviving old trees and the city’s generous street-tree program.” Furthermore, “The busy traffic grid with its sea of humble dwellings on identical lots, seems boring if not ugly, and hardly gets a mention in architectural guidebooks.” Please, give me a break!. The examples he gives of encouraging trends are mostly post-industrial remodels which may fit his avant garde tastes, but which often do not fit the character of a neighborhood, and end up looking prematurely dated, and—dare I say it—ugly, over time. He salutes the “freedom from the sort of ‘contextualism’ that is, all to often, timid conformity to the prevailing neighborhood look.” One person’s ‘freedom from contextualism’ is another person’s sore thumb. 

Doug Smith 

• 

SCHOOL FLOODING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In response to John Crockett of BUSD grounds crew’s letter (Daily Planet, Jan. 30-Feb. 2), my comments about the flooding at Malcolm X had nothing to do with whether you can or cannot rake leaves. Maybe this has less to do with ability than how the grounds crew is utilized. At UC, during the winter, the primary job of the grounds crew is clearing leaves and pruning. And a cursory look at the UC campus is evidence of this effort.  

Two days after the newspaper article on the Malcolm X flood, I walked the perimeter of Willard, and the back of Willard was full of leaves, with a huge pile over the rear drain by the cafeteria back door. The scraggly bushes along the east and north fence of the ball field look no different than they did 12 years ago, and I have photos to show.  

Crockett refers to the new lawns at Cragmont and King. From my knowledge, lawns aren’t mowed much in winter. They certainly don’t need watering. I apologize if it’s not apparent what the grounds crew does during the winter. So what is the grounds crew doing in the winter? How is our tax money being spent?  

Yolanda Huang 

• 

BUS ROUTES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

For a quarter of a century the city of Berkeley has strongly advised motorists to use Telegraph Avenue and the 24 Freeway from/to the Caldecott Tunnel, the Warren Freeway, the Bay Bridge, and the Nimitz Freeway. This was done to relieve traffic pressures on College Avenue and in the Warring-Derby-Belrose corridor. The proposed rapid bus service would not be “more appealing” to any of these motorists; it does not reach any of their widely scattered and far-away destinations. If Telegraph Avenue is downsized....? Enough said? 

Wolfgang Homburger 

Kensington 

• 

TEXTBOOK PRICES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I was very happy to see the issue of textbook price gouging being brought up in the article, “Study Hits Textbook Prices” (Daily Planet, Jan. 30-Feb. 2). This is an issue that affects the entire nation each year as parents and students are taxed with the great burden of paying outrageous prices for textbooks on top of the already high cost of college tuition. 

When I went to the student store, here at UC Berkeley, looking for my calculus textbook, I was shocked and frustrated that the only books available were brand new textbooks that cost over $100! There were no used books available, as the company had just released a new edition which I was forced to buy complete with a CD-ROM that I never even need or use. 

After reading your article I compared this new edition to a friend’s copy of the old one and quickly came to the conclusion that they were exact replicas. The idea that sales representatives intentionally deceive professors into ordering books at an increased cost in order to maximize their profits angers me even more. Publishing companies should take responsibility for their blatant exploitation of students and change their practices immediately! 

Liya Gendler 

UC Berkeley student 

• 

PRICING PRACTICES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I was thrilled to read that a group has finally stood up and expressed what most of us students want to yell out during the first weeks of each semester: “Textbooks are just too expensive!!” This year I’ve spent well over $700 on books. The cost of textbooks combined with the increasing tuition fees and other expenses that students must deal with every year makes us feel overwhelmed. I’m glad to hear that there is a solution to this problem. As CALPIRG reported, there is a lot that the publisher can do to lower the price of books. By eliminating the practice of bundling textbooks, and letting editions stay on shelves longer, books become more affordable to students like me. I’m glad that the students are becoming aware of the gimmicks used by the publishing companies, and hopefully the textbook companies will reconsider their pricing practices. 

Cynthia Lopez 

UC Berkeley Student 

• 

ARNOLD’S DOUBLE WHAMMY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Gov. Schwarzenegger now proposes to cut money for education. That would reduce the quality of education for thousands of California students. It would raise costs substantially for others. And it would close the door entirely for thousands more. 

But that is not all. He then proposes to issue $l5 billion in bonds. And who would pay them off? A big hunk would be paid by the very same children whose education he now proposes to underfund. 

All because the governor refuses to raise taxes on the wealthy and to stop wasteful spending. He could save billions by releasing non violent offenders from prison and laying off some high paid prison guards. And he could stop the wasteful spending in Sacramento that Candidate Arnold promised to uncover. 

Which will he do? Will he be a statesman and raise taxes on the rich? Or will he give our children the double whammy. If he does that, he will go down in history as the governor who left no child unharmed. 

Karl M. Ruppenthal 

• 

ON CLARK KERR 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In my letter published in your Jan. 30 edition, I asked for Michael Rossman’s credential’s justifying publication of his castigation of Clark Kerr. Consequently, I have learned that he was an odd, but admired, teacher of my granddaughter at the Ecole Bilangue and that, as a student, he had been an agitator in the Free Speech Movement of the 1960s. His diatribe was, I believe, based on his assumed role that Kerr played at the student sit-in in Sproul Hall. 

At the time of the sit-in, Ed Strong, the vice-chancellor, served as the campus executive while Kerr was out of town. Strong asked the various deans for advice on how to deal with all the students occupying Sproul Hall. As an assistant dean, I sat in on a meeting held to arrive at a recommendation: allow students to remain there for a time or remove them by force. We recommended against force, but Strong decided to call in the police. His action led to dire consequences: the National Guard helicopter spraying tear gas, etc., and to Kerr’s dismissal by Ronald Reagan—an act which probably contributed to Reagan’s election to the presidency. 

Karl Kasten 

Professor Emeritus  

TUESDAY, FEB. 3 

FILM 

Robert Beavers: “My Hand Outstretched” Program 1 at 7:30 p.m., with the artist in person, at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Susie Bright introduces “The Best American Erotica 2004” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Mimi Fox, solo guitar, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Jazzschool Tuesdays, a weekly showcase of ensembles from Berkeley Jazzschool at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 4 

FILM 

“The Fog of War” clips from the Oscar-nominated documentary followed by a panel discussion between former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert. S. McNamara and film director Errol Norris. at 7:30 p.m. at Zellerbach Auditorium. Cost is $5-$10. 643-3274. 

Film 50: “The General Line” at 3 p.m. and Video: They Might be Giants, “Gary Hill” at 7:30 p.m. at Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa. 

berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES. 

Z.Z. Packer talks about her new book, “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Nazelah Jamison and Karen Ladson at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7,  

$5 with student i.d. 841-2082.  

www.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert with Perfect Fifth, 16-voice a cappella ensemble, at International House, Piedmont Ave. at Bancroft. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Jonathan Lemalu, baritone, with Malcolm Martineau, piano, at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $46. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Dennis Kamakahi, Cyril Pahinui and Cindy Combs, Hawaiian singers and guitarists at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50 in advance, $18.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Bandworks at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $4. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Nicole and the Sisters in Soul at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Jules Broussard, Bing Nathan and Ned Boynton at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Vince Wallace Jazz Machine at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Safeway, Implied Five, The Hunks at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $5.  

848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

THURSDAY, FEB. 5 

EXHIBITION OPENINGS 

“Time’s Shadow: Photographs from the Jan Leonard and Jerrold Peil Collection” opens at the Berkeley Art Museum, Theater Gallery, through Aug. 8. 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

THEATER 

Aurora Theatre, “Man of Destiny” by George Bernard Shaw, directed by Barbara Oliver at 8 p.m., through March 7. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

FILM 

They Might be Giants: “The Passing” at 5:30 p.m. and Robert Beavers “My Hand Outstretched” Program 2 at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Lunch Poems with Maxine Hong Kingston at 12:10 p.m. in the Morrison Library in Doe Library, UC Campus. Free. 642-0137. http://lunchpoems.berkeley.edu 

Alice Flaherty discusses “The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer’s Block, and the Creative Brain” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Sayre Van Young, a Berkeley research librarian, introduces us to “London’s War: A Traveler’s Guide to World War II,” at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave. 843-3533. 

Word Beat Reading Series at 7 p.m. with Barbara Minton and Grace Morizawa, at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 526-5985.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Keni El Lebrijano, flamenco guitar, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

George Pederson and His Pretty Good Band at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Vanessa Lowe and Bug-eyed Sprite, acoustic, experi-pop quartet at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

San Francisco Medicine Ball at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Savant Guard at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

FRIDAY, FEB. 6 

EXHIBITION OPENINGS 

Frank Garvey “Genetically Modified Surrealism” new paintings, drawings and prints. Reception for the artist from 5 to 7 p.m. at Epic Arts Gallery, 1923 Ashby Ave. 644-2204. www.epicarts.org 

Hilda Robinson “The Art of Living Black,” oil pastels, opens at the Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 5741 Telegraph Ave. 601-4040, ext. 111. www.wcrc.org 

THEATER 

Actor’s Ensemble of Berkeley, “Helen of Troy (Revised),” written by Wolfgang Hilesheimer, translated and directed by David Fenerty at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck. Fri. and Sat. eves through Feb. 21. Admission is $10. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Albany High School, “Grease” at 8 p.m. at Albany High School Little Theaer, 603 Key Route Blvd. Also on Sat. at 1 and 8 p.m. and Sun. at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5-$10, 558-2575. 

Aurora Theatre, “Man of Destiny” by George Bernard Shaw, directed by Barbara Oliver at 8 p.m., through March 7. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

Berkeley Repertory Theater, “Yellowman” by Dael Orlandersmith, directed by Les Waters, 2025 Addison St. Through March 7. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Impact Theater, “Say You Love Satan” opens at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid. Through March 13. 464-4468. www.impacttheater.com 

Independent Theater Projects, “Three One-Acts”, performed and produced by Berkeley High students, at 8 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Tickets are $4-$8 at the door. gcrane0601@hotmail.com 

Bill Santiago’s “Spanglish 101” at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

FILM 

Workshop with Robert Beavers at 3 p.m. and Anthony Mann: “The Great Flamarion” at 7:30 p.m. and “Strange Impersonation” at 9:10 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Merce Cunningham Dance Company at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $26-$46, available from 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Mozart Birthday Celebration with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $20. 415-392-4400. www.sfchamberorchestra.org 

Ives Quartet, “Les Vendredis” chamber works by Russian composers, at 8 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$18. 415-883-0727. 

Christy Dana Quartet at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. 524-1124. 

Viviane e Prefixo de Verão, from Brazil, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Route 111, Thriving Ivory, Polly’s Orchid at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $6. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Pete Best Experience, Cover Girls at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Triple Play, jazz trio, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Ira Marlowe at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donation $10-$15. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.com 

Denise Perrier at 8:30 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Quetzal at 9:30 p.m. benefit for Urban Promise Academy, at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

Steve Seskin & Allen Shambkin at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50 advance, $18.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

The Katy Jay Band at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Good Clean Fun, Time for Living, Kill the Messenger, Case of Emergency, at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Flowtilla at 9 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Teed Rockwell, Hindustani classical music at 8 p.m. at Bansuri’s Spring Gallery, 3929 Piedmont Ave. Oakland. 594-0754. www.bansuri.net 

SATURDAY, FEB. 7 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Derique the clown at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $3-$4. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

“Wild About Books” storytime with the Brian Waite Band, at 10:30 a.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6223. 

THEATER 

“Ben Franklin: Unplugged” with Josh Kornbluth in a comic, autobiographocal monologue at 7:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Tickets are $15-$22 in advance, $25 at the door. 848-0237. 

Independent Theater Projects, “Three One-Acts”, performed and produced by Berkeley High students, at 8 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St., between Spruce and Euclid. Tickets are $4-$8 at the door. gcrane0601@hotmail.com 

FILM 

Victor Sjostrom: “His Grace’s Will” at 7 p.m. and “The Monastery of Sendomir” at 8:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Flash with Forrest Gander and Elizabeth Robinson at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

Poetry Reading and Contest Winners Celebration from 3 to 5 p.m. with the Bay Area Poets Coalition at the South Branch Library, 1901 Russell St. 527-9905. poetalk@aol.com. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

International Competition of Collegiate A Cappella at 8 p.m. in Wheeler Auditorium at UC Berkeley. Competing groups are California Golden Overtones, Cal Jazz Choir, University of Oregon Divisi, Stanford Harmonics, and others. Tickets are $7-$10. www.varsityvocals.com  

Merce Cunningham Dance Company at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $26-$46, available from 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Flauti Diversi, “The Italians Are Coming,” baroque music in the Italian style from 18th century London at 8 p.m. at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 1501 Washington St., Albany. Tickets are $15-$18. 527-9840.  

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra with Melvyn Tan, fortepiano at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $29-$60. 415-392-4400 www.philharmonia.org  

Trinity Chamber Concerts Joyce Todd McBride, contralto, Dawn Kooyumjian, pianist, performing Haydn’s “Arianna a Naxos,” Brahms Lieder, and works for solo piano at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $8-$12. 549-3864.  

Marina Lavalle and Lalo Izquierdo perform Afro-Peruvian music at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Faye Carroll, music from then to now, at 8 p.m. at the Jazz- 

school. Cost is $10-$15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Bob Marley Birthday Celebration with Groundation at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

The Earl White Band, traditional old-time music at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $15.50 advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freight- 

andsalvage.org 

The Lovemakers, Desoto Reds at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $7. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

The Servants, Trouble Horse, Jerry Hannon at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Matt Renzi, Peter Barshay and Eddie Marshall at 8:30 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Tree Leyburn and guests at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Rock & Roll with Nicole at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Braziu, samba, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $12. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

Kylesa, Brainoil, Iron Lung, Desolation, at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Bryan Girard Trio at 9 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Irina Rivkin and Making Waves CD fundraiser at Rose Street House of Music. Donation $5-$20. For information and location call 594-4000 ext. 687. www.rosestreetmusic.com 

Wataka Ensemble, Afro-Vene- 

zuelan dance and music at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donation of $8-$15 suggested. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.org 

SUNDAY, FEB. 8 

EXHIBITION OPENINGS 

Matrix 210: Simryn Gill “Standing Still” Photographs exploring the idea of time standing still opens at the Berkeley Art Museum and runs through April 4. 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Stephen A. Fisher, “Perspectives” photographs with recurring compositions. Reception for the artist from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at the Community Art Gallery, Alta Bates Medical Center, 2450 Ashby. Through March 26. 

Animal Art at the Oakland Animal Shelter, by Jennifer Brault, Julia Kay and Debbie Sawin. Reception from 1 to 3 p.m. at 1101 29th Ave. 535-5605. www.oklandanimalservices.org 

FILM 

Robert Beavers “My Hand Outsretched” Program 3 at 3 p.m. and Victor Sjostrom: “Karin, Daughter of Ingmar” at 5:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“The Purple Heart” at 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Cost is $2. 848-0237. 

8th Annual Bike Film Fest, a fundraiser for Bicycle Friendly Berkeley Coalition from 4 to 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$20 sliding scale. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Flash with David Daniel and Jane Mead at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

“The True Story of Hansel and Gretel: A Novel of War and Survival” with author Louise Murphy, at 2 p.m. at Bereley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Co-Sponsored by Café Europa and Black Oak Books. 848-0237, ext. 112.  

Berkeley Women and the History of the University’s YWCA with author Dorothy Clemens at 2 p.m. at berkeley History Center, 1931 Center St. 848-0181. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/histsoc 

“Jewish and African-American Artists of the Thirties: A Chronicle of Shared Experience” with cultural and art historian Bram Dijkstra at 2 p.m. at Judah L. Magnes Museum, 2911 Russell St. 549-6950. www.magnes.org 

Read Shakespeare Aloud with the Shakespeare Reading Club. No experience necessary. For information and location please call Clifford Schwartz 306-0206. cswilford@lycos.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Live Oak Concert “Le Gôut Italien,” music of Vivaldi and others at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center. Cost is $9-$10. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Hilary Hahn, violin and Natalie Zhu, piano, at 7 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$56, available from 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Organ Recital with Malcolm Rudland at 6:10 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. Donations appreciated. 845-0888. 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra with Melvyn Tan, fortepiano, at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $29-$60. 415-392-4400. www.philharmonia.org  

Community Women’s Orchestra “Other Worlds” a family concert with works by Beethoven, Mozart, Holst and Shore at 4 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, 5201 Park Blvd., Piedmont. $5 donation. 530-4213. 

“Oaktown Blue” an afternoon of song, dance, drama, and spoken word in salute to West Oakland in the ‘20s at 2 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

The Rebeca Mauleon Quartet at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazz- 

school. Cost is $20. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com  

Ta Ke Ti Na Workshop with Zorina Wolf from 3 to 6 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $35. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble, annual fundraiser, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

024c and CMAU, experimental improvisors at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donations of $8-$15 suggested. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.org

Berkeley—virtually world headquarters of the educated eccentric—would seem a perfect home for Paul Mitchell. 

A licensed airplane body and engine mechanic, the Manhattan-born, Toronto-raised and widely traveled Mitchell (Europe, Africa, Japan, and Brazil) has a B.A. in English from Cornell University and a Masters in Educational Psychology from Santa Clara University. Tall, articulate, and soft-spoken, a former athlete, with a thick, salt-and-pepper beard and hair stuffed into a bright-colored knit cap, the 55-year-old Mitchell can talk for hours—if you let him—on subjects ranging from black literature to the Prince Hall Masons (the black Masonic organization) to the origins of blue tick coonhounds (George Washington, he will tell you, received five of them as a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette, which is how the dogs got to America in the first place). 

On Thursday, Mitchell will learn from the Berkeley Housing Authority if he’ll have to keep living in a van on the Berkeley streets with his two dogs. 

Three months ago, Mitchell was evicted from his rental home in a two-story peeling-paint duplex across the street from Malcolm X Elementary on Ashby Avenue, where he had lived since December, 2002. Because he failed to notify the Berkeley Housing Authority about his eviction, the agency soon began the procedure to revoke Mitchell’s Section 8 Housing voucher. 

Section 8 vouchers are like gold for low-income renters. In Berkeley alone, with only 1,700 vouchers issued, there are 5,000 people on the waiting list to receive them. Without the voucher, which authorizes the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development to pay 70 percent of Mitchell’s rent, his Supplemental Security Income disability checks aren’t enough to pay for housing. His disability comes from a recreational accident that resulted in a steel rod in his lower leg. 

And why did Mitchell fail to notify the Berkeley Housing Authority about his eviction? 

Because he was in the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin when the eviction notice was issued. 

“I tried to contact the housing authority,” he says. But it’s a long-distance telephone call from Dublin to Berkeley, he explains, and “the housing authority doesn’t accept collect calls.” 

Berkeley Housing Director Steve Barton said he was prohibited by law from talking about the case, and wasn’t even permitted to confirm the names of participants in the city’s various subsidized housing programs. 

Tenants qualify for Section 8 vouchers by either earning less than half of area median income, or by meeting a joint disability and low-income guideline. Qualified tenants are then placed on a waiting list for the vouchers, where can last several years. 

Barton said the vouchers can be revoked if a tenant fails to follow HUD guidelines. 

Paul Mitchell’s present problems began one evening last September when, after an evening of being “a little depressed and walking the street after drinking several Guinesses,” he said stumbled against the side of a home near the corner of McGee and Addison streets. While Berkeley police initially charged him with burglary, the charge was later reduced to trespassing. 

Mitchell’s still awaiting trial in the case, represented by the Alameda County Public Defenders Office. 

While still at Santa Rita, Mitchell received a three-day eviction notice. Released soon after, he says he returned to his Ashby Avenue house to find the locks already changed and his belongings confiscated. 

According to Mitchell’s attorney with the East Bay Community Law Center in Berkeley, Laura Lane, Mitchell was evicted for “threatening other tenants” at the duplex, as well as for keeping his two dogs in his rental house (a Blue Tick Coonhound, of course, and a Chow). 

“He’s got to have the dogs,” Lane explained. “He’s got doctors orders for them, as companions, for his disability.” 

