The University of California and the union representing its 7,300 low-wage service workers announced Wednesday that they had come to a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract after almost 10 months of negotiations. 

The agreement comes less than one week after workers at the nine campuses, five medical facilities and Lawrence Berkeley Labs held a one-day strike to protest what they said was the university’s disrespect for their jobs and its refusal to bargain in good faith. The contract has been agreed on by the university and the union, but still needs to be ratified by workers, who are scheduled to vote sometime within the next three weeks. 

“We’re really happy with this contract,” said Faith Raider, the spokesperson for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, the union that represents the workers. “It’s by no means perfect, but it’s a major step in the direction of where we want to be.” 

A significant part of the new contract is annual across-the-board raises. Workers are scheduled to get a 3 percent increase in October 2005 and October 2006, and a 4 percent increase in October 2007. They are also supposed to get a $250 lump sum retroactive payment because they did not receive a raise last year. 

According to the university, the across-the-board raises are dependent on money from the state and could change if Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger does not fulfill his compact with the university to provide increased funding in coming years. The union said it is happy about the new raises, but it’s trying to make sure the new contract gives it bargaining power, including the ability to strike, just in case the state money changes. 

“We’re happy for our service workers and hope our compact is fully funded,” said Noel Van Nyhuis, the spokesperson for the UC Office of the President. 

Other significant parts of the contract include a guaranteed raise for workers who work nights and weekend shifts. This, and one other small across the board raise, will come from UC money that is not tied to the state.  

The contract raises the starting wage to $9 an hour, which will help 600 workers, most of them in Southern California. Food service workers at all UC campuses will receive one free meal a day instead of having their meal money automatically deducted from their checks. Food service workers at UC Berkeley were already receiving a daily free meal. The health care program stays the same through 2009. 

The contract also addresses the union’s demand for job training programs that will help workers advance their careers. Workers will have 24 hours of paid time to attend classes that either help them improve their current job or train them to apply for a new job within the university. It also insures existing workers are given priority for job openings and clarifies language for promotions and layoffs. 

“It’s a start,” said Maria Ventura, a lead food service worker in the Crossroads dining hall at UC Berkeley. She said workers are happy with the raises but hope subsequent contracts guarantee larger increases because the cost of living is rising so fast.  

“When you look at [3 percent] in an hourly rate it’s not much,” she said. Still, “[Workers] are happy something was agreed upon.” 

Opponents of the proposed casino coastal resort at Richmond’s Point Molate gained a powerful ally this week when the state attorney general’s office intervened on their behalf. 

Citizens for Eastshore Parks and the East Bay Regional Parks District filed suit in December, alleging that the city’s sale of the land to Berkeley developer James D. Levine and his partners violated key provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). 

Their lawsuit seeks to void the Land Development Agreement (LDA) passed by the City Council approving the sale of the former U.S. Navy refueling base on one of the few largely undeveloped stretches of bayshore. 

Janill L. Richards, an environmental attorney with the attorney generals office, Tuesday mailed copies of a Peoples’ Complaint in Intervention to all parties in the litigation. 

“We’re concerned that a proper review be conducted before a decision is made on an important piece of public property with significant public interests,” Richards said. 

Levine discounted the significance of the state intervention. “We think their claims are absurd,” he said. “That’s just not how business is done. Besides, any lawyer can think whatever they want, but the only lawyers’ opinions that matter belong to the ones wearing the black robes.” 

The plaintiffs think otherwise. 

“It’s a great boost to have such a formidable ally,” said Stephan Volker, the Oakland environmental attorney who is representing CESP. “The attorney general has confirmed that our objections are well-grounded and has intervened on our behalf.” 

“We think it’s fantastic,” said Matthew Zinn, the San Francisco attorney retained by the parks district. While Zinn said he felt the case was strong enough to prevail on its own merit, the state intervention “certainly adds legitimacy to our claims.” 

A second major action in the case took place on the same date as the filing when Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Barbara A. Zuniga ordered a change of venue from her court to Marin County. 

The parks district had sought to have the case heard in Alameda or Contra Costa counties while Levine had asked for a court in Fairfield or Sacramento. While Levine said the move to the North Bay places the case in a neutral venue, Volker and Zinn said they were pleased with the decision to send the case to what they consider a favorable jurisdiction for their side. 

The State’s Case 

The state sided with the plaintiffs in contending that city violated CEQA by failing to produce either the CEQA-mandated environmental study before the sale, or a full environmental impact report (EIR). 

“[I]f the development is built,” the motion states, “it is almost certain there will be significant impacts to the land, air, water, flora, fauna, noise and objects of historic and aesthetic significance.” 

Furthermore, the suit alleges, a full EIR is required because there is “a fair argument that (the sale), which contemplates that Point Molate will be developed as a gaming and entertainment complex, will have a significant effect of the environment, including, but not limited to, destruction of wildlife habitant, obstructions or impediments to shore and water front access, interference with the Bay Trial, permanent changes to or loss of archeological sites and historic buildings, increased water use, and increased noise and traffic.”  

The state is asking for all costs associated with their litigation and: 

• Writs of mandate “to void every determination, finding and/or decision related to approval and execution of the LDA. 

• Writs compelling the City of Richmond to comply with CEQA. 

• A writ halting all activity on the project until CEQA compliance is satisfied, and 

• A temporary restraining order enforcing the writs. 

The final decision will rest in the hands of the judge appointed to hear the case in Marin County. The plaintiffs’ attorneys say they expect a final hearing in September, after both sides have had a chance to present their cases in written form. 

The lawyers for CESP and the parks district are presently preparing a written record that will include transcripts of Richmond City Council sessions where the sale was considered and decided. 

Richards served a copy of the suit on Richmond Mayor Irma Anderson, who did not return calls Thursday. 

City Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin, a member of the Richmond Progressive Alliance elected in November and seated on the City Council after the Point Molate vote, hailed the state intervention. 

“It’s excellent,” she said. “I wouldn’t have thought they’d have done it. This is what we wanted. The sale should never have happened in the first place.” 

The one concern she did have was that the city has already spent some of the deposit money Levine and his partners paid after the LDA was concluded. 

The council majority hailed the sale as a financial savior and source of jobs in an ailing community. Opponents opposed the project both on environmental impacts and for the impact the massive array of slots could have on the city’s poorer residents. 

Levine’s plans call for a four-hotel luxury resort with a large entertainment auditorium and casino with 2,500 to 3,000 slot machines and 125 to 160 table games in the landmarked Winehaven building. 

The Bureau of Indian Affair is currently considering the application of the Lytton Band of Pomo tribespeople to have the site designated a reservation.

The 19-year-old African-American shooting victim in a sideshow-vicinity East Oakland robbery attempt last weekend has charged that Oakland Police officers failed to search for him while he lay bleeding from two gunshot wounds and hiding from his attackers, and prevented friends from searching for him as well. 

The friends eventually found the victim and drove him to Children’s Hospital in their own car for emergency treatment, passing both Highland and Alta Bates Hospitals because they did not know how to reach them from the 880 freeway. 

According to the friends, Oakland police threatened to have their car towed if they did not vacate the area, one of them telling the friends, “I don’t care; you shouldn’t have been at a sideshow” when they told the police that they were searching for someone who had been shot. 

The incident occurred in the early morning hours last Sunday at an all-night gas station near the intersection of 90th Avenue and Bancroft, during what Oakland Police have described as nearby “sideshow” activities. 

The term “sideshow” has no specific definition by police or the news media, but is most often used in Oakland to describe street or parking lot congregations of young African-Americans or Latinos in cars. The events often involve intricate car maneuvers, including one called “spinning donuts,” in which drivers spin their cars in a circle, leaving black, donut-shaped tire tracks in the street. The gatherings are considered illegal, and Oakland police have spent the last several years trying to shut them down. 

Anthony Davenport of Emeryville, who attended Berkeley High School, was shot in his wrist and his side and was hit on his head with a pistol. Although Davenport said he is “worried about how my arm will recover,” none of his injuries were life-threatening, and he is at home recovering from a shattered bone in his wrist. He was initially treated at Children’s Hospital, and later transported to Highland Hospital by ambulance. Davenport said that Oakland police took a statement from him at Children’s Hospital concerning the shooting and the abortive robbery. 

Davenport said that he and his friends had gone to the all-night store to buy some food before going home, but one of his companions said they had come out to the area to “go to the sideshow.” 

Davenport lives in Emeryville with an aunt, Kelly Conlin, an advertising representative at the Berkeley Daily Planet. She said that she has had custody of Conlin “off and on” for several years. 

Conlin said that while Davenport “shouldn’t have been at a sideshow, it doesn’t mean that he should get shot and not get help. I’m horrified by what happened, and I’m scared of my children growing up. It’s my job to reprimand my kids. It’s the police’s job to be public servants. But in this case, they weren’t serving the public.” 

Oakland police confirmed the robbery attempt, the shooting, and the transportation to Children’s Hospital by friends. But in an e-mailed statement, Oakland Police Information Officer Danielle Ashford said that “without the names of the officers, I have no way of confirming whether or not those things were said. I can tell you, however, that it is the duty of every Oakland police officer to provide fair, courteous, and professional service at all times.” 

Davenport said that he and a companion were approached by two gunmen while sitting in their car on 90th Avenue near the gas station parking lot. At the time, the lot was filled with cars and people, and some drivers were in the street doing donuts. Davenport said one of the gunmen hit him in the head with the pistol when Davenport tried to escape, and then fired several shots at him as he ran away. It is not clear whether the same bullet that hit Davenport’s wrist also went through his side. A second man was shot during the leg in the parking lot at the same time, possibly during the same burst of gunfire. 

Davenport said he ran across Bancroft with at least one of the gunmen in pursuit, and hid between houses along 89th Avenue a couple of blocks away. There he discovered that he had been shot in the arm. He said he stemmed the bleeding by wrapping his shirt around the wound while he was hiding. 

One of Davenport’s companions, 19-year-old former Emery High student Wilkens Owens, said he was at the parking lot with Davenport, but was not near the car at the time of the shooting. “We heard bam-bam-bam, and everybody cleared out pretty fast,” Owens said. Neither Owens nor two other companions, in fact, saw the shooting or the following chase. When they returned to the car and couldn’t find Davenport, however, Owens said that they called Davenport on his cellphone and found out what had happened. “But our cellphone went dead before he told us where he was,” Owens said, “so we drove around looking for him. We knew he was someplace near.” 

Oakland police officers had arrived on the scene, meanwhile, and many began clearing cars away from the area. 

Owens said that during their frantic search, they were pulled over by two Oakland Police Department patrol cars. Owens said that the officers ordered them out of the area, even after they repeatedly insisted that they were searching for a friend who had been shot. Owens could not identify the officers other than two say that two were male and one was female. 

Owens said that he and his friends finally left the area and drove to a pay phone at 85th Avenue and International Boulevard, some 15 blocks away. Using a cellphone from a passerby they called Davenport. They doubled back to where Davenport was hiding and rushed him to the hospital. Owens said they ended up at Children’s Hospital while looking for Alta Bates after getting off the 51st Street exit from Highway 24. 

A second companion, who asked not to be identified, confirmed both Davenport’s account of the robbery attempt and Owens’ account of the search for Davenport and the incident with the police officers. The second companion, who said he was driving the search car, said that the police officers asked him for his license during what he described as a heated argument over remaining in the area to search for Davenport. The second companion described one of the police cars as a black “task force” car. 

“It was messed up,” the second companion said, describing the police attitude. “They didn’t even care that Anthony was shot.” 

Davenport’s aunt, Kelly Conlin, said that the family has not yet decided what further steps they make take concerning Oakland police action in the matter. Conlin also said the family presently had no information on whether the delay in getting Davenport to the hospital, or the initial treatment at Children’s Hospital, will have any effect on his recovery. 

Red light runners in Berkeley should prepare to smile as they illegally cross intersections this June when the city implements its new red light camera system. 

The technology has sparked disputes between motorist rights groups and safety advocates around the country, but in Berkeley, the chief concern is over a contract the city signed giving the camera manufacturer, Transol USA, a cut of every traffic ticket meted out. 

At its last meeting of 2003 the City Council voted unanimously to install red light cameras at the intersections of Adeline Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way, University Avenue and Sixth Street and University and Shattuck avenues. In return for paying to install the cameras and operate the system, Transol is to receive $48 of every ticket collected. Red light tickets cost offenders $321, of which Berkeley, under its agreement with Transol, would receive $161. 

The council vote came two weeks before a state law went into effect prohibiting future contracts that gave red light camera manufacturers a portion of ticket revenues. 

Berkeley couldn’t afford red light cameras if it had to either buy or lease the equipment and operate it, according to a city report from City Manager Phil Kamlarz.  

State lawmakers prohibited cities from signing future deals giving camera manufacturers a cut of ticket revenue out of concern that the arrangement gave them both financial incentive to ticket as many motorists as possible. In California two local governments which also gave camera manufacturers a cut of ticket revenues suspended operations after findings that the cameras were untrustworthy and unreliable.  

San Diego suspended its program on June 1, 2001 after a judge threw out 300 tickets on grounds that the manufacturer Affiliated Computer Systems had failed to maintain the cameras to the point that the pictures were not admissible as evidence. In April 2002, the city and county of Sacramento suspended its program also run by ACS for discrepancies between the manual ACS prepared and the actual functioning of the system. Later an appellate panel of Sacramento Superior Court threw out a red light violation on grounds that ACS maintenance logs failed to show that the cameras functioned properly. 

A 2002 state audit on red light cameras warned local governments that giving manufacturers a share of ticket revenue might become an incentive for vendors to maximize the number of citations “and create a poor perception of the red light camera program by the public.” As of 2002, 20 local governments in California employed red light cameras. 

“Most of the vendors have switched over or are in the process of going to a flat fee to avoid the appearance of conflict, “ said Judith Stone, President of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a proponent of red light cameras. 

With the cameras nearly installed, city officials say their system will be fair to motorists. “We have clear and precise rules for what constitutes a valid red light violation and these are the rules which every potential violation is filtered through, and even then only a qualified police officer makes the decision to approve or reject a case,” wrote Hamid Mostowfi, Berkeley’s supervising transit engineer in an interview conducted via e-mail. 

Mostowfi said that, unlike in San Diego where the red light camera system was connected through traffic signal controllers, Berkeley’s camera system will have no connection to the signal controller and thus can’t affect signal operation. 

Under Berkeley’s system, Transol representatives will review red light camera photos and forward apparent violations to Berkeley police for additional study. 

Lt. Bruce Agnew of the BPD said that three police officers will be responsible for reviewing the photos. Only cases where pictures clearly identify the driver’s face and the license plate number will be admissible, he said. Agnew added that anyone who receives a ticket in the mail will be invited to come to police headquarters to view the series of still photos of the incident. 

“They can then make up their mind whether it’s worth contesting,” he said. 

On intersections marked with crosswalks, state law defines running a red light as failing to cross the outer edge of the outermost crosswalk line when the light turns red. If any portion of the car crosses that line while the light is yellow, there is no violation. 

Agnew said Berkeley police primarily focus on pedestrian right-of-way and speeding enforcement. Berkeley anticipates that the cameras will generate between 90 and 100 tickets a month at each of the three intersections. At $161 per ticket, Berkeley would take in roughly $550,000 a year from the cameras. 

“I would have looked a lot more carefully at this type of program in our community,” said Councilmember Max Anderson, who wasn’t on the council for the 2003 vote. “I’m not a big fan of surveillance cameras.” 

Asked if the cameras could detect anything other than red light violations, Mostowfi, replied, “Not at this time”. He added that in accordance with the new state law that seeks to secure the privacy of the driver, Berkeley would shred red light camera photos within six months. 

The five-year contract with Transol offers the city an option to end the program once a year or to expand it to more intersections. To meet the state-mandated 30-day notice period before launching the program, Mostowfi said the city will begin media announcements and issue warning letters to offenders rather than tickets for the first 30 days the cameras are in operation. 

Transol, an Austrialian-based company, is a relatively new entrant to the California market for red light cameras. There are no reports that judges or municipalities have shut down their systems. 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington defended the council’s approval of the cameras. “I see it as a safety thing,” he said. “If people see a higher chance of getting a ticket, they will run fewer red lights and it will be safer for pedestrians and other drivers.” 

Red light cameras have had mixed safety benefits, depending on the study. In Oxnard, Calif., broadside accidents—the type most associated with motorists running red lights—decreased by 32 percent, according to a 2001 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a supporter of red light cameras. According to the state audit, a San Diego report, using data from 1995 through 2001, found that red light violations in the county decreased by 20 percent to 24 percent, but rear-end collisions increased by 37 percent. The report assumed that rear collision rates would decrease over time as drivers became more accustomed to the lights. 

For drivers weary of the new technology, online merchant Phantom Plate offers a spray it claims makes license plates highly reflective and unreadable when the camera flashes. According to the state audit, of seven local governments reviewed, they enforced only 23 percent of violations because of the difficulty of obtaining clear photographs.ª

Berkeley City Councilmembers will meet an hour before their regular Tuesday night meeting to consider the new—and final—five-year-plan for the West Berkeley Redevelopment Area. 

Sitting as the Berkeley Redevelopment Agency, the council will also hear a staff report on the history of the district, originally established in 1967. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in council chambers, 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 

Creation of the district blocked industrial expansion into the area bounded by Cedar Street on the north, University Avenue on the south, the I-80 Frontage Road on the west and Sixth Street on the east. 

The project area also includes the rail stop and transit plaza adjacent to the now vacant 1913 Southern Pacific Railroad Station, including a narrow strip along the Union Pacific rails between Hearst Avenue and Addison Street and a second strip along University Avenue extending from the tracks to Fourth Street. 

Construction on the plaza began in late February, and the $2.4 million project will include nighttime lighting, a canopy covering the trackside area, improved access for the disabled, street repaving and new striping for more efficient access by buses, bicycles, paratransit, shuttles and taxis, landscaping and benches. 

The site will include four bus pads, 18 two-hour parking spaces and six long-term slots with no time limits. 

Iris Starr, the planner in charge of the project, said the long-term spaces will be of particular help to commuters who catch an early morning train to jobs at UC Davis. 

The project is scheduled to be completed in the next two or three months. 

“The number one thing is for it to be a good-looking, long-lasting project, but I’ll settle for on-time and on budget, too,” Starr said. 

The creation of the transit node, as it’s known in plannerese, could create some additional controversy in light of recent changes in state law. 

The landmarked rail station is in the same square block where Urban Housing Group (UHG) plans to build a major new mixed-use housing and commercial project. UHG, a subsidiary of real estate investment giant Marcus and Milichap, specializes in building projects at transit nodes. 

The project has drawn fire from preservationists and some neighbors. Preservationists are worried because the site includes another Berkeley landmark, the now vacant Celia’s restaurant, which was designed by architect Irwin Johnson and designated a structure of merit by the Landmarks Preservation Commission earlier this year. 

The commission refused to designate another building on the site, Brennan’s Irish Pub, which UHG has promised to install in the railroad station. 

Of special concern are recent changes in state law which allow cities to ease normal zoning requirements within the immediate vicinity of transit-oriented developments. Berkeley Planning Director Dan Marks said the city has no plans at the moment to implement the provision. 

“No one has asked the staff if they would apply it to this or any other project,” he said. 

John McBride, who sits on the advisory-only West Berkeley Project Area Committee, said the provisions allow zoning for transit-oriented projects without the normal findings of blight required for most redevelopment projects and allow development without any reference to the city’s General Plan. 

The advisory committee itself is slated for dissolution at the end of 2006 as the redevelopment project winds down. 

Remaining projects to be completed during the new and final five-year plan include paving of Second Street in the industrial area of the West Berkeley Project Area and the creation of an access route along Addison Street to the pedestrian/bicycle bridge over the Eastshore Freeway, as well as landscaping improvements along area streets. 

º An agreement between the state and the city housing department cleared a major hurdle this week for the Ed Roberts Center, a planned facility serving Berkeley’s disabled community, when a state agency verbally agreed to withdraw its objections. 

“We’re very pleased,” said center President Jan Garrett. 

Berkeley Housing Director Steve Barton and center representatives met in Sacramento this week with State Historic Preservation Officer Milford Wayne Donaldson, who had raised objections to the project last fall and again in January. 

During a meeting in the office of Berkeley Assemblymember Loni Hancock Monday, Barton said, city officials clarified issues of impacts of the modernist building to existing historic properties which could qualify as national landmarks. 

Official city recognition of potential landmarks resolved part of Donaldson’s reservations, and the others vanished when the center agree to install four more trees to shield much of the building from Adeline Street, Barton said. 

“They said the building was well done,” Barton added. 

The center must still provide Donaldson with architectural drawings showing the additional trees before he can sign off on the project, which could happen within the next two weeks. 

Garrett said there are many steps remaining before the center becomes a reality, but Donaldson’s verbal acceptance paves the way to removal of the biggest stumbling block. 

Without his endorsement, the center couldn’t receive critical federal funding—which requires official acknowledgment by the state that the project won’t have significant negative impacts on historical resources within the structure’s vicinity. 

“We determined they have good screening and setbacks on three sides, but a strong impact from the facade. The architecture is stunning, really nice, but perhaps in the wrong place,” said Donaldson. “But with skillful mitigation, it works.” 

The state official praised the city staff for their handling of the project. Austene Hall, a preservation activist with the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association, was less well disposed to the city’s conduct. 

“It’s been very disappointing,” Hall said. “We sent a letter to the city on Feb. 5 asking to be a consulting party on the project, but the city has never replied to or acknowledged our request. We believe that BAHA should be a party to the final review.”ô

The fountain at Civic Center Park will stay dry indefinitely after the City Council Tuesday unanimously rejected a proposed $600,000 renovation.  

The council also voted unanimously to eliminate the Citizen’s Budget Review Commission and the Civic Improvement Corporation as well as to combine the Fire Safety Commission with the Disaster Council. 

The council split on reducing the meeting schedule for other commissions, agreeing to forward suggestions for further cuts to the city manager by May 17. 

In a pair of narrow votes, the council directed the Planning Department to consider rezoning Ashby Avenue and Gilman Street below San Pablo Avenue to allow for more retail shops and auto dealerships, and approved $60,000 for a July 4 fireworks show to be paid for by higher marina fees. 

Tuesday’s meeting was dedicated to budget issues. This year the council faces a $8.9 million structural deficit. At the same time it must determine how to allocate an extra $10.5 million that the city expects to receive over the next four years, mostly from property tax revenue. 

City Manager Phil Kamlarz has urged the council to allocate the funds for capital projects rather than preserving city programs. But, in the case of the fountain, pressure from groups facing decreased funding made the project politically costly. Pool users flooded councilmembers’ inboxes with e-mails demanding that a share of the money slated for the fountain go to keep one pool open this winter. And at Tuesday’s meeting other groups, angry over funding reductions, took aim at the fountain. 

“I think that services [for youth] are a more pertinent need than a fountain full of water,” said Mark Gambala of Berkeley Youth Alternatives. 

While rejecting the $600,000 fountain renovation, the council agreed to spend $40,000 on additions to the fountain depicting turtles and honoring indigenous peoples and $60,000 on foundation work to prepare the fountain to spout water when the council decides to pay for the project. Local Native American advocates had lobbied city officials for the turtle art installation.  

Councilmember Darryl Moore proposed dedicating some of the money saved to keep one pool open this winter. Although Mayor Tom Bates concurred that there was strong sentiment for the pool, the council couldn’t vote for proposal because it wasn’t on their agenda. 

The rejection of the fountain project means that the council still has approximately $4 million in revenue to allocate for next year’s budget, which they must approve by the end of June. Last month, the council set aside $3.5 million in unanticipated tax revenue from the current year’s budget for a series of projects, the most expensive being a $2.4 million allocation for a new police dispatch system. 

Renovation of the fountain, which arrived in Berkeley in the 1940’s and stopped working about 20 years later, was to be the centerpiece of a redesigned Civic Center Park. The park upgrade, which includes a new play area near Center Street, is scheduled to proceed with money primarily from Measure S, a 1996 city bond initiative for downtown improvements. The bond, along with some state financing, was supposed to pay for the fountain as well the other park upgrades, but rising construction costs sent the total project over budget. 

Citizen Commissions 

The council Tuesday struck its first blow against Berkeley’s 45 citizen commissions. At the suggestion of Councilmember Kriss Worthington, the council eliminated the Citizens Budget Commission, which city staff had merely requested to reduce meetings from once a month to four times a year. 

The commission had typically been quiet on budget issues, but last year urged the council to reopen union contracts and reject tax increases. 

City brass has asked the council to scale back commissions and commission meetings in order to free up staff for other projects. But when it came to further commission cuts, the council was sharply divided. 

“It’s pretty much an absurd idea,” Worthington said. He and Councilmember Dona Spring argued that the city wouldn’t realize any reduced staff time because issues that would otherwise have been settled by commissions would instead go to the council.  

Councilmember Gordon Wozniak replied: “We have to find some savings here. To say this is a sacred cow is foolish.” Mayor Bates suggested reducing meeting frequencies for commissions, but allowing them to appeal to the city manager for additional meetings. 

West Berkeley Zoning 

A 5-4 council majority, hoping to boost sales tax revenues, voted to order the planning department to consider new zoning rules for Gilman Street and Ashby Avenue west of San Pablo Avenue. Councilmembers Linda Maio, Max Anderson, Spring and Worthington opposed the proposal, saying that changing zoning rules would threaten industrial businesses in West Berkeley. 

“If they rezone, we’re gone,” said Mary Lou Van Deventer, owner of Urban Ore. She expected her rent to quadruple if zoning were changed to allow retail businesses at her site. Substantial portions of Ashby and Gilman are zoned for industrial uses. However, with city sales tax revenue stagnant and auto dealerships—the city’s highest sales tax contributors—threatening to move, city leaders have urged opening up more of Gilman and Ashby to commercial uses. 

“We need that sales tax,” Wozniak said. Councilmember Darryl Moore, whose district includes the southern portion of West Berkeley, said it would have been “inconsistent” for the council to talk about increasing sales tax revenue at previous meetings and then request that that the planning department maintain a balance between land zoned for commercial and industrial uses. 

Opponents of rezoning the two freeway arteries asked that the city reconsider zoning for all of West Berkeley rather than looking only at the major corridors. Planning Director Dan Marks, however, said the department didn’t have enough staff to undertake a complete review of the West Berkeley Plan. Lack of manpower is forcing the planning department to put other projects on hold, including implementing changes to the University Avenue Strategic Plan, establishing quotas on restaurants on Euclid Avenue and reviewing zoning rules for San Pablo Avenue. 

Fourth of July Fireworks 

Berkeley will once again celebrate July 4 with fireworks at the marina this year. The council voted 5-4 (Olds, Spring, Wozniak, no, Worthington, abstain) to raise the marina fee to pay for the annual $60,000 celebration. The event was at risk because marina fees are already slated to increase 10 percent a year for the next three years to pay for repairing the marina’s dock. The fireworks celebration will increase the fee by less than one percent. 

