The leader of a notorious Berkeley real estate dynasty, who in 2001 pled guilty for his role in a family operation to smuggle young Indian girls into the country for sex and cheap labor, has asked a United States District Court judge to rescind his guilty plea just as a civil case against the family is about to commence. -more-

While Berkeley office vacancy rates have been increasing over the past two years, they still remain half those of San Francisco, where real estate vendors estimate year-end office vacancy rates at more than 20 percent. -more-

The Shattuck Hotel is no longer for sale, its owner said Monday, after the prospective buyer, Aki Ito, pulled out of the deal that would have turned the 94-year-old Berkeley landmark into short-term student housing. -more-

A Berkeley-based concert promoter has struck a blow against corporate music behemoth Clear Channel Entertainment, winning the exclusive rights to promote concerts at the Greek Theater. -more-

A controversial activist group met in a South Berkeley church Saturday afternoon to urge parents to enlist in the fight against a lawsuit filed by an Berkeley affirmative action foe backed by a equally controversial conservative legal foundation. -more-

As touchscreen voting machines continue to draw heat from critics pointing to allegations of security vulnerabilities, one group of computer science experts proposes to have the solution. -more-

When the lights went out in downtown Berkeley two weeks ago, renowned French actor/producer/author Anne Delbee had just launched into her one-women show reenacting the greatest performances of legendary 19th Century actress Sarah Bernhardt. Delbee’s director walked on stage and asked if she wanted to quit. -more-

Phil McArdle is a Berkeley resident and author. On vacation in Spain, he arrived one day after the horrific terrorist bombing on the Madrid commuter train. Below is his first-hand account of events in Spain in the immediate aftermath of that bombing, including the election that toppled the Spanish government. -more-

There is an old saying that “to speak the name of our ancestors is to keep them alive.” Today I speak the name of labor leader and environmentalist, César Estrada Chávez. He was a man who died prematurely at 66, a life worn out by dedicated service, personal sacrifice, constant threats to his and his family’s life; and the formidable efforts of agribusiness, Teamsters, and government agents to derail everything he tried to accomplish. -more-

“I have to go to the powder room,” my ancient Grandmother announced, a note of desperation in her voice, her caterac-ted eyes staring at me in cloudy confusion. -more-

TUESDAY, MARCH 30 -more-

“If I couldn’t go to Vista College I would just have to focus on working, getting by. I couldn’t get a better job. What would the future be?” -more-

Alameda County Registrar of Voters Brad Clark deserves thanks for making a formal contract complaint against Diebold Election Systems, the vendor for the county’s touchscreen and vote tallying technology. According to the Oakland Tribune, the precipitating event for Registrar Clark’s action appears to have been the failure of 200 uncertified and poorly tested voter card encoders during the March 2 election. -more-

PLACEMENT TESTS -more-

The San Francisco Bay Area and the West Coast were dramatically transformed during the Great Depression. Great new bridges spanned the bay. The New Deal brought funding for other immense public works—dams, highways, aqueducts, and electrification—throughout California, the Pacific Northwest and the desert Southwest. -more-

Thirty-five years ago, to an artist captivated by old boats and maritime dereliction, the Oakland Estuary—described on the AAA map as the Inner Harbor—was a paradise of waterscapes. Employed by the city’s Planning Department, I was left gloriously alone for months to pursue a photo-survey of the whole terrain. The old semi-derelict water-edge was far and away my preferred haunt. -more-

TUESDAY, MARCH 30 -more-

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Three recent books with local connections explore a variety of approaches to the topic of what it means to do public service. -more-

Listening to biologists could easily lead you to believe that all field work has to cope with impassible roads, extreme weather, tropical diseases, leeches, guerilla movements, or some combination of the above. I remember the late herpetologist, Joe Slowinski, describing how everyone in his party contracted malaria in Burma, then going on about what a great place it was in which to work. (On his next trip back, Slowinski was fatally bitten by one of his research subjects.) -more-

The City Council laid the groundwork at last Tuesday night’s meeting for an austerity budget certain to dent city services and maybe taxpayer wallets as well. To do so, however, they had to run a gamut of senior citizens protesting proposed cuts to the city’s senior programs. -more-

After hearing from a substantial group of community members opposed to the use of police dogs by the Berkeley Police department, the Berkeley Police Review Commission (PRC) voted 6-3 Wednesday night to reject a plan to put two German shepherds on the force. -more-

No one denies that Dominique Reed is getting bullied. The question is, why is she getting punished for it? -more-

FRIDAY, MARCH 26 -more-

Robin Kibby hasn’t forgotten the day last July when she walked into her first Berkeley planning meeting and spoke out against a proposed five-story apartment complex on University Avenue that would tower over the home she had recently bought. -more-