Landlord Chris Swain received a default judgment on the eviction, which Lane is presently fighting in Alameda County Superior Court on the grounds that Mitchell did not answer the original complaint because he was never served. 

“We’re not trying to get him back into the house,” Lane said. “Somebody else has already moved in there, and the courts aren’t going to evict the second tenant in order to satisfy the first. We’re just trying to get the eviction default off of his record. Otherwise, it will be next to impossible for him to find another house to rent.” 

Thursday’s housing authority hearing, where Mitchell will be represented by East Bay Community Law Center attorney Sharon Djemal, will determine whether the housing authority will revoke Mitchell’s Section 8 voucher. Djemal said the eviction by itself wasn’t enough to trigger the voucher revocation. 

The crucial factor was that Mitchell didn’t report it to the housing authority, and Djemal says she will argue that his incarceration prevented him from doing so. 

With the voucher, Mitchell will join 110 other Berkeley residents looking for units to rent. Without it, he’ll almost certainly remain on the street, swelling by one the ranks of Berkeley’s homeless.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a letter sent to Berkeley Chief Building Official Joan MacQuarrie, Mayor Tom Bates, Planning Director Dan Marks, Housing Director Steve Barton and Mark Rhoades for submission to the Members of the Zoning Adjustments Board. 

The Berkeleyan building at Oxford Street and Berkeley Way, completed in 1998, appears to be the third of the new breed of mixed-use buildings to require major stucco repair at a youthful age—scaffolding now covers the courtyard area on the west side of the building. 

The east side of University Lofts (University Avenue and Grant Streets, completed in 1997) was replaced in Summer, 2002. The south side of this building now shows many ominous, discolored cracks from which water oozes during wet weather.  

The south side of the Gaia building (completed in 2001) required replacement of several layers of material (even the insulation) over a 10-month period starting just 16 months after completion. Were all of the removed materials recycled? Will the other three sides of the building need the same protracted repair? 

I have been puzzled and amazed at the rapid deterioration of these lauded examples of “smart growth” and “sustainable development.” They have, after all, won awards from the Downtown Berkeley Association, the Pacific Builders Conference and the Berkeley Design Advocates for innovative mixed-use development. Perhaps old-fashioned workmanship beats innovation in mundane and practical matters such as water-proofing. 

I consulted my contractor friends about the technicalities of stucco construction. Each thought that the building standards with respect to exterior cladding had been lowered in the last two decades—probably due to pressure from the building industry—and that many of the materials used now are experimental. 

While investigating stucco failure, I became interested in a product called oriented strand board (OSB), often used instead of plywood. It can be seen out in the elements at job sites, such as the shockingly large project at Shattuck Avenue and Haste Street. OSB is composed of wood strands and glue. The manufacturers claim it is equivalent to plywood, but it is known to absorb moisture with enthusiasm and is particularly susceptible to the growth of mold.  

I don’t know whether it’s the OSB or other “innovative” cost-cutting measures which have caused the rapid failure of the largest new buildings in Berkeley, but there are many handsome 1920s buildings in town still wearing their original stucco cladding. 

After reading every article I could find about water intrusion and envelope failure in new construction, I learned that leaking stucco is a nationwide problem in post-1980 buildings in both the U.S. and Canada. One article discussing the national debate about the cause of these failures concludes: “Unfortunately, this indicates that stucco may not be compatible with the wall systems being built today.” 

In another article written by an engineer about leaky condominiums, he explains the problem to be that designers, builders and regulators are unaware of the consequences of failing to achieve moisture control. He concludes: “What appears to be called for is a return to more traditional practices, in which the building has a drainage system and, therefore, can breathe.” 

I ask each of you to use your respective positions to bring the permitting process for multi-story stucco-clad buildings to a halt until the cause of these failures has been determined. Ms. MacQuarrie, please launch an investigation into the building practices currently used, and the reasons for the dramatic stucco failures in new construction of the last seven years. Mr. Marks, please do what you can to rein in a planning staff who never met a colossal edifice they didn’t love. Finally, Mayor Bates, do you want to be remembered forever for encouraging a rash of flawed, leaking and ultimately hated construction projects disfiguring this once beautiful town? The choice is yours. 

Gale Garcia describes herself as one of those pesky Berkeley natives who thinks “smart growth” is just developer propaganda.

Thomas Jefferson’s legacy in Berkeley may rest on the vote of school children born after William Jefferson Clinton took office. 

But not if Jefferson Elementary School Principal Betty Delaney can stop it. 

According to Jefferson PTA President Linda Safarik-Tong, Delaney told the PTA that concerns from parents and teachers have led her to seek permission from the Berkeley Unified School District to waive a requirement that students as young as five vote on the controversial drive to strike the name of the author of the Declaration of Independence from the school. 

“It’s an emotional minefield for students,” said Jefferson first grade teacher Marguerite Talley-Hughes, who along with parents and fellow teachers initiated the effort last spring to rename the school so it wouldn’t bear the mark of a slaveholder.  

District policy requires that proposed name changes first win approval form 20 percent of parents, staff and students at the school. 

Last spring advocates for a new name collected signatures from 40 percent of staff and 32 percent of parents—but on the principal’s order, students have remained on the sideline. 

“My responsibility is to keep [students] safe and out of the process until we formalize what will happen,” said Delaney, who refused comment on any intention to request a waiver barring a vote either for all students or for Kindergarten, first-, second- and third graders. 

Delaney, who has remained neutral throughout the debate, has faced criticism from parents that the process has been under the radar, and her request for a waiver is clouded in confusion. One parent said he heard “third-hand” that the district had denied the request, while Superintendent Michele Lawrence said Delaney hasn’t broached the subject with her. 

With enough votes from staff and parents to proceed with a name change, the weight of the process falls on students, with parents on both sides of the debate, but most agreeing that the issue is better suited to fourth- and fifth-graders. 

“It could be really good for social studies,” said Rachel Chernoff, the mother of a kindergarten student she acknowledged didn’t know who Jefferson was. 

Mark Piccillo, a parent who opposes the name change and is slated to sit on a newly formed committee to guide the name change process, said he disagreed with some parents he said were pushing for a student vote in hopes of “deep sixing” the proposal. 

“When it comes to serious stuff like this, where there are strong feelings and no clear answers, it should be up to the parents,” he said. 

Should Jefferson go, he would be the latest in a steady stream of dead white males given the heave-ho from Berkeley schools. Shortly after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., James Garfield Middle School was renamed in his honor. Abraham Lincoln Elementary became Malcolm X under a groundswell of community support, and just four years ago Christopher Columbus Elementary was rebuilt and renamed after Rosa Parks. 

Rosa Parks Parent Liaison Maria Gonzalez said their school followed the rules to a tee, allowing students to vote first on a name change and then on a new name. Although in Rosa Parks’ case there was little controversy over the call for a name change, there was heated debate on whether the new name should honor Parks or Caesar Chavez. 

Lawrence said she opposed changing district policy to fit one circumstance and disagreed with those who wanted to keep students out of the debate.  

“That’s a dangerous road to go down saying young children can’t be educated on issues that are controversial in nature. I don’t agree with that as a parent or as an educator,” she said. 

However, many teachers and parents interviewed said they feared a vote could traumatize students who aren’t emotionally or intellectually mature enough to deal with slavery. 

“It would be a very hurtful discussion,” said Beverly Thiele, a second grade teacher at Jefferson and a supporter of the name change. She feared that a vote would put her students at risk of accusations of racism or insensitivity. “It’s OK to include them on future names, but not this,” she said. 

If the students must vote, Talley-Hughes insisted the Jefferson debate be presented to them in a forthright manner. “It they are going to be part of the process we must be honest with them. We can’t couch it in terms that cloud the issues at hand.” 

District policy doesn’t specify guidelines for a student vote, leaving it up to the school to decide whether or not to teach special lessons on Jefferson before polling the students. 

Lawrence envisioned several methods to involve children, including having the principal go to each classroom and explain the issue or calling an assembly that presents both sides of the issue, then allows students who support a name change to sign the petition. 

Should 20 percent of students support the name change, the remainder of the process is equally vague. A committee of parents and staff, formed to guide the process, has yet to meet, while the student vote issue remains unresolved. 

Ultimately, a new name must receive support from 50 percent of parents, staff and students—and Jefferson’s name won’t be excluded from the competition, giving hope to some in the Jefferson camp that the ultimately the status quo might survive. 

“A lot of us want the name kept,” Piccillo said. “No one’s going to beat Jefferson.”

• 

FIVE CORRECTIONS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

This letter is to correct a number of factual errors in Becky O’Malley’s recent editorial about the planning commission’s hotel subcommittee (“Weak Mayor, Open Policy,” Daily Planet, Jan. 30-Feb. 2).  

First and foremost, I continue to support the work of the planning commission’s hotel subcommittee—which was authorized in a city council item that I authored. I, along with many members of the public, have attended those subcommittee meetings and I believe it is serving a very useful purpose. 

Second, as my open letter to the hotel subcommittee clearly states, I am not opposed to the creation of a community task force. I simply requested the planning commission hold off on the formal creation of a task force for a month or so until a permit process is negotiated with the university and presented to the city council and the community for discussion.  

Third, when I was elected to the state assembly in 1976, I did everything I could to stop move of the California Schools for the Deaf and the Blind. Unfortunately, it was too late to stop the move and the property was given to the university. I did then work with Councilmember Loni Hancock and the immediate neighbors to get the university to limit the number of students and cars, open up the track, sports field and swimming pool to the community, deed all the land behind the school to East Bay Regional Park District (to ensure that it would remain in open space), build senior housing on the site and agree to a deed restriction on the land to guarantee the terms of the agreement. 

Fourth, I do not support changing Berkeley’s city manager form of government.  

Fifth, I did not play quarterback for the Cal Bears’ Rose Bowl football team. That position was played by Joe Kapp. I played tight end and defensive end. 

Tom Bates 

Mayor

Nearly eight years after 86 percent of Berkeley voters approved a state ballot initiative opening the door for medical marijuana, local cannabis clubs fear the city might abandon its arm’s length embrace of them for a full-on bear hug. 

“That’s the direction they’re heading in, which is fine,” said James Blair founder of the Berkeley Cannabis Buyer’s Network (CBCB). “We just don’t want them to regulate us into illegality. 

On Wednesday, Oakland City Council might do just that to some of the city’s dozen or so clubs as it debates an ordinance calling for the city to license no more than four. 

Blair’s group was Berkeley’s first—and for now, at least—its most controversial cannabis club. CBCB’s plans to move its operations from its seven-year home on Shattuck Avenue to a blighted section of Sacramento Street drew such staunch opposition from neighbors fearing further drug violence that last month the city revoked the leaseholder’s use permit to house nonprofit administrative offices as added insurance to keep the cannabis club out. 

The dispute, Blair said, is indicative of a Berkeley’s response to Proposition 215, passed by voters in 1996. “Berkeley has been a very reluctant partner,” he said. “They didn’t encourage it, they don’t want it, they wish it would go somewhere else.” 

Don Duncan, who runs one of Berkeley’s three pot clubs that dispense marijuana as pain medicine for licensed patients, had kinder words for the city, but also voiced fears of what officials might ultimately have in store for the clubs. 

“Government regulation is inevitable,” he said. “Our hope is that the clubs will be involved with the process.” 

So far Berkeley has hesitated at offering guidelines for implementing the medical marijuana law, which club officials say has led to unnecessary confusion. 

As Berkeley’s pioneer club, the CBCB went through a labyrinth of commissions before winning city council approval as the city’s lone provider. But when a moratorium on new clubs ended two years later, others followed suit by getting over-the-counter permits for miscellaneous retail. 

“I told the guy at the permit center it was for a cannabis club. He said ‘That sounds pretty miscellaneous to me,’” Duncan said. 

The city has since required all prospective club operators to announce their intentions and file for a special permit, but most other efforts to regulate the industry have fallen by the wayside. 

The city council rejected a sweeping 1999 ordinance championed by the clubs and Councilmember Kriss Worthington that would have granted rights to cannabis providers and users and zoned clubs as appropriate for retail districts. 

After years of debate, a whittled-down version of the ordinance was passed in 2001 regulating how many plants patients and clubs could grow and stockpile—but not where clubs could locate. 

“That law has been a pain in the butt,” said Dale Gieringer, California Coordinator for the National Association for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). 

The ordinance allowed patients to grow 10 plants, which is enough for residents of Humboldt County—where plants grow as tall as Christmas trees, Duncan said—but not in Berkeley, where most plants are grown in flower pots. 

Berkeley Health Director Fred Madrano said Berkeley has, until now, avoided taking a strong regulatory stance because of the legal ambiguities posed by the clubs, which by their very existence are in violation of federal law. “How do you regulate something that is illegal,” he mused. 

But the trend, club operators say, is towards increasing government intervention. 

In addition to the proposed Oakland ordinance, Hayward has implemented strict zoning limitations for its four clubs, and last year the state passed Senate Bill 420 giving counties purview to assign patient cards and organize cultivation facilities. 

In Berkeley, a slew of armed robberies two years ago at a University Avenue club drew city attention, until ultimately the city and other clubs decided to shut it down. 

Then after the robbery last December of a club on Telegraph Avenue, police determined that a patient at the club was reselling cannabis on the street and officials gave the operator a stern warning. 

“We said, ‘Look, this is not the kind of operation we want you to run here and you need to fix this stuff,’” Madrano said. 

To set new ground rules, the clubs last year proposed an ordinance declaring them appropriate for retail corridors, but the bill died when supporters realized they lacked a majority on the city council. 

Now, with CBCB’s future home dangling in the wind due to neighborhood opposition, club operators fear they could be pushed into industrial areas of the city. 

“Obviously we’re worried,” Duncan said. “We thought their move would be a routine matter. We just don’t want to see a laundry list of restrictions to push us out into the fringes where patients can’t get care.”

Berkeley’s bed and breakfast owners have nine days left to apply for a 

city license that will allow them to continue operating their ultimate “home 

businesses” in residential neighborhoods—though for former school principal 

Helen Christensen, the red tape has proved only a minor inconvenience. 

To keep operating her home as a B&B, Helen Christensen had to install a 

new smoke alarm, start keeping her dogs out of the kitchen and apply for a 

business license and health permit—tasks the retired school administrator 

performed easily.n a school principal, I’m a very good bureaucrat,” said Christensen, 67, sitting by the fireplace in the living room of the north Berkeley home she runs as the Brown Shingle B&B.  

The inspections and paperwork were part of the requirements that city health and budget officials recently started demanding of the handful of Berkeley residents who have long quietly welcomed short-term lodgers into their homes. 

Bed and breakfast owners have been under increased scrutiny since budget officials discovered in the summer of 2002 that they weren’t paying hotel taxes.  

Officials soon realized that the B&B owners were violating zoning laws by running businesses in residentially zoned areas—something that hadn’t previously attracted attention because their neighbors hadn’t complained—and that no agency was monitoring their adherence to health and safety standards.  

Councilmembers voted last fall to let the proprietors stay in business, exempting them from hotel taxes as long as their average occupancy stayed below 50 percent. The ordinance councilmembers approved also required innkeepers to apply for business licenses and allow health and safety officials to inspect their homes by Feb. 11. 

So far, a dozen or so B&B operators have applied for their licenses and permits. City budget officials are publicizing the policy in the weeks leading up to the deadline through newspaper advertisements and press releases. 

But the zoning code exemptions will only apply to the currently operating B&Bs—which means the city may be left without bed and breakfasts when the current operators stop taking guests.  

And this seems inevitable: many of the city’s bed and breakfast owners are older residents who won’t be able to accommodate guests indefinitely.  

Some city officials—as well as many current B&B operators—say it’s unfair that homeowners with empty rooms to rent are being denied the chance at some extra income.  

So along with granting the zoning and tax exemptions, councilmembers asked the city’s planning commission to look into establishing a way for further inns to open in residential areas without violating the city’s zoning ordinance. The planning commission is scheduled to take up the issue in an upcoming meeting, according to planning department secretary Ruth Grimes.  

“I’m all for the bed and breakfasts,” said Councilmember Betty Olds, whose Berkeley Hills district has many of the inns. “They add a lot to the city and people like to stay in them. For the city to freeze them out is absolutely wrong.”  

Bed and breakfasts operating on Berkeley’s residential streets account for only about 30 of the city’s roughly 1,200 guest rooms, said Barbara Hillman, president of the Berkeley Convention and Visitors Bureau.  

“It’s a very small portion, but it’s a very important one,” said Hillman “A lot of people like the ambiance of staying in a homey environment. They fill a niche that hotels can’t.”  

The city’s housing and environmental health departments are now in the process of checking whether the inns are eligible to continue filling that niche.  

Harmindar Sran, a city health specialist, said her agency has inspected all but one of the inns and that about half of them were deemed eligible for permits. B&Bs that offer food—which not all do—need health permits, Sran said, even if they are serving items prepared elsewhere using their own dishes and utensils.  

Inspectors are making sure that inns’ refrigerators are the right temperature, that they have hot and cold running water, and that they have a three-compartment sink or a dishwasher, Sran said. Innkeepers also have to demonstrate that they are getting the food they serve from sources that have their own permits, she said.  

Sran said that B&Bs are exempted from many of the requirements demanded of formal restaurants, which must use restaurant-grade equipment and provide a changing area for employees. That’s because the state food safety laws that her agency is just now starting to enforce at the inns have long offered exceptions to bed and breakfasts.  

“This isn’t something new that’s been concocted,” said Sran. “It’s just the city didn’t have these places as permitted places.”  

Housing department inspectors, meanwhile, have so far evaluated only one inn, which passed, said housing inspector Carlos Roma. Since the city’s B&Bs were originally built as single-family homes, the inns are being inspected as residences, rather than as hotels, said Roma. They are the same type of housing inspections—where lighting, ventilation and access to entrances and exits are evaluated for compliance with city codes—that are undertaken when a home is newly built or renovated, he said.  

In the months leading up to the inspections, both agencies have been fielding questions from the innkeepers about what they need to do to pass muster. “I received inquiries and I gave them some generalizations of what the minimum housing code standards are,” said Roma.  

But innkeepers say that the inspectors’ demands haven’t really required them to rethink how they run their B&Bs. They were already meeting most of the requirements without explicitly knowing what they were, they said.  

“It’s common sense,” said Mary Leggett, 64, who runs her Elmwood home as M’s Bed and Breakfast. “You put up smoke alarms. You put a pad under the rug so no one slips. You do the same things for your own family.”  

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a series about people and businesses that make things in Berkeley.  

People don’t often think of Berkeley as a factory town, but manufacturing has been going on here for over a century. West Berkeley grew up around factories and still houses our lively industrial district.  

Over the years, the nature of our industry has greatly changed, shifting from heavy to light, introducing new technologies and incorporating many artists and artisans. Manufacturing remains a vital part of our town’s economy and culture. To many Berkeleyans, it’s also an invisible part.  

Americans are starting to grasp the importance of industry to the nation’s prosperity. Going behind the walls of our factories and laboratories, workshops and warehouses, this series will enable Berkeley citizens to get acquainted with their own town’s industrial scene, the challenges it faces and the unique contributions it makes to our local life.  

Berkeley’s Body Time Was the Original Body Shop  

In the past thirty years, three Berkeley-born businesses revolutionized their industries and made their names famous around the world: Chez Panisse, Peet’s Coffee and The Body Shop. You may be thinking: Chez Panisse and Peet’s, for sure, but The Body Shop? Isn’t that the company run by that famous British woman entrepreneur, Anita Roddick?  

It is now. But in the beginning, The Body Shop was the name of the one-of-a-kind business that was started in 1970 on Telegraph Avenue by two fifty-something sisters-in-law, Peggy Short and Jane Saunders, with the help of their good friends Hank and Charlotte Libby.  

As Manda Heron, Peggy Short’s daughter, and Body Time’s current owner and president, tells it, her aunt proposed to her mother that they start a French-style perfume store, where customers could do their own blending. Hank Libby, the pharmaceutical chemist who ran Libby Labs in West Berkeley, urged them to have not just perfumes but shampoos, lotions and bubble baths.  