“It’s a hallmark of our town,” said Councilmember Linda Maio in support of the fireworks. Councilmember Worthington said $60,000 was too much to spend on one event, and Councilmember Betty Olds based her opposition on the plight of animals on the marina. “I’m sure they all think they’ve moved to Iraq,” she said, concluding that the festivities disrupt wildlife that hasn’t finished nesting. 

The council held off making cuts to other special events until May 10. 

On Sept. 13, 1971, a four-day revolt against abominable prison conditions ended with police and guards storming Attica State Prison, killing 32 inmates and 11 corrections officers. At Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere, U.S. military and private prison guards have tortured prisoners. In Dublin, Calif., and other federal prisons around the country, inmates known for political activism have been convicted for alleged criminal acts. Political prisoners—some charged as criminals, many not charged at all—sit in jails in Palestine, the Philippines, Haiti and elsewhere.  

The United States’ role in supporting the criminalization of political activities must stop, says Kali Akuna, an organizer with the conference “Attica to Abu Ghraib” that begins tonight at 6 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. with a keynote address by Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Georgia.  

The conference, which continues Saturday at Barrows Hall on the UC Berkeley campus, is the beginning of a movement to let the U.S. government know “there’s a base that’s not going to tolerate its attempts to legitimatize torture as standard operating procedure,” Akuna said. (Barrows Hall is just north of Heart Gym near Bowditch Street and Bancroft Way.)  

Various panels on political prisoners, torture and the U.S. government role begin at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday and continue all day. 

Organizations have been working in isolation on political prisoner and torture issues, Akuna said. This is an opportunity to bring the groups together and create a powerful movement, they say. There are political prisoners in almost every country. “They are denied political prison status,” Akuna said. 

United States’ prisoner abuse at home is not well known, said Judith Mirk, another conference organizer. 

“For 50 years the U.S. has been isolating prisoners, locking them up for 24 hours a day,” she said. Isolation is just one form of torture. Using Guantanamo as an example, the U.S. is “trying to make the idea of torture acceptable,” she added.  

The conference will “expose what’s going on and make the connections,” Mirk said, noting that this weekend’s gathering is just the beginning. A Day of International Solidarity with Political Prisoners is already planned for Dec. 3.  

For more information on the conference, go to www.attica2abughraib.com or call (415) 273-4608 or (510) 593-3956.

Professor L. Ling-chi Wang’s colleagues across the country tell him he’s lucky to work at UC Berkeley, a bastion of academic freedom.  

But Wang, an associate professor in the departments of ethnic and Asian studies, says he knows better: “I’ve always maintained to friends and colleagues that (UC) Berkeley is anything but progressive. It is so conservative that the students have no choice but to rebel.”  

Most recently the university administration declined to support Ethnic Studies Department efforts to put on and promote a teach-in on torture, scheduled for April 28. Wang says he won’t go so far as to say the university’s failure to support the teach-in was a conspiracy against him or an attempt to undermine the First Amendment, but still, he says, “I have to wonder if it’s a deliberate effort.”  

While the university sends out releases to the press almost daily, highlighting conferences, exhibits, sporting events, faculty deaths and such, Wang said he was unable to get the public relations department to fax publicity on the torture teach-in to the media. After making the request, he followed up and was told that “higher ups” were considering it. It took a week for the department to finally turn down the request, making independent efforts to publicize the conference difficult, Wang said.  

Identifying herself as the “higher-up” who makes decisions on what publicity to release, Marie Felde, UC’s director of media relations, said that sending out press material is a question of priorities. Last week, when the request came to them, there were a number of critical issues to which the department had to respond: a hazing incident, the inauguration of the new chancellor, labor issues, Cal Day and more. 

“We can only do so much at one time,” Felde said.  

And then there was the question of getting a room for the teach-in. Even with more than a month lead time, Wang was unable to schedule a venue at the university. Scheduling manager Walter Wong, however, says there’s no conspiracy against Wang. It’s hard to get large rooms for special events on weekdays when classes are in session, he said.  

Had this been the only time the university failed to adequately support a project sponsored by his department, Wang said he could have shrugged it off. But this lack of assistance comes directly on the heels of another event where Wang had to fight the university for logistical support. That was when the Ethnic Studies Department invited the highly controversial University of Colorado professor, Ward Churchill, to speak March 28. Churchill has come under fire for post Sept. 11 writings in which he argued that the attacks on the World Trade Center were a direct response to U.S. policies responsible for deaths of hundreds of thousands in the Middle East.  

University officials wanted the noontime event held at Clark Kerr campus, about a mile from the university. Wang argued that would have discouraged students from attending. He said it took a lot of time and pressure to get the venue approved at centrally-located Pauley Ballroom; when it was finally given an OK, he had only three days to alert the public to the event.  

Wang underscores that in both instances—the Churchill event and the torture teach-in—that he can’t be sure the lack of support from the university is directed at him or his department. “I’m not prepared to say it’s a conspiracy,” he says.  

Nevertheless, he places the lack of support in the context of what he sees as increasing conservatism on campus and points to a well-publicized incident two years ago to make his point: Associate Vice Chancellor Robert Price removed two paragraphs in a fund-raising letter for a research project on Emma Goldman’s life and work. The deleted remarks were Goldman’s call to protest “war madness” and a warning about the loss of free speech. (Officials reportedly said at the time that they feared Goldman’s remarks, quoted prominently at the top of the letter, would be construed as university opposition to war in Iraq.)  

In trying to understand why only 104 academics signed the call for the torture teach-in, which includes an invitation to the attorney general and secretary of state, Wang says some of his colleagues believe it’s because of a political climate since Sept. 11 that has chilled free speech. But Wang says he thinks it has more to do with a growing apathy and conservatism on and off campus. “There’s no moral indignation and outrage,” he said.  

Robert Knapp, professor of classics and chair of UC Berkeley’s Academic Senate—the organization, which speaks for the university’s professors—sees campus politics in a different light. He says the university community continues its tradition of support for those who speak out on controversial subjects. “I don’t see people being silenced or told they can’t organize a conference or invite people (to speak),” he said. Pointing to campus opposition to the Patriot Act and its support for the First Amendment, he asserted, “Berkeley is still a very liberal place.”  

The teach-in on torture kicks off with a rally at noon April 28 in Sproul Plaza on the UC Berkeley campus, then shifts to the Berkeley Repertory Theater at 2025 Addison St., with panel discussions focusing on United States’ promotion of torture at home and internationally; the conference ends in the evening with a discussion on creating a national movement to write policy opposing United States torture. Participants include: Barbara Olshansky, CCR lead Guantanamo lawyer; Lucas Guttentag, ACLU case against Rumsfeld; Marjorie Cohn, International Human Rights Law Professor and National Lawyers Guild vice president, Uwe Jacobs, Survivors International director, Terry Karl, Stanford Political Science professor, expert on Latin American torture; Carlos Mauricio, torture survivor and As'ad AbuKhalil, human rights advocate. For more information go to www.teach-intorture.org.  

Teach-In on Torture, a call to action against torture, will include a noon rally on Thursday April 28 at Sproul Plaza, UC Berkeley. The teach-in will be held 1:30-10 p.m. at the Thrust Theater at the Berkeley Repertory Theater, 2025 Addision St. For more information, see www.tortureteachin.org. 

‰

Driving home close to midnight after an 11-hour workday last August, Carol Harris never expected to become embroiled in a free speech fight.  

But when the 51-year-old Oakland resident saw union protesters outside the Claremont Hotel holding up signs urging motorists to honk in support, she said she gave three quick beeps. The next thing she knew a Berkeley police officer had pulled her over on Tunnel Road and given her a $143 ticket for “Unreasonable use of horn.” 

“It was my First Amendment right to honk,” said Harris, who lists her occupation as a freelance worker. “I can empathize with what the protesters were doing. I had just finished being paid $11 an hour standing on my feet all day as an usher. And they don’t give me health insurance either.” 

Harris filed a complaint with Berkeley’s Police Review Commission, and this Thursday, a three-member panel of the commission will decide if BPD Lieutenant Wesley Hester violated his discretion in ordering police to ticket passing motorists who honked in support of the protest. Police estimate they wrote between 30 and 40 tickets for “unreasonable use of horn” outside the Claremont Hotel late night Friday August 27. 

In a taped interview with the Police Review Commission, Lt. Hester defended his decision. “Every licensed driver is supposed to know the rules of the road and [the rules] strictly prohibit the use the horn unless it falls under certain parameters,” he said. “It was not appropriate in my opinion in this situation.” 

Hester said the BPD had received numerous calls from residents across the street from the Claremont’s entrance on Tunnel Road complaining that the protesters were keeping them awake. 

“It generated so many calls over the course of several hours that it was necessary to send people there just to minimize the discomfort that the neighbors were feeling,” Hester said. 

Police succeeded in stopping protesters from banging pots and using megaphones after 10 p.m., Hester said, but as the honks persisted, he ordered officers to enforce the vehicle code that states that a driver may use the horn only “to ensure safe operation” of the car. 

The Police Review Commission doesn’t have the power to overturn Harris’ ticket, but if it finds in her favor it can seek to initiate a new city policy against ticketing motorists who honk in support of demonstrators.  

“I want to make sure that no one else is extorted out of $143,” Harris said. 

The case is not cut and dried, said Jesse H. Choper, a constitutional law professor at Boalt Hall. “Does the interest in having privacy and quiet at 11:45 p.m. overcome her First Amendment interest? It’s a close call.” 

Choper added, “I don’t think the lieutenant abused his discretion. It was a reasonable action, but reasonable is not always good enough when first amendment rights are concerned.” 

Choper called on the city to draft a clearer policy on horn honking for future cases. As for the ticket: “If I were the traffic court judge, I’d rip it up. It was excusable.” 

Harris said she chose not to fight the ticket because a “courtesy notice” from Berkeley traffic court said she had been cited for “use of horn” rather than “unreasonable use of horn” as stated on her ticket. 

“I couldn’t dispute that I honked the horn,” she said. “If you argue with a judge, especially one of those mean ones in Berkeley, it’s futile.” 

The protest, organized by the Oakland-based Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union Local 2850, was meant to commemorate the three-year anniversary of their boycott against the Claremont, which has not come to terms with spa workers. 

In a previous interview with the Daily Planet, former union leader Claire Darby said demonstrators tried to make a sign warning protesters not to honk after police decided to start issuing tickets, but couldn’t find anything big enough to convey the message in the dark. She added that neighbors had complained about the 27-hour protest and asked them for warning before scheduling another. 

Harris had little sympathy for hotel neighbors. “They can complain all they want to,” she said. “If they don’t like it they should move to a strictly residential street where there isn’t a major hotel and thoroughfare.” 

She did empathize for the officer who ticketed her, Thomas Grove, who she said apologized for having to issue the ticket. “He wasn’t rude in any way,” she said. 

Asked how he handled the traffic stops in an interview with the PRC, Grove said, “It’s the first citation I’ve written for unreasonable use of the horn so I understand people having some issues with it. I just tried to explain it the best I could to people.” 

“Interpreters work best when they’re unnoticed, when you do your job so well no one knows you’re there,” explained Berkeley resident Fred Burks. 

But Burks did get noticed—and that’s why he no longer translates for George W. Bush or the State Department. 

His problems with the feds began last October during the heat of last year’s presidential campaign, when Burks sent out an e-mail endorsing the idea, then cascading through the Internet, that George W. Bush had worn a secret listening device during that autumn’s presidential debates with John Kerry. 

What led Burks to that conclusion was Bush’s own performance in White House discussions with then-Indonesian Prime Minister Megawati Sukarnoputri on Sept. 19, 2001, eight days after 9/11. 

“He talked so deeply and intelligently about Indonesia and he had no notes,” Burks said. “I concluded that either he’s brilliant, or he had some kind of listening device. After talking with colleagues, we assumed it had to be a listening device.” 

Yet in other meetings with his advisors present, Bush occasionally floundered. “He would turn to his advisors and say, ‘I don’t know what to say. Tell me what to say.’ And they’d tell him what to say.” 

When Internet reports containing photographs of Bush apparently wearing something odd on his back during the presidential debates surfaced, Burks sent an e-mail to the blogmeister Bob Fertik at democrats.com endorsing the listening device theory. 

“Things really accelerated then,” Burks said. 

In retrospect, he acknowledges that sending the e-mail was ethically questionable, but said most of the blame rests with the State Department, which had never bothered to demand a signed confidentiality oath from him.  

“It’s an example of government foolishness,” said the 47-year-old bachelor who shares a home with a young family near the North Berkeley BART station. “Most of government is a huge, inefficient bureaucracy. That’s why there was no confidentiality agreement. It sort of slipped through the cracks.” 

Burks said, “Back in 2000 they sent out a single-sheet secrecy clause, but with no due date to sign it. It was way too restrictive, and barred us from discussing anything we saw or heard for the rest of our lives unless we obtained the appropriate approval. I didn’t sign because I won’t sign anything I know I’m going to violate.” 

After Burks sent his e-mail, the State Department mailed out new contracts to replace the previous version, and this one included the same mandatory secrecy clause he had refused to sign separately four years before. 

“I called up my supervisor and said there was going to be a problem,” he said. 

Threatened with the possibility of termination because of his e-mail, Burks talked to a former supervisor, then concluded it was time for him to resign. A little more thinking, and Burks decided he didn’t want to quit. 

A sympathetic supervisor tried to work out a way he could continue as before on a case-by-case basis or through a purchase agreement. But then came an e-mail from on high demanding he sign the secrecy clause in any event. Burks quit instead. 

“Once I resigned,” he said, “I felt free.” 

That’s when the press began taking real notice of the maverick interpreter who showed no reluctance in spilling the beans. The Washington Post took notice on Dec. 9, and other papers followed. 

The ramifications of his revelations took on international significance when he was asked to testify in the Indonesian trial of Abu Bakir Bashir, an Islamic cleric the White House accused of masterminding the Oct. 12, 2002 terrorist bombing of a nightclub on the island of Bali that killed 202, and one Aug. 5, 2003 of the Marriott Hotel in downtown Jakarta that killed 12. 

The Bali attack occurred on the second anniversary of the al Qaeda attack on the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen that killed 17 sailors and the terrorists who rammed an explosives-laden small craft onto the warship. 

Burks described a secret meeting between Megawati, U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph Boyce and Karen Brooks. Burks said Brooks was a CIA officer who was introduced to Megawati as a special assistant to the president. Accordng to Burks, the Americans told the Indonesian leader that her position would be endangered if she failed to hand over Bashir in secret. 

Washington charges that Bashir is the head of Jemaah Islamiyah, a radical Islamic group linked to al Qaeda, though “most Indonesians don’t even think the group exists,” said Burks. 

Megawati refused the request, he testified, on the grounds that the cleric was too popular with the Indonesian public. Another cleric vouched for Burks’ account, saying he too had been pressured by Boyce in March, 2004, to urge Indonesian security officers to keep Bashir in prison when his sentence expired. 

Though Megawati declined to surrender the cleric to the Americans, the Indonesian government put him on trial the next year on charges of directing a terrorist organization, ending in a victory for the 68-year-old cleric. He was, however, found guilty of immigration violations and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. 

On his release from prison, Bashir was promptly rearrested and charged with masterminding the two bombings. 

Burks agreed to testify for the defense, and when he arrived in Indonesia in February, he found he had become a celebrity, followed everywhere by the press and the occasional autograph-hunter. 

“I was treated like a rock star, which was fine for the week that I was there, but enough to make me glad when things reverted back to normal,” he said. 

When the court rendered its findings on March 3, Bashir was cleared of involvement in the Jakarta bombing but convicted of conspiracy in the Bali blast. The 30-month sentence, less credit for 10 months served while awaiting trial, provoked outrage from Washington and Canberra, capital of the nation which had lost 82 civilians in the bombing. 

Burks said he enjoyed translating for leading officials, a job he started in 1995 after working as a State Department interpreter since 1986. He initially worked with the International Business Program which targeted people in their 30s and 40s who had been identified as potential leaders. 

“They bring them here for a month and they get to see whatever they wanted to see. The only thing I didn’t like about it was that I had to wear a suit and tie,” he said. 

The program has proven highly successful, and more than 150 of those targeted later went on to serve as leaders of their nations, including Anwar Sadat and Margaret Thatcher. 

Then in 1995 he got a call asking if he could go to Copenhagen that weekend and interpret for Al Gore at the U.N. Summit for Social Development. Burks was then summoned to the White House seven months later to interpret at a meeting between Suharto, Gore and President Bill Clinton. 

“Clinton was a whole other story,” Burks said. “”Everyone in the White House adored him. Bush was pretty friendly too, but it was more of a good ol’ boy thing.” 

Still, he said, “I was very impressed by Bush. I don’t like his politics, but he’s very personable, and as a person, he’s really nice. As an interpreter, you judge people by the way they treat you, and when I worked with him in person, he’d always look me in the eye and say, ‘You did a really good job.” 

Both men, he said, were driven by advisors. “Whoever controls the advisors controls the president,” he said. 

One of his more interesting lessons in Realpolitik came not during an interpreting session but before, when the White House Situation Room called in advance of a phone call between Megawati and Bush in 2003. 

“They had scheduled it for 15 minutes, and I asked if that would be enough time,” Burks said. “They told me they could guarantee it wouldn’t be over 15 minutes because Bush was scheduled to talk to a high Saudi Arabian official, and they don’t wait for anyone. 

“I thought, ‘Interesting. That really tells where the power lies.’” 

Burks is anything but conventional, which has made it easier for his State Department and White House critics. His beliefs have a strong New Age slant, and he’s an outspoken believer in UFOs. 

While a student at UC Santa Cruz, he took part in a program that placed students in overseas families to learn about different cultures. He learned Indonesian when he was sent there to live with an Islamic extended family of 20. He learned Chinese when he was sent to China by the same program on a teaching assignment. 

Trained as a nurse, he worked for 10 years with Alta Bates Herrick Hospital, doing both general and psychiatric nursing. Now jobless, he devotes his energies to three web sites, most notably wanttoknow.info, a collaborative site that features alternative perspective on international politics. 

“We recently reached the half-million visitor mark,” he said, “and we’ve had over a million page views.”?

Three separate bills inspired by the struggles over the polluted site of a proposed housing complex in Richmond are scheduled for hearings Tuesday in Sacramento. 

Meanwhile, members of the Richmond Progressive Alliance, joined by Bay Area Residents for Responsible Development (BARRD), have called for a public protest at the site three days after the hearings. 

The April 26 protests will target both Campus Bay, where the 1,330-unit housing complex is planned, and UC Berkeley’s Richmond Field Station next door. Both sites have been contaminated by more than a century of chemical manufacturing. 

The activists are urging the state Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to act on a Richmond City Council resolution passed in February urging the agency to hand oversight of the sites to the state Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). 

At Tuesday’s hearings, the Assembly Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials will consider three bills, two from Assemblymember Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley, Richmond), and a third by Cindy Montanez, a San Fernando Valley Democrat and political powerhouse. 

Hancock and Montanez presided over a Nov. 3, 2004 legislative hearing at the Richmond Field Station that explored the history of pollution and proposed development at Campus Bay. The hearing ended with a change of regulatory control, with most of the site passing from the jurisdiction of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board to the DTSC. The water board has no toxics expertise, while the state toxics agency is well-staffed with toxicologists and other experts. 

Both Montanez—who chairs both the powerful Assembly Rules Committee and the Select Committee on Environmental Justice—and Hancock vowed to craft legislation to change the way the handling of hazardous waste cleanups are handled on redevelopment sites. 

Montanez’s bill is designed to fix one of the major flaws in the current process, in which a developer is allowed to chose between regulators. As the law now stands, the developer can choose between the regional water board and the DTSC.  

Montanez’s legislation, AB 597, would impose: 

• The same public disclosure and participation standards on both agencies, with mandatory public notification of all decisions and proposed actions; 

• Public access to site assessments and proposed cleanup plans, both at the local office of the regulatory agency and in convenient public locations such as libraries. 

• A mandatory 30-day period for public review of the proposed cleanup plans, with the regulatory agency mandated to consider public comments. 

• A mandatory public meeting near the site during the public comment period if one is requested. 

• Coordination and integration of public participation activities—to the greatest extent possible—with other public agencies involved in the development, investigation and rehabilitation of the site.  

In her own district, Montanez has been at the center of battles over a planned development at a heavily contaminated site that once housed a plumbing fixtures manufacturing plant. In that case the developer chose the local water board as a regulator, effectively denying participation by an increasingly concerned public.  

One of Hancock’s measures—AB 1360—would hand jurisdiction of dry land sites to the DTSC, with the water board taking jurisdiction at the water’s edge. 

Her second bill—AB 1546—is designed to create a long-term fix by mandating the creation of a Cleanup Agency Consolidation Task Force which would be charged with creating the Department of Environmental Management (DEM). 

The DEM would combine the functions and staffs of the DTSC, the state and local water boards and the Radiological Health Branch of the state Department of Health Services into a single agency with standardized policies and rules for public access and participation. 

Sherry Padgett, who is scheduled to speak Tuesday along with Contra Costa County Public Health Director Dr. Wendel Brunner, is one of the organizers of the April 26 protest. 

Both Padgett and Gayle McLaughlin, a Richmond Progressive Alliance candidate elected to the City Council last November, hope next Friday’s protest will jar the state EPA—which includes both the water boards and DTSC—into compliance with a Richmond City Council resolution calling for both sites to be handed over to the DTSC. 

The water board currently has oversight of the UC Field Station as well as the marsh at the edge of Campus Bay. 

Both properties are currently targeted for development by Cherokee-Simeon Properties, a joint venture firm which has engaged in extensive development on Bay Area sites cleaned up under the water board’s aegis. 

UC Berkeley has resisted a takeover of the Field Station cleanup by DTSC. The school plans to build a corporate/academic research park on the site. 

With little discussion and only minor tweaking, Berkeley Unified School District directors unanimously passed a policy Wednesday night to modify the process of selecting new principals. 

Five principal positions currently need to be filled for next school year, including Berkeley Alternative, Willard Middle, and John Muir, Oxford, and Rosa Parks elementary schools. Berkeley Unified has already begun advertising for the positions. 

While the temporary hiring procedure modifies the makeup and duties of community and staff selection committees set up to screen applicants, Superintendent Michele Lawrence says that the intent is to make the process less cumbersome, and will not restrict input. Lawrence assured Student Director Lily Dorman-Colby that one to two students will be included on the Berkeley Alternative and Willard Middle screening panels. At Board Vice President Terry Doran’s request, she agreed to a modification that the district would solicit all parent applicants to the screening committees, not just from PTAs. Doran said he made the request to be more inclusive “because all parents don’t participate in the PTAs.” 

Director Joaquin Rivera said that the modified selection process was the same as the one used to hire Principal Jim Slemp at Berkeley High two years ago. 

In other action Wednesday night, the board: 

• Moved forward with a plan to reduce class sizes using Berkeley Schools Excellence Project (BSEP) funds and money from the 2004 Measure B class size reduction bond. The district is projecting average class sizes for the 2005-06 school year of 20 for grades K-3, 26 for grades 4-5, and 28 for grades 6-12. Board President Nancy Riddle noted that without BSEP and Measure B funds, and without qualifying for state reduced size subsidies, Berkeley’s average class size would be 39. “That’s California,” Riddle said. “That’s why we appreciate what Berkeley voters have done in these measures.” 

• In a continuing effort to bring the district out of “qualified” budget status, approved the elimination of eight classified employee positions, including three school bus drivers and two food service assistants. Director Doran called the decisions “tough.” Superintendent Lawrence said that “the food service positions are vacant, but there are real people attached to the other positions.” Lawrence said that more staff cutbacks will be forthcoming. 

• Approved a program that will allow summer school at the middle and high school levels that will be available only for students who have failed classes or, at the high school level, “are not making satisfactory progress toward high school graduation.” When Director Dorman-Colby asked if this was a change from the previous policy of allowing any student to attend summer school who wanted, Lawrence said, “yes. That’s one of the consequences of these budget cuts.” 

• Passed, on first reading, board bylaws. After several minutes of discussion, board members held off until their next meeting a decision on how board officers are chosen. One option would have board officers automatically selected based upon the totals given to them by Berkeley voters in elections to the board; another would have officers directly elected by the board directors themselves.ô

Click here to view the latest work by Planet cartoonist Justin DeFreitasÛ

WORK-TO-RULE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

When negotiations between the teachers‚ union (BFT) and the school district came to a standstill, teachers started “work to rule”; we decided to confine our teaching work to the seven-hour and 10-minute contract day. “Work to rule” has been tough on everyone. It has also made me and my colleagues acutely aware of how many hours a week we ordinarily spend on activities connected to teaching, but beyond the scope of the responsibilities defined by the contract—from interacting with students and parents, to collaborating with other teachers, attending extra meetings and developing new curriculum. “Work to rule” has generated discussions about the state and nationwide dilemma Berkeley Board of Education is currently facing: how to pay its staff fair wages and remain fiscally sound. 

I know that Berkeley Unified School District is in a tough financial position. I know that California is in a tough financial position and that the federal government has a deficit that continues to spiral out of control. And I think I know why! Our nation’s priorities are, as my students would say, “messed up”! We continually send the message to our children and to other nations that we value domination, the power to inflict death, over life and sustainability—so much so that we choose to divert dollars away from much needed human services and into military spending.  

The City of Berkeley is infamous for making national headlines by issuing proclamations on international issues. It’s time for us to take a stand on a local issue that will reverberate statewide, nationwide, perhaps even internationally. We need to proclaim that educating our children is a priority and back it up by making funding choices that maximize positive, healthy interactions at the school site where adults interact daily with students. The Berkeley community (school board members, administrators, custodial staff, teachers, classified, and families—all of us) must arrive as soon as possible at the point where we are prepared as a community to up and march together to Sacramento proclaiming “These are our priorities!” I believe the Board of Education is waiting to hear from the Berkeley community. Please contact the board members and let them know what you think.  

Martha Cain 

Longfellow Teacher 

• 

HAZING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Isn’t it ironic that though there is a zero-tolerance policy towards hazing the “Berkeley chapter of Pi Kappa Phi had been disciplined four times in the past five years.” The stated policy, and the subsequent “discipline” are clearly not in sync. If the authorities do not take hazing seriously, the students won’t either. Hazing will be curbed when everyone, perpetrators, bystanders and authority figures are held responsible. 

Dr. Susan Lipkins 

Port Washington, NY  

• 

CITY EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In the April 19 edition of the Daily Planet, Mr. Winard was not convinced with Zac Unger’s perspective on firefighter compensation and asked the Daily Planet to help verify whether public employees should contribute to their own pensions and if that would solve the city budget crisis. Below are some facts to help readers better understand the situation. 

First, Mr. Unger is not a Berkeley firefighter; he is an Oakland firefighter. Second, Berkeley firefighters and police officers both pay 9 percent of their annual salary into the pension system. Private sector employees pay 6.2 percent to Social Security.  

When Social Security was created in 1935, government employees were expressly excluded. Even when state and local governments were given the option to join the system in the 1950s, many fire departments were still legally barred from electing Social Security coverage until 1994. Berkeley firefighters, as well as other City of Berkeley employees are members of the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS). 