The battle over development on University Avenue heated up Wednesday night when city planners presented proposed new zoning rules for the avenue at a public hearing of the Planning Commission. -more-

Residents living in towns along the river were ordered to evacuate by the National Guard. -more-

He’s the popular Democratic governor of a southwestern state, with the unlikely advantage of being an experienced international diplomat. He was born in California, but spent his childhood in Mexico City. He speaks real Spanish—not the spanglish kind—and has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize. He’s a political moderate with charisma and charm. -more-

Two black men were sitting in the dark on the brick wall across from our house the other night. It was late, in the middle of that odd, late-winter heat spell of a few weeks ago. A police officer rolled around the corner in his car, saw the men, was immediately suspicious. Normally there’s nothing going on down our street that causes a police presence late at night, but lately the police have been hot-spottin’ out here, checking through the area to make sure nothing’s going on. The cop slowed down to a stop in front of the two men. One of the men turned and said in a low voice to the other, “Watch him shine his light over here.” And so the cop did, pointing his piercing spotlight into the two black men’s eyes, blinding them. They squirmed and squinted, ducking their heads a little and putting up their hands against the glare. They knew better than to look away. You want to really arouse a cop’s suspicion? Try to get out of the way when he’s shining a light in your eyes. That’s a quick trip to the back of the police car. -more-

In our March 19 story on the death of Berkeley music teacher Anne Crowden, the Daily Planet reported a March 28 musical reverie in her honor to be held at the Crowden School. Sallie Arens, Crowden School Board chair, has informed the Planet that the perf ormance, which is intended to create a DVD, is closed to the public. -more-

JOHN KERRY -more-

When Tom Bates was running for mayor, he never said that, if elected, he would ensure that Shirley Dean’s supporters would take over the Planning Commission. But that’s exactly what just happened. -more-

The University Avenue Association (UAA) applauds the City Council and the Planning Commission for doing the zoning overlay for the University -more-

At 29, Iowa housewife Denese Becker went to Guatemalan to re-discover her past. She knew she was returning to dig up the roots of a horrific story that left both her parents dead, making her an orphan at the age of 9. What she didn’t know was that her trip would spark a movement to expose the perpetrators of one of the bloodiest events in Guatemalan history, and to help bring them to justice. -more-

Traditional country music is played on acoustic instruments like mandolins, not wailing pedal steel guitars. That fact alone puts its practitioners so far outside the genre’s mainstream Nashville stronghold that they might as well live in, well, the Bay Area. That’s just fine with Berkeley’s very own home grown country music legend Laurie Lewis—she’s been an outsider most of her life. “Even though I’ve grown up in a city, I’m a country girl,” says Lewis. “Farms in Berkeley? You bet!” -more-

Most home buyers know they should get a mortgage pre-approval letter from a lender before they begin seriously shopping for a home. But the reasons for this advice aren’t always clear, and buyers sometimes are dismayed by the amount of paperwork involved. Here is some of the reasoning behind the advice: -more-

Pour one or more tablespoons of olive oil into a microwavable glass bowl. Peel and slice several garlic cloves into the bowl, cover with a plate, and microwave until soft, two or three minutes. Meanwhile, toast thick slices of sourdough bread. Spread the toast with the garlic-oil mixture. Top with slices of ripe and juicy beefsteak tomatoes, season to taste with salt and pepper, and start the day feeling very well pleased with life.  -more-

One can get away with planting garlic in early spring in Berkeley if one has no desire for any part of it besides green tips, not a bad idea at all. Green tips are speedily grown in March, just when we crave spring greens, and make a pleasant change from green onions, adding sparkle to salads and sauces with less strength than the mature bulb. Simply separate a bulb into cloves and set a dozen of them into a one-gallon pot of potting soil. Because the bulbs will not mature, little space is needed. Water if the earth becomes dry. In a week green shoots will appear, and harvesting can begin soon after. -more-

FRIDAY, MARCH 26 -more-

“Here comes the big scream,” said Kate Obenour. Just outside the garden at Arts Magnet, Rupert Lopez, the reading teacher, stood on one side of the fence holding a long hose. On the other side was a large crowd of students, almost everyone in the yard. Mr. Lopez flipped the nozzle and a fan of water sprayed over the kids. The scream rose. “Yesterday, I heard that scream three blocks away while I was home for lunch,” said Kate. The kids were now waving their arms, and jumping up and down, begging for more. “Are we having fun or what?” asked Kate. -more-

Berkeley Man Dies in Police Custody -more-

Our opinion pages have received a number of letters regarding Israel’s recent assassination of a Hamas leader. They’re from all over Northern California, written in a variety of styles by obviously concerned citizens, but they have a common outline and theme: what’s wrong with assassination in self-defense? Since most of the writers don’t seem to be Daily Planet readers, we’ve sent this stock response: -more-