“They didn’t have any money,” says Heron. “So they bought cheap empty plastic bottles; they hand-labeled all their own products; they poured all the products from gallon bottles; the soap was in slabs, and they cut it with a big cleaver; they wrapped everything by hand; and everything was sold by the ounce. So you could come in, and bring your own bottle in, or you could bring The Body Shop bottle in and have it refilled. They also started custom scenting. They had a lot of unscented products, mostly body oils, and you could custom scent them with all these perfume oils. Plus they sold the perfume oils in little vials.”  

In 1970, this was a radically new way to sell personal care products. Heron lies The Body Shop’s innovations to the spirit of the times. “All these young people were involved in fighting the Vietnam War,” she says. “There was the sense of hope that things could be changed.”  

Certainly anyone walking into the first Body Shop, on Telegraph Avenue, immediately felt a big change from the too-often intimidating cosmetics counter of a department store. The mood was friendly and relaxed. The Body Shop staff dressed casually, with little or no makeup. The place was homey, its counters made of naturally finished wood, its walls hung with an antique mirror and a wood mantelpiece.  

And the products were noticeably different from the standard offerings of the industry. The Body Shop’s offerings were biodegradable. Many of them, such as Papaya Moisture Cream, Avocado Lotion, Cocoa Butter Cream and Camomile Shampoo, emphasized natural ingredients. Their quality was as high as anything sold by major manufacturers, but thanks to the absence of fancy packaging and expensive advertising, the prices were much lower. And you could recycle the company’s empty containers at the store. “There wasn’t anything like it,” says Heron, and it took off right away.  

By the mid-1970’s, The Body Shop had grown to include several retail stores, as well as mail order and wholesale divisions. The two founders continued to run the company, with the added assistance of their two daughters each.  

Meanwhile, imitators had sprung up across the country and abroad. In 1976 a British company calling itself “The Body Shop” opened a similar business in England. The owner, Anita Roddick, wanted to expand into the United States but couldn’t use the name because the Berkeley-based company already had it.  

Peggy Short and Jane Saunders had gotten the original name for their store from Charlotte Libby. When they’d told her that they’d found a counter space for their new shop in C.J.’s Old Garage on Telegraph, which was being turned into small stores, she’d said, “Oh, call it The Body Shop!”  

In 1987, after much negotiation, Peggy Short and Jane Saunders sold the rights to the name to Roddick’s firm for $3.5 million. In 1992, the original Body Shop changed its name to Body Time.  

Today perhaps the biggest challenge facing Body Time is that the business concept it pioneered has gotten too successful. After Anita Roddick’s organization came into the United States, Heron says, “big-time corporate money—The Limited, Victoria’s Secret—imitated them.” Then came the green grocers and the holistic pharmacies, also selling environmentally friendly personal care products. In the face of a saturated market and a faltering economy, Body Time saw its sales drop by 20 percent last year.  

Body Time’s founders had many offers to franchise their business. They preferred to keep it a small, family-run and family-owned operation. Manda Heron, 55, carries on the tradition. The company’s intimate character, she says, is suited to its high level of customer service.  

“Because we do mixing in the stores, customers need highly qualified help. It’s easy to overscent a product. If you put too much essential oil into a perfume or a lotion, it’s ruined.”  

Body Time staff are trained to know the properties of different oils—almond and citrus can be caustic, lavender is soothing—and which ones enhance each other. It was the company’s staff who developed China Rain, for 20 years Body Times’ best-selling scent.  

But customers are welcome to come up with their own fragrance recipes. Indeed, a customer suggested the basic formula for Heron’s favorite perfume, a mixture of amber resin and jojoba oil.  

Body Time’s ingredients come from Prima Fleur in San Rafael and West Berkeley’s Libby Labs, now run by Hank’s daughter Susan.  

“We get big drums from Libby, and we pour their contents into four-, eight- and 16-ounce containers and send them to the stores, where they get labeled. We also send the stores gallons, which they pour on site. If a product’s not real popular, they pour it in the stores. If it’s real popular, we pour it. And we have a little teeny pouring machine for putting perfume oils in little vials.”  

Body Time collaborates with both Libby Labs and Prima Fleur on new products. Right now Heron’s working on a body butter that can be custom scented.  

Many of the items in the store’s “menu” have won a loyal following of longtime customers. In fact, customers are so loyal that it’s hard to close a product line. Often, when a product has been discontinued, Body Time brings it back in response to customer complaints.  

That responsiveness is another hallmark of the company. “We write back to everybody. The reason we can do it is because we’re small, and we want to do it.” Many customers have been patrons for 15 or 20 years.  

Today Body Time has seven retail outlets, including four in Berkeley. The company’s offices, warehouse and substantial mail-order operation are all located in a handsome new building in West Berkeley.  

The Berkeley connection matters. “We thought about moving the headquarters to Richmond, but I really wanted to stay in Berkeley,” says Heron. “We have employees who get to work on the bus. Getting to Richmond would be a horrible trek for them.” 

But there’s more at stake in the Berkeley address than convenience. There’s also a commitment to history. “What happened on Telegraph Avenue,” Heron says, “could only have happened on Telegraph Avenue.”  

Thanks to her family, their employees and their customers, it’s still happening on Telegraph and everywhere else that Body Time products are produced, sold and used.

KOLKATA, India—Usually the dour official at the Kolkata airport barks, “Any gold? Electronics? Computer?” But this time, when I landed in India from America via Singapore, he was more interested in the food I was carrying. Cooked food from abroad, especially from Southeast Asia, is now suspect. In the age of the bird flu, I have been upgraded from potential electronics smuggler to a disease vector. 

In a world of collapsing boundaries, as flights from every corner of the globe disgorged passengers into the transit lounge of Singapore’s Changi International Airport, alarmed officials try desperately to guard their borders against diseases that spread at Boeing speed. The duty-free shop in San Francisco warned that beef jerky purchased there had to be consumed before landing in Seoul, since South Korea had just banned American beef products. At Hong Kong, large signs asked passengers if they had a persistent cough and flu-like symptoms. In Singapore, airport officials peered into a monitor as each deplaning passenger passed through what looked like an x-ray machine.  

But the flu rages through Southeast Asia, claiming another six-year-old in Bangkok and four million chickens in Karachi, Pakistan, making mincemeat of the governments’ efforts to corner it. For the anti-globalization activists, departing from the recently concluded World Social Forum in Mumbai, the bird flu is another potent reminder of how difficult it is to de-globalize the world once the genie has left the bottle. 

India, however, is trying to seal its boundaries against the flu, which is front page news, topping upcoming India-Pakistan peace talks in February. In fact, the bird flu has brought a bit of a chill in the recent thaw between the two prickly neighbors. Even as Indian and Pakistani bureaucrats plan talks on everything from Kashmir to drug trafficking and the countries resume air flights between each other, New Delhi is contemplating a ban on all poultry from Pakistan, where a strain of the flu killed the chickens. Indian newspapers are already dubbing it the Karachi flu.  

In an age where terrorism is conducted by stateless actors like Al Qaeda, the bird flu has proved just as elusive. Governments are trying to counter it on a war footing. The Animal Resources Development Minister in India has just announced a “massive hunt” for evidence of any suspected case. In Thailand, soldiers and prisoners have been pressed into service, culling chickens in the 13 provinces where the flu has been detected. But even as Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra claimed that almost all the chickens in the outbreak areas have been slaughtered, neighboring Laos confirmed that the flu had spread to that country. 

Globalization, which had greased the path for the free movement of goods across borders, whether pirated copies of The Lord of the Rings or Big Macs, now finds that diseases like SARS and the bird flu come in their wake. The World Health Organization is holding its breath, warning that if the Asian bird flu meets and mates with another human influenza virus moving toward the region, it could trigger a global pandemic that could kill millions of people. 

Faced with that possibility, governments are reduced to literally counting their chickens after they are hatched. In India, health officials are trying to force hatcheries to maintain a daily record of dying birds and clinically establish the cause of death of each one. It’s the poultry equivalent of cleaning the Augean stables in a country as vast as India. Meanwhile, the ritzy Taj Hotel in Kolkata is trying to reassure its foreign patrons by having a microbiologist examine each chicken. In Vietnam, Kentucky Fried Chicken, a popular hangout for foreigners, is offering fried fish instead of chicken. Singapore is banning the public from its seven poultry farms.  

As confidence-building measures, they seem puny and bureaucratic. India, which had been largely sanguine through the mad cow scare because its millions of Hindus don’t eat beef anyway, is not yet hysterical about the chicken flu. But Arambag Hatcheries, a popular purveyor of chicken parts, is reporting a dip in sales.  

Arambag had pioneered western-supermarket style sales of chicken parts—boneless thighs separate from chicken breasts. But customers are going back to more traditional sources for chicken, ones where they know for sure the bird didn’t die of some mysterious illness. At the market next to my family’s home in Kolkata, white chickens squished against each other in wire-mesh cages peck at their feed, while shoppers point out the one they want. The chicken seller hauls one squawking bird out and with one swift stroke chops off its head. “Look, it’s so fresh it’s still kicking. No flu here,” he says, as the headless bird jerks and twitches in a pool of blood and feathers. 

Sandip Roy is host of “Upfront,” the Pacific News Service weekly radio program on KALW-FM, San Francisco. He is currently traveling in India. 

Farmworker groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Seattle last month, charging the agency with ignoring important health data in 2001 when it re-approved use of two pesticides extremely hazardous to farmworkers. 

The pesticides, azinphos-methyl (AZM) and phosmet, are highly toxic organophosphates, derived from nerve agents developed during World War II and among the most powerful neurotoxins routinely used in the U.S. 

Acute exposure to organophosphates (OPs) can cause dizziness, vomiting, seizures, paralysis, loss of mental function, and death. 

AZM and phosmet are used extensively in such orchard crops as apples, peaches and pears, and are registered for use on 32 food crops. About 60 million pounds of OPs are applied to crops in the U.S. every year. 

The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Agricultural Chemical Database reports 1.5 million pounds of AZM and phosmet were applied agriculturally in 2001. Although both pesticides are used across the nation, Washington, Oregon and California growers are responsible for approximately half of all AZM and phosmet agricultural use in the U.S. 

In addition to occupational exposures to OPs, migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families often live where pesticides drift and settle, and are also exposed through "take-home" exposures on clothing, cars, and skin. Tests of dust in farmworker homes in Washington reported in Environmental Health Perspectives found 85 percent contained AZM residue, and a study published in Environmental Research found four to five times more chemicals in the bodies of farmworker children and people living within one quarter-mile of agricultural fields in Washington state than in the general population. 

The lawsuit charges that the EPA has continued to allow uses of these pesticides without considering the risks posed to workers, their children, and communities. "It is outrageous that U.S. EPA authorized the use of these pesticides, putting thousands of workers at risk of serious illness every year," said Erik Nicholson of the United Farmworkers of America (UFW). "These two pesticides can poison so many farmworkers that EPA found the risks unacceptable, but the agency still allowed them to be used." 

The EPA, while acknowledging that agricultural pesticide poisonings are severely underreported, has estimated that between 10,000 and 20,000 agricultural workers are sickened each year by pesticides. No national system exists to track pesticide poisoning incidents, and attorneys report that officials in California, Oregon and Washington have all expressed concern for the adequacy of their state reporting systems. 

A 2003 survey of farmworkers by the Washington Department of Health found 75 percent of workers surveyed reported a job-related pesticide exposure. That survey also noted that workers often do not seek care for symptoms out of fear of employer reprisals, and a belief that doctors downplay symptoms due to state and employer pressures.  

AZM is the fourth most frequent pesticide associated with poisoning complaints in the state of Washington. According to UFW, about 30,000 workers in Washington's apple industry are potentially at risk from exposure to AZM and phosmet, with thousands more working in pear and cherry crops also at risk. 

The lawsuit argues that U.S. EPA analyzed the estimated economic value of using these two pesticides to farmers but failed to quantify the risks to people and the environment, discounted the use of safe and proven alternatives to these dangerous substances, and used industry-generated data without subjecting it to public comment, even though a federal law allows public input. 

AZM and phosmet also pose risks to wildlife, can poison fish, beneficial insects, and contaminate water supplies. USGS data indicate AZM is one of the pesticides most frequently exceeding levels for aquatic safety in U.S. surface waters. 

The lawsuit was filed in federal district court in Seattle by attorneys with Earthjustice, Farmworker Justice Fund, California Rural Legal Assistance, and the Natural Resources Defense Council on behalf of Sea Mar Community Health Centers, UFW, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), Beyond Pesticides, and Frente Indígena Oaxaqueña Binacional. 

PANUPS is produced by Pesticide Action Network North America, a nonprofit and non-governmental organization working to advance sustainable alternatives to pesticides worldwide.

Editor’s Note: Former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and documentarian Errol Morris will discuss the Oscar-nominated film The Fog of War with UC Journalism Professor Mark Danner Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall on the UC campus, accompanied by clips from the film. Admission is free to students, $10 for the general public and $5 for Commonwealth Club members. The film is playing in its entirety at the Act I and II Theater, 2128 Center St. 

Living in Vietnam during the war as a child, I witnessed enough of American military power to know that no ideology or rationale can justify killing more than a million innocent civilians. So it is gratifying to hear Robert McNamara, secretary of defense under presidents Kennedy and Johnson and one of the principle architects of that war, finally confess on-screen that he, too, thought it was a mistake for Americans to go into Vietnam. 

Yet as I watched The Fog of War, the documentary by Errol Morris about McNamara, I felt disappointed. McNamara is a highly intelligent man living a kind of self-deception. While readily confessing that the war was wrong, and that he knew it was wrong all along, he somehow absolved himself just as quickly. Arrogantly, the ex-secretary of defense suggests on camera that he did the best he could under the circumstances and that, if he hadn’t been at the helm micromanaging the war’s first half, things might have been far worse. Never mind that under his watch the war widened and escalated. 

I had hoped for an honest, gut-wrenching mea culpa. What I got instead was an elaborate explanation that sounded like an excuse. Not once did McNamara say, “I’m sorry.” His well-argued confessions seemed rehearsed and disconnected from the emotional honesty one associates with remorse. It is as if the head acknowledged that mistakes were made, but the heart refused to feel the horrors that were unleashed. 

Near the end of the film, McNamara talks about what he calls the fog of war. “What the fog of war means,” he says, “is that war is so complex it’s beyond the ability of the human mind to comprehend all the variables. Our judgment, our understanding are not adequate, and we kill people unnecessarily.” 

Errol Morris, known for his films The Thin Blue Line, about an unjust murder conviction, and A Brief History of Time, about physicist Stephen Hawking, uses that statement to give the movie its title. In a recent interview, Morris says, “I look at the McNamara story as ‘the fog of war ate my homework’ excuse.” He adds: “After all, if war is so complex, then no one is responsible.” 

While the Vietnamese, both north and south, are not free from blame for killing each other in Vietnam’s bloody civil war, McNamara and his bosses, presidents Kennedy and Johnson, are clearly responsible for escalating it. The U.S. government, after all, under McNamara and president Kennedy, helped engineer the coup that killed South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem, when Diem was considering peace negotiations with the North without U.S. interference. His death destabilized South Vietnam and plunged it into another dozen years of bloodshed. 

McNamara kept sending American troops to Vietnam while knowing deep in his heart that the war was not winnable, and encouraged the South to continue fighting. It is no wonder that South Vietnamese tell the story of their relationship with America as one of spectacular betrayal. The United States abandoned the South Vietnamese government in the middle of a war. Many South Vietnamese officials died in communist gulags after the war’s end, and more than two million Vietnamese fled overseas as boat people, many ending up at the bottom of the sea. McNamara never made references to the suffering of the South Vietnamese people as a direct cause of his administration of the war, as if somehow an entire people have conveniently ceased to exist. 

If those who survived the Vietnam War are waiting for an apology from McNamara or the U.S. government, they should not hold their breath. 

McNamara left the Johnson administration in 1967. Despite what he knew about the war, he refused to speak out against it, and watched in silence as more body bags came home. Foggy or not, someone as smart as McNamara should know right from wrong. If the secretary of defense knew it was wrong to continue the war, why did he keep his silence until now, more than three decades later? 

Morris asks him precisely that. “Why,” he inquires near the end of the film, “did you fail to speak out against the war after you left the Johnson administration?” 

“I’m not going to say any more than I have,” McNamara responds. “These are the kinds of questions that get me in trouble. You don’t know what I know about how inflammatory my words can appear.”  

The documentary has a subtitle: Eleven Lessons From the Life of Robert S. McNamara. One of them is, “Believing and seeing are both often wrong.” What that means to McNamara is that doing the right thing turned out to be an enormous error. To me, it means I can’t trust the man’s confessions. It seems the fog hasn’t lifted at all for McNamara—it has only thickened with the years.  

Andrew Lam is a journalist and short story writer, and an editor at Pacific News Service. 

My husband Ralph is back in the Intensive Care Unit at Oakland’s Kaiser Permanente Hospital. We are old hands at this. I can’t count the number of times we’ve been on the third floor, but this is our first visit to the most critical wing, the place where there is one nurse for every two patients, an always-on-duty respiratory therapist, television screens that monitor the patients’ rooms 24/7. 

Most, but not all, the patients here are on ventilators. Ralph is one of them. For the past 27 days he hasn’t been able to breathe without the help of a machine. For over two weeks he had a tube down his throat, another up his nose and one piercing the back of each hand and an artery in his neck. Last week he was given a tracheotomy, so now the ventilator tube has been moved from his mouth to an opening below his Adam’s apple. The IV in his neck is gone. He still has a feeding tube in one nostril. He looks very, very uncomfortable.  

What do you do when visiting someone in the hospital who can’t move and who can’t speak, but who is wide awake, staring at you with bright blue, questioning eyes? You talk to him, sometimes too loudly, too softly at other times. 

“Do you want me to move your arm?” you shout. “Do you want me to bend your leg?” He nods yes, no or raises his eyebrows which may indicate “I don’t know” or “I don’t care” or “I need something else and I hope you can guess what it is.” 

You do crossword puzzles until the little boxes become blurry and your eyes burn. 

You watch really bad TV, try to read but can’t concentrate. 

You take walks up and down Piedmont Avenue, drink too much coffee, eat too much Chinese take-out. 

You ask the attending doctors, residents, nurses, therapists, interns, assistants and janitors over and over about your husband’s prognosis. 

The question is always the same, “When can he come home?” No one knows the answer. 

When I get home after a day at the hospital I try to unwind. Sometimes I have a drink (or two), sometimes I lie down on the couch, even though I’m not all that tired. And sometimes I make myself do things I don’t want to do but know I must: fill out forms for MediCare, Social Security, and the IRS. I walk the dog, mop the kitchen floor, pay bills, return phone calls and e-mails, check and recheck our bank statements. 

The people who normally work for us, helping me take care of Ralph, can’t pay their own bills because they’re not getting paychecks from me. I loan them money and give them rides to places they need to go. I hope they’ll stick around long enough to be there when Ralph comes home. If he does come home.  

I try to exercise. I swim lap after lap at the public pool—Temescal if it’s not too late, Willard if it’s after 7 p.m. I try to concentrate on my strokes and not obsess on how ironic it is that I can hold my breath when underwater, breathe deeply from side to side as I swim forward, move every muscle in my body over and over again until it is pleasantly, painfully exhausted while Ralph lies in a hospital bed, immobile, waiting. 

Sometimes I wish I could run away. Go to Mexico, Hawaii or Bali, somewhere where it is always warm and sunny, where the water is aquamarine and crystal clear, and the sand below a pristine white, not dirty, faded and cracked, like the bottom of the public pool which I’ve spent hours and hours staring at, trying to make my mind go blank. But most of the time I can’t help thinking about Room 335 on the third floor of ICU. 

I wonder how it is that scientists can send an exploratory machine to the red surface of Mars but can’t figure out a way to hold a ventilator in place with anything other than raggedy pieces of white tape.

Telegraph Avenue Robbery 

A gunman held up a vitamin store on the 2300 block of Telegraph Avenue Friday afternoon, police said. He managed to escape on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash despite pursuit from both UC and Berkeley police. 