CalPERS generates revenue through contributions from the employee, the employer, and investment income. According to CalPERS, 65 percent of the revenue to pay for retirement benefits is generated from investment income. Social Security relies totally on income taxes, payroll taxes, and interest earned from borrowed Social Security funds by the U.S. Treasury department. During the 1990s the stock market had significant growth resulting in pension rebates paid to the city or a decrease in the city’s contribution rate to zero or low single percentages. Due to the collapse in the stock market in 2001 and 2002, the investment return for CalPERS dropped dramatically, causing employer rates to return to the pre-1990s level. 

Regarding the issue of firefighter compensation, Berkeley top-step firefighters make $28.77 per hour and are scheduled to work 900 more hours annually than private sector employee. Maybe this is why Mr. Unger has a different perspective. 

Gil Dong, President 

Berkeley Fire Fighters Association 

• 

CIVIC CENTER FOUNTAIN 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It has recently come to my attention that the city plans to spend $400,000 in general funds to restore the Civic Center fountain, which has been dry for over 20 years. In my opinion, restoring the fountain would be an unconscionable waste of the city’s capital and operating funds, given the current fiscal crisis. Spending scarce public resources on the fountain seems particularly ironic at a time when the city is considering closing the public pools—“water features” that are actually used and loved by the residents and that convey recreation and health benefits. Who are the constituents and what is the policy rationale for the fountain project?  

It is my understanding that the annual cost of operating the fountain is equivalent to operating one city pool. As a regular year-round swimmer who has participated in several private fundraising events over the last two years in order to keep the pools open, I am at a loss as to why the city would consider spending $400,000 in capital costs and $60,000 annually to maintain a non-essential “accessory” that does not provide tangible benefits to the community. 

In its budget process, the city has an obligation to prioritize programs that people actually use (such as the pools) over a fountain, an aesthetic luxury. 

Eve Stewart 

• 

CITY POOLS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

On April 7, the San Francisco Chronicle’s ChronicleWatch reported that the Berkeley city manager had found some extra general fund revenue. He and the Parks and Recreation director propose to spend $600,000 on renovations and maintenance for the fountain in Civic Center Park while closing the swimming pools programs for half the year, fall and winter. This is a bad idea and misappropriation of funding. 

The pools programs provide public health support for children, seniors, the disabled and other adults who swim year round for health. In the fall and through the winter we swimmers are in the water every day, starting in the dark morning hours, even in the rain. 

In April, the California Department of Health Services and UCLA Center for Health Policy Research released three studies describing the health costs and economic costs of obesity and physical inactivity in adolescents and adults. Under these circumstances, Berkeley, who holds a strong history of innovative public health support, would do better to promote physical activities such as swimming rather than close its pools. 

For my part, I’m a daily swimmer in the King pool swimming programs. I need this pool. I have a disability with pinched nerves in my pelvis that is severely painful. Swimming and water exercise bring the only substantive pain relief I can get, so I work in the water every morning for about two hours, rain or shine and through the dark, cold winter. 

Stefan Welch 

• 

ACHIEVEMENT GAP 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Michael Larrick deserves the highest praise for the views he expressed in his opinion piece, “Jefferson Elementary School, and Other Excuses for the Achievement Gap” (Apr. 19-21). The black community continues to hope that what we should call “name magic” will solve its problems. First if was the belief that replacing “negro” with “black” was a major part of the answer; then, when that didn’t seem to do much good, it was decided that “black” was also the wrong name, it should be “African-American.” But that hasn’t helped much either. Meantime, name magic continues to be applied to streets and schools, the latest example in Berkeley being the proposed renaming of Jefferson School. 

White liberals who go along with this nonsense are guilty of the worst kind of exploitation, because what is really going on here, and has been for decades, is the old projection racket. Most white liberals—particularly in the university—belong to the liberal arts community, and in today’s world, in which engineering, science, and business are king, that community is a relative have-not. It is perfectly natural, therefore, for these have-nots to project their plight onto worse-off have-nots, and to sympathize with and excuse every kind of bad behavior and wishful thinking in this latter group, calling it the result of “oppression” (in other words, not their fault).  

Yet very few if any of these white liberals would respond to the news that their children weren’t performing well in school, by demanding that the school change its name! Nor would any black coach tell a white player who wasn’t performing well, that his problem would be solved if he only would change his name. (Black superstars in the athletic and entertainment fields did not become multi-millionaires because they just happened to have the right names.) 

The correct response to blacks who want to blame slavery, and hence slave-owners like Thomas Jefferson, for their present miseries, is “That was then. This is now.” Every minority in this country that has raised itself from poverty has done so by recognizing that the only way out is through education, hard work, thrift, and having no more children than parents can raise and educate properly. That’s the only magic.  

Peter Schorer 

• 

DISGUSTED 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a former student of Jefferson Elementary and a current one of Berkeley High, I read Michael Larrick’s recent commentary with disgust.  

To run with Larrick’s thesis: Yes. The escalating fight over the name of Jefferson school is concerning, because it is at heart a divisive and unwinnable struggle. No one, least of all elementary school students (who are not well equipped to judge Jefferson’s guilt without knowing greater detail about his life and times) should be forced to “take sides” and receive judgment for it. It is a bitter and injurious battle to fight for a more politically correct name and clearly one that has caused more hurt feelings and anger than a new and more tolerance-inspiring name is supposed to prevent. And, finally, it is unwinnable because whatever name is left standing, when everyone has fought until the bitter end, will mean anger for one “side.” It’s terribly sad when such—dare I say—adolescent fights are allowed to escalate beyond the school yard without the benefit of those peer mediators who roamed the yards while I was a student at Jefferson. 

And yet, what I find offensive and insulting in Larrick’s commentary is his judgmental assumptions about “black’s victimhood” and “education running counter to black identity.” Yes, victimization is present (among all students—have you talked to an adolescent lately?), but we are all responsible for our actions and our actions alone. Michael Larrick has no right to admonish black students for not “achieving.” His is a defensive and angry stance, demanding that black students live up to a standard of academic and social excellence as defined by various academic institutions, and Michael Larrick, respectively. His analysis of black’s failure to succeed fails to take into account an undeniable correlation between levels of poverty and race in the BUSD demographic: Black students are statistically poorer than white students. And, indeed, it doesn’t account for a group phenomena of black students being less engaged and less active, and thus less successful in school. Just today, when the accreditation committee announced their findings to BHS students and staff, they pointed out that there are “too many students in the hallways and...otherwise off-task....and these students [are] predominantly black.” With this fact in mind, it is hypocritical for Larrick to criticize a history fair that highlights the origins of topics obviously popular with black students at Willard Middle School: “NBA basketball, hip-hop, and hair weaves.” First of all, any of these topics has academic merit in cultural anthropology, musicology, or American history, and, second, the important point is that the students could relate to these topic and thus actively engage in school. Does this not fit with Larrick’s demands of black students? 

I was angered and insulted to read Larrick’s canard of students with whom I have studied and learned for 12 years in Berkeley schools and whom I respect greatly. I invite Larrick to bring his theories about black culture and the “low-sunken” academic standards of Willard students’ work and come to BUSD schools, because I think his principles of success could truly inspire black students to achieve where others have failed.  

Karin Drucker 

• 

JEFFERSON SCHOOL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I hope that many people read the letter of Ms. Bonnie Killip regarding the proposed elimination of the name of Thomas Jefferson of a public school in Berkeley. Her letter in the April 8-11 issue explains why many African Americans can call themselves African Americans instead of African Africans. I too was shocked when I read about the possible change of the name of that school. 

It would almost be funny if it were not so sad. I would hope that the children in this school are taught some American history along with what ever is taught that caused this disgraceful proposal. 

Max Macks 

• 

FINAL JUDGMENT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Nancy Koerner’s letter (April 19-21) ends with an important question: “In the final judgment, is a person to be judged based upon one aspect of his life, or on his life as a whole?” That depends on the magnitude of that aspect, whether good or bad. 

Albert Einstein flunked as a husband and as a parent, was a lousy violinist, but all that will matter over time is his scientific achievement. 

I happen to be a former German Jew, and quite a few of my close relatives perished in the Holocaust. How would I feel about a school or other public building named after a significant participant in the Nazi crimes who later performed great public service—like former United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim? I’d be appalled. There’s more distance between me and Jefferson, both in time and in the fact that I’m not a descendent of pre-abolition Americans. 

In the end, it may be a question of whose ox is being gored. 

Gilbert Bendix 

Kensington 

• 

IT COULD BE WORSE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Becky O’Malley’s piece, “Protecting Berkeley Against Mothers and Babies,” was brilliant, as expected. However, I must remind all of us in Berkeley that things are even worse elsewhere. Remember Yoshihiro Hattori? He was the Japanese exchange student blown away in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1992 because he knocked at the wrong door while going to a Halloween party. The homeowner, who killed this completely inoffensive (and of course unarmed) adolescent was acquitted by a jury, the foreman of which gloated about the inalienable right of Americans to gun down trespassers, including kids in Halloween costumes. Yoshihiro Hattori’s father, who attended the trial of his son’s murderer, was disappointed and incredulous of the acquittal—as, indeed, was most of Japan. 

So—whenever we think that things couldn’t be worse, remember that they can be and usually are. 

Cliff Hawkins  

• 

GLOBAL WARMING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

How the world will end global warming hit me a week ago down at Cesar Chavez park. I had just jogged to the top of one of the park’s hills when a six-foot-long insect with a 10-foot wing span, and huge bulging eyes swooped over my head. In the instant of horror the future flashed before me. Word of this mutant will be on the evening news and all hesitance on environmental action will cease. 

Within a year, Detroit will produce only hybrid cars. All military personnel will be reassigned to put solar panels on homes, factories and offices. Public transportation will be free, being subsidized by heavy taxes on “big box” stores. The taxes will help subsidize cheap taxis and jitneys that take commuters to and from BART. Windmills will be everywhere that there is a breeze, and in front of them to protect the birds there will be the huge mesh screens used at golf courses so the rich won’t lose their balls 

All we have to do for this to come to pass is make sure the media doesn’t discover that the insect was a kite. 

Ted Vincent 

• 

AC TRANSIT BUSES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I respect Joyce Roy’s right to her observations and opinions (“AC Transit’s Van Hools Hated by Riders, Drivers,” April-14). Unfortunately, once she moved beyond her observations and opinions, virtually every fact in her comment is mistaken. 

AC Transit’s Van Hool A330s are “true low floor” buses in that they have a flat floor from the front all the way to the back wall of the bus. In a true low floor design, seats must be on risers in order to accommodate necessary elements such as fuel tanks, batteries and the drive shaft.  

Far from being “dreamed up in AC Transit’s ivory tower,” true low floor buses are the norm in Europe, ridden by millions of people every day. Every Van Hool A330 in the world is a true low floor bus with most of their seats on risers. All of the new Mercedes Citaro buses (the most popular bus in the world) are true low floor buses with most of their seats on risers. The same is true for new models from Volvo, Scandia, Fiat, etc., all with their seats on risers. Toyota and Nissan have similar models in Japan. 

One of the advantages of a true low floor bus is that it allows for a third door on a standard bus and a fourth door on an articulated bus. That , in turn, allows a proof-of-payment (POP) fare system to work much more efficiently. With a POP system, if a passenger has a proof that she or he has paid (such as a monthly pass, a transfer or some group pass such as the UC Berkeley Class Pass or an Eco Pass) she or he can board through any door. Passengers who need to pay board through the front door and pay as usual and get a receipt. Fare inspectors periodically come through to make sure that everyone has paid. 

With POP on the Van Hools, persons with any mobility difficulty would generally board through the wide middle door. For seniors and persons with disabilities that would give them immediate access to all seven ground level seats. For those with strollers, shopping carts, etc., they would have the large flat area in the middle of the bus for their devices. 

According to the APTA’s (American Public Transportation Association) 2004 Transit Fare Summary there are 22 agencies in North America that use POP on buses. POP is almost universal on light rail. If you have ridden light rail above ground in San Francisco, you have ridden on a POP system. If you have ridden light rail anywhere in San Jose or Sacramento, you have ridden on a POP system. 

In Europe, POP is ubiquitous on both bus and rail systems. Paris, for example, has used POP on buses for 40 years in my personal experience and still uses a form of POP today. (Paris is now experimenting to see if when they introduce a “smart card” (as the Bay Area is doing with TransLink) they can speed up boarding enough so that POP is no longer needed.) 

Every POP system deals with the interrelated issues of enforcement costs and fare evasion. There is some literature on those issues and AC Transit is struggling with them at the moment. I hope that we can find some solution and implement POP on an experimental basis soon. 

H. E. Christian Peeples 

At-Large Director, Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District 

?

I don’t think that this is a column with a point to it, though I may not be the best judge. It’s just some observations about life swimming in the multicultural creek that we call East Oakland. 

A year or so ago, two or three Mexican-American men bought the house across the side fence from us. They are construction workers, I believe, because their backyard is stacked with wheelbarrows and shovels and scaffolding and other tools of that trade. At least one of them must also have some background in sound systems as well, I believe, because they have perfected the art of playing music at just that magic, neighbor-friendly level between too-faint-to-appreciate and too-loud-to-stand. On pleasant afternoons you can stand at our kitchen window and follow the melody through the trumpets and the guitars, which disappear from hearing as soon as you walk away from the sink. 

This is a phenomenon not to be taken lightly. Across one of our other fences, we once had neighbors who thought it perfectly acceptable to hire live mariachi bands—complete with amplifiers—for birthdays and other family celebrations. They came with a large family and thus had many occasions to celebrate. The bands also appeared to operate on the inverse of the AM radio broadcast principle—that is, the later it got after sunset, the higher they felt they needed to set the volume in order to be heard. One memorable night they went to three in the morning, and even the closed door of the far closet proved to be no sanctuary. From experience, I can tell you there is nothing quite so eerie as a man’s falsetto “eeeee, ha-ha-haaaaa!” following you into your bedroom late at night. Eventually the music stopped, either because these particular neighbors moved away or developed empathy. This being East Oakland, I would not entirely rule out that it might have been encouraged by things lobbed over the fences from surrounding yards. 

I know that this aversion to certain types of loud music is a racial-cultural-generational thing, all combined together. I can ratchet up the Temptations’ “Get Ready” or Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman” or the Isley Brother’s “Twist And Shout” and shout along with them at the top of my lungs while rolling down International in my 1980s-era Toyota hatchback, and it don’t bother me a bit. I can do the same with War’s “City, Country, City” or Derek and the Dominoes’ “Layla” or, unaccountably, Rossini’s “William Tell Overture” as well (I’m sure it’s a Lone Ranger thing). I find a common, celebratory theme that binds these songs and allows them to be shouted, not merely played (well, there wasn’t much celebratory about “Layla”; that one, I’m afraid, I simply can’t explain). But for a long time rap set my teeth on edge and through much of the ‘90s, I fought a running battle with the volume knob and the three of my daughters who were teenagers during those years. I think my problem with it might have been because the rap they were listening to in back in that day tended to be declaratory rather than celebratory, so that rather than being shouted, it feels like you are being shouted at, at least if you are of the over-40 generation. And the best of it—Tupac’s “I Ain’t Mad At Ya,” for example—demanded a mellow volume and a quiet, thoughtful corner of the house to be appreciated. 

Meanwhile, shortly after they moved in, my Mexican-American friends across the side fence commenced building a chicken pen in their backyard, and soon occupied it with a rooster. 

East Oakland was still farm country as recently as the 1940s, and remnants remain. As late as the ‘50s, my grandfather kept a pony in his backyard not far from East 14th and Seminary and in the same decade, near San Leandro Street and 85th, my parents raised chickens, slaughtered and dressed them, and sold them fresh out of a poultry shop. In recent years I continue to see farm animals in our neighborhood including once, walking up to International from the Coliseum BART station, a goat peering out between the slats in a wooden fence from behind someone’s house. And that doesn’t count the goats they set out in the hills along Leona Heights to mow the brush and grass. 

Ponies and goats and food-chickens have nothing on urban roosters, however. If you were raised up on cartoons and “The Real McCoys” and Depression-era novels, you are probably under the impression that roosters get up at first light and crow to announce the coming of dawn and the start of the day. But that is only because in the country, it pretty much stays dark outside all night. In the cities, roosters are more illumination-challenged and will get up at two or four in the morning, for example, to announce the presence of streetlights. Or security lights. Or somebody lighting a cigarette. When my oldest daughter lived in the apartment around the corner, I’m sure she would have shot the neighborhood rooster more than once if she’d had a gun, or scalded him with water boiled in a pot if she could have thrown it that far. Or brained him with the pot, for that matter. 

My mother’s particular bone to pick about our Mexican neighbors’ rooster was not the night crowing, but the smell, of which she had an intimate familiarity, having, as I said, raised chickens with my father for many years. My mother brooded over this intrusion to her nasal sensibilities for several weeks and one afternoon, standing on the back porch and seeing our neighbors across the fence, she confronted them about it. 

“You know, it’s against the law to have a rooster in the city,” she told them in her best grandmother tone. 

“We don’t have any rooster, ma’am,” one of the neighbors answered. 

My mother pointed out to him the evidence of the chicken coop, which she could clearly see from our porch. 

“Oh, yes, we used to have a rooster,” the neighbor explained with a sad look, “but he has died, unfortunately, just in the last few days. So we don’t have him any more.” 

At that moment the rooster, either just waking up or having heard his name called, walked around into the neighbors’ backyard from the side of their house, stretched, flapped his wings, eyed the afternoon sun which was beginning to fall out towards the estuary in the west and, perhaps getting his compass directions confused, commenced to crow. 

There was an awkward silence as our neighbors shuffled their feet under my mother’s withering glare. Then one of the men brightened with a thought, smiled, and clasping his hands together said to one of his housemates, “Look! Stefán! It’s a miracle!” 

No point to it, like I said, just notes from the faultlines of East Oakland, where her multicultures overlap. Bienvenidos, friends, and peace’out, too, if that’s still being said.ª

Dodged the Big One 

A burning cardboard box ignited by a malfunctioning hydraulic compressor at Consolidated Paper Co. at 2630 Eighth St. could have started a major conflagration, had not a passerby summoned the Fire Department Tuesday morning. 

Berkeley Fire Department Deputy Chief David Orth said company employees had extinguished the box without calling on BFD’s services. 

But fortunately a passerby spotted the smoke and called 911. 

When firefighters checked the scene they discovered embers still glowing, and paper on fire beneath a loaded dumpster. 

“If we hadn’t caught it, it could have been a really big fire,” Orth said. “The real message is that all fires should be reported. We talked to the company and they agreed and they’re now talking to all their employees.” 

Oven Blaze 

Another blaze 10 minutes earlier was safely contained in a residence at 1321 Haskell St. before it could do major damage to the residence. 

The oven fire did manage to ruin a $400 oven.

For the last 35 years, since Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970, we have come together as a global community to celebrate our planet and recognize the importance of a clean and healthy environment. The theme of Earth Day this year, “Protect Our Children and Our Future,” is an important reminder that our responsibility to build a cleaner, healthier and safer world is a long-term commitment to our children and the planet they will inherit. 

The Bay Area has long been a beacon of leadership on environmental issues, where people know that protecting our planet and our environment is a year-round commitment. 

In my district, businesses in Oakland, Berkeley and Albany have been working with public and private agencies to develop green business models, using cost-saving measures that reduce waste, conserve resources and add to their bottom line. 

In West Oakland, community residents, environmental groups, businesses, public agencies and elected officials are taking a collaborative approach to improving air quality and reducing asthma rates among local residents.  

These creative, collaborative efforts are examples of the sort of forward-thinking work going on in the Bay Area and around the country that should be informing our nation’s environmental policies. 

Sadly, that far-sighted vision is not shared by the Bush administration and Republicans in Congress, who continue to prioritize short-term corporate profits over the long-term health and safety of our children and the world they will live in. 

Just this week in the House of Representatives, we voted on an environmentally irresponsible energy bill that was conceived by and for the energy industry in secret meetings with Vice President Cheney. 

Instead of encouraging the development of clean, renewable energy, this pro-polluter piece of legislation gives over $37 billion in tax breaks and subsidies to the oil, nuclear and coal industries; opens up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other pristine public lands and coastal areas to oil and gas drilling; and endangers the public health by postponing the ban on MTBE and eliminating the product liability for the companies that produced it. 

The fact is, in the four years that President Bush has been in office, he has put together one of the worst environmental track records of any president in modern-day history. Instead of declaring and ensuring that no mother should have to worry about her children getting asthma, or that no company who pollutes our air, our land or our water will escape prosecution, or that no soldier should have to be deployed to the Middle East to be sacrificed for oil—he has done exactly the opposite. 

President Bush has rolled back countless environmental regulations designed to prevent pollution, weakening the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. He has consistently slashed funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, undermining its core function to protect our health and the environment, and he has lobbied for massive giveaways of public lands and resources to the energy extraction and logging industries. 

In effect, the Bush administration has been an environmental disaster. 

We need to change the dynamic in Washington. Instead of putting big business first, we need to put our children’s health first. We need to defend and protect the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. We need to protect critical habitats, and endangered species. And we need to empower the EPA to do its job. 

Let’s use the energy and dedication of Earth Day to recommit ourselves to changing that dynamic, so that in the future, when we celebrate Earth Day, we will be celebrating our successes in defending the environment, protecting our children’s health and securing our nation’s future.  

Congresswoman Barbara Lee represents California’s Ninth District.ô

A recent editorial by a Berkeley teacher confirmed my fears that teachers are not really hearing the truth about most parents’ opinions about the “work-to” rule. Ask any parent if they support higher pay for teachers and the answer is a resounding yes. We are well aware that the vast majority of teachers are dedicated, committed people that have our children’s best interest at heart. Of course we wish for them to receive the highest wages possible. However, ask a parent if they support the current union work action and I believe the majority will answer no.  

The teachers’ union implies that the school superintendent and board have an anti-teacher agenda and, as a result, teachers must fight this agenda with the current work action. But teachers must wonder, as I do, about the district’s incentive to deny an increase in the salary structure. If the money exists, and the future revenue stream seems predictable, why not ensure that salaries keep pace with other districts? Neither the board nor the superintendent benefit from unhappy, under-paid teachers. 

In my opinion, the board and superintendent have done a commendable job in providing real facts about the district’s financial situation and their financial priorities. It would seem that there are some additional revenues, along with a series of additional costs. Furthermore, while we have recovered from the recent near-bankruptcy, the district has not yet put aside its required reserve. I have not seen the union challenge these facts. Unless the union knows something about the finances that have not been disclosed, it is tough to see from where the funds for a higher pay-scale can come.  

The union’s claim that teachers have received no salary increase over the past several years is also not completely true. Each year Berkeley teachers move through a variety of “steps” and “columns.” Each new step and column is associated with a pay raise. Only the most senior of teachers, those that have achieved all steps and columns identified in the contract, have seen their salaries stay constant. All other teachers have received these standardized raises. It is true that the pay-scale associated with these steps has not changed in the last several years, but the claim that teachers have received no pay increase is specious. 

The biggest problem with the union’s work action is the implication that the only things being cut back are “voluntary” activities that teachers only complete in their spare time (like being forced to travel to Italy as a class chaperone). In fact, teachers have stopped preparing class lessons, issuing homework, and grading class room assignments. I find it amazing that these things are not already considered a mandatory part of the teaching day and not required by the existing contract. These items are essential to students’ learning and the union’s refusal to undertake these basic teaching activities is wrong. 

Finally, the recent editorial notes that many teachers are looking for greener pastures in other districts. Unfortunately, most BUDS students have no such option. Because we are committed to this school district for the long-term, we parents recognize that the district’s long-term financial stability, the preservation of programs like art, music, science and reading, and teachers’ salaries must be equally balanced.   

The teachers’ union has made its point. The board and superintendent must continue to carefully manage its spending and constantly evaluate priorities. It seems obvious that the state’s financial picture must get better and, should the BUDS continue its current approach, its financial situation will also improve. The board is on record as supporting higher teacher pay when finances allow. We all look forward to that time and we respectfully ask that teachers return to a full work day while we work together to solve the issues. 

Christopher Hudson is the father of two Berkeley public school students.ô

It’s not true that the vast majority of parents support the work-to-rule situation in the Berkeley Public Schools. Virtually every parent I’ve spoken with has been frustrated at the whole evolution of events and felt like their kid has been put in the middle of a complex conflict over benefits without being notified, fully informed and where their kids education has been held hostage to a settlement. 

I’m a parent with two children in the Berkeley school system, a daughter in sixth grade at King and a son in the third grade at Rosa Parks. I’m a complete supporter of public school. I’ve participated in meetings, PTA and events on my own time. I’ve supported Rosa Parks along with other very committed parents and teachers when extensive and inaccurate negative publicity was being circulated last year. 

This work-to-rule move by the Berkeley Federation of Teachers has not and is not getting massive support by parents. It was thrown at us completely by surprise. Most of us were unaware of two years of negotiations when this all began. Many of us are struggling to understand how we can keep our kids focused on schoolwork with no homework—a very mixed message to say the least. 

I think many parents understand the desire for teachers to get a pay increase and to not incur costs of often very expensive, sky rocketing medical plans that have been paid for by the school district up until now. But this issue is occurring in school districts struggling to make their budgets throughout California, not to mention private industry throughout the nation. This is not the school district imposing their expensive health care programs on employees. This is the hard and very unhappy reality of benefit costs going up and someone having to pay for them. If the district pays for these costs where does the money come from? 

BUSD now has a deficit, which puts the district out of compliance with the state mandated 3 percent reserve. Berkeley Unified does not have this and will not have it next year if they go along with the request of the union. I understand this is a major roadblock in the negotiations. It frustrates the teachers but the work-to-rule frustrates the parents as well. 

In 2000 the work-to-rule approach in dealing with contract negotiations worked. At this time the district appeared to be flush with money. The state had no deficit and was in the middle of the dot-com boom flush with a massive surplus. This world is long gone and many Californians are suffering from this. The Bay Area has one of the slowest growing economies in California and the Nation right now. Tax revenues are down significantly in Berkeley and other cities. If it wore not for BCEP money’s and Measure B from the last election Berkeley Schools right now would be facing bankruptcy. 

If the strike option is exercised to make a point about unfair treatment a real tragedy will unfold and everyone will loose. Parents who can, will opt out of the public school system, teachers will go unpaid and the district will loose up to $6,000 per child a year for reduced attendance. The district may loose up to 30% of its revenue and massive layoffs will be necessary. This is a very difficult situation and the kids—my kids—will suffer along with thousands of others. 

I’m not happy to say anyone should get paid less than they deserve. But the reality is school districts, like Berkeley are not giant corporations where the CEO gets a double bonus for cutting pay. It’s about balancing budgets and dealing with reality. 

I support the teachers. I support the district. And I support a creative solution to this long term problem that’s not going to come from a strike or highly adversarial tack ticks that put kids and their education in the middle of the conflict. 

Steven Donaldson is the parent of two Berkeley public school students. 

.