West Berkeley Robbery 

A man who police say robbed a West Berkeley art supply store at gunpoint Thursday morning didn’t get far, officers said. They first spotted Damien Stuart, 21, of Berkeley, just a block away from Amsterdam Art at the corner of Tenth Street and University Avenue and after a lengthy search found him hiding in bushes on the 1700 block of Ninth Street. Stuart was arrested on suspicion of robbery, evading an officer and committing a felony while out on bail. 

Kidnapping Suspect Nabbed 

Police last month arrested Antoine Hodges, 24, of Oakland in connection with the kidnapping and robbery of a 76-year-old Berkeley man who was punched repeatedly while being driven to the Oakland ATM Machine where he was forced to withdraw cash. Two other men are sought in the case. 

Police are investigating if Hodges might be connected to a robbery and sexual assault of a woman last November and the robbery of a 76-year-old woman two weeks ago, who was also driven to an ATM and made to withdraw cash.

An incident that left a $10,000 mural—meant to celebrate the city’s bike users—sitting at the Public Works Department’s corporate yard, caked in mud and punctured by gouges and holes, raises questions about Berkeley civic arts program 

Critics say the incident is just one of the city’s many fumbles involving public art. 

“Bicycle Mural,” painted by Tricia Tripp for the city of Berkeley six years ago, had been banished to an open storage unit at Public Works for several years after vandals attacked the work at its first location along Addison Street near Shattuck Avenue and then again while up at Berkeley High. 

Rene Cardinaux, city director of Public Works, said the department was told the piece would be stored for a couple of weeks. Instead the mural--which is painted on several plywood panels--sat in an open storage unit for so long that a crew accidentally mistook it for scrap wood when they were hunting for something to dam up an overflowing ditch. 

Jos Sances, chair of the city’s arts commission, said the mural was already a subject of controversy for many residents because it was commissioned without public approval. Originally requested by Councilmember Dona Spring, funding for the project was approved by the city council but the Office of Economic Development never ran the request by the arts commission, allowing the project to be painted without public input. 

Spring said the incident prompted the council to re-write the rules to ensure arts commission oversight of any public art project, but many were still angered by the city’s lack of process. 

According to Mary Ann Merker, civic arts coordinator for the city of Berkeley, laws mandating oversight by the arts commissions are part of legislation encompassing the entire civic arts process, some of which existed before the mural incident but were subsequently updated. 

As the law now stands, proposals are sent to artists, and the top three are selected to go before a public panel that includes community members and other artists. Each artist is given $500 dollars from the city to create a mock-up of their project before the finalist is chosen. The city’s art commission then takes over and administers the project. 

Before the process was streamlined, other artists suffered under city policies, including Osha Neumann, the city’s well-known homeless rights legal advocate and muralist, who had one of his own creations ruined when the Berkeley Unified School district hired a contractor to repair the gym at Willard Middle School. 

Back in 1980, Neumann and a host of volunteers, funded by a state grant, painted “Intersections,” a large mural on the school’s west wall. Meant to depict the intersections of life, Neumann said the mural was nearly three stories high and almost a third of a block long and took months to paint. 

The mural was painted over after the architect hired to renovate the gym requested approval at a school board meeting Neumann didn’t attend. He learned of the action only after passersby noticed the destruction and called the city to investigate after painters were two-thirds finished with the cover-up. The painters were stopped, but too late for Neumann to restore the lost sections. 

“It was really profoundly thoughtless,” said Neumann, “To make all these decisions and never consult the artists or the community.” He said the money spent to paint over the mural would have paid for an entire renovation of the piece. 

Neumann has painted several other murals in Berkeley including the rendition of People’s Park on the north side of Amoeba music and the front of La Pena Cultural Center. 

He said the school mural “was a project I had put my heart and soul into, I knew it would never happen again, we would never get the resources again.” 

Even today, with stringent guidelines and public oversight, the city still receives heavy criticism for their public arts programs. 

Until recently, said Sances, the city never paid much attention to civic arts. He estimates that Berkeley has a higher per capita ratio of artists than Manhattan, which increases the competition and the quality of the art. Yet he says the amount of public art in the city is minimal. 

“Up until five or so years ago, there wasn’t much public art,” said Sances. “The notion that Berkeley has had an active civic arts program is a recent occurrence.” 

Some city commissions, including the mural that usually hangs above the city council—painted by Romare Bearden, a pre-eminent African American artist—have helped the city’s civic arts project gain recognition. But, he said, compared to the quality and quantity of art the community could potentially produce, Berkeley lags behind. 

The city recently generated considerable coverage for additions to the downtown arts project funded by the voter-approved Measure S. Critics, who have not complained as much about the funding, have targeted the project’s focus on downtown. 

“I’m completely against [the city] gathering the art they consider worthy and putting it in one place,” said Carol Denney, a Berkeley resident and well-known singer-songwriter. 

Mayor Tom Bates said the project improvements are meant to enhance the downtown area and in turn generate revenue for business. He said the city’s retail sales tax revenues have steadily fallen and hopes a more attractive downtown will help the existing businesses. 

Denney sees the district improvements as a project that neglects the rest of the city while promoting an already affluent area. 

In a recent satirical newsletter she produced, Denney gathered a number of poems written about potholes and holes in the sidewalks which she says the city consistently neglects while continuing to focus on downtown. 

One of the poems, a haiku called “Speak Within” reads,  

murmur to the hole,  

You will always be safe from, 

this stupid Council. 

She partially blames the city’s disrepair for the death of Berkeley’s well-known disabled activist Fred Lupke, who like others in wheelchairs, sometimes had to venture into the street because the sidewalks were broken. 

“Unless you want to circle the same block eternally, you have to venture into the street,” she said. 

Mayor Bates said he is concerned with the city’s disrepair but said the number of projects the city faces outweighs their resources. 

“The declining infrastructure is a major problem,” he said. “It seems like we can never catch up.” 

According to the civic arts department’s Merker, the downtown project’s budget is $300,000 plus an additional $60,000 received in donations. The current civic arts budget, which fluctuates and rolls over from year to year, is $400,000. 

Money for the civic arts program is generated from capital improvement projects, or new city construction, with 1.5 percent of a project’s total revenue automatically earmarked for the civic art.  

Compared to the 50-plus percent of the entire city budget that goes to police and firefighters, Santos said the figures alone says quite a bit about the city’s priorities. 

“The city has traditionally taken the arts for granted,” he said. “The problem with art is that it is easy to not have. The public can be very harsh on art. It doesn’t have a seeming purpose, and we’re cultivated to think that everything needs a purpose. [But] the world is a much better place with art, it’s the kind of thing that cultivates us.”

The city’s bed and breakfasts—generally houses long inhabited by homeowners-turned-innkeepers who decided they had room to spare for short-term visitors to the city—offer a more personalized experience than a hotel, many guests say.  

“A hotel is a cold environment,” said Luiz Fernando Barella, a 17-day guest at north Berkeley’s Brown Shingle B&B. “Here we’re treated like family.”  

Barella, who had come from Sao Paolo, Brazil, with his wife to visit family in Berkeley, said innkeeper Helen Christensen had been generous with her time, bringing the couple with her to a New Year’s Eve party and offering abundant sightseeing advice.  

“This is a historical place,” said Barella, whose windows offered views of architect Bernard Maybeck’s Temple of the Wings up the hill, as well as the UC Berkeley campus down below. “If you don’t know what to look for, you miss a lot of things.”  

B&Bs are especially convenient for people visiting family or friends, since they offer guests a place to stay in the same neighborhoods as the folks they’re seeing, said Wendy Sprague, 52, who accommodates guests in her home near the Berkeley-Albany border.  

The inns also place guests close to neighborhood shops and markets that might be overlooked by visitors staying in centrally located hotels. “Being part of the community is a real draw,” said Sprague, who will soon have her living room transformed into a second guest room for her Brick Path Bed and Breakfast.  

But the biggest draw, B&B owners agree, is personal attention. “It’s more intimate,” said Sprague. “It’s more personal. You have contact with an individual instead of a person who works for a company.”  

Sprague and other owners say that getting to know their guests is their favorite part of running a bed and breakfast.  

“The best part of the bed and breakfast is meeting people,” said Mary Harrow, who runs Mary’s Bed and Breakfast in her home on a quiet street in Elmwood. “You meet people you really get to like.”  

Most of Berkeley’s bed and breakfasts are run by older retirees whose grownup children have left behind empty rooms they can rent to supplement their incomes. Many are women whom divorce has left alone in large homes they’d have trouble affording to maintain on their own, said Christensen.  

“Several ladies found themselves alone in a big house and didn’t want to move, but we still have to pay for the gardener and the general maintenance of the house,” said Christensen, who began taking guests into her home after separating from her husband a decade ago.  

Taking in guests also brings some life into the grand north Berkeley or Elmwood homes that would otherwise feel empty.  

“It didn’t take me long to go from saying ‘No I don’t want strangers in the house’ to ‘Hey, it’s kind of lonely,’” said Mary Leggett, remembering when the breakup of her marriage left her alone in her large half-timbered home in Elmwood she’s run as M’s Bed and Breakfast for the past seven years.  

Leggett now lives in an apartment she had built for herself in the basement to keep the bedrooms free for guests. But her living room is still the venue for the neighborhood Christmas party she’s held for the last 37 years for friends and longtime acquaintances.  

“A lot of it is people that have nice homes that are large and they’re empty,” said Berkeley visitors bureau president. “Having a bed and breakfast helps with their incomes and provides a service for people visiting Berkeley.”

Greens! Who needs them? 

We know we all do, and we know that we’re not getting enough of them. The leafier ones in particular are said to yield significant amounts of health-protective vitamin A, and provide the best source of folacin, crucial for conception and gestation. In fact, the word folacin derives from the Latin word for leaf. 

The downside of leafy green vegetables is that cooking and storage destroy much of their nutritional value, which might explain why children instinctively try to avoid them. 

So what to do? 

Organic and farmer’s markets are good sources. But the very best answer is of course to grow your own. We in Berkeley have a climate in which these vegetables thrive. Furthermore, many are of the cut-and-come-again kind, so that one can stroll into the garden, snip off a few tender leaves and have them steamed or sautéed within minutes, without harming the plant. Of these, the closely-related kale and collards are perhaps the easiest to grow and digest, and the most rewarding to harvest. 

Kale and collards can be planted out as young plants in early fall when they are available in local nurseries. They thrive in heavy, rich soil. Farmers swish the roots in a sludge of manure before planting them deeply—up to the first leaves—and firming them in with a boot. 

A mulch of hay moderates temperature, and as it breaks down, it adds nutrients and improves tilth, or texture. A nip of frost does no permanent damage and seems to sweeten the leaves. In March, they will take off, providing leaves until the following spring, when they will put forth delicate yellow four-petalled flowers true to their Cruciferae family. The buds are edible too, and even if the plant is beheaded, side shoots emerge. It seems that healthy, well-fed plants, like children, simply thrive in all ways, and are rarely attacked by pests. 

One can also plant in early spring, but if we have had our usual February rain, the ground is often too cold, wet and unworkable. However, if one flowering plant is left to go to seed, it will surround itself with infants, and these and a dried pod or two will keep the kitchen continuously replenished. Seed stays viable for several years.  

Leafy greens do well in planter boxes too. 

The taste of homegrown vegetables is incomparable to that of store-bought ones. Greens plainly simmered in lightly salted water will be meltingly tender in very few minutes. If you’ve used too much water, drain it into a glass, add tamari or tomato juice and enjoy a hot cocktail. 

When steamed on top of home-made tomato sauce, with a slice or two of creamy goat cheese melted on top, greens are simply ambrosial. A sprinkling of hard sheep’s cheese—such as pecorino—adds a tart dimension. Season with a vinaigrette as the Italians do, and eat them warm. Mixed with chopped parsley, added to soups, stews, pasta sauces—one could go on and on. There’s simply no excuse for not eating—and growing—our greens! 

And let your balky child eat them with their fingers, a tactic that seems to enhance the flavor of all greens, including the most boring of all, lettuce.

Telegraph Avenue neighbors and merchants packed a Planning Commission meeting Wednesday to protest proposals to speed up buses from downtown Berkeley all the way to San Leandro by eliminating some traffic lanes for motorists on Telegraph Avenue and turning the three northernmost blocks of the street into a car-free, bus-only pedestrian mall. 

“This would be the end of the world as we know it. Telegraph would look like a Greyhound Station,” said Ken Sarachan, owner of Rasputin Music, who along with other leading Telegraph merchants—including the owners of Cody’s Books, Moe’s Books and Amoeba Music—opposed banishing cars from Telegraph north of Haste Street. 

Five years in the works and at least four years from completion, AC transit is developing a Bus Rapid Transit System, funded by regional bond money and federal grants, that promises faster service, fewer stops and a drastically different streetscape for Shattuck and Telegraph Avenues. 

To avoid Berkeley bottlenecks, AC Transit plans to study a variety of options that include ripping out the median on Shattuck Avenue to build two dedicated bus lanes, 80-foot bus stations in the middle and beside major city streets, two-way dedicated bus lanes on Bancroft Way, two-way traffic on Durant Avenue and, most controversial, a pedestrian-transit mall on Telegraph from Bancroft to Haste Street and the elimination of two car lanes on Telegraph south of Dwight Way to make room for dedicated bus lanes. 

The system, AC Transit officials said, would guarantee buses every five minutes during rush hour, instead of the current 15 and cut 10 minutes off the commute time from UC Berkeley to Downtown Oakland and ultimately to the Bay Fair Bart station. Those improvements would make service more appealing to thousands of riders who commute by car between along the route which already constitutes 20 percent of all AC Transit passengers, said AC Transit Board Member Greg Harper. 

“We’ve learned the key to get more riders onto the system is to look at the routes that have the most riders and make them fast,” he said, adding that a less ambitious project along San Pablo Avenue had increased ridership and reduced riding time by 20 percent.  

By law, the Planning Commission could only offer AC Transit suggestions on which options to study in their upcoming Environmental Impact Report due out at the end of the year. Final suggestions will come next month from the Transportation Commission. But while AC Transit is in charge of the project, the agency’s project manager, Jim Cunradi, said Berkeley will have the final say since it controls traffic flow on its streets. 

Most Telegraph neighbors and merchants said they want the status quo, fearing better bus service would send car commuters through residential streets to avoid increased congestion on Telegraph. 

“Ashby is a parking lot, College is a parking lot. The goals are great, but we need to quantify the impact of lost car lanes on the neighbors,” said John Caner, president of the Willard Neighborhood Association. 

The hot-button issue remains the plan to transform the northern three blocks of Telegraph into a virtually car-free pedestrian mall with two-way bus traffic. Despite repeated assurances from AC Transit that delivery trucks and motorists dropping off used books and music at Telegraph shops would still be allowed, merchants argued that without car access many customers would shun their businesses. 

AC Transit officials offered no drawings and gave no sense of the ambiance envisioned for the car-free mall. 

The route would run east from the Downtown Berkeley BART to Telegraph, then on to Oakland and San Leandro. All plans for Shattuck include opening two lanes for buses, with one plan calling for elimination of left turn lanes for cars, another eliminating the barrier between diagonal street parking and traffic lanes and a third eliminating diagonal parking spaces altogether. 

On the southside, one plan calls for two-way bus traffic on Bancroft, two-way car traffic on Durant and the pedestrian/transit mall on Telegraph. A second proposal keeps the mall but leaves Bancroft and Durant as one-way streets. Two other options would forsake the mall—permitting cars to share the street beside a dedicated bus lane—with one plan putting two-way bus traffic on Bancroft and two-way car traffic on Durant and the other keeping both one-way but with dedicated bus lanes. 

The 80-foot bus stations, built so wheelchair users can enter buses without a ramp, would be located on the sides of Bancroft and in the middle of Telegraph. 

Planning Commissioner Rob Wrenn said the proposals basically reflect what the city calls for in its recently completed Southside Plan, except that the plan didn’t envision two-way car traffic on Bancroft. 

Funding for the project remains uncertain. AC Transit has $23 million at its disposal from Ballot Measure E, but is counting on an additional $65 million from a March ballot initiative to raise Bay Bridge tolls to $3 to fund local transit projects. 

A defeat, “would definitely be a hit for the project,” Cunradi said.

FRIDAY, JAN. 30 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Sekig N. Kaplan, Professor Emeritus, Nuclear Engineering, “Who Was Any Kochergin? The Saga of a Haida Carving” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $11.50 - $12.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For reservations call 526-2925.  

Reception for Lynn Stewart at 7 p.m. at Middle East Children’s Alliance, 901 Parker at 7th. She will be interviewed on KPFA at 5 p.m. 548-0542. 

“Shanghai: The Evolution of a City” a panel discussion with Seymour Topping, Joan Chen, Thomas B. Gold, and Pamela Yatsko from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Graduate School of Journalism, 121 North Gate Hall, Euclid at Hearst. Sponsored by the Institute of East Asian Studies, UC Berkeley. 

Docent Training for Berkeley Historical Society, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Veteran’s Memorial Building, 1931 Center St. 848-0181. 

The Bravest vs The Finest Basketball Contest The Berkeley Fire Dept., The Bravest, takes on the Berkeley Police Dept., The Finest, in a charity basketball game at Berkeley High’s Donahue Gym, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at 2100 MLK, first floor window, or prior to the game at the BHS ticket window. All proceeds will go to City youth programs. 925-672-2544, 981-5506. 

Richmond’s Future: A Community Forum hosted by The Richmond Progressive Alliance, a coalition of progressive Democrats, Greens, and Independents, featuring guest speaker Matt Gonzalez, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, speaking on progressive unity. From noon to 4 p.m. at the Madeline F. Whittlesey Community Room, 325 Civic Center Plaza, in central Richmond, next to the Richmond Public Library, near Macdonald and 27th. Free admission with light refreshments served. Wheelchair accessible. For further information, contact the Richmond Progressive Alliance at 496-2722. 

Berkeley Chess Club meets Fridays at 7:15 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Players at all levels are welcome. 652-5324. 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 548-6310, 845-1143. 

Meditation, Peace Vigil and Dialogue, gather at noon on the grass close to the West Entrance to UC Berkeley, on Oxford St. near University Ave. People of all traditions are welcome to join us. Sponsored by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

Overeaters Anonymous meets every Friday at 1:30 p.m. at the Northbrae Church at Solano and The Alameda. Parking is free and is handicapped accessible. For information call Katherine, 525-5231. 

SATURDAY, JAN. 31 

Free Emergency Preparedness Class on Light Search and Rescue for anyone who lives or works in Berkeley, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Fire Department Training Center, 997 Cedar St. Register on-line at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/oes or by calling 981-5506. 

“T’ween and Teen Adolescent Girls: Where Do They They Fit In?” Workshop sponsored by Bay Area Children First, from 1 to 3 p.m. at 1400 Shattuck Ave., Suite 7. Fee is $25. For information call 883-9312. 

Fabulous Fruits, an introduction to gardening with fruit trees at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. 

Authors Dinner in support of the Berkeley Public Library Foundation at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library. 981-6115.  

Piedmont Children’s Choir Auditions for ages 7-10, between 9:30 a.m. and noon. Children with no experience are encouraged to apply. To arrange an appointment call 547-4441, ext. 2. 

Yoga for Seniors at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St., on Saturdays from 10 to 11 a.m. Open to non-members of the club for $8 per class. 848-7800. 

Pet Adoptions, sponsored by Home at Last, from noon to 5 p.m., Hearst and 4th St. 548-9223. 

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, FEB. 1 

Geological Voyage Through Time The earth’s continents have moved in marvelous ways over the last billion years! After a slide show review, we'll make a flip-book of the supercontinent Pangaea breaking up to form today’s land masses. From 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, in Tilden Park. Wheelchair accessible. Registration required. Cost is $5, non-residents $7. 525-2233. tnarea@ebparks.org  

“African American Women in California History” with Shirley Ann Wilson Moore, Professor of History at CSU, Sacramento, at 2 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Tibetan Buddhism, Abbe Blum on “Balance, Insight and Relaxation,” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

Eckhart Tolle Talks on Video, free gatherings at 6:30 p.m. to hear the words of the author of “The Power of Now” at the Feldenkrais Ctr., 830 Bancroft Way. 547-2024. EdScheuerlein@aol.com 

MONDAY, FEB. 2 

The Mayor’s Task Force on Permitting and Development will be discussed by former City Council members Polly Armstrong and Nancy Skinner and League of Women Voters member, Jean Safir who served on the Task Force. The report is scheduled to come before the City Council on Feb. 17. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters. The public is welcome. At 6:30 p.m. Berkeley Central Library, 2090 Kittredge St., 3rd floor meeting room. 843-8824. 