Call it Being Something. The whole unwieldy title of the production we’re concerned with here is actually Being Something: Living Young and Growing Old in Oakland and it opens this Friday night at the Metro Theater on the corner of Broadway and Second Avenue in Oakland, two blocks short of Jack London Square. 

The first thing that has to be established here is that this is definitely not a review that you’re reading. Since the play has only a two-week run, closing on May 1, this writer visited a rehearsal. And even then it was only one act that was being worked on that night. Most directors would clutch their throats in horror at the idea of a reporter showing up to see that unfinished fragment of a play but the surprisingly easy-going, award-winning director, Ellen Sebastian Chang, was unfazed. 

The second thing is that this writer fully intends to do absolutely everything necessary to get back to see the whole production when it opens this weekend. If what was rehearsed on Wednesday will be equaled—or even bettered—in the complete version, it should be a very good experience indeed. 

The omens are good. Being Something has been developed by a socko collaboration between two long-time, much respected theater companies, StageBridge and Opera Piccolo, both of which have more than a slight bent toward social consciousness. In addition to more conventional venues, they each use their talent in such things as taking playreading and story-telling into the schools. 

At 27 years of age, Stagebridge is the oldest theater group in the country specifically designed for seniors. Opera Piccolo, also well established, was started in the ‘80s for the purpose of using theater skills for the community welfare. It’s a multi-racial group involving children in acting and other theater related activities. Not surprisingly, Stagebridge’s founder, Stuart Kandell, and Susannah Wood from Opera Piccola have long considered the idea of developing a production involving their two communities: the children and the senior citizens. 

The idea seemed like a clear winner when they approached director Chang. But it was much more difficult to work out than any of them anticipated. The problem was getting the plays. Their original plan to have the kids interview senior citizens didn’t pan out. Time was running short when they had to resort to seeking out “writers who can take the existing cast and create for them.” As it now stands, each episode is written by an entirely different playwright. 

Perhaps not surprisingly, the episodes are somewhat loosely held together by narrator Jay Chee, (from Stagebridge) who establishes a framework about houses and possessions being symbols for our lives. Another uniting force is “the spirit” (Jane Chen), an awesomely talented physical theater artist, whom the director describes as giving “a level of playfulness and transition to all the short works.” Part dance, part gymnastics, Chen’s movements in and around the steps are graceful, extraordinary and indescribable. 

Two other actors, Kenneth Foreman and Isabel Ferguson, also come from the senior company, with Ferguson aweing the rest of the cast not only with her acting, but with her 85 years of age.  

From the other end of the spectrum, the production has two experienced actors who are eighth graders, La’Sharae Williams and Kenneth Foreman. Tia Hicks, a 15 year old who is a graduate of Oakland’s Carter Middle School, has performed with Opera Piccola for the past five years. In addition there is an impressive group of kids who perform a dance/gymnastics group in the second scene.  

You could argue that if the first half of the production is as good as it seemed to be in Wednesday’s rehearsal, the entire finished production might be worth the $15 ticket price. And, don’t forget, Thursday night is pay-what-you-can night. 

Being Something: Living Young and Growing Old in Oakland runs April 22-May 1, Thurs.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m. at The Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway, Oakland. For more information, call 658-0967; for box office, call 444-4755. 

This Monday, at 7:30 p.m., Berkeley’s downtown Pegasus Bookstore at the corner of Shattuck and Durant avenues is sponsoring a free production that should be worth checking out. 

Three of Berkeley’s long-time theater people (actors, directors, founders of theater companies, boardmembers and on and on) will do a staged reading of Where Were You When They Killed Victor Jara? The 10-year-old play, by Berkeley playwright Deborah Rogin, is about the Reagan-era Chillean horror. 

The mini-production is being directed by Stanley Spenger, a stalwart in the local theater community. He is currently working with the Actors Ensemble group as a board member and is heading their selection of plays to perform. He hopes to be able to establish a series of such readings, in which he can both get a preliminary response about the choice and/or provide an opportunity for theater-buffs to familiarize themselves with a play which is currently running. 

Not surprisingly, the three actors in Monday’s reading, David Fenerty, David Stein, and Robert Hamm, are long-term theater people, two of whom are on Actors Ensemble’s board. They all have significant experience in theater in acting, directing. You name it. They’ve got it. It sounds like a good idea. 

All the action of Joe Penhall’s Blue/Orange (now at the Aurora) plays out in the confines of an examining room in a mental hospital in London. It is a place where two people usually meet, one listening to the other. 

Meant to be a safe place, the room becomes the locus for a furiously confused dialogue, words circling round and round like subatomic particles in a charged atmosphere that’s like a cloud chamber. A third voice chiming in makes, from the start, a peculiarly dissonant chord out of an alternating trio of often-clashing duets. 

Chris (played by Paul Oliver), a young black man, is finishing up a 28-day hold in the hospital after “an incident” in a marketplace—with an orange? He’s eager to get out, and a little aggressive toward, a bit mocking of his redheaded doctor, Bruce (T. Edward Webster). He teases Bruce that Bruce’s saying to him, in effect, “‘No drugs for you, nigger, because you’d really enjoy them. These are my drugs.’ You white doctors are just in denial.” Bruce continues to act friendly: “Have a smoke, watch the football.” The smile dies on Chris’s lips. 

Chris talks about leaving, getting back to real life. “When I saw all the others—you know, the other geezers—I said, ‘This is a nut house.’” 

Bruce demurs. “We actually don’t use ‘crazy,’” he says, “some terms are just inaccurate. ‘Crazy’ is one of them. Unhelpful.” 

But Chris has been saying Bruce and the other doctors view him as “a crazy nigger.” The slipperiness of repetition and attribution and reference as to who’s said what is a big modus operandi of the play; one of the virtues of the tangled dialogue is that the audience can follows the confusions of the characters with unusual clarity—and bursts of humor, sometimes manic and superlucid—perfect illusion of both involvement in and detachment from the action and the wrangling over what it all means. 

Chris is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder—“keyword: Borderline”—between neurotic and psychotic. “If people get the meaning of the word wrong, how can they get the person right?” A “suit” appears in the room, compliments Bruce randily on his wife and her fondue—actually, welsh rarebit. It’s Robert (Paul Whitworth), Bruce’s supervisor, in for a consult. 

Robert’s chatty, brandishes a cigarette and coffee, and gives Chris the forbidden fruit—in the hospital, nicotine and caffeine are verboten. In fact, Robert’s extravagant manner and mannerisms are counterpoint to Bruce’s painstakingly clinical bedside manner—and parallel to Chris’s nervous jauntiness, at least when Chris is flying high. With Chris out of the room, Bruce tells Robert he wants Chris’s hold upgraded for more time in treatment as an inpatient—he’s afraid Chris is on the verge of a breakdown. 

Robert disagrees: “Look around you. Who doesn’t have declining social skills? It’s normal!” 

Robert talks a Byzantine mosaic around the question, all the while pacing, gesticulating, tacking under full trim before the wind (a marvelous performance by Whitworth). He’s also clueing Bruce in on the ropes of the profession, with great professional vanity and perhaps a warning. Robert explains his research, on which he hopes to gain a full professorship—a study (and deep understanding, of course) of cultural relativism, ethnocenticity, and all the different signals and shades of meaning every word and act imply. Theory follows hunch follows simple pragmatism on why Bruce should go. 

As a last ditch defense of his opinion, Bruce gets the re-admitted Chris to break open an orange. What color is it?  

“Completely blue ... it’s a bad orange; don’t eat it!” Then Chris tells of his famous African father and a special connection to oranges. 

In a series of scenes and vignettes, the trio combines and recombines in various tete-a-tetes and back together again, as confidences, pleas, hysterias, doubts and revelations are shared—and, just as easily, reversed or shattered. Hostilities, sometimes mistaken or manipulated, come out on the table. And it’s not just Chris who might be out on the street. 

Joe Penhall, in some engaging remarks in the program, jokes about the price of success of his play: “Uh-oh—the naive, young, gunslinging playwright days are over now,” and jokes that he “kind of nicked” his structure from David Mamet’s Speed The Plow, but “nobody spotted it.” It goes a good deal further back, to Strindberg’s intense confrontations, with dialogue that fluctuates almost cybernetically, changing with a changing situation—and changing the situation itself, besides casting light on it. Or even further back, to that moment in drama Antonin Artaud identified with Euripides’s tragedies, in which man was no longer a little god anymore, but “where we don’t know just where we are.” There are no clearcut heroes or villains to Blue/Orange. 

“Who do you think you are? God?” Bruce asks of Robert. “How does Archbishop of Canterbury sound?” is the catty response. Tom Ross has presided over a tight cast in what he calls a play about “the politics of mental illness ... a battle of wills ... who’s on top at any given moment.” 

In such a hall of mirrors, with the patient staring at the doctors staring at him, there’s no clear thoroughfare, only the slippery, selfserving advice: “Do you want to get better? Then you must do what you must do.” 

Blue/Orange runs through May 15 at the Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St. Wed.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets, $28-$45. 843-4822 or www.aurora.theatre.org.

On Saturday, April 23, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Pacific Center for the Book Arts will present the 31st Annual Printers’ Fair at the Fort Mason Conference Center in San Francisco. “The letter, the word and the book, from the romance of calligraphy to the integration of letterpress printing and digital technology” will be the theme of the fair, with some 40 exhibitors. The event is free to the public. 

While desk-top publishing has been commonplace since the early 1990s—“printers” with a dizzying plethora of typefaces and photographic processes complement most computers whether in the office or at home—it’s easy to forget that 50 years ago things were very different. Electric typewriters (with a correcting key) were almost unknown; the fax and xerox unavailable. You could type or handwrite a text. Then, that document could be handed or mailed to an individual. 

For a mass-circulation, it could be printed off-set or re-typed on mimeo-graphic stencils (remember the messy blue-notices, “spirit-duplicated” from the school and churches of the l950s?). In most cases, if you wanted to circulate your writing, it was still letter-press or “relief” printing, that is the letter-press technology developed in the 1500s whereby warmed lead was shaped into individual letters (“foundry type”), and then arranged, by hand, into words, sentences, paragraphs, chapters and books (or newspapers, pamphlets, etc). 

At this fair, you can access all of that historical technology. In most cases, these technologies have been deemed antiquated, but capable of great artistic resonance. So, for the last 15 years, as the ink-jet or laser printer has dominated our daily work, the feel of relief printing (either by ancient lead or recent plastic plates) has come to play a crucial part in both artistic and avant-garde printing. The “kiss” of the type into the paper (itself often a marvelous confection) has become prized. If we hear of “slow” cooking, there is, as well, “slow” printing: that incorporates the oldest techniques with current practice. So the computer screen of today may tangle with the traditional “hand” whether by pen or lead or plastic.  

Various East Bay artists and printers will be exhibiting their skills and displaying their wares in the fair. Karen Switzer, of artnoose, has just letterpressed the 50th issue of her anarchist-oriented ‘zine, kerbloom. Kim Vanderheiden, of Painted Tongue Press, will be showing her prints; Mary Kay Josh will demonstrate her intricate marbling—the beautiful patterns of ink floating on water that, transferred to paper, are used in various decorations such as the “endpapers” of well-bound books. Sharing a table with Patrick Reagh, master-printer of Sebastopol (who sells type and the Pac-Mac, the magnetic base for polymer-plate letterpress), I will be showing the book-works of poet Paul Vangelisti with whom I’ve published Invisible City & Red Hill Press (out of San Francisco and Los Angeles) since 1970. 

For those who enjoy the romance of the handwritten letter or postcard, Atelier Gargoyle will exhibit their custom-made seals and wax as well as fountain pens and other supplies for the discerning scribe. Groups such as the Book Club of California, the American Printing Historical Association, the Mills College Center for the Book and the San Jose Printing Guild will have tables. As usual, Jim Heagy will sell tons of lead type and lots of type cases and antique printing equipment. 

It’s a delightful day on the water at Fort Mason. Don’t miss the vegetarian chili and pastries next door at Greens Cafe. 

FRIDAY, APRIL 22 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, “Working,” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. Through May 7. Tickets are $13-$15. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Aurora Theatre, “Blue/Orange” Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m., 2081 Addison St. through May 15. Tickets are $28-$45. 843-4822. www.aurora.theatre.org 

BareStage Productions “She Loves Me!” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. through April 24 at Choral Rehearsal Hall, Cesar Chavez Student Center, UC Campus. Tickets are $8-$10. http://tickets.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley Repertory Theater “For Better or Worse” at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. through April 24. Tickets are $20-$55. 647-2949.  

Berkeley Repertory Theater “The People’s Temple” at the Roda Theater, through May 29. Tickets are $20-$55. 647-2949.  

Black Repertory Group “Bubbling Brown Sugar” the musical Fri. at 8 p.m., Sat. at 2:30 and 8 p.m. to May 14 at 3201 Adeline St. Tickets are $7-$15. 652-2120.  

Contra Costa Civic Theatre “Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito, through May 21. Tickets are $12-$20. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Impact Briefs 7: “The How-To Show” Thu.-Sat at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave., through May 28. Tickets are $10-$15. 464-4468. www.impacttheatre.com 

Traveling Jewish Theater “Blood Relative” at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, Thurs., Fri. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $23-$34. 415-285-8080. www.atjt.com 

Opera Piccola and Stagebridge Senior Theater, “Being Something: Living ‘Young’ and Growing ‘Old’” Fri. and Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. at Oakland Metro, Jack London Square, through May 1. Tickets are $15. 444-4755. www.stagebridge.org 

“Proof” by David Auburn, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. through May 7, Sun. April 24 at 2:30 p.m. at The Masquers Playhouse, 105 Park Place, Point Richmond. Tickets are $13. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Design Reconsidered” In honor of Earth Day a showcase of young designers and modern functional products. Reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at ACCI Gallery, 1652 Shattuck Ave. Exhibition runs to May 9. 843-2527. www.accigallery.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Robert Reich and Richard Parker in discussion about “John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Elaine Herscher examines “Generation Extra Large: Rescuing Our Children from the Epidemic of Obesity” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oakland East Bay Symphony performs Herrmann, R. Strauss, Rosenthal, and Stravinsky at 8 p.m. at Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $15-$60. 625-8497.  

University Dance Theater 2005, with new works by Carol Murota, Lisa Wymore and Ellis Wood, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus. Tickets are $10-$14. 642-9925. http://theater.berkeley.edu 

David Berkeley, singer-songwriter at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Cost is $10. 848-7800. www.berkeleycityclub.com 

Women in Salsa Celebration at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Youthquake: Teen Music Competition Winners at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Houston Jones at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Piano Music by Tim Ross and Jack Kruscup from 5 to 7 p.m., at the Berkeley Faculty Club, UC Campus. 643-0834. 

SongsAlive Showcase at 8 p.m. at Rose Street House of Music with Lila Nelson and Gilli Moon. 594-4000, ext. 687. www.rosestreetmusic.com 

Anton Barbeau & Scott Miller, pop, at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Mystic Roots, CV 1 at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $5-$7. 848-0886.  

The Waybacks at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Grapefruit Ed at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082.  

William Beattie Trio at 8 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. 

Michael Bluestein Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Daryl Scairot, singer-songwriter, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Belinda Underwood & Friends at 8 p.m. at the Jazz- 

school. Cost is $10. 845-5373.  

Albino, afro-beat, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10. 548-1159.  

Swoop Unit at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Toots Thielemans and Kenny Werner with Oscar Castro-Neves at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $12-$22. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, APRIL 23 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Betsy Rose singing songs for Earth Day at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Briefly It Enters” by William Bolcom, 2005 Ernest Bloch Lecturer, and songs by Fauré performed by Jennifer Goltz, soprano & Gayle Blankenburg, piano, at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu/ 

Rhythm & Muse with poet Garrett Murphy at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center. Free. Berkeley Art Center. 527-9753. 

Ishle Yi Park reads from her new book of poetry, “Temperature of This Water” at 4 p.m. at Eastwind Books of Berkeley, 2066 University Ave. 548-2350. 

Arnaud Maitland describes “Living Without Regret: Growing Old in the Light of Tibetan Buddhism” at 4 p.m. at Dharma Publishing Bookstore, 2910 San Pablo Ave. at Ashby. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Moh Alileche at 2 p.m. at Down Home Music, 10341 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. 525-2129. 

American Bach Soloists at 8 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $20-$40. 415-621-7900. www.americanbach.org 

Natasha Miller, jazz vocalist at 8 p.m. at the PSR Chapel, 1798 Scenic Ave. Donation $10-$20. 704-7729. 

Tom Rigney & Flambeau, Cajun, Zydeco at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Four Seasons Concerts “Burning River Brass” at 7:30 p.m. at Calvin Simmons Theater, 10 Tenth St., Oakland. Tickets are $25-$35. 601-7919. www.fourseasonsconcerts.com 

pickPocket Ensemble, european cafe music, at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Stephen Yerky with Mario 

speedwagon at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Jump/Cut, CD release party, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

The Waybacks at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Meli at 7 and 9 p.m. at Spud’s Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $5. 597-0795. 

Mastema, Second Shot, Overdrive A.D., punk, rock, alt at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $5-$7. 848-0886.  

Bill Ortiz, new interpretations of the music of James Brown, at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373.  

Arte Flamenco at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $18-$20. 849-2568.  

Firecracker, Cowpokes for Peace at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

Jen Chapin Trio, urban folk and jazz, at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Mark Levine Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Phenomenauts, Teenage Harlots, Left Alone at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 24 

CHILDREN 

Asheba at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $4-$6. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

Matrix 216: “The Year of the Doppelganger” by Slater Bradley, opens at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. Artist’s talk at 4 p.m. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Drawn by the Brush: Oil Sketches of Peter Paul Rubens” guided tour at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Kazuo Ishiguro reads from his new novel “Never Let Me Go” at 2 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Tariq Ali introduces his two new books “Street-Fighting Years” and “Speaking of Empire and Resistance” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Free. Sponsored by Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Nuria Amat, with translator Peter Bursh read from the novel “Queen Cocaine” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Poetry Flash with Gillian Conoley and Jane Miller at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852.  

Words Weaving Together, poetry, at 7:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Ya Elah, part of the series “Offerings” at 7 p.m. at Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. Suggested donation $10. 213-3122. 

Point Taken, Sky Bleeds Red, Ambulance Ambulance at 4 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8. All ages show. 848-0886.  

Mingus Amongus and other artists from noon to 6 p.m. at Art of Living Center, 2905 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5. 848-3736. 

Americana Unplugged at 4 p.m. at Jupiter. 655-5715. 

Celebracíon de Culturas a benefit for Escula Bilingüe Internacional at 5 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Que Calor at 4:30 at the Jazz- 

school. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Ellis Paul at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

MONDAY, APRIL 25 

FILM 

Buddhism and Film: “The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche” at 3 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Loung Ung writes about life under the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and her escape in “Lucky Child” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

Pico Iyer discusses “Sun After Dark: Flights into the Foreign” and Michael Shapiro on travel writers in “A Sense of Place” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

“Where were you when they killed Victor Jara?” a free play reading with Actors Ensemble of Berkeley at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books, downtown Berkeley.  

Poetry Express Theme night “Planes, Trains, and Busses” from 7 to 9:30 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

New European Chamber Orchestra at 5 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

Tuscan Sun Festival with New European Chamber Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $22-$42. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Songwriters Symposium at 8:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. 848-0886.  

Trovatore, traditional Italian songs, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

West Coast Songwriters Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $5. 548-1761. 

Alameda High School Jazz Band at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, APRIL 26 

CHILDREN 

First Stage Children’s Theater “The Case of the Ancient Artifacts” at 7:30 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $5 available at the door. www.juliamorgan.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Katherine Ellison describes “The Mommy Brain: How Motherhood Makes Us Smarter” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

The Whole Note Poetry Series honoring Allen Cohen, with Ann Cohen and Clive Matson at 7 p.m. at The Beanery, 2925 College Ave. 549-9093. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Courtableu at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Rory Block at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50- $19.50. 548-1761.  

Graham Connah, solo jazz piano, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Over the Rhine, Kim Taylor at 8 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $13. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Michael O’Neill with Kenny Washington at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Jazzschool Tuesdays at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Habillements” Multifoiled drawings and prints by Karen Ruenitz, paintings by Thomas Clayton at California College of the Arts, 5241 College Ave. Reception at 5:30 p.m.  

FILM 

History of Cinema: “Capturing the Friedmans” at 3 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Vistor Navasky describes his journalistic experiences in “A Matter of Opinion” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Sponsored by Cody’s Books. Free. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Michael Joseph Gross reads from his stories in “Starstruck” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Writing Teachers Write with Floyd Salas and his students from Foothill College at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, 2352 Shattuck Ave. 644-0861. 

Steve Almond reads from his new collection of short stories, “Evil B. B. Chow” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082 www.starryplough.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Ned Boynton Trio at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Ooklah the Moc, Hawaiian reggae at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $12. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Candala, salsa, at 8 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Famous Last Words at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Andre Nickatina and Equipto at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $12-$17. 848-0886. www.blakesontelegraph.com 

Tristan & Iseult at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

The Chick Corea Elektric Band at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $24-$28. 238-9200.  

THURSDAY, APRIL 28 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Drawn by the Brush: Oil Sketches of Peter Paul Rubens” guided tour at 12:15 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. 642-0808.  

“Blind at the Museum” guided tour at 5:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

FILM 

Latino Film Festival: “Sexo con Amor” a comedy from Chile at 7:30 p.m. at La Pena, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $8. 849-2568. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Sarah Vowell describes her “Assassination Vacation” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

Elizabeth Gaffney reads from her debut novel, “Metropolis” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Cecil Castellucci discusses “Boy Proof” the story of a high school outcast at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble, 2352 Shattuck Ave. 644-0861. 

Berkeley Live and Unplugged Open mic featuring music and spoken word at 7 p.m. at 1924 Cedar St. 703-9350. www.LiveAndUnplugged.org 

Word Beat Reading Series with Andy Fong and Stephen Berry at 7 p.m. at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 526-5985. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley High School Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Community Theater, Berkeley High School. 

Oakland Choreographer’s Showcase at 8 p.m. at Haas Pavillion, Mills College, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. Free. dance@mills.edu 

Piano Music by Tim Ross and Jack Kruscup from 5 to 7 p.m., Thurs. and Fri., at the Berkeley Faculty Club, Kerr Dining Room, UC Campus. 540-5678. 

Dhol Patrol, Bangra and Pan-Arabic beats at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $6. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Alex de Grassi at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Andrew Cheiken, Kinnie Star at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082 www.starryplough.com 

Andre Bush Duo at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. ª

The courtship begins with an exchange of suggestive looks across the trees. Next comes an offering, a choice twig. If reciprocated, the courtship ritual proceeds and the cycle of life begins anew for great egrets and herons. The ballet atop the redwoods has already begun and tickets are available for nest building, rearing and send-off at Audubon Canyon Ranch. 

Located on Highway One, between the coastal towns of Stinson Beach and Bolinas, Audubon Ranch serves as a haven for native wildlife. Founded in 1 962 to save the heronry from development, this non-profit organization serves to preserve breeding habitat, educate both young and old on the importance of our natural environment and to support research and conservation. A vital undertaking is being carr ied out in admirable fashion by staff, science professionals and hundreds of volunteers.  

A tapestry of natural communities and their inhabitants awaits visitors to this 1,000-acre sanctuary: dense forests of coastal redwood, Douglas fir and California b ay; coastal scrub and chaparral; grassland; freshwater pond, stream and marsh; and the ever-important Bolinas Lagoon, a critical factor in the yearly return of these magnificent birds. 

Each spring, up to 100 pairs of great egrets and great blue herons re turn to nest and raise their young in the giant coastal redwoods in Pilcher Canyon. The great egret is a vision in white, with long plumes fanning out over its body, and an orange beak, thin and tall—like a supermodel. The great blue heron is a remnant from the past with beautiful blue-gray plumage and an impressive seven-foot wingspan that’s impossible to miss. Both are perfectly adapted for wading in shallow waters and can be seen stalking food in Bolinas Lagoon.  

Timing is important in most things in life, as well as scheduling a visit to the ranch, open from spring through early summer. Several visits are required to observe the full nesting cycle. Luckily my recent trip corresponded with a variety of activities in the trees and I marveled at my luck! 

Entering the ranch from Highway One is like revisiting an old country friend. Wooded grounds fronting the lagoon, a burbling creek, the sound of birds, a white clapboard house and a warm welcome from volunteers all insure that your visit will be a memo rable one.  

After being filled in on current statistics—I learned there were seventy-three great egret nests, nine great blue heron nests and forty-three eggs—I headed up the short, but steep, Ranch Trail to the overlooks, all staffed with spotting scope s and ranch guides.  

The Clem Miller Overlook faces Bolinas Lagoon with scopes trained on foraging birds. Besides the ranch residents, I watched an osprey and Canada goose as the lagoon waters shimmered in the sunlight and ocean waves crashed beyond. I l earned that the lagoon’s abundant food sources are crucial to the yearly return of the birds, providing small fish, a variety of crustaceans and small frogs for their consumption. 

Entering the forest I was surrounded by a cornucopia of life: lofty oaks c lose enough for their curved branches to almost intertwine, decorated with garlands of gray-green lichen; emerald carpets of grasses and wood fern; the tans and browns of a shelf fungus on a fallen log, spread out like the tail of a wild turkey; and the c olors of spring in apricot monkey flowers, cream, lavender and blue Douglas iris, pink vetch and white milk maids. The leaf-littered trail was soft beneath my boots and the startled quail protested loudly as they quickly moved away. The wind rustled the leaves and the birds sang. All combined to slow my pace so that I could enjoy the moment, as well as catch my breath.  

The main event, without question, is at the Henderson Overlook, at 200-feet almost eye level with the huge nests built near the tops of the redwoods. Shaded bleachers, multiple scopes, information sheets and enthusiastic ranch guides create an atmosphere that encourages you to linger and watch. And there’s a lot to see. 

Most dramatic is the stark contrast of the egrets’ feathered white p lumes draped across the nests. I watched a pair of herons nest building, alternately bringing long twigs and carefully arranging them in exactly the right spot, their huge wingspan able to perch so gracefully on a treetop branch. Egrets performed a greeti ng display, like a courtly dance. As one flew off the other judiciously turned the Easter-turquoise egg within the nest.  

My viewing pleasure was supplemented by the wealth of information just waiting to be shared. The early bird gets the worm and the ea rly viewer gets a jump on everyone else! My early arrival, a point I always recommend, granted me almost sole occupancy at the scopes and the undivided attention of the guides. Learning about the need to rebuild and waterproof nests every year, the sharin g in the incubation, foraging and feeding the young, the timing of the various stages of life, as well as the danger of the red-tailed hawk circling above, made me want to learn more and return again. 

From the Henderson Overlook hikers can continue on to the three-mile Griffin Loop Trail for a broader exploration of the preserve or return to the canyon floor. I descended to the picnic area, passing a third manned observation site, the Kent Trail Platform, where scopes provide a lower view into the trees.  

Additional scopes were positioned at the far end of the picnic area, a lovely place to enjoy a meal while birds fly overhead. With comfortable picnic tables and benches arranged on a grassy expanse and Pilcher Canyon Creek adding its sounds to those of the birds, this is just the spot to relish the day. 

Don’t leave the picnic area before you’ve had a chance to visit the bird hide. This small rustic building with rough bark walls, a sod roof and screened windows overlooking the creek and numerous bird feeding stations blends in perfectly with the lush canyon. Inside you’ll find three rooms, each with a different outlook, well equipped with bird identification sheets illustrating the humming birds, juncos, towhees, jays and chickadees you can see outsid e. Listen to the sounds of nature and you might hear the call of an orange crowned warbler! 

Inside the exhibit hall the story of Audubon Canyon Ranch continues. Displays on the heronry, Bolinas Lagoon, canyon animal life, geology and the coastal Miwoks may sound overwhelming, but this airy white barn with its lovely egret stained glass window is visitor friendly, with many photographs outnumbering written text. It’s an excellent place to get a preview of the coming movements in the cycle of life ballet. I loved the photo of four young, fuzzy-headed egrets in the nest, all with anxious expressions, facing the same direction, as if wondering when mom would return with their lunch! The redwood display cases containing Miwok basketry, tools and weapons are a tasteful tribute to the people who may also have awaited the yearly return of these great birds. 

The book shop carries a wide variety of themed merchandise: identification guides, bird books with eye-catching photos, north coast travel guides and lots o f books for kids. The Audubon t-shirts and sweatshirts in subtle earth tones of green and brown will camouflage you on your next outing and the hand painted flower earrings will bring a smile to a favorite mom in May. 

Kids won’t let you leave without a visit to the Aileen Pearson Marsh. A wooden boardwalk carries you through the tall jungle of reeds to get your hands wet and get up close and personal with some intriguing pond “critters.” Using the nets, underwater viewers and illustrated guides provided, look below the thick covering of duckweed for California newts, diving beetles or whirligigs. Listen for a Pacific tree frog or the call of a redwing blackbird clinging to a swaying reed.  

As the hours passed I realized that there was a lot to do and learn at Audubon Canyon Ranch. The sun shone, the breeze was gentle and the atmosphere was welcoming and relaxed, so I was in no hurry to leave. Watching wildlife takes time to be rewarding. The fanning of white plumage, the exchange of a twig, the call of a warbler, a newt rising to the surface for air, the cries of a red tailed hawk—all part of the soothing beauty of nature. 

The ballet of life is well worth the trip. I hope to return in May when the eggs hatch, to watch the young stretch their legs and m aybe catch a glimpse of the final send off in June, when parents either kick those kids out or abandon their own nest—maybe we all could learn a lesson from these wise birds. 

Getting there: From Interstate 101 North take Sir Francis Drake all the way to Highway 1 in Olema. Turn south (left) on Hwy 1 and follow for about 10 miles to Bolinas Lagoon. Preserve will be on the left approximately 1 mile further. 

Audubon Canyon Ranch: 4900 Hwy 1, Stinson Beach, (415) 868-9244, www.egret.org. 

Open weekends and holidays until July 17, 10–4 p.m. Entrance free but contributions requested—$15/family. Trail map and brochure available. 

Mother’s Day BBQ Sun.day, May 8.?v

FRIDAY, APRIL 22 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Victor Perez-Mendez on “The Biggest Volcanic Explosion” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $13, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. 526-2925.  

Youth Alcohol Awareness Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Civic Center Park. Sponsored by the City of Berkeley. 981-5806. 

Rep. Cynthia McKinney “From Attica to Abu Ghraib” at 6 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. Donation $5-$25. 593-3956. www.attica2abughraib.com 

Amy Goodman “See No Evil: Media in a Time of War” at 8 p.m. at Florence Schwinley Little Theater at Berkeley High. Tickets are $15 and benefit Berkeley Community Media and Berkeley High’s Communication Arts and Sciences Program. 848-2288, ext. 11. 

“Democracy and Global Islam” a conference from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Lipman Room, Barrows Hall, UC Campus. for details see http://igov.berkeley.edu/conferences/Islamconfdescription.doc 

“The Future of Food” a documentary film on genetically modified foods, followed by a discussion with Mollie Katzen, Michael Pollen, Koons Garcia, and Ignacio Chapela, at 6:15 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$20 sliding scale. 923-0505. 

Kulture Kulcha An evening of food, song and dance for the South Asian LGBT community at the California Ballroom, 1736 Franklin St. at 19th, Oakland. http://trikone.org 

Berkeley Chess Club meets Fridays at 7:15 p.m. at the East Bay Chess Club, 1940 Virginia St. Players at all levels are welcome. 845-1041. 

“Three Beats for Nothing” meets at 10 a.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center to sing for fun and practice. 655-8863. 

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. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, APRIL 23 

Earth Day in Berkeley from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Civic Center Park. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

Earth Day Cleanup at Eastshore State Park Volunteers will assist with shoreline cleanup and invasive species removal from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Meet behind the Sea Breeze Deli off of University Ave. and West Frontage Rd. Volunteers should bring gloves, sturdy shoes, sunscreen and a shovel or pick for plant removal. 544-2515. 

Earth Day Cleanup in Richmond Volunteers will participate in a bay trail cleanup off Rydin Ave.from 10 a.m. to noon. Participants should bring gloves, sunscreen and water. For more information, contact the California State Parks Foundation at 888-98-PARKS. 

What Happened to the Komodo Dragon? Since the renovation of the EEC at Tilden Park, many have inquired about our former, famous resident. Come learn about the lives of these giant monitor lizards at 11 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center. 525-2233. 

Wildflower Trading Cards Color and cut your own set of wildflower trading cards to take home. We will also look for blooms on a short walk. For ages 7 and up at 2 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $3-$5. Registration required. 525-2233. 

Propagation of Native Plants Through the Seasons from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Visitor Center, Botanical Garden, Tilden Park. Cost is $30-$35. Reservations required. 845-4116. www.nativeplants.org 

Botanizing California A series of local and overnight field trips to highlight California’s plant communities. Cost is $80-$95. Registration required. 845-4116. www.nativeplants.org 

Designs for a Small Garden Using a Variety of Hardscape at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens Nursery, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. www.magicgardens.com 

Waterwise Workshop: Gardening Where You Are A presentation on biodiversity, healthy soil and plant selection from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Registration required. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

John Muir Society celebrates the 167th anniversary of the birth of “the man who celebrated the earth” from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the John Muir Historic Site, 4204 Alhambra, off Highway 4, Martinez. www.johnmuir.org 

Earth Day Drumming Circle at 7 p.m. at Unity of Berkeley, 2075 Eunice St. Donation $10-$20. 271-8318. www.unityberkeley.org 

“From Attica to Abu Ghraib” A conference on Human Rights, Torture and Resistance from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Dwinelle Hall, UC Campus. 593-3956. www.attica2abughraib.com 

Albany YMCA Spring Garage Sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 921 Kains Ave. Featuring everything from books, clothing and children’s toys to household and office items and lots of wonderful treasures. 525-1130.  

Crowden Music Center’s Community Music Day with performances by ensembles and students, from noon to 5 p.m. at Crowden Center, 1475 Rose St., at Sacramento. www.crowdenmusiccenter.org 

“Healing the Spiritual Way” with Franz Gringinger, M.D. at 7 p.m. at Vara Healing Arts Center, 850 Talbot Ave., Albany. Free. 415-279-5293. 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. and Sun. at 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Nepalese Cultural Night Benefit for a school in Nepal with music and dance performances, followed by dinner. At 5:30 p.m. at Yogakula, 1700 Shattuck Ave. 2nd floor. Tickets are $25. www.yogakula.com 

“International Tour Directing” from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Vista Community College. 2020 Milvia St. Cost is $13. 981-2931. 

Inspiring Masculine, Unleashing Feminine A workshop from 2:30 to 6 p.m. at Monkey Yoga Shala, 3215 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland. Cost is $29-$35. 415-341-4411. 

Moments Notice A monthly salon devoted to improvised music, dance & theater at 8 p.m. at Western Sky Studio 2525 8th St., at Dwight. Tickets are $8-$10. 415-831-5592. katarinaeriksson@aol.com 

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, APRIL 24 

People's Park 36th Anniversary Celebration from noon to 6 p.m. Free and open to all.  

What Has Happened to Ferns and Flowers? A great re-alignment of ferns and flowering plants has been made by botanists. Learn what is new, and walk in the garden to see examples, from 10 a.m. to noon at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

A Lot of Galls! Insects and other organisms cause swellings on plant parts that serve as homes for offspring. We’ll look for these growths and learn their history, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Free Sailboat Rides between 1 and 4 p.m. at the Cal Sailing Club in the Berkeley Marina. Bring warm waterproof clothes. www.cal-sailing.org 

“The Ghosts of Rwanda” A screening of the Frontline special on the genocide in Rwanda, followed by conversations with Africa activists at 3 p.m. at the Parkway Theater, 1834 Park Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $7. Sponsored by Priority Africa Network. 527-3917. 

“Cuba in the World” with Isaac Saney, author of “Cuba: A Revolution in Motion” at 7 p.m. at Casa Cuba Resource Center, 6501 Telegraph Ave., near Alcatraz. 650-367-9183. www.cubaresource.org 

Visual Arts-Language Arts Anniversary Gala from 1 to 5 p.m. at Café de la Paz, 1600 Shattuck Ave at Cedar. A benefit for the arts and literature programs in public schools. Tickets are $25. 845-9610. www.valaproject.org 

“Whither a Buddhist Golden Age?” the history of the Burmese in Northern Thailand, a colloquium at 12:15 p.m. at IEAS Conference Room, 2233 Fulton St. 643-6492. http://bud 

dhiststudies.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley City Club free tours from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 2315 Durant Ave. 848-7800. 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

House Rabbit Society Benefit with Pizza and Poetry and announcing the winners of the “Dare to Care for a Hare” Poetry Contest, at 1 p.m. at House Rabbit Society National Headquarters, 148 Broadway, Richmond. Donation $10. 970-7575. www.rabbit.org 

“From Ike to Mao and Beyond” by Bob Avakian, book launching party at 1 p.m. at Longfellow Auditorium, 1500 Derby St. 467-3426.  

Tibetan Buddhism with Jack van der Meulen on “Healing through Tibetan Yoga” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, APRIL 25 

Hubble Space Telescope 15th Anniversary at 10 a.m. Chabot Space and Science Center, 10000 Skyline Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $12-$15. 336-7373. www.chabotspace.org 

Berkeley High School Site Council meets at 4:30 p.m. in the BHS library. On the agenda are WASC process and Site Plan Action Items; BHS governance model and SSC meeting process; algebra program; and special education program. www.bhs.berkeleypta.org/ssc  

Tea and Hike at Four Taste some of the finest teas from the Pacific Rim and South Asia and learn their natural and cultural history, followed by a short nature walk. At 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area. Cost is $5-$7, registration required. 525-2233. www.ebparks.org 

Disaster Preparedness for Community Agencies from 3 to 5 p.m. at 11780 San Pablo Ave, Suite D, El Cerrito. 925-313-6744. cmqueen@hsd.co.contra-costa.ca.us 

World’s Largest Ice Cream Cake Social, fundraiser to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation from 5 to 8 p.m. at Cold Stone Creamery, 5609 Bay St. Emeryville.  

“The Toughest Job I’ve Ever Loved: My First Three Years as Director of Peace Corps” with Gaddi H. Vasquez at 1 p.m. at the Golman School of Public Policy, UC Campus. Brown bag lunch.  

Human Rights Advocates Annual Meeting with reports from the recent U.N. Commission on Human Rights meeting in Geneva, at 6 p.m. at the Goldberg Room, Boalt Hall, UC Campus. www.humanrightsadvocates.org 

“Developing Reclaimed Land in Hong Kong” a colloquim at 4 p.m. at IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton St. 642-2809. http://ieas.berkeley.edu 

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group for people 60 years and over meets Mondays at 10:15 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. Join at any time. Cost is $2.50 with refreshments. 524-9122. 

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, APRIL 26 

Early Morning Bird Walk Meet at 7 a.m. at the far parking lot of Bear Creek entrance to Briones to look for warblers and woodpeckers on the Seaborg Trail. 525-2233. 

Return of the Over-the-Hills Gang Hikers 55 years and older who are interested in nature study, history, fitness, and fun are invited to join us on a series of monthly excursions exploring our Regional Parks. Meets at 10 a.m. For information and to register call 525-2233.  

Homeschooling Options Panel Discussion from 7 to 9 p.m. at Epworth United Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St. Cost is $5. 877-648-KIDS ext. 86. www.npnonline.org  

“China Digital Times” with Xiao Qiang of the Berkeley China Internet Project at 4 p.m. at IEAS Conference Room, 2223 Fulton St. 642-2809. http://ieas.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley PC Users Group Problem solving and beginners meeting to answer, in simple English, users questions about Windows computers. At 7 p.m. at 1145 Walnut St. corner of Eunice. All welcome, no charge. 527-2177.  

Vision Screening for Toddlers at 10 a.m. at Habitot, 2065 Kittredge St. Cost is $5-$6. 647-1111. www.habitot.org 

Taiko Drum Lessons at Tatsumaki Taiko, 725 Gilman St. fora ges 12 and up. Cost is $12 per class. Class runs for 6 weeks. For information email tatsumaki@email.com  

Introductory Buddhist Meditation Class at 7 p.m. at Dzalandhara Buddhist Center, in Berkeley. Suggested donation $7-$10. For directions call 559-8183.www.kadampas.org 

Trance Drumming Workshop with Sondra Slade at 7 p.m. at Belladonna, 2436 Sacramento St. Cost is $30-$40. www.belladonna.ws 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27 

“The Education Crisis in California” with Greg Hodge, Oakland School Board, Terry Doran, Berkeley School Board and Fannie Brown, Oakland Acorn at 1:30 p.m. at North Berkeley Senior Center. Sponsored by Berkeley Gray Panthers. 548-9696. 

Landmarks Preservation Ordinance Proposed Amendments Public Hearing at 7 p.m. at the Planning Commission, North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7410. 

“Reproductive Rights: Different Views” A panel discussion sponsored by the ACLU at 7 p.m. at Richmond’s Main Public Library, 325 Civic Center Drive. 558-0377. 

Codornices Creek Watershed Restoration Plan Community meeting at 7 p.m. at St. Mary’s College High School, 1294 Albina Ave. 540-6669. www.urbancreeks.org 

Bayswater Book Club meets to discuss “Conspiracy of Fools,” by Kurt Eichenwald at 6:30 p.m. at Barnes and Noble Coffee Shop, El Cerrito Plaza. 433-2911. 

“Urban Futures: Planning for Sustainable Urban Development” with Prof. Raquel Pinderhughes, SFSU, at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220, ext. 223. www.ecologycenter.org 

Poison Control with Barbara Cheatham, Alameda County Health Dept. at 11 a.m. at Habitot, 2065 Kittredge St. 647-1111. www.habitot.org 

Study Skills and Organization Workshop for Teens at 7 p.m. at Classroom Matters, 2607 7th Street, Suite E. Free. 540-8646.  

“Work with Meaning, Work with Joy” with Pat Sullivan at 6:30 p.m. at Unity of Berkeley, 2075 Eunice St. Cost is $20. 530-0284. www.unityberkeley.org 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. 548-9840. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Action St. 841-2174.  

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at 6:30 p.m. at the Berkeley BART Statioon. www.geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, APRIL 28 

Early Morning Bird Walk Meet at 7 a.m. at the Pack Rat Trail, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Green Building 101 covering the basics of building or remodeling a green home, energy and water conservation and air quality issues at 7 p.m. at Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave. To register call 845-5106, ext. 230. www.BuildGreen.Now.org 

Dining Out for Life Over 60 East Bay restaurants will donate 25% of their sales to support the Center of AIDS Services, 5720 Shattuck Ave. Oakland. For a list of participating restaurants call 282-0623. www.diningoutforlife.com 

The First Place Fund for Youth “There’s No Place Like Home” benefit at the Asian Cultural Center, downtown Oakland, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tickets are $55. 272-0979, ext. 26. 

Teach-in on Torture Human rights experts, and litigants against the government, and academics will challenge U.S. government sponsorship of torture, from 1:30-9 p.m. at the Thrust Stage, Berkeley Rep, 2025 Addison. www.tortureteachin.org 

Advance Directives What are they, and how can they help you and your loved ones? A panel discussion at Alta Bates Health Education Center, Fontaine Auditorium, 400 Hawthorne St., Oakland. Free, reservations recommended. 869-8276. 

Legal Issues for Relative Caregivers A workshop for grandparents and relatives who are raising grandchildren, nieces and nephews at 7 p.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave., Oakland. To register call 658-7353. 

Older People United A discussion group for elders over 75 at 1:30 p.m. at Berkeley Gray Panthers, 1403 Addison St. 548-9696. 

Latino Film Festival: “Sexo con Amor” a comedy from Chile at 7:30 p.m. at La Pena, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $8. 849-2568. 

Karen Vogel co-creator of the Motherpeace Tarot deck at 7 p.m. at Belladonna, 2436 Sacramento St. www.belladonna.ws 

CITY MEETINGS 

Parks and Recreation Commission meets Mon., April 25, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Virginia Aiello, 981-5158. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/parksandrecreation 

City Council meets Tues. April 26, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Citizens Budget Review Commission meets Wed., April 27, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7041. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/budget 

Civic Arts Commission meets Wed., April 27, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Mary Ann Merker, 981-7533. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/civicarts 

Disaster Council meets Wed., April 27 at 7 p.m., at the Emergency Operations Center, 997 Cedar St. William Greulich, 981-5502. www.ci.berkeley.ca. us/commissions/disaster 

Energy Commission meets Wed., April 27, at 6:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Neal De Snoo, 981-5434. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/energy 

Library Board of Trustees meets Wed. April 27, at 7 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, Jackie Y. Griffin, 981-6195. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/library  

Planning Commission meets Wed., April 27 at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Janet Homrighausen, 981-7484. www.ci.berkeley. ca.us/commissions/planning 

Police Review Commission meets Wed. April 27, at 7:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-4950. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/policereview?

Ignacio Chapela, the UC Berkeley professor denied tenure after his outspoken criticisms of genetically modified crops and corporate/academic ties, filed suit in Alameda County Superior Court Monday against the UC Board of Regents. 

The action, filed by Oakland attorney Dan Siegel, alleges wrongful conduct by the university on three separate grounds: discrimination on the basis of national origins (Chapela was born in Mexico), violation of the California Whistleblower Protection Act, and false representations by the university of the real grounds of “secret, de facto requirements for promotion.” 

The lawsuit doesn’t include specific monetary damages, which Siegel said would be determined later in the course of the action. The suit does call for remuneration for: 

• Lost wages, earnings and benefits. 

• Compensatory damages for humiliation, mental anguish and emotional distress. 

• Injunctions to mandate redress of the alleged wrongs. 

• Attorneys’ fees and costs of the action. 

“I’ve been at UC Berkeley for eight years, and I have very mixed feelings about the case moving away from the internal processes of the university,” Chapela said Monday. 

Monday’s filing was forced by the impending statutory filing deadline for filing a discrimination lawsuit, Siegel said. Chapela filed a discrimination complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing last April 21, and received immediate notice of his right to file suit. 

According to the discrimination statue, any lawsuit must be filed within a year of state notification, forcing Chapela to act this week. On June 24, the professor also filed a complaint with the university alleging that he had suffered retaliation for his whistleblowing activities. He said Monday that the university failed to respond within the time required by statute. 

Chapela serves on the faculty of the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management of the College of Natural Resources. 

By most accounts, the controversial professor’s career foundered on two issues: his outspoken critique of UC Berkeley’s financial partnership with Novartis, a Swiss biotech giant since renamed Syngenta, and his publication of a report describing man-made genes in native strains of Mexican corn. 

Chapela and graduate student Richard Quist published their findings in Nature, long considered the world’s preeminent scientific journal, in November 2001. Agribusiness giants, alarmed by the implications of the findings, immediately launched a countercampaign designed to discredit the researchers. 

Much of the heat came from a British website that offered criticisms from supposed scientists who were later revealed as fabrications of the site’s creator. Critics also sent scathing letters to Nature, which responded with a quasi correction, the journal’s first, that advised readers to decide for themselves on the accuracy of the report. 

Despite the Nature flap, Chapela’s colleagues voted 32 to 1 in favor of tenure, followed by a unanimous vote for tenure by the Campus Ad Hoc Committee on tenure on Oct. 3, 2002. But on June 5, 2003, the university’s budget committee voted against tenure. After a second negative vote by the budget panel, then-Chancellor Robert Berdahl denied Chapela tenure on Nov. 20. 

The university agreed to keep Chapela on staff through the remainder of this academic year, and Chancellor Robert Birgenau is currently considering his case, Chapela said. 

“I believe there are illegal channels of influence driven by corporate, academic and political forces that are not disclosed to faculty,” Chapela said. “The university is governed by a shadow process, which I really look forward to shedding some light on through this action.” 

The net result of the process, Chapela said, is to harness the university, its faculty, and its students to benefit profit-making corporations rather than the common good. 

“This has gone on way too long,” he said. “My hope is that this action will open up the case to the public of Berkeley, this country, and the world.” 

Following massive academic and public outcry against the Novartis pact, UC Berkeley submitted the agreement for review by Michigan State University. Though their report found that many of the worst fears of critics hadn’t materialized, both UC Berkeley and Novartis agreed to end the compact when the five-year term ended in 2003. 

Siegel said he assumes the case will take 14 to 18 months to come to trial. UC Berkeley did not respond to a request for a comment on the lawsuit.›

Berkeley Fire Marshal David Orth said four citations representing $10,000 in fines would be mailed this morning (Tuesday) to Dr. Lawrence White, owner of the Drayage. 

The converted warehouse at Third and Addison streets was cited for numerous fire and building code violations last month. The Drayage’s tenants include artists, artisans and activists who have united in defense of their unique accommodations and have vowed to fight their evictions. 

The tenants and owner had criticized the city’s actions, and Don Jelinek, White’s attorney, filed an appeal late Monday with the city. While Orth said his citations are beyond legal challenge, Jelinek said the Berkeley Municipal Code does allow appeals in such cases. 

Under terms of the notice of violation, residential tenants had until 9 a.m. last Friday to vacate. But when the magic hour rolled around, only one unit had been vacated—and late on Friday Orth announced that he would issue daily citations until all illegally occupied units are vacant. 

Orth and city Building Official Joan McQuarrie toured the building Friday afternoon—at least those parts he could access—not long after two other tours by attorneys, one representing building owner White, and the other representing tenants hoping to save their unique West Berkeley residents. 

Jeffrey Carter, attorney for the tenants, said he’s working hard to negotiate a resolution that will allow the Northern California Land Trust to purchase the building with the goal of allowing tenants to return either as buyers of their own units or as tenants paying modest rates. 

“They assist in maintaining affordable housing, generally limited equity co-ops and cooperatives,” Carter said. 

Jelinek said he’s met with the trust once and plans another meeting later this week “where we’ll be talking numbers.” 

As a tenant’s rights lawyer who has practiced in Berkeley and the East Bay for the last 35 years, Carter said getting code enforcement officials to visit substandard housing is “like pulling elephants teeth. But here they came running down.” 

Myron Moskovitz, an attorney for the owner, toured the building in the company of Claudia Viera, a Drayage resident who has emerged as a strong voice for her fellow tenants, architect Mark Gorrell and a builder to compare the conditions in individual units with the findings of the city and Fire Department. 

Moskovitz said that because “city fines are eating into Dr. White’s capital,” the landlord is offering to pay costs of first and last month rent and deposits for new apartments for all tenants, as well as cash payments for moving out by specific dates, with payments declining the longer the wait. 

“The ideal solution would be that all the tenants would move out very soon, and then as soon as possible the building would be sold to a new owner who would rehab it and return it to the tenants,” he said. 

Under the terms of the citation, White originally paid $5,500 a day for the round-the-clock presence of a fire crew until they were withdrawn after someone fired a pellet gun in their direction. Moskovitz said the owner is now paying $1,000 a day for round-the-clock presence of two security guards to maintain a fire watch in the absence of the firefighters. 

Orth’s fines would add $2,500 a day to ongoing security costs, while Moskovitz said White’s total monthly rental income consists of between $700 and $800 each from 20 tenants. 

The tenants remain strongly critical of the city’s handling of the violations. 

“We’re pissed,” said Jeffery Ruiz, a furniture-maker who rents both living and work space in the Drayage. 

For the last ten years, Ruiz has plied his craft in the unlikely building, making unique furniture from salvaged lumber. “I sell everything I make,” he said. Part of the reason is the building’s location. “People like coming to my shop. They like coming to Berkeley and dealing with me.” 

While the low rents were a major attraction, the proximity to the shops of Fourth Street helps, Ruiz said. “I often meet with clients at Peet’s Coffee, and then there’s the Builder’s Booksource.” 

A hardware store, a lumber recycling company and the close proximity to other woodworkers in West Berkeley add to the desirability, he said. The one change he’d like is to alter his arrangements so he could rent another unit with ground floor shop space and living quarters above. 

Nemo Gould is another commercial tenant who builds things from recycled materials. Those his robotic sculptures are of another order altogether fromthe creations of his friend Ruiz.  

Gould’s shelves are filled with retired espresso makers, vacuum cleaners and other bits of industrial detritus waiting for conversion into his whimsical creations. Until he moved his shop into the Drayage 18 months ago, Gould plied his art in the Fruitvale section of Oakland in a location many potential clients didn’t care to visit. 

Because he doesn’t live in the building and his shop needed only minor alterations to bring it up to code, Gould hasn’t been ordered to vacate. 

The crisis at the Drayage began last month, when a snap inspection by Orth, McQuarrie and others revealed more than 250 separate violations at the former warehouse. The Berkeley City Council voted last week to waive fines if tenants vacated by Thursday, a date tenant Viera said isn’t reasonable. 

“If they had handled this reasonably, they would have explained the situation and given us three months,” she said. “Everyone probably would’ve moved out. But because they did this in such a draconian fashion, we’re having all this trouble.” 

Jelinek met with Drayage tenants for five hours Monday, “and we remain united,” he said. 

The controversy has soured many residents on city government, despite the fact that the enforcers say they’re acting in the best interest of the tenants. 

“I’m really pissed at Tom Bates,” said Ruiz, “and I voted for the guy.” 

The four tenants who did move out Friday said they were moving on to pursue their primary passion, events surrounding the Burning Man Festival held yearly in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. 

Scruffy, Doc Holderdown, Dee and Michael said they regret their eviction from their unique three-story apartment. 

“The Drayage has been uniquely supportive of the Burning Man community,” said Doc. “It’s been the staging area for a lot of Burning Man events, and the sign was here. We’re going to miss the place.” 

Jelinek said that Friday’s inspection was the second by two groups of building and code experts who toured the structure on behalf of Dr. White. 

“We never dreamed that we’d discover that many of the city’s alleged violations aren’t real,” he said. “We’ve got concrete floors they say are not fire-resistant, and they say there’s electric cabling there that isn’t there.” 