The Oakland/East Bay Chapter of the National Organization for Women will hold its monthly meeting at 6 p.m., at the Oakland YWCA, 1515 Webster St. Our treasurer will discuss the history of Oakland/ 

East Bay NOW. Then we will brainstorm what our chapter’s goals should be in 2004. For more information call 287-8948. 

“Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War,” video followed by discussion, at 7 p.m. at Walden Pond Books, 3316 Grand Avenue, Oakland. Note change in location. Donation $1. Sponsored by East Bay Community Against the War. 658-8994. www.ebcaw.org 

Tea at Four Enjoy some of the best teas from the other side of the Pacific Rim and learn their cultural and natural history. Then take a walk to see wintering birds and dormant ladybeetles, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, in Tilden Park. Registration required. Cost is $5 for residents, $7 for non-residents. Wheelchair accessible. 525-2233. 

“Invasive Species in the SF Bay” with Roger Buttermore who will tell us about voracious crustaceans, smothering seaweeds and other threats at 7 p.m. in the Edith Stone Room at Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin, Albany. 848-9358. www.fivecreeks.org 

Fitness for 55+ A total body workout including aerobics, stretching and strengthing at 1:15 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5170. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

TUESDAY, FEB. 3 

“Whales, Bears, Eagles and Icebergs: The Wonders of Alaska” with wildlife photographer Ron Sanford at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

“Conscience and the Constitution” a film about the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WW2, at 6 p.m. at Rockridge Branch Library, 5366 College Ave. Sponsored by Refuse and Resist. 704-5293. 

Writers’ Room Coach Training is offered from 7 to 9:30 p.m. for volunteers who would like to help students improve their writing and critical thinking skills. To attend please call Terry Bloomburgh at 849-4134 or email Bloomburgh@sbcglobal.net 

“Taking Care of Your Elderly Parent” meets Tuesdays, Feb. 3 - 24 at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Fee is $40. 848-0327, ext. 112. 

Berkeley Ecological and Safe Trasportation (BEST) monthly meeting at 6 p.m. at the Berkeley Central Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 913-4682. 

“Judaism, What is it all About?” an interactive lecture series with Rabbi Judah Dardik, at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays at Beth Jacob Congregation, 3778 Park Blvd., Oakland. 482-1147. www.bethjacoboakland.org 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers We are a few slowpoke seniors who walk between a mile or two each Tuesday, meeting at 9:30 a.m. in the Little Farm parking lot. To join us, call 215-7672.  

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Paul Bendix, Transportation Advocate, will talk about Amtrak’s Coast Starlight and the future of Amtrak at 11 a.m. 845-6830. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 234-4783. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 4 

Public Meeting/Workshop on West Street, formerly Santa Fe Railroad Right of Way, Improvement Project for Bikeway and Pedestrian Path that will run from Delaware St. to University Ave., at 7 p.m. at Ala Costa Center, 1300 Rose St. For information call Niran at 981-6396 or Michael at 981-2490. 

Lynne Stewart will speak at 6 p.m. at Boalt Law School, UC Campus. Sponsored by the National Laywers Guild. For more information call 684-8270. www.lynnstewart.org 

Want your country back? Join your neighbors at the next Meet-up for Democratic presidential Candidate Howard Dean. Learn more about Dr. Dean, and what you can do to make a difference, at 7 p.m. at three Berkeley locations: Au Coquelet, 2000 University Ave., Sweet Basil Thai, 1736 Solano Ave., and Raleigh's, 2438 Telegraph Ave. 843-8724. http://Dean2004.Meetup.com.  

Northbrae Community Church monthly dinner at 6 p.m. at 941 The Alameda. The Berkeley Camera Club will show slides on “Bhutan and Nepal.” Dinner cost is $7.50 for adults, $3.50 for children. For reservations call 526-3805.  

Fun with Acting class meets at 11 a.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Free, all are welcome. 985-0373. 

Prose Writers Workshop We're a serious but lively bunch whose focus is on issues of craft. Novices welcome. Experienced facilitator. Community sponsored, no fee. Meets 7 to 9 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut, at Rose. For information call 524-3034. 

Free Marketing Workshops, sponsored by Sisters Headquarters, for women entrepreneurs, every Wed. from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 643 17th St. Oakland. For information call 238-1100. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Sta- 

tion, corner of Shattuck and Center. Vigil at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www.geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

Amnesty International Berkeley Community Group meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1606 Bonita Ave., at Cedar St. Join fellow human rights activists to help promote social justice one individual at a time. 872-0768. 

Berkeley CopWatch open office hours 7 to 9 p.m. Drop in to file complaints, assistance available. For information call 548-0425. 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7:15 a.m. at Hide-A-Way Café, 6430 Telegraph Ave. For information call Fred Garvey, 925-682-1111, ext. 164. 

Community Dances, traditional English and American dances, at 8 p.m. every Wednesday, $9. 7 p.m. first Sunday, $10. Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. 233-5065. www.bacds.org 

Free Feldenkrais ATM Classes for adults 55 and older at 10:30 and 11:45 a.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut at Rose. For information call 848-0237. 

THURSDAY, FEB. 5 

Tuesday Morning Birdwalk at Tilden Nature Center from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Call if you need to borrow binoculars. 525-2233. 

“Insurrection: Citizen Challenges to Corporate Power” with Kevin Danaher and Jason Mark from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave, near Dwight Way. 548-2220, ext. 233.  

Alameda County Measure A organizing committee to support the initiave which would raise the sales tax to support our county’s public health system from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m at District 5 headquarters, 2135 Broadway, Oakland.  

“The Bancroft Library: Past, Present, and Future” with Charles Faulhaber, Director of The Bancroft Library, at 6 p.m. at the Society of California Pioneers, 300 Fourth St. at Folsom in SF. 415-957-1849. www.californiapioneers.org 

“How the West was Made: Faults, Plates, and Other Geological Wonders” with Dr. Tanya Atwater, award-winning professor of geophysics at U.C. Santa Barbara, at 7:30 p.m. at The College Preparatory School, Buttner Auditorium, 6100 Broadway (north), Oakland. Cost is $5-$10. 658-5202.  

Presentations and Public Dialogue on 9/11, Demolishing Pretexts For The “War On Terror” at 6:30 p.m. at 1924 Cedar St. at Bonita. Sponsored by the Social Justice Committee of the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists. Suggested donation $5. 527-7543.  

Berkeley Liberation Radio 104.1 FM holds public meetings for all interested people first and third Thursdays, 7 p.m. at the Long Haul Info Shop, 3124 Shattuck Ave. 595-0190.  

ONGOING 

KPFA Candidate Forums for Local Station Board will be aired on Berkeley Community Media Channel 33, at 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. through Feb. 1. More information available at www.kpfa.org 

Young People’s Symphony Orchestra misses its alums! As our nation’s second oldest youth orchestra, based in Berkeley, YPSO is in possession of a treasure trove of memorabilia dating as far back as 1936. To preserve and share these photographs, letters, programs and other interesting materials YPSO is creating a Digital Online Museum. If you participated in the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra please contact David Davis at davisde@yogashorts.com or 543-4054. 

Did Your Family Live in Berkeley from 1890 to1925? This spring the Berkeley Historical Society is opening an exhibit on early Berkeley Bohemians, artists, poets, writers, musicians, photographers and other creative folks who lived in our city 1890-1925. If your family was here then, check your photo albums and other records to see if you have any photos or personal accounts of these activities. If so, we would like to try to include this information in our exhibit. If you can help, please contact Ed Herny, co-curator for this exhibit at 415-725-4674 or by e-mail at edphemra@pacbell.net  

Support the Berkeley Public Library On-line Auction Visit www.bplf.org and bid to name a character in a work by Michael Chabon, have dinner with Elizabeth Farnsworth and Khaled Hosseini, let Bill Schechner tell your story, work with Adair Lara on a memoir, hear Maxine Hong Kingston at your book club, and much more. 981-6115. 

Vocal Jazz Workshops on Saturdays for teenagers and adults, beginners and intermediate, begin Feb. 7 and run to April 10, at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave. Cost is $122 for Albany residents, $132 for others. 524-9283. 

Tae-Bo, a cardiovascular workout composed of kick punches and stretches will be offered at Frances Albrier Recreation Center, 2800 Park St., on Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Cost is $20 per month or $4 drop-in. For information call 981-6640.  

Voice Technique Classes for Adults begin Feb. 11. Cost is $290 for 8 wks. Ongoing classes for children and teens. Verna Winter Studio, 1312 Bonita Ave. 524-1601. 

Valentine Day Weddings The Alameda County Clerk-Recorder’s Office is pleased to announce that the office will be open Valentine’s Day, Sat., Feb. 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to issue marriage licenses and perform wedding ceremonies. The office is located at 1106 Madison Street, in Oakland. The fee for a marriage license is $79, which includes one certified copy. The fee for a ceremony is $50 (cash or checks accepted). Interested parties should make an appointment. 272-6362.  

CITY MEETINGS 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon., Feb. 2, Mon. at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St., Sherry M. Kelly, city clerk, 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

citycouncil/agenda-committee 

Landmarks Preservation Commission meets Mon. Feb. 2, 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Gisele Sorensen, 981-7419. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/landmarks 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Mon., Feb. 2,  

at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers, Pam Wyche 644-6128 ext. 113. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/rent 

Peace and Justice Commission meets Mon., Feb. 2, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Manuel Hector, 981-5510. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/peaceandjustice 

Youth Commission meets Mon., Feb. 2, at 6:30 p.m., at 1730 Oregon St. Philip Harper-Cotton, 981-6670. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/commissions/youth 

Commission on the Status of Women meets Wed., Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Ruby Primus, 981-5106. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/women 

Fire Safety Commission meets Wed., Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the Emergency Operations Center, 997 Cedar St. David Orth, 981-5502. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/firesafety 

Community Environmental Advisory Commission meets Thurs., Feb. 5, at 7 p.m., at 2118 Milvia St. Nabil Al-Hadithy, 981-7461. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/commissions/environmentaladvisory 

Housing Advisory Commission meets Thurs. Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Oscar Sung, 981-5400. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/housing 

Public Works Commission meets Thurs., Feb. 5, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Jeff Egeberg, 981-6406. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/publicworks 

West Berkeley Project Area Commission meets Thurs. Feb. 5, at 7 p.m., at the West Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7520. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/westberkeley

REALITY CHECK 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thank you for giving us Michael Rossman’s reality check on Saint Kerr (“Free Speech Movement Activist Finds Tarnish On Clark Kerr’s Legacy,” Daily Planet, Jan. 23-26). Could you induce Rossman to provide a follow-up piece on how the Smithsonian emasculated the Enola Gay exhibit on Clark Kerr’s watch?  

Gilbert Bendix 

• 

GREATEST OF EDUCATORS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

What are Michael Rossman’s credentials that would justify publication of his denigration of Clark Kerr? Kerr was greatest of educators. Anyone who could garner the ill-will of Ronald Reagan must have been a noble person. 

Karl Kasten 

Professor Emeritus  

• 

CHARITABLE ANALYSIS 

Michael Rossman has given us his version of the Free Speech Movement’s struggles with Clark Kerr—a view from “Ground Zero, in the actual trenches of making history”—and also his opinions about Kerr as an educator. 

Kerr—Quaker and man of peace—probably was unprepared for the determination and brashness of the FSM activists. Wanting to keep the Berkeley campus operating, he sought compromises, which satisfied no one, least of all the regents and Gov. Reagan, who soon fired him. 

Can Rossman imagine the range of interests continually pulling on the chief administrator of a multi-purpose, multi-campus public university? By what standard, one may ask, should the interests of 1,000 student activists have been allowed to disrupt the work of the 30,000 other students and faculty? 

From my several years working with Kerr, I think he was well aware that huge universities could be “depersonalizing,” as Rossman charges. Thus he regarded creation of the Santa Cruz campus, with its smallish colleges and relatively close student-faculty contact, as one of his signal accomplishments. 

Rossman worte that Kerr ha no “vision...geared to deep values.” On the contrary, one of his “deep values” most certainly was the idea of access—that virtually any high school graduate in California could aspire to a college degree—via UC, CSU, and the community colleges—at very low cost (then). This was the 1960 Master Plan, of which Kerr was chief author. 

He believed in experimentation and innovation in higher education. In one of the first reports from the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, Kerr proposed a federal agency, which became the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, that over the years funded thousands of innovative projects on all sorts of campuses. 

Michael Rossman and his FSM colleagues did indeed make history—in the sense of triggering a national and international student protest movement. But so also did Clark Kerr, with his vision of (and design for) inexpensive higher education for all. 

One might have expected Rossman, aside from the target of his ire being no longer alive to rebut, to have been more charitable in his analysis—if for no other reason than without Clark Kerr, Rossman himself might never have become the history-maker he indicates he was. 

Richard Peterson 

Sonora 

THE OBVIOUS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

To state the obvious, why can’t immigrants buy an English/whatever dictionary and take same to the doctor’s office, and point to proper word or sentence? What’s wrong with pointing to the back of your open mouth and saying, “Have sore throat,” etc.? How come when we take vacations to other countries we don’t demand translators??? Is there no end to our collective stupidity? 

You people are nuts. 

David Seamen  

• 

SCHOOL FLOODING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am responding to the letter written by Yolanda Huang (Daily Planet, Jan. 16-19) regarding the flooding that occurred at Malcolm X. Ms Huang stated, “The cure for flooding at Malcolm X is estimated to be at least $44,000, while a simple half hour of raking leaves would probably have prevented the flooding.” “Probably” was not the case; the problem was a flood, a torrent of water that no drains could handle because of the volume of water that was flowing from the street. Our drains were clear and running. 

Because I have been working here as the BUSD Grounds Supervisor for the past two years I am proud of the services that my staff provides the district improve and have seen dramatic improvement in these two years. We have seven gardeners who maintain 106 acres of grounds, and we are adding new landscapes all the time, thanks to the generosity of Berkeley residents. We have a new 20,000-square-foot lawn at Cragmont, and another 20,000-square-foot lawn at King. My staff works in partnership with parents to create these environments Ms. Huang so unkindly attacks. Since she herself has created beautiful gardens she should recognize how much time, love and caring our schools require. The maintenance department works very hard to keep our schools looking good, and do so with a lot of personal pride. Now she says that our hard-working gardeners can’t even rake leaves. W e believe our entire district is moving in a positive direction, so we are both hurt and offended by this attack. 

John W. Crockett  

BUSD Grounds Supervisor 

• 

SEPARATE BUT EQUAL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It is the 50th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education and the issue of “separate but equal” has reared its ugly head yet again. The school board in all their wisdom appears to be fighting against Prop. 209, the separate but equal policy implemented to “re-segregate” schools. Pacific Legal Foundation, why now? 

My father integrated LSU in 1950. He was the first black American to attend the law school. I grew up in Berkeley. I was bussed in order to create diversity in Berkeley Schools in the ‘60s. I cannot express the priceless benefits attained from being in a diverse classroom! What a concept, integration in education then and now… 

As the parent of two little girls who attend Emerson Elementary, I am amazed at how easily the children parlay amongst each other. A second year law student and volunteer at KPFA, I am time-challenged in many ways. However, I contribute and volunteer when possible. I sit on a committee or two. This is the continued legacy of classroom diversity. 

Berkeley should continue to press on for equality in education. This is where we are different from Oakland and San Francisco who gave up and gave in. Because of the value Berkeley residents place on education, freedom of speech, and equal protection under the law, our city and schools are healthier, more efficient and holistic. Our streets are safer. The relationship between Berkeley Police Department and residents is one of mutual respect and unencumbered dialogue. I cannot say the same for San Francisco or Oakland. Berkeley has not had to build a juvenile hall or close any schools lately. Nor have we had to pay off victims for the misfeasance of a few rogue cops. No disrespect to San Francisco or Oakland and their decisions to comply with 209. I shudder the thought of looking to the San Francisco or Oakland position on this matter. 

Gabrielle Wilson 

• 

SIDEWALK SAFETY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Not being terribly stable on my feet and prone to unexpected lurches to the left or right, it is pretty startling and scary when bicyclists or skateboarders unexpectedly whiz by me on sidewalks in Downtown Berkeley. If I was to deviate unexpectedly from my walking path, the approaching bicyclist (which can come from back or front or even from weaving around me and others) could cause me serious harm.  

Riding a bicycle or skateboard on the sidewalks in Downtown Berkeley is not only dangerous to people walking on the sidewalk, but also to people just stepping out from stores onto the sidewalks. And as one gets older, falling can result in injuries involving loss of independence which can be devastating. Also young children can be very unpredictable, you never know when they may suddenly stop or turn or whatever.  

I for one think the Berkeley cops that are giving out tickets for bicycling on sidewalks in Downtown Berkeley are not such terrible villains. In fact, after being narrowly missed by skateboarders and bicyclists on downtown sidewalks, I’ve often wondered with anger why the cops didn’t do anything to protect us pedestrians young and old.  

Pat Nagamoto 

• 

PARKING WOES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

There’s probably a perfectly logical explanation for the current parking situation around Andronicos on Solano, but I guess I would like to hear it.  

The posted parking restrictions are as follows: 

Fresno: 4 spots yellow zone: No Parking 7 AM - 6 PM 

Solano: 7 meters: No Parking 7 AM - 10 AM, Mon - Sat 

Colusa: 3 spaces: Cones and posted Tow Away signs 

Behind store: Approx 30 spaces reserved for customers 

Fresno: “No through” traffic barrier blocking beyond the store parking lot 

Parking in Berkeley is always a challenge. It has grown increasingly so along Solano with these new restrictions.  

Carolyn La Fontaine 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The resolution regarding Rachel Corrie was sent before our city council because peace/human rights workers were being targeted for attack by the Israeli military, a concern that is shared by Amnesty International. Berkeley residents who participate in International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and similar groups that advocate for human rights are at risk. Numerous eyewitnesses of Corrie’s death assert that the driver of the Caterpillar bulldozer saw Rachel and deliberately ran her over, twice. It is possibly an act of murder.  

Tom Hurndall, a British citizen, and also a volunteer with ISM, was shot by an Israeli sniper within a mile of where Rachel was killed. In that case, after months of pressure by the British government, a thorough investigation was undertaken. This resulted in the arrest of the Israeli soldiers responsible and retraction of the story the Israeli government told for months regarding the facts of that case. 

We mourn all the deaths that have taken place in the conflict; Palestinian, Israeli, and internationals, who have been killed in a conflict fueled by a brutal military occupation. I would concur that any attack on civilians is a human rights violation. However, the Israeli and U.S. government already has investigated the deaths of those U.S. citizens killed in suicide bombings and attacks conducted by Palestinians. Is Mr.Gertz saying that the U.S. and Israeli authorities are negligent in that regard as well?  

And what of the Palestinian children and civilians killed and injured by the Israeli military? Like Hurndall’s mother, we ask if they are “children of a lesser god?” Why no Congressional resolution regarding their deaths, and continued U.S. funding of this conflict without even a debate in Congress? 

I would urge people, who want to read the full text of the Berkeley resolution, and desire more information, including the letter of that the Corrie’s sent the city council, to visit www.tomjoad.org.  

Jim Harris 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thanks for printing the spirited rejoinders to John Gertz’ ghoulish smear of Rachel Corrie and the Berkeley City Council (“Corrie ‘Parable’ Evokes Spirited Replies,” Daily Planet, Jan. 27-29). Good for them all, and shame on the pathetic Mr. Gertz. 

I found the quotation in this letter in one of the saddest antiwar books I’ve read, In Flanders Fields, by Leon Wolff, a military historian. Read it in a military history course in college 40-odd years ago, and rediscovered it gathering dust on a Commonwealth Club shelf last year. To wit: 

“As the sordid, shameful Bush/Blair Iraq debacle proceeds with all the inevitability of a Greek tragedy, a chilling passage in David Lloyd George’s 

war memoirs from 70 years ago provides a painfully apt analogy. Regarding his cheery top general, Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig—whose predictably doomed 1917 offensive squandered hundreds of thousands of lives in the ghastly bog of Flanders, the wartime Prime Minister wrote: 

“It naturally pleased Haig to have carefully chosen and nicely cooked little tidbits of “intelligence” about broken German divisions, heavy German 

casualties, and diminishing German morale served up to him....He beamed satisfaction and confidence. His great plan was prospering. The whole 

atmosphere of this secluded little community reeked of that sycophantic optimism which is the curse of autocratic power...” 

And so it goes. 

Kenneth E. Scudder 

San Francisco 

• 

XXXXXXXXXX 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

For those in the Berkeley community who do not know, the BUSD Food Service Departments’ dedicated, long-term, hard-working, non-management personal have been served some bad fare recently by the BUSD Board of Education in the form of layoffs and reduced salaries—all due to no fault of their own. How could this happen when only two and a half years ago that department had $1.2 million in reserve?  

What happened was the Berkeley Board of Education chose to hire, at the recommendation of Superintendent Michele Lawrence, an inexperienced director to operate the department—in doing so, the board chose to eliminate several highly qualified candidates—one of whom piloted a revenue-generating organic food program at Santa Monica USD, and to this day, remains highly successful and revenue-generating. The “director” that Berkeley USD hired had no formal education to run such a multi-million dollar department and came from a school district where she was in middle management performing a simple supervisory role. This newly hired director didn’t even have the financial background to write a budget and she asked several of her underlings to either help her write a budget or to simply write it for her during her first year as director. 

Didn’t anyone in the department alert the district to this person’s true lack of experience or how she was performing once hired? 

I did, and I stood before the Berkeley USD Board of Education in May 2002, and stated such information to the board. Sadly, my words fell on deaf ears, and as a result of my alert, I became the very first layoff casualty for the department (so much for being a dedicated BUSD employee and alerting the district to a disaster in the making). 

Since this new director has come on-board, the BUSD Food Service Department has lost an average of $70,000 per month. No other school districts’ food service department in the entire Bay Area is losing money.  

Why is BUSD’s Food Service Department losing money and how can someone remain as a director, losing an avenge of $70,000 a month for said department, and still keep their job? I, myself, cannot answer that question—but Superintendent Lawrence and the BUSD Board of Education can—and should—explain to the Berkeley community and to the Food Service non-management staff why keeping this director is justified. 

The time is now for said explanation, Superintendent Lawrence and Berkeley Board of Education. Inquiring minds want to know! 

I also call on any appropriate federal or California state department to launch an investigation into BUSD’s hiring of said Food Service director and her continued employment at BUSD. 

Rick Fuller 

Former BUSD Food Service employee 

Antioch

FRIDAY, JAN. 30 

FILM 

Mann’s World: “Devil’s Doorway” at 7:30 p.m. and “Winchester ‘73” at 9:10 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Faulkner Fox discusses “Dispatches From a Not-So-Perfect Life: Or How I Learned to Love the House, the Man, the Child” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Dance IS Movement, featuring Company C, Ophelia’s Stage Dance Company, Berkeley Ballet Theater Youth Company, Berkeley High and others at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $10-$15. 925-798-1300. 

Dance Theater of Harlem, at 8 p.m., Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$52. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Hamsa Lila performs acoustic trance music at 9 p.m. at Ashkenez. Cost is $15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Flautas Internacionales with The Snake Trio at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12 in advance, $14 at the door. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Cascada de Flores, traditional music from Cuba and Mexico’s Gulf coast at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

ROVA Saxophone Quartet performs post-bop free jazz and avant garde at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Sliding scale donation $10-$15. 649-8744.  

www.thejazzhouse.com 

Jackpot, Rich McCully Band, John Blaylock at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com  

Maseo at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $15. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

Joshi Marshall & Friends at 9 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

A Kimbo, Plot to Blow Up the Eifel Tower at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Mystic Roots at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $7. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Gaucho at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

SATURDAY, JAN. 31 

FILM 

“Closely Watched Trains,” a film about a train dispatcher in a German-occupied Czech town in 1942, at 8 p.m. at the Long Haul. 3124 Shattuck Ave. Wheelchair accessible. 540-0751. www.thelonghaul.org 

“Viva Chile M...! “ A tribute to the life and work of Fernando Alegría at 4:30 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $14. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Mann’s World: “Naked Spur” at 7 p.m. and “The Tall Target” at 8:50 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Authors Dinner in support of the Berkeley Public Library Foundation at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library. 981-6115.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Dance IS Story, featuring Dohee Lee, Fellow Travelers Performance Group, Berkeley Ballet Theater Youth Company, Mills College, Berkeley High School, at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $10-$15. 925-798-1300. 

Dance Theater of Harlem, at 2 and 8 p.m., Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$52, available from 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Magnificat early music at 8 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Ellsworth and Bancroft. 415-979-4500. www.magnificatsf.com  

Oakland Symphony Chorus Discovery Day, a sing-along of Mozart’s C Minor Mass, at 9 a.m. at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 6013 Lawton Ave, in Rockridge. Tickets are $30 at the door. 207-4093. www.oaklandsymphonychorus.org 

“Heroes: The Power of Art in Young People’s Lives” a showcase of children in arts programs in Oakland. From 7 to 9 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2501 Harrison St., at 27th St. Donations benefit youth programs. 444-8511, ext. 15. www.artsfirstoakland.org 

Baksheesh Boys and Brass Meangerie at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

ROVA Saxophone Quartet performs post-bop free jazz and avant garde at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Donation $10-$15. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.com 

The Stacks, Flair, The Mitts at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Warren Gale Quartet at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10-$15. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Fred Randolph Jazz Trio at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Laura Sawosko and Tree Leyburn at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Lou and Peter Berryman, folk music’s funniest folks, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50 in advance, $18.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Pansy Division, Subincision, Readyville at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

The Fourtet, jazz piano quartet, at 9 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

KGB at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $7. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

SUNDAY, FEB. 1 

EXHIBITION OPENINGS 

Stephen A. Fisher, “Perspectives” photographs with recurring compositions opens at the Community Art Gallery, Alta Bates Medical Center, 2450 Ashby. Through March 26.  

Margaret Herscher Memorial Exhibition opens at the Kala Art Institute, 1060 Heinz Ave. A life celebration of Margaret’s work will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Exhibition runs to Feb. 5. 549-2977. www.kala.org 

CHILDREN 

Shabbat Family Art Workshop with Errica Glass from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Berkeley Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Cost is $5-$10. Supplies included. 848-0327, ext. 112. 

Bandworks at 2:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $4. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

FILM 

Victor Sjostrom: “The Sons of Ingmar, Parts 1 and 2” at 5:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Rinzler’s Return, a workshop on getting published, with editor Alan Rinzler, at 3 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Poetry Flash with David Biespiel and Thom Gunn at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Dance IS Social Change featuring Big Moves, Dance Access/KIDS!, Rebecca Salzer Dance Theater, Our Thing Performing Arts Company, Destiny Arts, and Omphalos Dance Theater at 2 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $10-$15. 925-798-1300. 

Dance Theater of Harlem at 3 p.m., Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $32-$52, available from 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Live Oak Concert with BACH: Baroque and Classical Harmonies at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center. Cost is $9-$10. 644-6893. www.berkeleyartcenter.org 

Miles Graber and Arkadi Serper in a concert for two pianos, four hands at 4 p.m. at Crowden School, 1475 Rose St. Tickets are $12. 559-6910. www.crowdenschool.org 

Jewish Love Tales and Songs with Maggid Daniel Lev at 7 p.m. at Chochmat HaLev, 2215 Prince St. Admission is $10. 704-9687. www.chochmat.org 

MONDAY, FEB. 2 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Last Word Poetry Series with Mark States and Paradise at 7 p.m. at Pegasus Books, 2349 Shattuck Ave.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“Sweeter Than Roses” with Andrew Lawrence-King, baroque harpist, Zoe Vandermeer, soprano, and Joanna Blendulf, cello at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $12-$18. Reservations suggested. 549-3864.  

TUESDAY, FEB. 3 

FILM 

Robert Beavers: “My Hand Outstreched” Program 1 at 7:30 p.m., with the artist in person, at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Susie Bright introduces “The Best American Erotica 2004” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Mimi Fox, solo guitar, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Jazzschool Tuesdays, a weekly showcase of ensembles from Berkeley Jazzschool at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 4 

FILM 

“The Fog of War” clips from the Oscar-nominated documentary followed by a panel discussion between former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert. S. McNamara and film director Errol Norris. at 7:30 p.m. at Zellerbach Auditorium. Cost is $5 for Commonwealth Club members, $10 for others. Free for UC Berkeley students. 643-3274. 

Film 50: “The General Line” at 3 p.m. and Video: They Might be Giants, “Gary Hill” at 7:30 p.m. at Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa. 

berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES. 

Z.Z. Packer talks about her new book, “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Nazelah Jamison and Karen Ladson at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7,  

$5 with student i.d. 841-2082.  

www.starryploughpub.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert with Perfect Fifth, 16-voice a cappella ensemble, at International House, Piedmont Ave. at Bancroft. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Jonathan Lemalu, baritone, with Malcolm Martineau, piano, at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $46. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Dennis Kamakahi, Cyril Pahinui and Cindy Combs, Hawaiian singers and guitarists at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50 in advance, $18.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Bandworks at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $4. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Nicole and the Sisters in Soul at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Jules Broussard, Bing Nathan and Ned Boynton at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Vince Wallace Jazz Machine at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Safeway, Implied Five, The Hunks at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $5.  

848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

THURSDAY, FEB. 5 

EXHIBITION OPENINGS 

“Time’s Shadow: Photographs from the Jan Leonard and Jerrold Peil Collection” opens at the Berkeley Art Museum, Theater Gallery and runs through Aug. 8. 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808. 

THEATER 

Aurora Theatre, “Man of Destiny” by George Bernard Shaw, directed by Barbara Oliver at 8 p.m., through March 7. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

FILM 

They Might be Giants: “The Passing” at 5:30 p.m. and Robert Beavers “My Hand Outstretched” Program 2 at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Lunch Poems with Maxine Hong Kingston at 12:10 p.m. in the Morrison Library in Doe Library, UC Campus. Free. 642-0137. http://lunchpoems.berkeley.edu 

Alice Flaherty discusses “The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer’s Block, and the Creative Brain” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Sayre Van Young, a Berkeley research librarian, introduces us to “London’s War: A Traveler’s guide to World War II,” at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave. 843-3533. 

Word Beat Reading Series at 7 p.m. with Barbara Minton and Grace Morizawa, at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 526-5985.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Keni El Lebrijano, flamenco guitar, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

George Pederson and His Pretty Good Band at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Vanessa Lowe and Bug-eyed Sprite, acoustic, experi-pop quartet at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $15.50 in advance, $16.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

San Francisco Medicine Ball at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Savant Guard at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

FRIDAY, FEB. 6 

EXHIBITION OPENINGS 

Frank Garvey “Genetically Modified Surrealism” new paintings, drawings and prints. Reception for the artist from 5 to 7 p.m. at Epic Arts Gallery, 1923 Ashby Ave. 644-2204. www.epicarts.org 

Hilda Robinson “The Art of Living Black,” oil pastels, opens at the Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 5741 Telegraph Ave. 601-4040, ext. 111. www.wcrc.org 

THEATER 

Actor’s Ensemble of Berkeley, “Helen of Troy (Revised),” written by Wolfgang Hilesheimer, translated and directed by David Fenerty at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck. Fri. and Sat. evenings through Feb. 21. Admission is $10. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Albany High School, “Grease” at 8 p.m. at Albany High School Little Theaer, 603 Key Route Blvd. Also on Sat. at 1 and 8 p.m. and Sun. at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5-$10, 558-2575. 

Aurora Theatre, “Man of Destiny” by George Bernard Shaw, directed by Barbara Oliver at 8 p.m. Through March 7. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

Berkeley Repertory Theater, “Yellowman” by Dael Orlandersmith, directed by Les Waters, 2025 Addison St. Through March 7. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Impact Theater, “Say You Love Satan” opens at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid, and runs through March 13. 464-4468. www.impacttheater.com 

Independent Theater Projects, “Three One-Acts”, performed and produced by Berkeley High students, at 8 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Tickets are $4-$8 at the door. gcrane0601@hotmail.com 

Bill Santiago’s “Spanglish 101” at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

FILM 

Workshop with Robert Beavers at 3 p.m. and Anthony Mann: “The Great Flamarion” at 7:30 p.m. and “Strange Impersonation” at 9:10 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Merce Cunningham Dance Company at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $26-$46, available from 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Mozart Birthday Celebration with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $20. 415-392-4400. www.sfchamberorchestra.org 

Ives Quartet, “Les Vendredis” featuring chamber works by Russian composers, at 8 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$18. 415-883-0727. 

The Christy Dana Quartet at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. 524-1124. 

Viviane e Prefixo de Verão, from Brazil, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Route 111, Thriving Ivory, Polly’s Orchid at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $6. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Pete Best Experience, Cover Girls at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Triple Play, jazz trio, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Ira Marlowe at 8 p.m. at The Jazz House. Sliding scale donation $10-$15. 649-8744. www.thejazzhouse.com 

Denise Perrier at 8:30 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Quetzal at 9:30 p.m. benefit for Urban Promise Academy, at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

Steve Seskin & Allen Shambkin at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50 advance, $18.50 at the door. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

The Katy Jay Band at 9:30 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Good Clean Fun, Time for Living, Kill the Messenger, Case of Emergency, at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Flowtilla at 9 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Teed Rockwell, Hindustani classical music at 8 p.m. at Bansuri’s Spring Gallery, 3929 Piedmont Ave. Oakland. 594-0754. www.bansuri.net 

About 30 protesters withstood steady drizzle early Thursday morning, worried that once Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) completes its newest laboratory complex, far smaller, more dangerous particles could rain down on them. 

“We don’t know anything at all about the health effects or environmental impact of what they’re doing here,” said Tom Kelly of the Community Health Commission. 

This morning (Friday, Jan. 30), LBNL breaks ground on its Molecular Foundry. The six-story, 94,000-square-foot facility, financed by $84 million from the Department of Energy, will catapult the lab into the forefront of nanotechnology, one of the fastest-growing but least-understood disciplines of physics. 

Nanoparticles are up to 100,000 times smaller than a human hair, but when properly manipulated, they have applications in every field from environmental preservation to repair of spinal tissues and creation of weapons of mass destruction. 

Demonstrators assembled outside the lab’s entrance questioned how the new building—planned to sit just above a watershed 600 meters from an earthquake fault—could have evaded a rigorous environmental review. They doubted the lab’s capacity to keep nano-particles from escaping into air and possibly drifting into their lungs, and they questioned the lab’s will to keep potential contaminates from seeping into nearby creeks that feed the Bay. 

“They’re wearing blinders on this project,” said Community Environmental Advisory Commission (CEAC) member LA Wood. “Not only do they not know the science, but they’re disregarding the environmental contamination of the hill.” 

Last year the city council rejected CEAC’s call to request the lab perform an Environmental Impact Report on the project. Aware that nanotechnology is too new for an EIR to analyze potential inhalation risks, CEAC has called for the lab to hire an independent auditor to perform an annual review of the foundry’s operations, as well as clean up soil and ground water contaminated with radioactive tritium just uphill from the foundry sight and bar new construction while other buildings on their 200-acre Berkeley Hills campus remained vacant.  

Lab spokeswoman Terry Powell has said in previous interviews that tritium levels were within federal standards and the lab would consider annual external reviews for work at the foundry.

Chanting “Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! M-T-O has got to go!”, an overflow crowd of city workers told the Berkeley City Council Tuesday night that a city manager’s mandatory time off (M-T-O) proposal to help close the budget gap wasn’t acceptable to the city’s non-public safety unions. 

The dispute surfaced on the same night the public learned that union officials and representatives of the city manager’s office have been holding productive weekly meetings over the past few months to discuss the budget crisis—resulting in one agreement that could save Berkeley close to half a million dollars a year in workers’ compensation costs. 

Earlier, at the council’s 5 p.m. working session, City Manager Phil Kamlarz gave the grim current details of Berkeley’s present budget problems, reporting that the city faces a budget shortfall of close to $10 million for all funds for the upcoming fiscal year (fiscal year 2005), rising to a $19.5 million gap by fiscal year 2009. 

Kamlarz wants to close the budget gap with a combination of cost-cutting and revenue-raising plans, including putting a possible tax-increase measure on the November ballot. The council will discuss the proposals in a series of public working sessions between now and late March. 

Among the more controversial proposals is the possible consolidation or elimination of some city commissions—but perhaps not as controversial as the mandatory city close-for-a-day idea. The fire on that one came at 7 p.m. Tuesday night, when more than 100 purple-sweatshirt-clad workers representing Berkeley’s various Service Employees International Union locals packed council chambers to capacity, with uniformed police officers blocking the stairway to keep the overflow crowd from coming up. 

The union members turned out to protest Kamlarz’ request for authorization to “meet and confer” with SEIU officials over mandatory one-day-a-month city shutdowns. The city manager projected the proposed shutdowns would generate $1.2 million a year in savings, once implemented at the start of the new fiscal year in July. 

When Councilmember Gordon Wozniak said a failure to adopt such cost-cutting measures might lead to the more drastic step of permanent layoffs, several union members in the audience called out, “Lay them off!” 

Councilmembers authorized the negotiations on an 8-1 vote, with Kriss Worthington dissenting after he was turned down on his request for the “meet and confer” language to be removed—language he said “targets certain employees in what could be perceived as an antagonistic way”—and suggested that the city manager should “explore the whole range of budget options” with the unions, calling that “a more nuanced and respectful approach.” 

Following the vote, union members filed out of the meeting with calls of “This ain’t over,” “I didn’t think this was a kingdom,” and “Remember who got you in, Tom. We can take you out.” 

Kamlarz said after the meeting that the “meet and confer” language in the resolution was necessary to put the unions on notice about the mandatory time off proposals. Without the language, he said, one-day city closings could not be implemented. 

Earlier, City Building Inspector Sharon Crosby, representing Service Employees International Union Local 535, told the council, “I want to thank the city for really working with the unions over the past several months. I really want to stress that they have been meeting cooperatively with us.” 

But to applause and shouts of approval from the assembled union members, Crosby went on to oppose the mandatory time off proposal. “We’d like to ask [the council] to not give authorization to open our contract. We’d like to look at efficiency. We’d like to look at reductions within the departments before you go to M-T-O. I just think that it’s a matter of respect. To ask us to give up wages and then continue to come to work with a smile on our faces—that just makes it hard. We would like to work cooperatively with the city in terms of reducing the budget, but M-T-O is not the way. We think that V-T-O [voluntary time off] is the way to go.” 

Sandra Lewis, East Bay Regional Vice President of SEIU Local 790, said, “We all know that there has to be savings. But using the word ‘mandatory’ is not going to get us there. We have been building up a relationship with the city manager to work together to solve our problems. Putting that whip over our head and using that word ‘mandatory’ is just going to put us further apart from each other. If you authorize the city manager to mandate that we take this one day off, I guarantee you, you’re not going to save any money.” 

In the earlier budget working session, the city manager’s office released a 45-page document giving the first details of proposed cuts to Berkeley’s upcoming budget. Cuts ranged from the reducing the “number and quality of meals served to the council and staff as part of council meetings” (at a savings of $3,000) to the elimination of some 90 full-time or part-time city jobs, of which nearly 50 are currently filled. 

The proposed reductions amount to a little over $6 million a year in savings, with outgoing Budget Director Paul Navazio stressing that this left a “$2 million to $3 million recurring problem thereafter,” even after the 2005 budget is balanced. 

Tuesday was Navazio’s last official Berkeley City Council meeting before he leaves to take a similar job in Davis.

A lawsuit filed early last week in San Francisco Superior Court by the Center for Environmental Health in North Oakland and another Bay Area activist organization could force the growing farmed salmon industry to radically change the way their product is raised. 

And at the very least, the lawsuit shines a spotlight on massive changes in the commercial fishing business. 