Jelinek’s written appeal charges that the city’s inspection was sloppy and that the report “is filled with exaggerated conclusions and overblown rhetoric.” Seven pages of the nine-page appeal cite specific instances where his inspectors differed from the city’s. 

Berkeley City Planner Dan Marks has ordered Berkeley Bowl owner Glen Yasuda to prepare an environmental impact report (EIR) on his plans to construct a new Berkeley Bowl at Ninth Street and Heinz Avenue. 

“We’re not sure what impact this will have on the project,” said architect Kava Massih, who is designing the complex for Yasuda. 

Critics of the project, including John Curl of the West Berkeley Association of Industrial Companies (WeBAIC), and Zelda Bronstein, former chair of the Planning Commission, have called for the report because of the store’s potential impact on new commercial development in West Berkeley. 

Critics have charged that the project’s need to convert land currently zoned for manufacturing and light industrial (MU-LI) uses to commercial use would violate the West Berkeley Plan, which calls for preservation of existing MU-LI property. 

Other critics, including Mary Lou Van De Venter of Urban Ore, have also cited what they claim would be excessive impacts on traffic and parking in the congested Ashby Avenue corridor. 

Massih said the EIR will address “traffic, parking and all the other environmental issues.” 

He said the report will probably be completed by October or November, when the project will then head back to the Planning Commission—which must approve zoning changes—and the Zoning Adjustments Board, which authorizes use permits. 

Faced with replacing nearly one-third of its 16 school principals next year, the Berkeley Unified School District is looking to reform its hiring process, including adding more staff and community input. 

A modification of the principal selection process will be considered at this week’s BUSD board meeting. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the second floor meeting room chambers at Old City Hall at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 

Principals Alex Palau of the Berkeley Alternative High, Nancy D. Waters of John Muir Elementary, Kathleen Lewis of Oxford Elementary, Shirley Herrera of Rosa Parks Elementary, and Michele Patterson of Willard Middle are all leaving their positions at the end of the school year. 

BUSD’s “Board Policy on Community Involvement in Principal Selection Process,” originally adopted in 1975 and last revised 15 years ago, provides for a 10-member screening committee (five parents, three certificated staff, and two classified staff) to review the applications of principal candidates, conduct interviews, and to recommend three finalists to the superintendent in an unranked list. The policy calls on the superintendent to make a final recommendation to the board from the three finalists from the advisory committee list. 

In her recommendation to the board, Superintendent Michele Lawrence said that her administration had planned to revise the principal selection policy, “but that work will not be completed in time to begin our efforts to select the new principals.” Instead, Lawrence is asking that the existing policy be waived and a temporary policy be put in place to select the five new principals. 

“While granting waivers to any policy should never be taken lightly,” Lawrence wrote to board members, “we believe that the spirit and intent of the policy is to ensure community participation in this important decision and [this] request would augment that involvement.” 

The proposed new policy removes the specific number of members to serve on the screening committee, calling for the elementary school panels to have teachers as its “highest proportion” (reversing the policy of having parents in the majority). The proposed policy asks that two screening panels be set up for the Willard Middle School selection, with a technical panel composed of a majority of teachers and a “community interest” general panel composed of a majority of parents. 

Lawrence’s proposed policy adds an undefined scoring mechanism to the process and is silent on the number of recommended candidates from which the superintendent must choose. The recommendations also did not address how the selection of the replacement at Berkeley Alternative High School will be handled. 

Outgoing principal Alex Palau, who served for five years at the alternative school, said last week that he “hopes staff and parents will be deeply involved in the principal selection committee. In order for the program to work at the alternative high school, you need a buy-in from the staff and parent community.” 

Palau said that one of the challenges of Berkeley Alternative’s new principal will be to “continue a culture of caring. The students have to understand that the school administration cares for them and is working to provide services to help them that are not part of the traditional educational mandate. That will bring about student trust, and once the students trust the school administrator, it makes it easier for the administration to work with them on their educational needs.” 

Representatives of eight Oakland-based public agencies met privately with business leaders and developers last week to discuss development plans in the politically sensitive area between the western shore of Lake Merritt and the estuary. 

The Friday morning “West of Lake Merritt Developments” conference at the Waterfront Plaza Hotel in Jack London Square was sponsored by the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. 

Attendees represented the Peralta Community College District, the Oakland Unified School District, the City of Oakland, Alameda County, BART, the Port of Oakland, and CalTrans, as well as developers Signature Properties, Alan Dones, Jack London Square Partners, and McLarand Vasquez Emsiek & Partners, and members of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. In addition, representatives attended from Children’s Hospital of Oakland, which has expressed interest in building a hospital in the Laney College area. 

Also on the list of invitees was a representative of the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency. 

The firm of McLarand Vasquez Emsiek, based in Orange County and with offices in Oakland, got its start 30 years ago in developing waterfront condominiums, and has since branched into commercial development. The company developed the Fruitvale Transit Village surrounding the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland. 

The closed-to-the-public session did not violate California’s Brown Public Meetings Act because only one invitee—BART Commissioner Carole Ward Allen—was a member of an elected public body. The rest of the invitees were staff members from the public sector. 

The only agency head invited was Peralta Chancellor Elihu Harris, who arrived a few minutes late to the meeting and left without entering. Chamber officials tried to downplay the significance of the event. 

“This was nothing unusual,” chamber president and CEO Joseph Haraburda said in a telephone interview. “As at all chamber meetings, the purpose was to advance our mission to stimulate commerce and industry in Oakland. We do these types of things all the time.” 

The conference agenda included some of the most controversial development topics in Oakland in recent months, including Signature Properties’ Oak to Ninth project, Strategic Urban Development Alliance’s proposed Peralta-Laney project, and the commercial development of Oakland Unified School District properties surrounding the district’s administration building. 

Also on the agenda was a briefing by development agency representatives from the City of Oakland on “Measure DD/Development Opportunities.” 

Measure DD was the 2002 bond measure passed by Oakland voters that was intended, in part, to make improvements to the Lake Merritt Channel between western Lake Merritt and the estuary. 

A representative of the Peralta Federation of Teachers and a reporter for the Berkeley Daily Planet were denied entrance to the meeting by Chamber of Commerce officials, who told them that it was a “purely business meeting by invitation only.” 

Outside the meeting, Chancellor Harris seemed puzzled by the exclusion of PFT President Michael Mills, but added that he was only an invitee himself, and had no control over the meeting. Mills said any development affecting Peralta would have come before his organization at some point. 

“If they don’t talk with us now, they’ll have to talk with us later,” he said. “It makes more sense to bring us in at the beginning of the process.” 

Mills said he came to the meeting because he thought it was an open event. 

While Chamber of Commerce President Haraburda called the four-hour meeting “positive,” he said it was “doubtful” that any grand, coordinated development plan for the West Lake Merritt area would result. 

“This area involves diverse organizations serving diverse constituencies,” Haraburda said by telephone. “The respective approval levels and their various mission statements could potentially preclude any collaborative efforts between the agencies. But you never know. We just wanted to get them together and bring to light the opportunities that exist. If this gathering allows two organizations to find a way to work together, that’s terrific.” 

›

The City Council Tuesday will be devoted to tackling the city’s projected $8.9 million budget deficit, which the council must close by the end of June. On the agenda is a proposal to scale back citizen commission meetings to save staff time and a report on priority projects from the Planning, Housing, Transportation and Economic Development departments.  

Among other cuts, the council will consider reducing its budget for special events from $125,000 to $101,540 next year. Under the proposal the Berkeley Arts Festival would see funding fall from $18,000 to $10,000 and the Solano Stroll would drop from $9,000 to $5,000.  

The council will also discuss whether to spend $600,000 to make the fountain at Civic Center Park flow for the first time in more than 40 years. But with little money available for other programs, some residents are protesting that a renovated fountain will leave other city needs high and dry.  

“During rough times we should be spending money on keeping our programs going. The fountain can wait until the budget turns around,” said Bill Hamilton, one of many Berkeley swimmers who are promising to lobby the council Tuesday to dedicate some of the money to keep at least one public pool open this winter. 

Councilmembers Darryl Moore and Linda Maio are asking the Planning Department to add to its priority list a review of zoning rules for San Pablo Avenue. They say that since the locus of city development has moved to the thoroughfare, it is time for the Planning Commission to review zoning rules. 

The Civic Center fountain arrived in Berkeley in the 1940s as a gift from San Francisco, which included it in its Golden Gate Exposition of 1939. Sometime in the 1960s engineering problems left the fountain dry. A renovated fountain was at the heart of a proposal to upgrade Civic Center Park, but the renovations were nearly scrapped earlier this year when a preliminary cost estimate from the city’s designer put the park project at $1.4 million, about $400,000 more than available city funding. One reason the fountain is so expensive is that state regulations require that fountains have the same water quality as swimming pools. 

But when the city learned it would receive more than $3 million in unanticipated revenue from taxes on property transfers, City Manager Phil Kamlarz proposed spending $600,000 on the fountain, one-third of which will go to pay for maintenance during the first three years after it is renovated.  

“The rationale is that this project has been worked on for a number of years and that it would be worthwhile for the council to entertain going ahead and doing it,” said Parks Recreation and Waterfront Director Marc Seleznow. 

Berkeley policy is to use unanticipated funds for capital projects rather than preserving programs, yet councilmembers are under pressure not to sacrifice programs for the long dormant fountain. 

The fountain has an advocacy group of its own, including the backing of local Native Americans. Indigenous advocates had originally pushed for replacing the fountain with a Turtle Island design, based on an indigenous creation tale. After preservationists objected to dumping the current structure, the two groups, after lengthy debate, reached a compromise that the renovated fountain would include a Turtle Island component and commemorative plaques to the importance of local tribes. 

John Curl, a local woodworker who has worked closely with Native American leaders, said they would oppose any delays to the project. 

“To pull the rug out from under their feet at the eleventh hour, it’s really a slap in the face,” he said. “From the view of Native Americans, it’s one more broken promise.” 

Another controversial item on Tuesday’s agenda is a proposal to combine four city commissions into two and reduce the meeting schedules of 25 of the city’s 45 citizen commissions. The proposal also calls for eliminating staff support at commission subcommittee meetings. According to a city report, the changes would free up the equivalent of two full-time city workers for other tasks. 

Those serving on the commissions targeted for reductions oppose the plan. Asked about the proposal to combine the Disaster Commission with the Fire Safety Commission, Disaster Commissioner Jesse Townley warned of severe consequences. 

“This means that more people will be killed and more property will be destroyed when the next earthquake hits,” he said. “This shows the real-world effects of nit-picking budget cuts.” 

The other commissions slated to be combined are Public Works and Solid Waste. Assistant City Manager Arrietta Chakos said city leaders hadn’t decided how the two commissions would be consolidated. 

The Transportation Commission has already written the council asking them not to reduce its meetings from once a month to once every other month, and Disability Commissioner Emily Wilcox said her commission was also unified in opposition to the plan. 

She said meeting every two months would put the commission at a bigger disadvantage in being able to react to breaking events in the city. 

“It just hampers us even more,” she said. “We’ll be in the mix too late.” 

The Peralta Community College Board of Trustees has scheduled a special public meeting Thursday to receive a briefing on the new Vista College building project. The 5 p.m. meeting will be held at Vista College, 2020 MIlvia St., room 210. 

The briefing will be conducted by Vista College Permanent Facility Project Managers Swinerton Management & Consulting Company, project architects Ratcliff Architects, and Vista administrators. 

Included on the agenda is a presentation of the building design, a possible move date from the present facilities to the new facilities, and issues surrounding the district’s new change order policy. 

Since last December, change orders related to the Vista new college project caused clashes between the Peralta chancellor and newly elected trustees Nicky Gonzalez Yuen and Cy Gulassa. At issue was how much leeway to grant the district administration in changing construction projects in between board meetings. 

In December, the board killed an initial Harris proposal to increase the amount of changes the chancellor can make in large construction projects without trustee approval, with Harris citing the Vista construction as the main reason for the requested change. Early this year, board members worked with Harris and Director of General Services Sadiq Ikharo to craft a compromise change order policy. 

An incident reported last week in the Daily Planet Police Blotter as an emergency room report of a male patient shot with a BB gun has since been identified by University of California representatives as a potential fraternity hazing incident. 

UC police and administration officials are investigating whether an unidentified 19-year-old student was repeatedly shot at close range with a BB gun on April 8 by members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. The incident reportedly took place at the intersection of Channing Way and Prospect Street around 11 p.m. 

Berkeley police officials have reported that fraternity members allegedly stripped the victim to a T-shirt and boxer shorts and forced him to smoke marijuana and drink beer before the shooting. The victim’s injuries were reportedly not serious. 

UC Berkeley has a strict no-hazing policy for its fraternities and sororities, and incoming freshmen must sign an Anti-Hazing Agreement, in which they state that that they will neither participate in hazing nor allow themselves to be hazed. UC Berkeley’s Interfraternity Council also has what it calls a “zero-tolerance” hazing policy. 

According to the university’s fraternity-sorority orientation website, “Hazing is prohibited by the State of California, the University of California as well as the Panhellenic, IFC and National Panhellenic Greek Councils. Greek members are responsible for adherence to a self-imposed Greek Social Code as well as an Anti-Hazing Agreement. There is a no-tolerance policy for hazing at UC Berkeley and any incidents are handled directly by Student Judicial Affairs.” 

The Daily Californian reported that the Berkeley chapter of Pi Kappa Phi had been disciplined four times in the past five years, including punishment for fighting in 2004, alcohol violations and dangerous conduct in 2003, hazing in 2001, and using alcohol to recruit pledges in 2000.i

Berkeley author Richard Bermack will read Thursday from his just-published volume on American Marxists who volunteered to fight with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. 

Published by Berkeley’s Heyday Books, The Front Lines of Social Change: Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade examines the lives of veterans both during and after the war. 

Many of the vets in the book hailed from the Bay Area. The reading begins at 6 p.m. in the Travlin’ Joe Home Cafe, 2801 Seventh St.

The thorny issue of “by-right” additions—those up-to-500-square-foot expansions granted homeowners by right of law—was back before the Zoning Adjustments Board Thursday. 

The case in point, though never discussed as such, was an appeal of a staff-approved addition to a home at 1737 Grant St. 

At issue is whether an addition is by-right or requires a discretionary city administrative use permit and whether or not staff can consider the impacts caused by previous additions. 

Principal Planner Debbie Sanderson said that when someone seeks to build an addition, the city considers the cumulative effects of previous additions back to 1992. 

The first add-on up to 500 square feet is granted by-right if nothing else has been added since the cut-off date. If a second addition brings the total to more than 500, then city staff has discretion over whether to grant it or not, Sanderson said. 

The real sticking point is whether or not staff can consider the cumulative impacts of previous additions on neighboring properties, especially when additions block sunlight or views from neighboring homes and apartments. 

“The analysis is not cumulative,” said Sanderson. “We look at effects on light, air and privacy, but we look at detriment from this project alone and not cumulatively. In certain cases even though the additional square footage is small, it could create an excessive shadow impact that blocks out the remaining light to an unreasonable extent. But we have no basis under state law to add cumulative impacts.” 

“Could we impose a condition that an addition over a certain amount has to come back to the board?” asked member Dean Metzger. 

Sanderson replied that staff has imposed the condition on certain properties, including 2615 Marin Ave., where neighbors have been contesting the impact of a 2,830-square-foot addition on their views. 

Zoning Boardmember Bob Allen said he was concerned about that case, when a policy was imposed on a single home. “A city policy should be applied to everyone,” he said. 

“If we anticipate that a project has a limit [beyond which it] becomes a detriment, we should include that in the use permit. It should be a case-by-case issue,” said ZAB Chair Andy Katz. 

“That gets real messy,” said Allen. “All properties should be treated the same.” 

ZAB member Dave Blake raised yet another issue. 

“Especially since the City Council is encouraging condos, I don’t know if we’re up to the task when each unit is a separately owned dwelling unit,” he said. 

Sanderson said that because they are separate units, “we would consider the expansion of a single unit in the same way.” 

Rick Judd, a ZAB member and land use attorney, said he was much more concerned when an addition creates other issues beyond mere square footage. 

“I want to know if we can make the cumulative effects less. I’m really looking for history,” he said. 

“I hope we don’t spend an excessive amount of time on history,” said member Jesse Anthony. “We have to deal with what’s going on. We can get bogged down every time if we report history. If we get bogged down in that, we will never be able to end a meeting.” 

Fortunately, said Sanderson, “the appeal rate on administrative use permits on additions is very, very low.” 

Flying Cottage 

ZAB will take up the appeal of the Grant Street addition at their April 28 meeting, along with the latest version of plans for the “Flying Cottage,” the illegally built “popup” at 3045 Shattuck Ave., which transformed a former two-floor residence into a three-story mixed-use building. 

Property owner Christina Sun has stated that a builder told her the addition was a by-right project and didn’t require city approval, and only learned that the addition required city approval after construction had angered neighbors. 

Previous plans met with rejection by the city’s Design Review Committee, and Sun skipped the panel on her latest plans, which are going directly to ZAB. 

Noncomforming Berkeley 

A request by developer B. Tony Jalili to add four apartments to his property at 1043-1049 Virginia St. led ZAB members into a lengthy discussion with city staff about how and when the city staff followed city codes in approving setbacks. 

According to city code, the project at the corner of San Pablo Avenue and Virginia Street would be required to have greater setback from its nearest neighbor on Virginia, a residentially zoned property with a house. 

When commercial and residential zones abut, the setbacks are regulated according to the residential zoning, which requires much greater separation than does commercial zoning. 

Sanderson said that while the code requires a minimum 20-foot setback from the property line, staff had recommended just a six-foot setback because Jalili’s property fronts on San Pablo and other nearby buildings also lack the requisite setbacks. 

The existing building houses both commercial uses and four residential units. The addition would add four more units in a separate building above an eight-car parking lot. 

ZAB member Carrie Sprague said what most amazed her most was a city analysis that holds that Jalili was entitled to a total of 31 residential units on a small lot. Sanderson said the figure was hypothetical. 

“A lot of things about this project go above and beyond what’s reasonable,” Sprague said. 

Sanderson noted that perhaps of three-quarters of existing Berkeley buildings are in violation of the current city building codes, most because they were built before the current codes were enacted. 

Preliminary air quality tests at West Berkeley’s Pacific Steel Castings indicate that the plant that regulators blame for emitting a pervasive smell of burnt rubber meets state toxic emission standards. 

“All our calculations show that emissions are below threshold,” said Peter Hess, Bay Area Air Quality Management District deputy air pollution control officer. 

Hess told about 70 residents at a West Berkeley town hall Meeting last Thursday that the air district would report back with final results in about three months and that the board would seek to solve the odor problem even if toxic emissions were within state standards. 

“Whatever the plant does, it cannot cause an odor nuisance,” he said. “We’re here to enforce the state law.” 

Meanwhile, in a move that upset several residents, the air district last week reassigned its Berkeley inspector Michael Bostick to Pittsburg/Antioch. Residents credited Bostick for his diligence in responding to their complaints. 

“I felt like he did a good job,” said Sarah Simonet, a resident who has tried to mobilize neighbors to report foul smells. “It seems like a big mystery. The man who did all this work has disappeared.” 

Kelly Wee, director of enforcement for the air board, insisted that Bostick’s reassignment was part of district-wide reorganization plan that shifted a dozen inspectors to fill gaps caused by resignations and promotions throughout the department. 

Although Thursday’s meeting, chaired by Mayor Tom Bates, touched on numerous neighborhood concerns, Pacific Steel dominated the agenda. Last month the air district slapped the casting manufacturer with a Notice of Violation after it confirmed that more than five complaints of a burning rubber smell recorded over 24 hours were attributable to the plant. The notice resulted in a $1,000 fine and has led to the recent air monitoring at the company’s three units along Second Street just South of Gilman Street. 

Neighborhood complaints over a burning rubber odor emitted by Pacific Steel stretch back over two decades. 

Equipment in each of the three buildings heats metal to a molten state and then is poured into molds. The process results in the emission of particulate matter and organic compounds that can contribute to cancer. The plant produces steel castings that are often used in vehicles and in military parts. Rising orders in recent years have led to increased production at the three units, Pacific Steel Environmental Engineer Christina Chan confirmed. 

After receiving 46 notices of violation from the air district between 1981 and 1985, Pacific Steel installed filters in two of its three units. However, Chan confirmed to residents that the third unit, built in 1981, remains without a filter and about 50 percent of the emissions from the second unit are unfiltered. 

“We don’t take this lightly,” Chan said. But before the company takes action, she said, they would wait for air district studies attempting to pinpoint the source of the smell. 

Neighbors reacted angrily to air board and company representatives, insisting they didn’t know the source of the smell. 

“It pisses me off that after 25 years they still have to figure this out,” said Janice Schroeder, a member of Neighbors for Clean Air, which filed suit against Pacific Steel in the 1980s. “A lot of the information they gave us tonight we heard 25 years ago.” Several residents distrust the air board after its Board of Directors voted in 2000 to lift an abatement order against Pacific Steel. 

Mayor Bates said he was “going to do everything I can to bring this into compliance.” Asked if Berkeley could force out Pacific Steel, he deferred to his aide Vicky Liu. She said that the West Berkeley Plan which seeks to maintain West Berkeley industry made removing the company difficult and that to make it easier for Berkeley to get rid of the company, the city would have to revisit the West Berkeley Plan. 

Zelda Bronstein, a former Planning Commissioner and supporter of current West Berkeley zoning rules, took umbrage at Liu’s analysis and asked the air district representative why they decided to perform air monitoring studies at Pacific Steel five years after the City Council requested them. 

“We’re a small agency covering a large area,” Hess replied. He said the agency has lost staff and has a projected budget deficit. 

Asked by one member of the audience if the air board could shut down Pacific Steel, Hess said the board would need to convince a judge that the plant was an “overwhelming health burden” to the community. 

One factor that could keep the city from trying to push out Pacific Steel is that it is one of the city’s top employers and sales tax generators. Chan said the company now employs 500 people, mostly in union jobs that don’t require a college degree. 

“You talk about closing us up,” she said. “That’s 500 people who will be without a job.”›

Berkeley’s Transportation Commission will take up the thorny issue of downtown parking during a two-hour public workshop Thursday evening. 

The session is scheduled from 7-9 p.m. in the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

Principal speakers will be Elizabeth Deakin, director of the Berkeley Transportation Center, and Deborah Badhia, executive director of the Downtown Berkeley Association. 

Others potential participants invited by the city include: 

• Members of Berkeley Design Advocates, the Bicycle Friendly Berkeley Coalition, the Telegraph Avenue Association and members of the VISTA College Board. 

• Bob Franklin, BART District 3 director. 

• Carolyn Henry-Golphin, president of the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce. 

• Jim Cunradi, AC Transit coordinator for Bus Rapid Transit. 

• John Selawsky from the Berkeley Unified School District board. 

• Judy Walters, president of VISTA College, 

• UC Berkeley Director of Parking and Transportation Nad Permaul. 

• Berkeley Chamber of Commerce CEO Rachel Rupert. 

• Freight & Salvage Executive Director Steve Baker, and 

• Nicky Gonzalez Yuen and Cy Gulassa of the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees. 

Click here to view the latest work by Planet cartoonist Justin DeFreitas?

JEFFERSON SCHOOL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Over the past two years, the debate over the Jefferson school name change has had unforeseen consequences at the school. One result has been the unfortunate change in the school climate. What was once a vibrant, open community has become one divided: teachers whispering amongst themselves, unwilling to discuss the issue with parents or students; parents having quiet conversations in the halls or off school grounds, not wanting to be overheard (often for fear of being 

considered racist if they oppose the name change); students trying to openly discuss the issue, but often being shushed by their elders. 

It is very sad to see the place that was once so friendly and welcoming to everyone become a place of whispered conversation and furtive over-the-shoulder 

glances. 

I am not saying that this process should not be happening. I am saying that those responsible for overseeing this process have missed a huge opportunity. Instead of becoming a divisive issue, this could have been a way for the community to come together, to learn about Thomas Jefferson, to learn about race relations, and to learn about how to openly discuss and decide upon an important issue. The children could have learned about the many good things Thomas Jefferson accomplished in his life. They already know that he was a slave owner, and, for most of them, that’s ALL they know. Can they understand his life when viewed in the context of the time in which he lived? I think not, because they—and many of those behind this issue—view him only from today’s perspective.  

The children, and the adults, could have discussed the fact that none of us live perfect lives. That we often fail to live up to the ideals we espouse. That 

sometimes the constraints of daily life—personal, political, financial, emotional—prevent us from doing what is “right,” with the result that we do what we can. 

In the final judgment, is a person to be judged based upon one aspect of his life, or on his life as a whole? 

Nancy Koerner 

• 

CARAVAN FOR KIDS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The Berkeley PTA Council is participating in the April 28 “Caravan for Kids” Rally in Sacramento, thanks to the hard work of Berkeley PTA members that have stepped forward to coordinate this effort. The rally on April 28 will be sponsored by the California State PTA and will take place at noon on that day, on the steps of the State Capitol. We will be joined by parents and advocates from all over the State of California. The purpose is to tell the governor and Legislature that we want full and adequate funding for our schools. Together we will insist that Gov. Schwarzenegger and the Legislature 

• Honor their promise to restore $2 billion to California schools. 

• Uphold Proposition 98, the Constitutional funding guarantee for public schools approved by the voters. 

• Rebuild California’s commitment to education. 

Berkeley PTA Council will also be organizing a press conference on April 27 at 3 p.m., location to be determined. We invite the local press to participate and learn more about the work that parents are doing to send a clear message to Sacramento. 

What can you do to be part of this effort? Please consider joining the Berkeley Caravan for Kids contingent in Sacramento. We want to give all Berkeley community members and PTAs an opportunity to participate. We have chartered buses and will be coordinating carpools. People can also take the train. There is limited space on our chartered buses, but please inquire with rally Coordinator Cynthia Papermaster at 333-6097 about space. The departure point for the rally on the morning of April 28 is West Campus Parking Lot on 1222 University Ave. at 9:30 a.m.. The parking lot is located in the back of the West Campus facility. 

If you cannot attend the rally, or even if you can, please consider donating to our effort by sponsoring a parent and child on the bus to Sacramento. Checks can be written to “Berkeley PTA Council” and no donation is too small. Please write “Caravan for Kids” on the comment line. These funds will be used to help pay for our chartered buses and offset rally costs. Checks and cash (in envelopes) can be dropped off at any BUSD public school office and left with the school secretary or sent  

to 1323 67th St., Berkeley, 94702. Together we can get our voices heard. 

Roia Ferrazares 

President, Berkeley PTA Council 

• 

THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

“Of course boxing is fine for now,” I’ll bet Sly Stallone’s mom used to tell him, “but what are you going to do afterwards? You gotta have a real career to back you up.” And as it goes with boxing, so does it go with war and empire.  