Brought against 50 of the largest farmed-salmon producers and retailers, the suit claims the companies violate California’s Proposition 65 anti-toxins law because they don’t warn consumers about potentially dangerous levels of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) in the fish. 

Based on reports released by the Environmental Working Group (the co-plaintiff) and the peer-reviewed journal Science, the groups are asking farmed salmon producers to stop using feed that is high in fatty fish and fish oils because PCBs—carcinogens banned in 1976—tend to concentrate in fats.  

Both reports show that tests of farmed salmon from companies in United States, Canada, Scotland, England, and Norway reveal PCB levels that would raise health concerns under guidelines established by the Environmental Protection Agency.  

Prop. 65, passed by voters in 1986, requires businesses to notify Californians about significant levels of toxic chemicals in products they purchase. Farmed salmon companies however, have found a loophole in the structure because the EPA guidelines only apply to wild salmon.  

After the reports were released, representatives cited the FDA standards to defend their product —but critics say those levels were originally set in 1984 and have not been reset due to heavy lobbying by the farmed salmon industry. 

A representative from the FDA said the department is not concerned with the report and is still encouraging consumers to eat the fish. 

EPA levels set in 1999 “are 500 times more protective than the PCB limits applied by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to commercially-sold fish,” the report says.  

“In the intervening two decades new scientific research has shown that PCBs that build up in fish and people are more potent cancer-causing agents than originally believed.” 

“Under the law, the only thing the company has to do is put a [warning] label, but because it is so market-driven, they don’t want to,” said Joanna Mattson, a toxics researcher with CEH. Instead, “we use the law to force them to reformulate.” 

Both groups stress the specificity of the case, saying the suit aims to change the feeding process, not discourage people from eating fish. 

Berkeley’s well-known Berkeley Bowl supermarket was one of the test sites in the EWG study that took samples from stores in Portland, Ore., the Bay Area, and Washington D.C. last May. The fish in question came from SalmoCo, a farmed salmon company in Scotland—and, like the rest, their meat showed high levels of PCBs. 

According Ted Iijima, fish department manager at the Berkeley Bowl, the store has discontinued most farmed salmon, both as a result of the reports and because their supplier switched the type of salmon they sold. He estimates that it now constitutes less than one percent of total sales. 

On the other hand, he says, salmon is the fish department’s biggest seller. He now buys between 1,000-3,000 pounds twice a week. 

“Salmon here is our bread and butter,” he said. “If we couldn’t sell salmon I’d half to let go of half my people.” 

Salmon sales according to several reports have steadily grown for years, promoted as a heart-healthy protein source. According to the EWG report, salmon overtook “fish sticks” last year as the third most popular seafood in the American diet, behind tuna and shrimp. They say 23 million Americans eat salmon more than once a month, most of it farmed. 

Shelly Heart, an Oakland resident shopping for salmon at Berkeley Bowl Wednesday, said her family eats salmon once a week. They don’t eat much farmed salmon because they don’t like the taste. After hearing the report, she says she’ll probably never eat farmed salmon again.  

“As you get older, you have to be careful,” she said. 

Since the report, many sellers have moved to label their wild salmon as an incentive for buyers. Iijima says he’s been labeling the his fish for more than 10 years, but until recently not many people paid attention. 

Several farmed salmon companies, including Black Pearl and Clare Island Sea Farm, have taken the lead in ensuring their salmon are low in PCB levels. According to a Black Pearl press release, contaminant levels are kept down by using fish meal sources “composed of line trimmings from herring, mackerel, shrimp and crustacean (scampi) plants,” creating a product “that is as close to the wild as possible while being certified GMO, animal protein and sea mammal protein-free.” 

More broadly, the tests have helped spotlight the farmed salmon industry as a growing environmental hazard, part of what University of Alberta professor of Biological Sciences John Volpe calls the blue revolution. 

Like the green revolution on land, he said, the blue revolution has increased sea production at the cost of the surrounding environment. In a recent article published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Volpe describes some of the risks associated with farmed salmon. 

“Each net pen (numbering in the hundreds on both of Canada’s coasts) is tantamount to an untreated sewer outfall introducing solid and dissolved wastes directly into the marine environment,” he wrote. 

Aquaculture, he said, poses additional environmental risks that could be more severe than those on land.  

“When you try to engage in aquaculture, there are a lot of problems,” he told the Daily Planet. “[Water] doesn’t play by the same rules as a feedlot.” 

He also examined the issue from a social perspective, focusing on the push by industry to increase productivity of the coasts, the last frontier for agriculture. 

“The bottom line is that all the environmental problems we face are physical manifestations of social injustices. This is not a science problem. The multi-nationals are liquidating the natural capital of the coasts,” he said. 

Off the Canadian coast, he said, five multinationals now control 80 percent of the farmed salmon industry. As with land-based industries, he says, the companies are interested in increasing profit margins and slashing costs—resulting in a process he calls bio-amplification. 

The corporations have developed techniques such as feeding the fish high-fat diets and raising them in offshore pens that not only threaten the environment and our health, but also the fishing community’s culture and sustainability.  

Increased production has slashed retail prices, driving out small producers. He points to Chile, where farmed salmon production has skyrocketed. Now, he says, New York fish markets are able to sell farmed Chilean salmon cheaper than wild salmon from Maine. 

Like mining or timber, he says, the companies are eager to extract profit and move on. In the end, the culture that surrounds salmon and salmon fishing could be wiped out.  

Instructors at UC Berkeley Extension’s English Language Program believe politics played a role in the university’s decision Monday to terminate the 31-year-old program. 

Faculty members had filed two unfair labor practice charges before the Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) in December, claiming Extension officials failed to alert faculty members of changes in teacher qualification and layoff policies. 

“Considering the administrative mess they’re in, they couldn’t have picked a more convenient time to close the program,” said Kimberly Green, one of the instructors. 

Margot Rosenberg, the teacher’s attorney, termed the closure “suspicious,” adding the teachers had been a thorn in the side of Extension by challenging layoffs and might next file charges of retaliation. 

The program has offered English instruction to students from all over the world since 1973. Twenty-six teachers are expected to lose their job when the program shuts its doors to its roughly 2,700 students May 7.  

Jim Sherwood, dean of University Extension, refused comment on the pending complaints, but insisted the decision to terminate the program stemmed from the recommendations of a new strategic plan.  

Using the buzzwords “Berkeley Quality/Berkeley Appropriate,” Sherwood said Extension wanted to shift priorities to programs that better meshed with the university’s mission and resources—which precludes ELP since new language schools have sprouted across the Bay Area, he said. 

But the program has always had a banner reputation, using the Berkeley name to attract an elite group of students. “I know a number of the teachers and I respect them greatly,” said Linguistics Professor Robin Lakoff. 

Dave Winet, an instructor since 1978, said “People send their kids here because it’s Berkeley. Our students are going to be influential in their country some day. I don’t see why Berkeley would want to lose that good will.” 

Especially confusing to the teachers are data supplied to them from the Extension accounting office showing the program remains profitable, netting $2.5 million last year. 

Sherwood insisted the program actually turned a loss, but refused to provide evidence, and said finances weren’t a factor in his decision. “We’re not in the business to make money,” he said. “Finances are a consideration, but we need to focus on meeting our mission.” 

He said the strategic plan, produced by the consulting firm of Moore, Iacofano and Goltsman, identified 15 percent of the school’s 2100 course offerings that didn’t meet program requirements, though so far ELP is the only program to be terminated. 

ELP teachers are not unionized, but say they are the only extension teachers to work full-time and receive health benefits. Their relationship with the administration had grown rocky in recent years, especially after UC Berkeley shut down the San Francisco ELP last year. 

At first only the three least-experienced of the 12 teachers were given transfers to Berkeley, said Bonu Ghosh one of those who was laid-off. She and her colleagues filed a grievance hearing with the university and won their jobs back. 

Confusion from the consolidation has bred more animosity. 

Rosenberg said the university, without consulting the staff, changed rules by giving preference for English-business classes to teachers that met new qualifications including past business experience, a business degree or sufficient business courses. 

Teachers suspected the policy was a ploy to lay-off more experienced, higher-paid teachers, but Sherwood insisted the policy was in line with improving academic rigor in the class.

Top textbook publishers are giving students a costly lesson in exploitative pricing, according to a study released Thursday by California Student Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG). 

UC students will spend an average of $898 on textbooks this year, the student group concluded. That’s 20 percent more than the $642 dollars students spent seven years ago, according to a 1997 UC survey. 

“It’s clear that students are being taken advantage of,” said Zachary Kruth, CALPIRG chair at UC Berkeley. 

The culprits, the report concludes, are the top few publishers—Pearson, McGraw Hill and Thompson—that have made habits of releasing new editions every three to four years even if little has changed in the course of study, filling books with elaborate graphs and charts and bundling them with expensive CD-ROMs and workbooks that professors often ignore. 

For many disciplines like math, the reports’ authors charge, the goal of the new edition is not to improve instruction, but to limit the number of used books in circulation to maximize sales.  

New editions are often virtual carbon copies of past ones, with a different order and review questions, said UC Berkeley Calculus Professor Jenny Harrison at a Thursday press conference. “It’s just cutting and pasting sections,” she said holding up the fifth edition of Calculus Early Transcendentals—which sells new for $122 at the UC Bookstore. “This book cost Cal students $150,000. I could do this in a couple of afternoons.” Last year the fourth edition of the book cost students $90 used. 

Once the new edition is released however, Harrison said, there aren’t enough old editions to go around, meaning the professor must order a new book. “We have control over which book we have in our class but we can’t assign a book that doesn’t exist,” she said. 

The CALPIRG report is based on interviews with 156 faculty and 521 students at 10 public colleges and universities in California and Oregon. An average new textbook, according to the report, costs $102.44, 58 percent higher than the price of a used textbook, $64.80. Also, 65 percent of faculty reported never or rarely using the bundled CD-ROMs and workbooks that now accompany half of all new books. 

Data from the National Association of College Stores supports CALPIRG’s claims. Over the past three years, the textbook price index has jumped by an average of seven percent, compared to 3.4 percent for other books. 

Not everyone thinks the textbook business is crooked. Cliff Ewert, spokesperson for Follett Higher Education Group, manager of the UC Berkeley bookstore, said the price of new textbooks is fair. “There are no economies of scale in the textbook business,” he said. “A text book requires a tremendous amount of research and editorial review for a book that prints about 20,000 copies and is often printed and bound with higher quality materials.” 

Despite being the largest campus bookstore management firm in the country with 680 stores, Follett doesn’t try to flex its muscles with publishers or professors, Ewert said. “We believe in total academic freedom for the faculty. It’s always up to the professors.” 

But a manager at Ned’s Books, which sells textbooks to UC Berkeley students, said professors are often unwittingly sold textbooks by sales representatives without knowing about the increased costs passed on to students and potential losses to the stores. 

“We’re the ones getting killed,” he said. “Margins on textbooks are lower than potato chips.”  

Campus bookstores have traditionally made their money from buying and selling used books, but with the rapid turnover in textbooks, Ned’s has fewer used books to sell. 

Students are beginning to rebel against excessive pricing on all fronts. At Berkeley, ASUC Senator Misha Leybovich instituted a used book swap last year that that his year hosted 2,000 students at Sproul Plaza trading and selling their used books for better prices offered by the bookstores. 

Other students interviewed reported buying their books online from discount retailers ctextbook.com and half.com. 

To get reduced prices, Kruth wants to get faculty members to sign a statement that textbooks are overpriced and to lobby for online textbooks and supplements to books when new scholarship becomes available.  

Most students interviewed at the campus bookstore, however, seemed resigned to high prices. “It doesn’t hurt me that much said Junior Thom Malowski. “My parents pay for school. They’re more disgusted than I am.”

Friends and family of a well-known Berkeley activist will gather this Saturday to remember the remarkable life of Mildred Schoenberger, a 30-year resident of the city who died Dec. 15 at the Loving Care Nursing Home in El Cerrito after a long illness, three weeks shy of her ninety-eighth birthday. 

A resident at Strawberry Creek Lodge in Berkeley for nearly 20 years, she was a strong advocate for older citizens.  

Ms. Schoenberger moved to Berkeley from New York City in the early 1970s, dedicating her time and talent to many progressive causes and took an active role in the lives of her young grandchildren. 

In Berkeley, she was active in the anti-Vietnam War movement and in the 1970s she worked to save the Grove Street Campus of Merritt College to ensure access to higher education in low-income neighborhoods. In the following decade, she organized, demonstrated and risked arrest in the effort to discontinue the development of nuclear arms at Lawrence Livermore Lab. In the 1990s she was a leader of the drive to convert the Bel Air Motel on University Avenue to offer services for the homeless. 

A member of the National Organization for Women, she became increasingly active in women’s issues. A contributor to countless charitable and progressive organizations—local, state and national—she volunteered her time and skills to many organizations and institutions until her early ‘90s, including the Berkeley chapters of the Women for Peace, the Gray Panthers, the United States-China Peoples’ Friendship Association, the Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute, the Congress of California Seniors and the Niebyl-Proctor Library. Mayor Loni Hancock appointed her to the city’s Commission on Aging. 

She worked for the campaigns of Ron Dellums, Gus Newport, Mark Allen, Ying Lee Kelley, Loni Hancock and many other BCA candidates, and supported George McGovern, Eugene McCarthy, Carol Mosely Braun and many other progressive leaders.  

She served as president of the Tenants Association at Strawberry Creek Lodge—her home for 20 years—and on its board and executive committee, pressing for increased tenant involvement in decision-making and operations. 

She participated in the literature and writing programs at the North Berkeley Senior Citizens Center, where she wrote poetry, some of it published through the Senior Center and the Edge of the World Press—a collective of senior writers, and one of her oil paintings was displayed in the official 1948 anniversary celebration of the founding of the City of New York. 

When she became a teacher in the New York City School system in 1931, she immediately joined the Teachers Union, taking an active role in its campaigns to improve teachers’ economic and job security and its efforts to obtain breakfasts and clothing for impoverished children, smaller class size and special educational programs for disadvantaged neighborhoods.  

Spain was her special focus during the 1930s. As she once explained, “Some of us met regularly, devotedly, and often for reading and discussion of new social and economic theories. We raised money and support for the Spanish Loyalists in their tragic war against Franco, and many tears were shed at the fall of Barcelona.”  

In the early 1950s, her union activities led to her to fight the New York City School Board’s dismissal of her teaching colleagues for their political beliefs and associations. Four decades later, she wrote in the publication by the Committees of Correspondence, Tribute of a Lifetime, about those teachers: 

“To those stout hearts goes the credit for establishing the right of teachers to be judged by their classroom performance and not by their politics. They made history. Their lawsuit … resulted in a decision in their favor. The NYC Board of Education had to make a public apology for the firings; had to grant them service credit for the years of service lost; and to offer them the choice of returning to the classroom.” 

Her experiences then formed the basis of her contribution to Ann Fagan Ginger’s The Cold War Against Labor. 

As she explained to a friend decades later, “During my teaching career, … in the Teachers Union, we carried out many progressive campaigns of an educational nature, for smaller class size, larger appropriations, improvement of conditions in the Harlem schools, of racist restrictions in the hiring of teachers and elimination of racist attitudes and stereotypes in the textbooks and teaching materials of that period.” 

Born in Manhattan on Jan. 5, 1906, she was the third of four sisters. A graduate of New York City public schools, she earned a math B.A. from Hunter College in January 1929, and two years later began a nearly 40-year teaching career at Washington Irving High School, where she had earned her own diploma. 

In 1935 she married attorney Joshua Bernard Schoenberger in Rockaway Beach in Queens, NY. They had one son, Edward Alexander, born in 1939. 

Her husband died, and the following year she received a masters in mathematics education at Hunter College—by then part of the City of New York University System—where, at age 57, she became a math instructor, teaching there until 1970. After retirement in 1970, she moved to Berkeley to be with her son and his family. 

The early 1990s found her demonstrating about and advocating for progressive educational issues in Sacramento, just as she had in her teaching days in New York.  

She had joined the Progressive Party when former Vice President Henry Wallace left the Democratic Party in 1948, and participated in party’s presidential nominating convention that year. In California, she joined the Peace and Freedom Party, and belonged to numerous other organizations committed to school integration, disarmament, health security and rent control. 

In the 1950s, she was active in the nuclear disarmament movement and in the next decade joined the anti-Vietnam War movement and attended the March on Washington in August of 1963 at which Martin Luther King delivered his now world famous “I have a dream” speech. In San Francisco, at age 82, she marched for civil rights, jobs and justice. 

A classical pianist, she enjoyed listening to a variety of music, and math, especially non-Euclidian geometry, was her intellectual love. Mondrian was a particular, and she often wore clothing that dramatically sported his colorful designs. 

She also completed the New York Times crossword puzzle daily. 

A world traveler, she appreciated the varieties of different cultures and embraced their contribution to her understanding of how people lived and worked, visiting more than 25 different countries on every continent. 

Mildred was the third of four daughters—the only one with bright red hair. Her parents, both enterprising Jewish immigrants in the late 1870s from Mishkulz in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, lived on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Her father, Alexander Wagner, spoke Hungarian, German, Yiddish and English and ran several small businesses including a family restaurant on the lower East Side and a dancing school. 

When her father died of tuberculosis when Mildred was still in school, she took a crash course in secretarial skills, working during the day and attending college at night. She continued to work, help with the household expenses until she received her B.A. Though her mother, Henrietta Bachner, had only completed the eighth grade, she opened the first employee cafeteria in a major New York department store and later took operations of a hotel on Long Island and later ran one in Miami Beach. 

In 2003, she celebrated her ninety-seventh birthday with members of her extended family. Said a friend, “Mildred was an exceptional person. She had very clear and defined views about politics. But she never lost her humanity. She always tried to do well everywhere she went. It did not matter if you agreed with her or not.” 

Members of her family were with her on the day of her passing. She is survived by her son and daughter in law, Edward and Jenifer Schoenberger, granddaughter Beth Amy Schoenberger and her husband, Harvey Levine and her great-granddaughter, Emma Levine, six, and grandson Peter Schoenberger and his wife, Allyson Hitt and great-grandson, Jasper Schoenberger, two, all of the Oakland-Berkeley area. She was also very close to members of her extended family. 

Her husband, her three sisters, Ethel, Julia and Sadie, and her long time companion and friend, Max Mandel of Berkeley, all preceded her in death. 

A celebration of her life will be held Saturday, Jan. 31, at 2 p.m. at Strawberry Creek Lodge, 1320 Addison St. Donations in her name may be made to Women for Peace, 2309 Ellsworth, Berkeley, 94704; the Gray Panthers of Berkeley, 1403 Addison St., Berkeley, 94702; The National Organization for Women, 1000 16th St, Washington, D.C., 20036.

Sprint Wireless Communications and North Berkeley residents will have to wait another week to wait to find out whether city councilmembers will approve Sprint’s controversial cellular antennae facility at the corner of Shattuck Avenue and Cedar Street. 

Sprint wants to put three antennae on the roof and corresponding equipment in the basement of a commercial building housing two restaurants. After the Zoning Adjustments Board approved the facility, neighbors appealed to the council—which held a public hearing last week, and had been expected to rule at Tuesday’s meeting. 

But after several councilmembers, particularly Gordon Wozniak, expressed concern that Sprint hadn’t made its case that the facility was necessary, councilmembers postponed their vote. 

Wozniak said he’d done his own test of Sprint telephone service on two occasions at peak hours, finding no loss of service. 

Sprint’s written rebuttal submitted after last week’s hearing included an allegation that the Tri Field Meter used by one of the proposed facility’s detractors to measure power readings near Shattuck and Cedar is “most popular with ghost hunting and UFO cults.” 

Sprint included an advertisement which called the meter “the Ghost Detector—one step beyond the average EMF meter for Parapsychological and Paranormal field work.” 

Resident Shahram Sharuz had alleged that the meter showed that power emissions in the area of the proposed cellular facility already exceed FCC standards. 