Of course wars are like championship bouts in Vegas. They’re glamorous and interesting and lucrative—but a war, like a boxer’s career, can’t go on forever. Maybe you can last a few years in the ring but sooner or later the last round ends and, if you foolishly squandered your prize money, you have nothing to fall back on. Look at Rome, the Mongols, Napoleon, Tojo’s Japan, the Third Reich and the USSR. All their time and money went into waging war and they had no retirement plan! Too much emphasis on K.O.s and not enough on 401(k). 

Of course Rumsfeld, Bush and the Pentagon knocked out Iraq in the first round but now—with all these guys’s money spent on high-living and with nothing saved—they are becoming just another bunch of punch-drunk has-beens with no Plan B. 

And what about America? What will happen to our country when the U.S. has lost its heavyweight title—which it soon will because the euro is about to K.O. the dollar bigtime—and has no career skills at home to fall back on ‘cause they’ve all been outsourced to empire? 

America needs to follow Sly’s mom’s advice and prepare for the future. Firing those bogus fight promoters in the Pentagon and taking away Bush’s “golden” gloves would be a good first step. 

Jane Stillwater 

• 

OPEN LETTER TO LINDA MAIO 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am writing to you because you are my City Council representative. I am very concerned about the number of high rises going up on University, Shattuck, and San Pablo. At the same time, there are “for rent” signs everywhere. It appears that these developers are being encouraged to build high density cheap housing that is not actually needed. 

What I would like to know is whether the city has vacancy data to support this massive shift in housing policy? 

How can the City Council make decisions involving millions of dollars in housing policy/funds without knowing the most fundamental piece of datum there is? How can you possibly cast an informed vote? Our Housing Director cries “housing emergency.” and the Planning Director says “housing glut,” but there is not a single fact between them. 

To my knowledge the city has not attempted a realistic housing survey, ever. Whoever has a particular ax to grind, finds some statistics that will support that view, but never to my knowledge has an accurate, impartial verifiable, survey been done. This, in the home of the University of California!  

From anecdotal evidence and informal surveys, I believe that the vacancy rate hovers at around 8 percent, the highest it has been since rent control was imposed and began causing shortages. But, that is my point: we need more than anecdotes and informal surveys to make these important decisions. I would like to know when the city is going to initiate a study of vacancy rates and housing availability. I absolutely know that the Housing department has no idea of what is out there, because I was present at a Rental Housing Safety Program meeting where Steve Barton embarrassed himself by not being able to substantiate his requests for additional fees with any kind of accurate statistics. It is time for the city to seriously investigate the “real” housing story. 

Roslyn Fuerman 

• 

THE BERKELEY RUSE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a follow-up to my letter in the April 15-18 issue, I would like to generalize the pattern that has unmistakably appeared to me over a period of several years now. Members of the City of Berkeley government almost universally adopt an attitude that defines this pattern. The attitude is this: “As progressives or liberals, we lament the fact that we must revoke tenants rights, or the rights of the people in general, but we are required to do so by a strict interpretation of the law.” The only problem with this is that the “strict interpretation of the law” they are referring to is essentially the neo-con interpretation of the law, which diverges radically from even the interpretation of mainstream conservative Republican judges, as we have seen recently in the Schiavo case.  

In other words, the actual facts of court rulings are rarely as condemnatory of the rights of the people as the progressive or liberal members of the City of Berkeley government feel that they are. On rare occasions, a Court of Appeal ruling does bear the unmistakable tenor of neo-con hatred of genuine democracy, but those rulings comprise no more than ten percent of the emerging body of law. Often they stand only because they are not challenged by further appeal to the Supreme Court.  

Another facet of the Berkeley ruse is conflation of trial court rulings, which are not binding on anyone but the parties to the lawsuit, with appellate rulings, which are binding, since they constitute caselaw or decisional law. The City of Berkeley is under no genuine compulsion whatsoever to conform to trial court rulings, unless it has been a party to the lawsuit. And yet, the dupes of the neo-cons are all too eager to jump at the neo-con whip and do the bidding of the neo-cons, to the extreme detriment of the people. This defines the Berkeley ruse. 

It would seem, therefore, that the Bush administration is but the tip of the iceberg of the neo-con movement, which is in fact a genuine grassroots movement. I observe neo-cons or dupes of the neo-cons sitting in every chamber of the City of Berkeley government, wielding most of the power. Often they are staff members that the elected officials seem powerless to control. So, if you are one of the many who are projecting your shadow onto the funny man in the White House, look again - the problem is much closer to home and much more widespread than you have imagined. 

Peter Mutnick 

• 

QUESTIONABLE COMMENTARY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It’s not that I wish to cast aspersions on Carol Denney’s qualifications as an objective reporter.... But, according to her published account: she “innocently” removed an orange cone from her own driveway, which caused another person to become “infuriated” for no apparent reason, which caused the cops to come and “knock” her around, leaving “bruises” all over her body, ending with Ms. Denney being arrested for “attempted murder,” again, for no apparent reason. Could it be that there are key elements to this story that Ms. Denney apparently omitted from her alleged reporting? Or, if this is intended as an “opinion piece,” are we the readers supposed to conclude that the opinions being expressed are so nonsensical that the only way they could be propped up is to only tell half the story?  

Peter Labriola  

• 

ABU GHRAIB COMES  

TO FRATERNITY ROW 

Editors, Daily Planet:  

The horrors inflicted on helpless prisoners by some of our military personnel at Abu Ghraib in Iraq and in other locations may have ricocheted around in our national consciousness and struck in Berkeley. 

In Iraq some of our soldiers felt they could humiliate and abuse captives to get information because the captive was an Other, in that case an Iraqi. 

On April 8th in a Berkeley fraternity, a young man was held captive. Because he was an Other, a pledge in this case, he was humiliated and abused to get information. 

How different is this behavior from that of Abu Ghraib? 

Since we as a nation have not managed to make a strong and effective condemnation of the heinous behavior of some of our military at Abu Ghraib, can we expect to see other instances of similar behavior among our own people here? Especially among the young, who are most easily influenced by what the media shows us to be allowable behavior. 

Where is the voice of who we are as a people that can clearly say why such things are wrong both here and in other lands? And be heard? 

Brad Belden 

• 

MENIAL LABOR 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

An article in your April 15-18 paper says, “...library aides, who typically do most of the library’s menial work...” 

“Menial. 1. of our relating to a servant: lowly. 2.a. appropriate to a servant: humble, servile. b. lacking interest or dignity.” (Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary.) 

Is this how the writer really thinks of the work of the aides? 

Nancy Ward 

• 

BERKELEY LIBRARY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Since there has been much made of the reassignment of four aides from the first floor of the Central Library to the fourth floor Children’s Room, I write to provide some background for this decision. 

When the renovated Central Library reopened, the Library decided to try an experiment. All library aides were assigned to General Services where they would be directed to work on all five floors. 

Unfortunately, this experimental arrangement has had a seriously negative impact on the quality of library service to Berkeley children. 

Spot checks in March indicated returned adult materials were reshelved within 2-4 days. Children’s materials required 7-10 days. 

As any parent knows, children live in the moment. If a recently returned Lemony Snicket book will not be available for 4-5 days, as far as the child is concerned, the library has failed. Placing a reserve on the item doesn’t work well for children, since they have little control over their personal schedules or means of transportation. If the library saves a book for them, they may not be able to go to the library to pick it up. 

The children’s collection is smaller than the adult collection. Smaller inventories require faster turnarounds. This is particularly true for city-wide homework assignments. When Berkeley students are studying ancient Greece, recently returned books on the topic are needed immediately. The assignments are due now, not 7-10 days from now. 

Why do children’s books wait longer for reshelving? When assigned to shelve in the Children’s Library, some library aides sought other work instead. Some made sure to take their break during their “children’s shift” so they would only be there for a half hour. A few even went home sick at the end of a day, rather than shelve children’s books.  

In discussions with the four library aides assigned to the fourth floor, they agreed that aides had avoided shelving in the Children’s Library. They also voiced concern for their health and safety. They were particularly worried about shelving picture books. 

To respond to these concerns, the Library has consulted the City of Berkeley’s safety officer on safe ergonomic practices and has limited the period of sustained shelving to one hour. The library has also purchased knee pads and other equipment to make shelving picture books as safe as possible. 

Inferior library service for Berkeley children should never be tolerated. The assignment of these four aides from the first to the fourth floor Children’s Room is a needed step in the right direction. 

Linda Perkins 

Library Services Manager 

Berkeley Public Library  

• 

BURNETT’S ANALYSIS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I find Bob Burnett’s analysis (Christianity Lite vs. Terri Schiavo, Daily Planet, April 1-4) both cogent and perplexing. He is clear in his critique of the religious right’s hypocrisy. And yet, from his comfortable Quaker context, he hacks at the trees, and cannot see the forest. He mentions church history, but doesn’t see that against the broad history of Christianity, from the horrors of the inquisition, through the arrogance of the crusades, to the burning of the witches, the nasty foibles of modern zealots are trivial.  

Nor could he accept, I suspect, that Christianity came out of the marketplace—that the gullible, superstitious public of Christ’s day were eager consumers of the sales pitches of the time (that he was born of a virgin, that he returned from death, that he, like the Egyptian kings and Greek heroes, was descended from a god) and based on this packaging, made him a cult figure on the sermon circuit. That the majority of people still believe and avow this nonsense is the real condemnation of human culture.  

The world’s main religions all perpetuate the same great hoax - that there is a life after death, and that they’re selling the tickets to it. The deep congenital flaw in the human psyche is the pathological refusal to accept the great centering, liberating truth of our existence: We live a while in the sun, then we die. After that, nothing!—no angels with harps, no virgins with sexual favors, no loved ones’ welcoming arms—mere oblivion. 

Jerry Landis 

• 

SWIMMING POOLS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am writing to express my concern about the proposed closure of all three outdoor city swimming pools next winter—from Oct. 1 through April 15, and to urge the City Council to do whatever is necessary to keep at least one pool open for public programs during the winter. 

My husband and I have been homeowners and tax payers in Berkeley for over 52 years, and I have been swimming at King Pool for 36 years. 

Closing the pools during the winter months is not just an inconvenience. Most winter swimmers swim as a part of a healthy life style. It cannot be abandoned for six months. If I have to join the YMCA to keep up my fitness program, I cannot afford to drop it and return to the city pools when they decide to re-open in the spring. It is particularly unfair to cut out city programs when the city pays for YMCA memberships for its own programs. The youth swim teams and masters program need a pool to use. Having no winter access would finish these programs. 

Swimmers have contributed to keeping the pools open in the past by having fund raising swim relays, and would do so again. Seniors have suggested raising the amount they pay. 

The San Francisco Chronicle’s April 7 ChronicleWatch column reported that City Manager Phil Kamlarz suddenly found some extra general fund revenue from higher than expected tax collections, and will be urging the City Council to set aside $400,000 to repair the fountain in Civic Center Park and $200,000 for maintenance. To keep one swimming pool open during the winter would cost $92,000. This and other recreation programs for children are far more important than repairing a fountain. Berkeley should get its priorities on track. 

Jean Johnsen 

• 

FIREFIGHTER COMPENSATION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In your April 12-14 issues, Zac Unger, a Berkeley firefighter, states that “firefighters are one of the few public servants to be justly compensated for their labors. The don’t deserve less; others deserve more.” His statement would be credible if he could just provide facts that show the City of Berkeley is unable to fill vacancies because of inadequate compensation packages. Based on the facts he and others actually did provide to your paper, the vacancies in the Fire Department are not the result of inadequate employee benefits—just the opposite. City managers decided to pay exisiting firefighters overtime rather than hire additional firefighters because employee benefits for new hires were so expensive. 

One of the reasons Berkeley city employee benefits costs are so high is that employees contribute nothing to their own publicly funded retirement plan. This allows them to retire totally at the Berkeley taxpayers’ expense with better pensions than many of these taxpayers will ever receive themselves. 

It is my understanding that if city employees simply agreed to contribute the same proportion of their wages and salaries to their own pension plan as those of us in the private sector must through Social Security taxes, none of the proposed cuts in city services would be necessary. Could one of your reporters verify whether my perceptions are correct? 

Keith Winnard 

• 

TORTURE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I noted Bernice Turoff’s excellent letter quoting a Dec. 26, 2002, Washington Post article that exposed torture as promoted U.S. policy two years ago. We will be holding an all-day UC Berkeley Teach-in on Torture, Thursday April 28 in Berkeley, that will expand upon that point, and we’ll attempt to spur a national movement to stop the use of torture by this government. The teach-in is sponsored by Ethnic Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies and International and Area Studies at UC and endorsed by over 100 faculty. A full page ad is scheduled to appear in the Daily Planet on April 26.  

Eighty percent of Americans reject the use of torture, but they have no effective way to protest its use. It’s time to mobilize that sentiment into a challenge to current policies and practices. Join with Barbara Olshanksy of Center for Constitutional Rights, Lucas Guttentag, head of the ACLU immigration project, Professor Terry Karl, Stanford’s expert witness on torture in Latin America, the National Lawyers Guild’s Marjorie Cohn, Uwe Jacobs of Survivors International, As’ad AbuKhalil of Cal State Stanislaus, Carlos Maurcio, a Salvadoran Professor who survived torture and others in taking action against torture on April 28. We’ll see you at the Thrust Theater, 2025 Addison (Berkeley Rep) from 1:30 on. 

Marc Sapir 

co-convener, UC Berkeley Teach-in on Torture 

OPEN LETTER TO MAYOR BATES AND CITY COUNCILMEMBERS  

We understand that at tonight’s Council meeting Planning Director Dan Marks will propose the staffing of an incremental review of the West Berkeley Plan, focused on rezoning Gilman Street and Ashby Avenue west of San Pablo for retail. Apparently this came out of a council work session on revenue and the budget. 

We believe that this approach is wrong and wrongheaded. The West Berkeley Plan was crafted by years of work by dozens of stakeholders coming from every sector of the West Berkeley community. It was the result of a broad-based, open, balanced, and thorough public planning process. Any review must also be balanced and any proposal must include a fair hearing of its impacts on the entire West Berkeley community. 

We believe that the usual parameters of this piecemeal approach would narrow the scope of the study area and ignore major impacts on the surrounding areas. But the overall effects of altering the zoning or permissible uses for each narrow swath will be much greater than will be indicated in the individual studies of economics, traffic, and other effects. Changing the zoning of the arterial corridors cannot be done without deeply affecting all of West Berkeley. It would tend to unbalance the area, gut the industrial retention policy that's at the heart of the West Berkeley Plan, and threaten industrial, artistic and craft businesses. Do not undermine and dismantle the West Berkeley Plan under this guise. A short sighted study focused on adding revenue may overlook the long term loss of existing significant tax base and employment coming from businesses that will be displaced. 

If you intend to approve the planning director’s proposal, we urge you to direct him to broaden the study area considerably beyond the usual parameters, and to consider all of West Berkeley below San Pablo as the impacted area. John Curl 

Susan Libby 

Martin Bourque, Executive Director Ecology Center  

Zelda Bronstein 

Mary Lou Van Deventer 

Jesse Townley 

Fran Haselsteiner 

Mark Gorrell 

Nancy Gorrell 

Sarah Givens 

Fred Brechtel 

Barbara Lubin 

Bernard Marszalek 

Laurie Bright 

Andy Heinze 

Mary Heinze 

Robert Reiter 

Andy Katz 

Roberta Teller 

Marc Diamond 

Harry Wiener, 

Former chair, West Berkely Planning Area Commissionô

America is teetering on the edge of recession. We’ve run up a huge debt and, as a result, have developed startling vulnerabilities. While there are many explanations for our precarious situation—ill-advised tax cuts and wrong-headed administration priorities, for example—the root problem is our dependency on oil. Although we are barely 5 percent of the world’s population, we consume 25 percent of the annual oil production. We produce 6 million barrels of oil per day yet devour 20 million. 

We are oil junkies, physically dependent upon our daily fix of petroleum. To wean ourselves from our slavish dependency on carbon-based fuels, we will have to go through a harrowing withdrawal process. The sooner we do this the better, as many experts are predicting that 2005 will be the peak oil production year for the planet. 

Americans are at various stages of awareness and acceptance of our addiction. Viewed from afar, the range of public attitudes seems remarkably similar to the five stages of grief famously described by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, or acceptance.  

Many citizens deny that there is a problem at all. Business consultant Max de Pree observed, “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.” President George W. Bush has defined a Reaganesque reality where oil is not a problem. This deception has been aided by the fact that many Americans already have enough to worry about—terrorism and their jobs—and don’t want to hear any more bad news. Many conservative Christians—about 36 percent of Americans according to Bill Moyers—believe that America’s problems, such as petroleum depletion, are irrelevant, as we are in the final stages of the “end times;” they understand that the rapture will happen within the next forty years and, therefore, they don’t have to worry about mundane subjects like oil. 

Another group is just angry. Dick Cheney is an example of an economic conservative who is infuriated by our petroleum shortages because he believes that “the market” would solve the problem if only environmentalists and other bleeding hearts would get out of the way. The administration’s energy plan is based upon supply-side economics, predicated on the notion that the U.S. has enough carbon-based fuels if only energy companies are permitted to dig wherever they choose, for example, in our national parks and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. While formulating this plan, Cheney famously observed that, “Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it is not a sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy,” thereby ignoring the obvious: Even if we used all possible sources, America does not have enough oil to satisfy our addiction. 

Rather than escape into denial or anger, some Americans attempt to bargain their way out of the oil crisis; for example, they sell their SUV and buy a pickup truck. This is escape by means of rationalization: trying, as an individual, to figure a way out of the problem. The defect in this approach is that this is a crisis that affects all of us and, therefore, one that we must work on together. We cannot strike individual deals with Mother Nature. 

Of course, many Americans have simply sunk into depression. They feel powerless to change a situation where the Administration steadfastly refuses to acknowledge that our way of life is unsustainable. 

Finally, there are groups of citizens who have arrived at Kubler-Ross’s fifth stage of acceptance. Not that they have accepted the death of the United States, or the planet, but rather they recognize that America must confront its dreadful addiction. In organizations, such as the Sierra Club and the Apollo Alliance, they are steadfastly working on ways to deal with it: inexpensive wind turbines, affordable solar panels, low-cost hybrid vehicles, enhanced public transportation, and so forth. 

Those of us who have dealt with an addiction, whether our own or that of someone close to us, know that the tipping point, the moment when the addict acknowledges that there is a problem, usually comes in one of two forms: There may be an intervention by loved ones who are determined to convince the addict that he/she has a problem, or the addict may experience such a severe crisis—a heart attack, divorce, or loss of job—that they are forced to confront their addiction. Because the Bush administration is unwilling to lead Americans in an intervention, the United States will most likely wait to confront its oil addiction until the price of oil reaches such heights that it sends our economy spiraling into a recession. 

This crisis is an opportunity for Democrats to initiate their own intervention. First, they must tell citizens the truth: We are petroleum junkies, who need to change our ways before it is too late. Then, they should propose a recovery program, a comprehensive proposal for a sustainable America. The United States can overcome its oil addiction, but only if we are provided with real leadership. If the Democrats won’t do this, who will? 

Bob Burnett is a Berkeley writer and activist. He can be reached at bobburnett@comcast.net. 

I’d been obsessing about bullies and how to deal with them for days when I asked my friend Gary if he remembered being bullied as a child.  

“Mickey Todaro,” he said. 

“What?” I asked. 

“Mickey Todaro, third grade,” he repeated. “You asked about bullies so I’m telling you.” 

“I didn’t expect such a quick response.” 

“It’s like it was yesterday.” 

“Go on,” I said. 

“Everyday on the way to school Mickey Todaro would punch me and steal my lunch money. It was awful.” 

“What did you do?” 

“I found another route to school. I’m tough, but I’m not stupid. Mickey Todaro was big, and he had friends.” 

“Gary,” I said. “Do you realize this happened to you over 50 years ago?”  

“You don’t forget or mess with a guy like Mickey Todaro.” 

I posed the question to the Scrabblettes the next time I saw them. 

“Bobby Rowland,” said Pearl without hesitation. 

“Bobby Rowland?”  

“You heard me. Second grade. He pushed me into a ditch, that son of a bitch.” 

“Pearl!” 

“I crawled out and hit him over the head with my lunchbox.” 

“What happened?” 

“Put a big dent in my lunchbox, so I ran home and told my mother.” 

“And?”  

“She said to stay away from him, so I did.” 

“Parents down south would never recommend that,” said Louise, counting out her letters and placing them on the wooden stand.  

“Really?” asked Pearl. “What would they say?” 

“’Pick up a stick and hit back’,” she answered. 

“What about those kids who locked you in the funeral parlor when you were 8?” asked Rose. “Did you hit them?” 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” answered Louise firmly. “That was 60 years ago, and I’m still in recovery.” 

I turned to Rose. “Were there bullies when you were growing up?” 

“Of course,” she said. “Richie Foley called me Tokyo Rose Chinese Chink. I was devastated.” 

“Did you tell your parents?” 

“No way! They didn’t speak English, and besides, they had eight kids, one of them blind and epileptic. I didn’t bother my parents with stuff like that.” 

“Did you stay away from him?” 

“Couldn’t. We went to a one room school house. But my teacher, Mrs. Parsons, bawled him out in front of everybody. She made me feel safe.” 

My survey concluded, I went home and pondered my data. I’d been prompted to ask these questions for several reasons. I’d babysat my 3-year-old nephew the previous weekend and I’d watched him tussle with an older, more aggressive kid from my neighborhood. Additionally, I’ve been thinking a lot about a man living not far from me who has been standing up to and therefore running into trouble with drug dealers on his block. Lastly, I’d read an interview of former playmates of George Bush who said whenever he didn’t get his way during a game of kickball, he’d take his ball and go home. His mom would yell at all the kids to leave George alone.  

During childhood, many of us learn to deal with the bullies and creeps who bother, scare, or threaten us. We find ways to get around them using avoidance tactics or the help of friends and family. I worry about the man up the block. He’s gotten a lot of support from the media and people outside the neighborhood, but what will happen when the reporters and photographers move on to other, more sensational stories, and the police aren’t available to protect him? 

From the results of my survey, I’d say that sometimes the best policy is to avoid the bullies, except, of course, if you’ve got a mom like Barbara Bush in which case you can be the bully. When my nephew gets older I’ll try to explain to him about how life ain’t fair. Then I’ll advise him to walk softly, carry a big lunchbox, and figure out another route to school. ›

Armed Backpack Robbery 

A darkly clad gunman robbed a 20-year-old Berkeley resident of his backpack just after 1 a.m. Thursday as he was walking near the corner of Le Conte and Euclid avenues. 

Berkeley Police spokesperson Officer Joe Okies said the 20-something bandit departed the scene in a light-colored four-door import. 

Gang of Three 

Minutes after the backpack heist, three bandits ganged up on a 25-year-old man near the corner of Haste and Ellsworth streets. 

After physical assault convinced the pedestrian to hand over his MP3 player to the trio, the victim called police who were able to arrest one of the suspects, a juvenile, said Officer Okies. 

Trash Talk, and More 

Things took a bizarre turn Friday morning after a resident of the 3100 block of Fairview Street confronted a fellow who was scooping up the contents of her recycling bin. 

Things would’ve been fine had the trash-taker confined his response to the verbal realm, but the fellow then decided to expose himself to her. The offended woman then called police, who arrested the 39-year-old fellow on a charge of indecent exposure. 

Bank Robber Foiled 

A man in his forties walked into the Wells Fargo Bank at 2144 Shattuck Ave. Friday afternoon, threatening a teller and demanding cash. 

When the teller refused, the frustrated robber fled on foot—but not before leaving nice, clear images on the bank’s surveillance cameras. 

Rat Pack Attack 

A gang of juveniles attacked and beat down an 18-year-old man in the 2700 block of Milvia Street just after 11 p.m. Saturday, making off with his wallet and his athletic shoes. 

Another Beatdown Heist 

Police arrested a 19-year-old man on charges of assault and robbery after a 20-year-old male victim was beaten and robbed of his cash just after 1 a.m. Sunday near the corner of Derby Street and Martin Luther King. Jr. Way, said officer Okies. 

He Was Framed 

Police arrested a 44-year-old man on robbery charges after he was nabbed walking out of the Shattuck Avenue Aaron Brothers Art Mart with an armload of frames and other artist’s supplies at 12:42 p.m. Sunday. 

Officer Okies said the robber had entered the store and leveled threats against employees lest they interfere with his pilferage. 

Traffic Stop Troubles 

When police attempted to stop a 44-year-old driver in the 1900 block of University Avenue at 10 p.m. Sunday, he decided to boogie, making it ten blocks to the west before parking along the 900 block of University, where officers finally found him hiding from view. 

They also discovered his excellent reasons for hiding, including arrest warrants, drugs and a firearm. His next ride was in the back seat of a police cruiser. 

Smoker Ignites Blaze 

A backyard smoker inadvertently sparked a grass fire in the 1200 block of Ashby Ave. early Friday afternoon, and by the time city firefighters extinguished the flames a fence and a shed had been rendered hors de combat. 

Deputy Fire Chief David Orth said the firefighters arrived within minutes of the 12:41 p.m. call and had the flames out within minutes. 

The fire, which started in one yard, crossed a fence and did most of its damage at 1214 Ashby Ave., where the blaze did $300 in damage to the shed and fence and about $1,000 damage to property in the backyard and shed. 

Duplex Burns 

Flames that began in the second floor of a duplex at 1708 Russell St. resulted in a two-alarm fire that did more than $120,000 in damage and resulted in injuries to a dog. 

The call came in at 8:26 p.m., and flames were erupting out of the front and side windows when the first engine company arrived. The second alarm was sounded after firefighters saw the blaze spreading from the roof of the duplex onto the roof of a neighboring dwelling, Orth said. 

The fire consumed the furniture in the second-floor dwelling and damaged a deck and the neighbor’s roof by the time flames were extinguished at 8:50 p.m. 

In a search of the second floor, firefighters spotted a dog injured in the flames, and a police car dispatched the injured pet for emergency treatment. 

“The dog is expected to make a complete recovery,” Orth said.

Gilman Street and I-80 mark the entrance to Berkeley’s Oceanview District. The highway exit is also delineated by the puffing white smokestacks of Pacific Steel Castings, one of Berkeley’s last remaining foundries. All who drive through northwest Berkele y knows it’s time to roll up the car windows because of the burnt smells that permeate the area.  

Several weeks ago, Pacific Steel was finally given another Notice of Violation by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) for odor nuisance. H owever, neighbors around the facility should expect nothing from the air district. Fines are mostly small in comparison to profits, so businesses like Pacific Steel simply shrug off the expense as part of the cost of doing business.  

This time though, the odor violation has turned the focus onto the foundry’s incinerator, which was installed in 1998, and has sparked a debate over the air district’s permitting practices. Residents are asking how “a green community” like Berkeley, which has the reputatio n of “not liking anything,” could buy in so completely to this industrial incinerator. The answer to this question lies within the permitting process, a regulatory morass more insidious than the incinerator itself.  

Follow the Money  

It is unclear whethe r Pacific Steel’s incinerator was the brainchild of the foundry or was more a promotion effort by the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB). This state-funded agency works with clients like Pacific Steel in waste reduction and recycling eff orts by offering low-interest loans and technical assistance including project coordination.  