The council also turned aside a motion by members Kriss Worthington and Betty Olds to refer another controversial proposal—setting aside on-street parking near the Ashby BART station—for the city’s parking enforcement officers (the so-called “meter maids”). Instead, members voted 5-3-1 to approve a recommendation by Miriam Hawley, Linda Maio and Wozniak to move the parking sites away from commercial areas and reduce the numbers from the original 21. 

Spaces will be set aside in curbside areas currently marked red, so that parking for other citizens won’t be reduced. Councilmembers Dona Spring, Olds, and Worthington opposed the motion; Councilmember Maudelle Shirek abstained. 

At Spring’s request, the council unanimously set March 16 for a public hearing to discuss a possible moratorium on above-three-story, mixed use buildings in the University Avenue area. 

Spring and University Avenue area residents have requested the moratorium to give the city time to bring the zoning code in compliance with the University Avenue Specific Plan. Councilmember Olds was out of the room for the vote, and Maio recused herself on the city attorney’s advice because of a possible conflict of interest. 

After hearing assurances from the Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Department that they would have plenty of time to review the possible cutting of close to 100 trees before the power saws are actually turned on, the council voted 8-1 (Spring voting no) to allow the Bay Trail Extension to Berkeley Marina plan to go forward in its first phase. 

Spring had held up the vote at last week’s meeting because of her concerns about the trees, and Councilmember Worthington asked staff members to present a plan to “save as many trees as possible” before the actual construction begins. 

Councilmember Margaret Breland, who has missed the past two meetings due to illness, participated in Tuesday’s meeting by telephone.

Fewer students applied to the University of California this year than last, the first such drop in over a decade, according to a UC report released Tuesday. 

International and out-of-state applicants led the decline, which comes as UC braces for higher student fees and lower enrollment from anticipated state budget cuts. 

“We never welcome a decrease in applications, but given the situation this year it may ease some pressure on the system,” said UC spokesperson Lavonne Luquis. 

Applications for prospective freshman dropped 4.1 percent from 76,931 last year to 73,794. While applications from California residents dropped only 2.9 percent, applications fell 18.2 percent for international students and 9.4 percent for out-of-state students. 

Helping bridge the gap, 24,373 community college transfer students applied to UC this fall, up 5.7 percent from last year. California transfer applications rose 12.9 percent, while out-of-state and international transfers fell 14.2 percent and 56.1 percent. In total, 98,658 students applied to UC—a 1.3 percent decline from last year. UC Berkeley saw enrollment slip 0.7 percent 

Luquis attributed the drop to negligible growth in the number of high school graduates in California this year, federal immigration laws making it more difficult for students to obtain visas and higher student fees. 

California residents have seen their tuition rise 40 percent in the past year, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed an additional 10 percent hike bringing annual tuition close to $6,000. 

Out-of-state students, who now pay about $20,000 per year, are also facing fee hikes at a time when some regents are pushing for more to be admitted to help fund in-state students. 

A racial breakdown shows that transfer student application rates rose across the board, but for freshmen only Chicanos, American Indians and Asians saw applications increase, while African Americans experienced the biggest drop, with seven percent fewer applications. 

—Matthew Artz

Tie-up 

Two masked men entered a cellular telephone store on the 3300 block of Adeline Street at 4:13 p.m. Wednesday, flashed guns at the lone clerk and tied him up before taking his wallet, police said. Anyone who may have seen the two men flee the store is asked to call the Robbery Detail at 981-5742. 

Drug Bust 

After numerous community complaints, police searched a home on the 1800 block of Prince Street Wednesday afternoon, finding an ounce of crack-cocaine and a handgun. Five people found inside the house were arrested on charges ranging from possession of cocaine for sale to weapons violations. 

Armed Robbery 

Two people were robbed at gunpoint early Tuesday morning at the corner of Channing Way and Curtis Street, police said. The two robbers stole a backpack and drove off in a white minivan.

My Mexican friends tell the story of two brothers who lived in a fishing village on the Monterey coast in the days when Alta California was still part of Mexico. From the time they were babies, the two brothers were all but inseparable; where one would be, so would be the other. One summer morning when they were in their late teens, however, they came into dispute. One of them wanted to go to the market at San Miguel, while the other wished to travel to the town of Gregorio, where a young woman lived. For the first time, neither would give way to the will of the other, so finally, one of the brothers hit upon the plan.  

“Let us put on blindfolds and set out from home together,” he said. “We shall let Fate decide where we go.”  

And so they did. Blinded, arm in arm, they walked along the road, and after many turns and bumps and bruises and stumblings into the brush, they heard the sounds of a town in front of them. Pulling off their blindfolds, they found themselves on the outskirts of San Miguel. When one of the brothers showed his disappointment, the other brother insisted he should not. “After all,” he said, “it was only Fate that brought us to the town where I wanted to go.” “Either that,” replied the other, “or one of us peeked along the way.” 

The moral of this story, my Mexican friends explain, is that when a group reaches a destination to which one member of the group always wanted to go, luck or divine intervention can generally be ruled out as the cause. 

Many months ago, when the Oakland schools were still in the hands of Oakland citizens, and long before the present fiscal crisis, we began hearing suggestions about selling the Paul Robeson Administration Building on Second Avenue. These suggestions were not coming from the superintendent’s office, you understand, nor, if I remember, from members of the school board. Instead it was friendly observers who were saying that the administration was too big and too inefficient for the needs of the district, and should be done away with. The suggestions of selling the school administration building never seemed to make much sense to me, from the point of saving money for the district, any more than it makes much sense for somebody selling their mortgage-free house and then paying rent somewhere for the rest of their lives. Still, we kept hearing that this is what we ought to do. 

And if you believe the rumors—and Oakland is full of rumors, this morning—the sale of the Robeson Administration Building is what the Oakland school takeover was all about. In this scenario, real estate developers—under the cover of willing local politicians—would dearly like the Second Avenue property for upscale housing. Looking at the dreary neighborhood in which the Robeson Building sits, that wouldn’t seem to make any sense. Unless, that is, you take into account that Oakland is busily making plans to reconfigure the 12th Street-14th Street junction around Lake Merritt, and daylight the creek from the lake to the estuary. Very soon, therefore, the Robeson Building will be waterfront property, sitting on one of the most stunningly beautiful sites in the entire city. 

And so, this rumor goes, developers went to the local politicians, and the local politicians went to Superintendent Dennis Chaconas, trying to get him to agree to the sale. Chaconas would not agree, and it was never thought that such a crazy idea could ever get past an elected Oakland School Board, the Oakland public being as excitable as it is. And so they had to go, Chaconas and the elected school board, in one great sweep. And under this scenario, the Oakland school takeover was no necessary result of some accidental overbudgeting due to antiquated computer technology, but was orchestrated from start to finish. You could make a pretty good case for this, I suppose, starting with County School Superintendent Sheila Jordan sending over her financial adviser (Pete Yasitis) to run the Oakland school finances, continuing with Yasitis developing the teacher pay hike plan that led to Oakland’s overbudgeting, and ending with Jordan being one of the major players in stopping a Chaconas/School Board plan that would have held off the state “loan” and preventing the state takeover. I suppose we could ask Yasitis some interesting questions about this, but he has long since left the building. 

Anyhow, now comes a Sunday article by Alex Katz of the Oakland Tribune (and Tribune reporters have been doing some valuable work recently on the Oakland school issue), in which an extended quotation is in order. Talking about what to do with the five Oakland schools set for closure by state-appointed Oakland School Administrator Randolph Ward, Katz writes: 

“Another option would be to move the district’s central offices to one of the sites, making it possible to lease or sell the district’s valuable administration buildings... “Right now the whole administration building is up for discussion,” Ward said. … [A]n agenda for a Wednesday closed session meeting includes negotiations between the ‘district and prospective developers and/or owners’ of the district’s headquarters and adjacent buildings. … According to the agenda, the subject of closed session negotiations will be the ‘Price and/or Terms of Payment for Both the Purchase or Lease or Development of some or all of said property.’ State Sen. Don Perata … has encouraged the sale of the property, which [Perata] said would make spectacular housing, to help pay down the district’s $65 million loan from the state.” 

Mr. Ward told Katz that any possible decision on the sale of the Robeson Building had nothing to do with the plans to close the five schools. But looking to Mr. Ward for answers here is like asking a car how it ended up on your lawn. A conversation with the driver would seem more in order. As for the sale of the Robeson Building being behind the Oakland school takeover? Sounds fantastic. But like my Mexican friends say, when you end up at a location where someone in the crowd said they wanted to go, accident is not usually the cause.

Yellowman, which opened at Berkeley Repertory Theatre Wednesday night, finished the evening with two standing ovations.  

Two. Standing. 

That’s possibly the main thing you want to know about the production, but there’s some other rather exciting stuff involved, too.  

This is a two-person drama blessed with actors who give mesmerizing performances with what could be a difficult text. Diedre N. Henry (“Alma”) and Clark Jackson (“Eugene”) are seated in separate chairs on a bare stage. With no props and almost no physical interaction they each tell their own version of a relationship which begins in childhood and turns into a love affair destroyed by racial prejudices and stereotypes. That story’s been told before; I’m not at all sure that this one has. 

They are both, by common classification, black. But that’s an outsiders’ classification. Within the black community of South Carolina—and perhaps elsewhere—they belong to different and hostile worlds. Alma, the vivid, emotionally healthier of the two, is “black”—Eugene is “high yellow” and belongs to a “wealthy” family, i.e., they have indoor plumbing and invite people for dinner. 

But the tensions and generations-long rage about the class system within the black world tears his family apart. His father, a handsome, successful black man, cannot forgive his son for being born “yellow.” To his father, Eugene embodies all the slights and deprivations and disappointments in his own life that he blames on his color. 

There is historical evidence that, before emancipation, the children of inter-racial relationships (some perhaps consensual, some most certainly not) were sometimes treated with special favors in terms of educational opportunities and working situations by their white “owners.” Those with special advantages coalesced into a favored social class, still defined as black. It is understandable that such a situation would cause continued pain throughout the generations. 

It is quite possible that the playwright, Dael Orlandersmith, may be the first person to use a popular medium to directly address what is arguably one of the most tragic results of our country’s racial history. And while theater doesn’t reach the wide audience that movies do, it still is not as limited as is the number of people who read the heavy-duty social science books where the subject has, until now, been confined. 

The play is an attack upon the direct damage the slaveowners did. It concerns itself with the damage—carried down the generations—done to the psyche of people who were treated as less than human races that inevitably occurs when two groups live intimately together. (See your local anthropologist for the background material on that assertion).  

This play, seen by an audience largely composed of white people, is an important and exciting event. Berkeley Rep has done us all a memorable favor, whether or not it is the first to raise the subject to a larger audience. 

Yellowman runs through March 7 at the theater, 2025 Addison St. Ticket prices $43 to $55, available at the box office Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. or by telephone at 647-2949 or 888-427-8849.

Naked singers and local folk heroes helped a packed crowd celebrate years of Berkeley activism on homelessness and mark the opening of a new temporary shelter during a benefit show at the Freight & Salvage coffee house Wednesday night.  

The event, organized by the Berkeley Homeless Union, included performances by the well-known folk guitarists Carol Denney and Country Joe McDonald, along with the eye-opening partially to fully nude trio, “The X-plicit singers,” composed of members of Berkeley’s well-known nude theater group, the X-plicit players. 

Festivities opened with an awards ceremony where Mayor Tom Bates and Councilmember Linda Maio presented awards to some of Berkeley’s more well-known homeless advocates including Michael Deihl, attorney Osha Neumann, and Telegraph Avenue Street Calendar creators B.N. Duncan and Ace Backwords. 

Fred Lupke, Ray Reese, Father Bill, and Kevin Freeman, Berkeley activists who passed away last year were honored with songs, and pictures of Reese, Father Bill and Freeman stood behind the musicians as they performed. 

Highlights from the show included quips from many of the performers—in particular Carol Denney—about Berkeley’s low income housing projects and the city government’s failure to meet the needs of the homeless—all directed at Mayor Bates, sitting in the back of the audience. 

All of the money raised will be used to buy sleeping bags, ponchos and blankets, along with other cold weather necessities for the city’s homeless.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the last in a series of articles by UC Berkeley journalism students on the paths of Berkeley. 

La Vereda path seems like an orphan. Though it belongs to the Daley’s Scenic Park area, it finds little mention in histories of the neighborhood.  

“Early maps of the Daley’s Scenic Park region do not include La Vereda, probably because it was built post-1909,” Anthony Bruce, executive director, Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association, said in an interview. 

Daley’s Scenic Park was the first residential subdivision in the North Berkeley Hills. In the late 1890s, a group of concerned women formed the Hillside Club to encourage artistic homes complementing the natural beauty of Berkeley Hills. La Vereda path is on the eastern end of Virginia Street past La Loma. The tarred path and the houses flanking it have been constructed in accordance with the Hillside Club’s concept of “building with nature.”  

While the path is walkable, it is inconveniently steep, and a stairway beside the path, which connects it to La Vereda Road, is crumbling.  

“The right wall of the staircase at the top right column is pulling away from the upper column. Nobody seems to be taking the stewardship to set this right,” said Karen Kemp, editor and designer of the Berkeley Path Wanderers Association’s newsletter. 

La Vereda path was constructed based on a grided street structure, suitable for flat roads. The inclination and sharp turn of the path made it difficult for horse-drawn wagons to negotiate the bend. So the residents, members of the Daley’s Scenic Park and city engineers remodeled the path with retaining walls and stairways “that split the level of the roads and created much more gentle grades,” said Kemp.  

The neighborhood is a mixture of small cottages, modest homes, fraternity houses, and mansions. Describing Daley’s Scenic Park tract as the “town and gown area” of the Berkeley campus, Joan Seear, a resident of the area since 1957 said, “Many of the old houses having undergone gentrification, but the road and the railings require fixing. And with more people coming to live in this area, the parking situation is a zoo.”  

But with increased cost of living and budget crisis, “I don’t think it’s economically feasible for Berkeley to improve the road,” she added.

Checking on UC Extension’s recent decision to shut down its world-renowned English Language Program was a discouraging exercise. While our reporter asked ELP faculty for their views on what hit them, I called looking for an official explanation and got more than I bargained for. I reached one of UC’s ubiquitous PR people, who offered to fax me part of Extension’s Strategic Plan (Capitalization is sic throughout, and they use a lot of it). It was headlined Ensure Program Quality. When I read the second sentence, I knew we were in trouble: “ …Extension will institutionalize the process of curricular review according to the criteria of Berkeley quality that was developed during the planning process.” ELP instructors could tell the author that criteria takes a plural verb.  

And it got worse. It seemed to be a seven-page excerpt from a parody of the business self-help books sold in airports when I was a business traveler in the ‘80s. It was chock full of sententious and meaningless slogans obviously derived from Powerpoint presentations: “meaningful and engaging learning experiences offered in high-quality facilities or using best practice program formats”; “Organizational Analysis of Learner Feedback”; “…seize entrepreneurial opportunities”…. 

The key mantra seemed to be: “Ensure that Extension’s Programs are Berkeley Quality and Berkeley Appropriate.” It was frequently repeated, abbreviated as “BQ/BA” and defined thus: “Extension will continuously review our programs for their fit with criteria developed during the strategic planning process to clarify the characteristics campus stakeholders identified as ‘distinctively Berkeley’.” That’s one I recognize, as an occasional unwilling consumer of trashy ‘80s business magazines like Inc. when my plane offered no other reading matter. It’s primitive branding strategy, albeit much less sophisticated than the way they do it in successful businesses these days.  

When I started asking the PR lady pointed questions, she, much to my surprise, offered to put the extension dean on the phone. The dean, who came here a year and a half ago from Nebraska, was confident that he and his staff know what’s “Berkeley Appropriate.” 

So why did they decide to axe the English Language Program? He said that the decision was “driven by the strategic planning process” and that the program didn’t match up with the characteristics in the Strategic Plan, which was developed by a Fourth Street consulting firm (whose website shows that their major experience to date has been in city planning.) He claimed that ELP didn’t have the appropriate connection with the UC campus and was not using campus faculty. I told him that this surprised me, since I happen to know several distinguished linguistic department faculty members who lecture in the program. Oh, he said, they only do it randomly. 

He emphasized that the decision was absolutely not a cost decision, that the ELP’s revenues cover its costs. But he said that when the program started it was unique, and now there are many “providers” in the Bay Area. Since I still couldn’t relate what he was telling me to what I knew about the excellent international reputation of ELP, I asked if I could get a copy of the whole Strategic Plan. Oh no, he said, “the Strategic Plan is a confidential document that we don’t share.” “Remember,” he went on, “we are a business, in competition with other providers in the area”. 

Ah. That explains it all. In the old days, UC Extension used to be an educational institution, but in the brave new world of the 2lst Century it’s a business. I asked if I could see their Strategic Plan if I made a formal request under the California Public Records Act . He said no, because it’s a self-supporting business, not a state agency. I asked if UC Extension employees still got state paychecks. At that point he said that any further questions would have to be directed to “the person I report to,” UC Berkeley Provost Paul Gray.  

Without a scorecard, it’s harder and harder to tell the difference between universities and the corporations they’re slavishly trying to imitate. And that’s too bad. 

Becky O’Malley is executive editor of the Daily Planet. 

Tom Bates’ unsuccessful attempt to sabotage the Planning Commission task force on the university’s proposed hotel, which he himself had requested only two months earlier, was unfortunately all too typical of his political style. He can’t seem to remember that Berkeley’s form of government is a weak mayor model—he’s supposed to be not much more than a councilmember-at-large, with some ceremonial responsibilities, including chairing the council meetings, and a bigger staff. He might try to get the local voters to change that, following the lead of the two Big Bad Browns who became mayors of neighboring cities after serving in Sacramento. But at this point few would say that the Brown experiments worked very well for Oakland or San Francisco, so Bates’ chances of becoming a strong mayor don’t look good. 

He obviously loves the picture of himself going mano-a-mano with the Big U, where he once quarterbacked a Rose Bowl football team. In his letter to the Planning Commission’s committee on the hotel proposal, he said that: “The city and the university are currently engaged in negotiations about the entitlement process. No agreement has been reached on who will serve as lead agency and what the exact permitting process will look like. I believe this proposal preempts those negotiations and may greatly complicate the eventual decision-making process.” 

The problem with this is, he’s not The City. He’s only the weak mayor. The City of Berkeley, in all its majesty, is the citizens, speaking through their representatives on the council and on the commissions (which, by the way, Bates and friends seem to be trying to undermine, but that’s another story.) The mayor doesn’t seem to understand how the commission system works, as evidenced by his worry in his letter that the task force proposal “does not address questions about the role of the Zoning Adjustments Board and the Design Review Committee in reviewing the project.” He wonders “how would discrepancies between design recommendations of the task force and the DRC/ ZAB be handled?” 

In a nutshell, the Planning Commission examines policy questions and makes recommendations to the council, which then enacts ordinances, which are subsequently administered by the city staff, with variance requests adjudicated by the Zoning Adjustment Board, which in turn gets non-binding advice from its Design Review Committee. There’s absolutely no reason for Bates and university planners to feel threatened by hearing the Planning Commission’s proposed policy recommendations, if what they want is consistent with citizens’ perceptions of the public good. But that’s a big If. 

Will the public interest be better served by secret negotiations with Tom Bates as point person? Michael Rossman recently digressed in these pages about how the California Schools for the Deaf and Blind were suckered out of what’s now the Clark Kerr Campus. His piece reminded old-timers that Bates and his wife Loni Hancock, then mayor of Berkeley, brokered that bad deal. The University of California took terrible advantage of both the school and its neighbors.  

The reason for making policy in open process is that you get better policy that way, especially in the City of Berkeley, where an unusual number of smart and well-informed citizens volunteer their services on bodies like the Planning Commission. Massive public building projects like sports stadiums and hotel-conference centers have, historically, often been good for developers but bad for localities. If the open public meetings of the planning commission task force turn out to pre-empt Bates’ currently secret negotiations, as he fears, maybe it’s better that way. The services of sharp-eyed public watchdogs like those on our planning commission will go a long way to ensure that this mega-project will be good for Berkeley, not just for UC Berkeley. Mayor Bates should appreciate their expert help in getting a good and fair deal for the city.  

Becky O’Malley is executive editor of the Daily Planet.