Since CIWMB also helps with expediting the necessary permits, the agency must have realized that the only way to force this “burn barrel” technology onto an y city within the San Francisco Basin, much less Berkeley, was if the public was kept unaware of what it really was. California Integrated Waste must have also known that the regulatory shelter created by the Bay Area air district made Pacific Steel Casti ngs, and Berkeley, the best candidate for the incinerator. Ironically, as it turns out, the best place to hide an incinerator is amidst a big stink, like in Oceanview.  

So, in 1997 the foundry was awarded a loan for $648,950 to help purchase the incinera tor. CIWMB quickly managed to line up broad support for the pilot project by simply calling it “green.” Of course, CIWMB enjoyed ample industry support for the incinerator because of its potential economic impact on the foundry industry in the Bay Area an d el sewhere.  

Even Congresswoman Lee was enticed into Berkeley to help the city and council receive the Ed McMahon-sized check for the Pacific Steel’s Second Street incinerator. And with that, Berkeley was turned into the poster child for this “new” inc inerator technology and used to sell it to other communities. All the political kudos, awards and celebration of this grand regional enterprise obscured a serious dilemma created by the incinerator: its land use incompatibility.  

Public Health and Land Use  

The incinerator pilot project was certainly not a difficult sell when it came to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. When the permitting request for the incinerator was finally presented, backroom deliberations reveal that the air district had q uestions about the proposal and the legal need for an environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Unfortunately, that discussion quickly evaporated.  

It appears that to assuage the political pressure associated with this i ncinerator permit, BAAQMD trespassed beyond the legal limits of the law to offer Pacific Steel a categorical exemption. The air district realized a CEQA review would daylight more than the foundry’s incinerator and would go further to expose a deca de of c orrupt BAAQMD permitting practices at Pacific Steel Castings.  

The air district has a history of taking the regulatory low road, but in Berkeley, they managed to hit a new low. Although the categorical exemption successfully screened the public f rom know ing about the incinerator, it did not relieve BAAQMD of its legal obligation under CEQA for an environmental review. In fact, the trigger to require a CEQA evaluation for the incinerator is based on the state’s land use restrictions as pertains t o the pro ximity of schools and childcare facilities.  

BAAQMD was well aware of the existence of the Duck’s Nest on Fourth Street and within two blocks of the new Pacific Steel incinerator. In 1988, the air district was asked by parents of this childcare center to evaluate the emissions coming from the steel foundry.  

In 1999, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which oversees the permits handed out by BAAQMD, came to Berkeley to investigate Pacific Steel and related public health questions. CARB took one look at the urban incinerator along with its questionable air permits and hightailed it back to Sacramento.  

Instead of addressing this crucial public health concern, the state and regional air agencies have both chosen to propagate the myth th at Pacific Steel’s emissions are harmless and that all of its pollution is being captured by a carbon scrubber. Nothing could be further from the truth! The record shows that the steel foundry clearly has process emissions that have no air pollution contr ols.  

Tit le V and Environmental Justice  

The roots of this environmental injustice run so deep as to have even distorted Pacific Steel’s accountability under its federal Title V permit. This permit is required under the Clean Air Act, which is overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. However, direct responsibility for this federal permit has been farmed out to the Bay Area air district. The Title V program was designed to identify large air dischargers, like Pacific Steel, and to require m ore environmental accountability from such major facilities. However, as the record shows, BAAQMD’s approval of the foundry’s federal permit totally negates Title V’s stated purpose.  

Changes to the Title V program in the mid 1990s allowed some major fac ilities to petition for reclassification as minor facilities thus reducing their permit requirements for reporting, monitoring, and assessments. Unbelievably, the air district allowed Pacific Steel this lower reporting status. BAAQMD argued that even thou gh the thre e main buildings of the foundry are located on Second Street, one building was classified as “noncontiguous.” Hence, Pacific Steel Castings received two minor facility permits instead of one major facility permit.  

The net result was to allow the foundry to report in a piecemeal fashion, which made Pacific Steel’s operations appear much smaller on paper than they really are. The air district then used this to justify less environmental accountability from the foundry. For over a decade, this has conveniently kept Pacific Steel from showing up on the EPA’s regulatory radar. It’s no wonder that residents have been waiting three years for a simple health risk screening from the air district, and why the regulatory folder on the foundry is so thin! And yes, Title V should have flagged the new incinerator.  

BAAQMD’s regulatory machinations have left our community with less understanding today about the toxic impact of the foundry’s emissions than residents had a decade ago. Now Pacific Steel can smugly stand behind the air district and continue to publicly state that their emissions are not toxic only because their permit does not require those emissions to be tested. This convoluted regulatory fraud has exempted Pacific Steel from answering any embarrassing questions. Even worse, it has allowed BAAQMD to successfully foist this new incinerator with its additional emissions onto a neighborhood already overburdened by pollution.  

There are clearly many gaps concerning the public’s protection in m ixed-use hou sing and huge shortcomings in the state’s air regulations. But if BAAQMD and CARB won’t enforce current health and air quality standards, what difference will any future changes and protections really make in California’s air quality, or Berk eley’s? Clean air begins with honest regulation. Shut down Pacific Steel Castings’ incinerator now!  

LA Wood is a Berkeley resident.?sD

Elections should ensure majority rule and give citizens confidence that every vote counts. In Oakland, we could be using the best that democracy has to offer. 

City officials have so far passed up this opportunity. I am one of eight candidates running to represent District 2 on the Oakland City Council. The person who gets the most votes will win. But with so many people in the race, the winner could take office with as little as 12 percent of the vote. That’s hardly democratic. 

We’ve seen this problem before. Four years ago, in a special election for Oakland City Council in District 6, the winner emerged from a pool of candidates with 33 percent of the vote. The second-place candidate was close behind at 31 percent. If the city had held a runoff betwee n these top two candidates, it’s anybody’s guess who might have won. Instead, two-thirds of the voters simply went unrepresented. 

In the old days, when an Oakland city council member stepped down in the middle of a term, the council would appoint a repla cement. But Oakland overwhelmingly passed Measure I, which amended the city charter to provide for a special election by the voters. The amendment leaves it to the city council to set the exact terms of the election. The best method by far would be instan t runoff voting (IRV). 

I advocate instant runoff voting (IRV), a voting system that our city charter specifically allows. 

Under IRV, voters rank candidates in order of choice: 1, 2, 3, and so on. The winning candidate must have a majority of votes. If anyone receives more than half of the first-choice votes, that candidate is elected. If not, the last-place candidate is defeated, just as in a runoff election, and all those who picked the losing candidate have their votes reassigned to their next choice. The ballots are counted again. The process of eliminating the last-place candidate and recounting the ballots continues until one candidate receives a majority of the vote. 

IRV does more than assure majority rule. It also allows citizens to vote their c onscience. In a race where candidates 1 and 2 seem to be leading and candidate 3 looks a little shakier, a voter can comfortably pick candidate 3 as the favorite without worrying that she is spoiling the chances for her second choice. 

In addition, IRV di scourages negative campaigning and makes candidates focus instead on the issues. Why? Because the competing candidates must keep in mind voters who might be choosing someone else first. Candidates who insult their opponents are hurting their own chances o f winning. 

IRV is a time-tested system of voting used in a number of other democracies, including England, Australia, and New Zealand. 

In addition, IRV has gained a foothold in the United States. Last November, voters in San Francisco were overwhelmingl y satisfied with the election when they used IRV to elected their district supervisors. 

Oakland’s city charter allows the city council to institute IRV for special elections. What is the council waiting for? As a council member, I will do my utmost to pu t the system in place. It’s an easy and efficient way to ensure majority rule. 

Aimee Allison is a City Council candidate in Oakland’s District 2.›

Black Americans and their leaders would be far better served if they would address the real problems in black education instead of the superficial and misleading issue of the name of a school. The name of a school has absolutely nothing to do with academic achievement. The real reasons for the “achievement gap” are uncomfortable for many to discuss so the portrayal of blacks as perennial victims is used to absolve them from having to accept responsibility for their own actions and bad choices. Racism is not dead, but as racism recedes as a serious obstacle to black advancement, most black American leaders continue the self destructive ideology of victimhood. They treat victim hood not as a problem to be solved but as an identity to be nurtured. Victimhoo d is seductive because there is an ironic and addictive contentment in being the underdog. However it inherently gives failure, lack of effort and even criminality a tacit stamp of approval. Many young blacks, born decades after the heyday of the civil ri ghts movement, and who have few if any obstacles to success, see victim hood as the defining element of their existence. 

The Berkeley schools do little to dissuade this attitude. The history and English departments would have you thinking that nothing ha s changed since Selma in 1965. Not challenging students and accepting sub-standard work does not make up for past injustices, but only exacerbates the problem. Mr. Hourula, the Willard Middle School History teacher, wrote a letter to the editor in the Dai ly Planet exhalting the hard working, underpaid and above all, altruistic teachers. I attended a “History Fair” sponsored by Mr. Hourula. It was a big event to showcase the students knowledge and organizational skills. What it really showcased was the dep ths to which academic standards have sunk. The majority of the projects were on the history of hip-hop, hair weaves, and NBA basketball teams. I am not making this up! The recent Harvard University report on the sorry condition of California’s schools ref lect this style of “education.” Harvard also commented on the lack of discipline at home which is allowed to continue in the schools with impunity. I will remind all you altruistic teachers that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. 

All discuss ions of the “achievement gap” issue assume that “black” means “poor.” From there it becomes natural to attribute the lag of black performance to inequities in school resources, teacher’s racist bias and chaotic home lives. We get this message steadily and without variation. Yet the very factors considered to preordain black students to mediocrity do not thwart a great many minority groups from scholarly achievement. (San Francisco Chronicle, March 10, 2004) “Urban school breaks the mold, Oakland immigrant community prioritizes education-and won’t let income, language barriers hold kids back” Ninety percent of the students are Chinese, qualify for the free lunch, and half are learning English. “Despite language and income barriers used by other schools to explain away lousy academic performance scores ...they are fifth highest in the district”  

Black anthropologist and author Dr. John Ogbu has studied and written about education and raises some uncomfortable questions about race, opportunity and responsib ility. He found that the very same problems plagued both Oakland and the affluent black suburb of Cleveland, Shaker Heights Ohio. Black students were absent more often, did less homework, watched more television and had less involved parents. They did not value education and in fact, if a black student were doing well in school he was chastised by his peers. If you live up to your academic potential you are accused of acting white. He found that the students own attitudes hindered their academic achieveme nt.  

Black UC Berkeley professor and author John McWhorter describes the black attitude toward education as “anti-Intellectualism” and says it stems from the victim mentality. It is a defeatist message.” Is the existence of racism in society somehow able to obliterate intellectual abilities?” Education is seen as running counter to an “authentic” black identity. Add to this rap music’s continuous sound track of anti-social behavior which romanticizes the ghetto life and you have a problem. According to t he popular rap group N.W.A. “Life ain’t nothin but bitches and money.” A great message for our youth. Slavery was and is a horror. It was an accepted human condition in just about every society for most of recorded history. It is not particular to any one group being either slave or slave owners. In New Orleans in 1860 there were 10,689 free negroes. According to Duke University professor and the nations leading African American historian John Hope Franklin over 3,000 free negroes owned slaves or 28 perce nt of the free negroes in that city were slave owners themselves. Western civilization first condemned and then outlawed slavery. Slavery still exists as the accepted norm in Africa, Asia, and India.  

Thomas Jefferson owned slaves and now, in western civ ilization, it is considered unthinkable to do such a thing. Today many of us eat meat. The animals which we eat are usually kept in horrific conditions until they are slaughtered. If they do roam free it is to the detriment of our environment on destroyed forest lands. Food fed to cattle could feed the worlds poor. There is very little good to said about the suffering lives and brutal deaths of animals to feed humans. Will this be seen as a form of slavery and murder in the near future and will we all be condemned? Many women decide to murder the babies inside their wombs today. Will society see abortion as a despicable act in the future? Will any women who had an abortion be denied a public building or park to be named after them? 

We are in a very large part the products of our time. The great ones change things for the better and others just accept the present conditions or even languish in the past. The black community needs to look to the future and make some changes in their approach to education an d it goes far beyond the name of a school. Time is running out on the ability to play the victim card. Doing something to change incredible school drop out rate and the number of single mothers is what should be a priority or you may as well just change the name of the school to San Quentin Prep. 

Michael Larrick is a Berkeley resident.??

Anyone who doubts that art can change the world should visit the Irish crochet lace show that just opened at the new Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles in Berkeley. The first thing you’ll notice is the intricate, often fanciful, beauty of the hundred-plus pieces on display; the second is their amazing history.  

Far from being an ancient indigenous art, Irish crochet was invented in the mid-1800s as a way of enabling families and communities to survive the potato famine. The invention is generally credited to Mademoiselle Riego de Blanchardiere, the daughter of a Franco-Spanish nobleman and an Irish mother. She figured out how to make lace that resembled Venetian needlepoint but that could be worked on a crochet hook, greatly speeding production. A seven-inch piece that took at least two hundred hours to make with a needle could be crocheted in only (!) 20 hours.  

That suited the technique to mass production, as did the fact that, unlike ordinary crochet, which is worked in rows, Irish crochet consists of motifs—leaves, flowers, fruit—that are individually fashioned and then joined through a network of crocheted fans or mesh. This permitted a division of labor: workers could specialize in particular aspects, according to their ability.  

Mademoiselle Riego published the first pattern book of Irish crochet in 1846. By 1847, according to textile historian Marie Treanor, 12,000 to 20,000 girls—as both instigators and practitioners, women seem to have been in the forefront here—were being paid to make Irish crochet in and around Cork, in southern Ireland. A second center of production sprang up around the town of Clones in the north. Irish crochet was a cottage industry: the workers were supplied with the materials, which they worked in their homes. The completed pieces were brought by foot to a lacemaking center in town, where they were carefully arranged and then crocheted together as collars, cuffs, bodices, ruffles and trimmings, dresses and coats, and even parasols.  

Whole families took part, jealously guarding special motifs. “When neighbors entered a house unexpectedly,” writes Treanor, “the lace was hidden from view.” And for good reason: a distinctive pattern, finely worked, supplied a family’s income.  

Irish lace found ready buyers in Dublin, London, Paris, Rome, New York and San Francisco (a major center for the distribution of Irish crochet until the earthquake of 1906). Though its popularity waxed and waned with fashion and soon faced a challenge from machine-made lace, it was made in quantity until World War I.  

Today, Irish crochet lace is rare and valuable—an object to be handled with care. The pieces at Lacis all come from the textile collection of Jules Kliot, which was assembled by Kliot and his late wife Kaethe over a period of 40 years. The Kliot collection includes thousands of specimens whose origins range from pre-Columbian Peru to seventeenth-century European courts to the machinery of the Industrial Revolution. Lace, says Kliot, “was the most remarkable substance that we had ever seen. There was something unworldly about it…[T]his was a fabric that could not have been made by man.”  

The Irish crochet lace show is the inaugural exhibit at the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, which occupies 6,000 square feet in the retail store, also called Lacis [pronounced luh-CEASE], founded by Jules and Kaethe Kliot in 1965. (Lacis is a kind of filet lace.) Conceived after Kaethe Kliot’s untimely death in 2002, the museum is intended as a tribute to and expression of the support and encouragement that she offered in the store and beyond.  

“When Kaethe passed away,” says Jules Kliot, “thousands of letters were written. There was a guestbook on our website, and people just wrote in from all over the world how much Kaethe meant to them and to the textile arts community.”  

Asked why they decided to open the museum with a show of Irish crochet lace, both Jules Kliot and museum conservator Martha Sherick Shen say that it seemed like the best way to convey the spirit of Kaethe Kliot and Lacis.  

“There are so many laces that people can’t relate to,” Shen observes. She meant that most ordinary viewers can’t imagine how these textiles could have been fabricated. Whereas with Irish crochet, “a lot of people have a little basis of understanding,” even though “the thread we have today is so much bigger so that to have created something out of that size of thread”—the size of a fine human hair—“is still awesome.”  

Certainly I was awed by one collar with stitches so fine that they looked like foam. Awe aside, many pieces—a double sunflower with dangling buds, for example—simply evoked delight.  

“This initial exhibit,” Kliot writes in the catalog, “…represents a defining moment in Irish history, when survival depended upon the belief that ‘all is possible.’” It’s that belief—a faith in the possibility of transcendent human achievement—that lies at the heart of both the show and the museum. Its power is borne out in the marvelous examples of Irish crochet lace on display. Should you find yourself wishing to exercise that power firsthand, you can buy one of the pattern books published by Lacis and make your own Irish crochet lace. Tools, materials, instruction and moral support are all available as well.  

The Irish crochet lace exhibit runs through July 30. In July a companion show, “Irish Crochet to Freeform,” will open to coincide with this summer’s joint meeting of the Crochet Guild of America and the Knitting Guild of America in Oakland. Marie Treanor (from Ireland) and other experts will be teaching classes and leading workshops.  

“Irish Crochet Lace: 150 Years of a Tradition” is at the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, 2982 Adeline St. (just north of the Ashby BART station), 843-7290. Monday–Saturday, noon–6 p.m. Admission is free. The museum website is www.lacismuseum.org.  

™

TUESDAY, APRIL 19 

EXHIBITIONS 

Annual Quilt Show at the North Berkeley Public Library, 1170 The Alameda, at Hopkins, and runs through May 21. 981-6250. 

FILM 

Alternative Visions: Devotional Cinema Films by Nathaniel Dorsky at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Nick Salvatore introduces “Singing in a Strange Land: Rev. C. L. Franklin, the Black Church, and the Transformation of America” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

John Shelby Spong explains “The Sins of the Scripture: Exposing the Bible’s Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Suggested donation $10. 845-7852.  

“Synagogue Mosaics and Liturgy in Greco-Roman Palestine” with Prof. Steven Fine at 7 p.m. at Badé Museum, Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave. 849-8201. 

Ayun Halliday describes her life a “Job Hopper: The Checkered Career of a Down-Market Dilettante” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wild Catahoulahs at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $21.50. 548-1761.  

Jug Free America at 9:30 p.m. at The Stork Club, 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $5. 444-6174.  

Danny Caron, Jazz guitar, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Wallpaper, rock, at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $6-$8. 848-0886.  

Gunga, Brazilian music, at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200.  

Jazzschool Tuesdays at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20 

THEATER 

Laney College Theater, “Legacy for LoEshe” in memory of a girl slain in West Oakland, Wed. and Thurs. at 8 p.m., at 900 Fallon St., Oakland. Tickets are $5-$9. 464-3544. 

FILM 

History of Cinema: “Life on Earth” at 3 p.m. and Games People Play “eXistenZ” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Wesley Stace introduces his new novel “Misfortune” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Ji-Li Liang, talks about “Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution” at 7:30 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 16. 

Mark Kurlansky discusses “1968: The Year That Rocked the World” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082. 

Café Poetry hosted by Paradise Freejalove at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Donation $2. 849-2568.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, “Love Songs by Robert and Clara Schumann” with Marissa Matthews, soprano, at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Free. 642-4864. http://music.berkeley.edu 

Music for the Spirit with Ron McKean on the Rosales Organ at 12:15 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway. 444-3555.  

Ned Boynton Trio at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Balkan Folkdance at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Lessons at 7 p.m. Cost is $7. 525-5054.  

La Verdad, salsa, at 8 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Losa, Ground Control, The Morning Benders at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $6-$8. 848-0886.  

Cyril Guiraud Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $ $21.50. 548-1761.  

Whiskey Brothers at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473.  

Toots Thielemans and Kenny Werner with Oscar Castro-Neves at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $12-$22. 238-9200.  

THURSDAY, APRIL 21 

THEATER 

Traveling Jewish Theater “Blood Relative” opens at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, Thurs., Fri. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. Through May 1. Tickets are $23-$34. 415-285-8080. www.atjt.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Drawn by the Brush: Oil Sketches of Peter Paul Rubens” guided tour at 12:15 and 5:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jordan Fisher Smith describes “Nature Noir: A Park Ranger’s Patrol in the Sierra” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

Berkeley Live and Unplugged Open mic at 7 p.m. at 1924 Cedar St. 703-9350. www.LiveAndUnplugged.org 

“Architecture, Diaspora(s), and the Hanukiyyah” with Adriana Valencia at 6:30 p.m. at Judah L. Magnes Museum, 2911 Russell St. 549-6950. www.magnes.org 

Word Beat Reading Series at 7 p.m. with David Madgalene and Christopher Luna at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 526-5985. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Bambu Station and Iba, reggae from St. Croix at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $14. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Pierre Bensusan at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761.  

Cas Lucas and Steve Inglis, acoustic rock, folk, blues at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Debbie Poryes & Charles McNeal at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

FRIDAY, APRIL 22 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, “Working,” inspired by Studs Terkel, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. Through May 7. Tickets are $13-$15. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Aurora Theatre, “Blue/Orange” Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m., 2081 Addison St. through May 15. Tickets are $28-$45. 843-4822. www.aurora.theatre.org 

BareStage Productions “She Loves Me!” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. through April 24 at Choral Rehearsal Hall, Cesar Chavez Student Center, UC Campus. Tickets are $8-$10. http://tickets.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley Repertory Theater “For Better or Worse” at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. through April 24. Tickets are $20-$55. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Berkeley Repertory Theater “The People’s Temple” at the Roda Theater, through May 29. Tickets are $20-$55. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Black Repertory Group “Bubbling Brown Sugar” the musical Fri. at 8 p.m., Sat. at 2:30 and 8 p.m. to May 14 at 3201 Adeline St. Tickets are $7-$15. 652-2120.  

Contra Costa Civic Theatre “Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito, through May 21. Tickets are $12-$20. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Impact Briefs 7: “The How-To Show” Thu.-Sat at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave., through May 28. Tickets are $10-$15. 464-4468. www.impacttheatre.com 

Traveling Jewish Theater “Blood Relative” at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, Thurs., Fri. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $23-$34. 415-285-8080. www.atjt.com 

Opera Piccola and Stagebridge Senior Theater, “Being Something: Living ‘Young’ and Growing ‘Old’” Fri. and Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. at Oakland Metro, Jack London Square, through May 1. Tickets are $15. 444-4755. www.stagebridge.org 

“Proof” by David Auburn, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. through May 7, Sun. April 24 at 2:30 p.m. at The Masquers Playhouse, 105 Park Place, Point Richmond. Tickets are $13. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Design Reconsidered” In honor of Earth Day a showcase of young designers and modern functional products. Reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at ACCI Gallery, 1652 Shattuck Ave. Exhibition runs to May 9. 843-2527. www.accigallery.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Robert Reich and Richard Parker in discussion about “John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Elaine Herscher examines “Generation Extra Large: Rescuing Our Children from the Epidemic of Obesity” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Oakland East Bay Symphony performs Herrmann, R. Strauss, Rosenthal, and Stravinsky at 8 p.m. at Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $15-$60. 625-8497.  

University Dance Theater 2005, with new works by Carol Murota, Lisa Wymore and Ellis Wood, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus. Tickets are $10-$14. 642-9925. http://theater.berkeley.edu 

David Berkeley, singer-songwriter at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Cost is $10. 848-7800. www.berkeleycityclub.com 

Women in Salsa Celebration at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Youthquake: Teen Music Competition Winners at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Houston Jones at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

SongsAlive Showcase at 8 p.m. at Rose Street House of Music with Lila Nelson and Gilli Moon. 594-4000, ext. 687. www.rosestreetmusic.com 

Anton Barbeau & Scott Miller, pop, at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Mystic Roots, CV 1 at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $5-$7. 848-0886.  

The Waybacks at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Grapefruit Ed at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082.  

William Beattie Trio at 8 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. 

Michael Bluestein Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Daryl Scairot, singer-songwriter, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Belinda Underwood & Friends at 8 p.m. at the Jazz- 

school. Cost is $10. 845-5373.  

Albino, afro-beat, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10. 548-1159.  

Swoop Unit at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Toots Thielemans and Kenny Werner with Oscar Castro-Neves at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $12-$22. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, APRIL 23 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Betsy Rose singing songs for Earth Day at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $4 for adults, $3 for children. 849-2568.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Rhythm & Muse with poet Garrett Murphy at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center. Free. Berkeley Art Center. 527-9753. 

Ishle Yi Park reads from her new book of poetry, “Temperature of This Water” at 4 p.m. at Eastwind Books of Berkeley, 2066 University Ave. 548-2350. 

Arnaud Maitland describes “Living Without Regret: Growing Old in the Light of Tibetan Buddhism” at 4 p.m. at Dharma Publishing Bookstore, 2910 San Pablo Ave. at Ashby. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Moh Alileche at 2 p.m. at Down Home Music, 10341 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. 525-2129. 

American Bach Soloists at 8 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $20-$40. 415-621-7900. www.americanbach.org 

Natasha Miller, jazz vocalist at 8 p.m. at the PSR Chapel, 1798 Scenic Ave. Donation $10-$20. 704-7729. 

Tom Rigney & Flambeau, Cajun, Zydeco at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Four Seasons Concerts “Burning River Brass” at 7:30 p.m. at Calvin Simmons Theater, 10 Tenth St., Oakland. Tickets are $25-$35. 601-7919. www.fourseasonsconcerts.com 

pickPocket Ensemble, european cafe music, at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Stephen Yerky with Mariospeedwagon at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Jump/Cut, CD release party, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

The Waybacks at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Meli at 7 and 9 p.m. at Spud’s Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $5. 597-0795. 

Mastema, Second Shot, Overdrive A.D., punk, rock, alt at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $5-$7. 848-0886.  

Bill Ortiz, new interpretations of the music of James Brown, at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373.  

Arte Flamenco at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $18-$20. 849-2568.  

Firecracker, Cowpokes for Peace at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Jen Chapin Trio, urban folk and jazz, at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Mark Levine Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Phenomenauts, Teenage Harlots, Left Alone at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, APRIL 24 

CHILDREN 

Asheba at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $4-$6. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

Matrix 216: “The Year of the Doppelganger” by Slater Bradley, opens at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. Artist’s talk at 4 p.m. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Drawn by the Brush: Oil Sketches of Peter Paul Rubens” guided tour at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Kazuo Ishiguro reads from his new novel “Never Let Me Go” at 2 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Tariq Ali introduces his two new books “Street-Fighting Years” and “Speaking of Empire and Resistance” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Free. Sponsored by Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Nuria Amat, with translator Peter Bursh read from the novel “Queen Cocaine” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698. www.blackoakbooks.com 

Poetry Flash with Gillian Conoley and Jane Miller at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. Donation $2. 845-7852.  

Words Weaving Together, poetry, at 7:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Ya Elah, part of the series “Offerings” at 7 p.m. at Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar St. Suggested donation $10. 213-3122. 

Point Taken, Sky Bleeds Red, Ambulance Ambulance at 4 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8. All ages show. 848-0886.  

Americana Unplugged at 4 p.m. at Jupiter. 655-5715. 

Celebracíon de Culturas a benefit for Escula Bilingüe Internacional at 5 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Que Calor at 4:30 at the Jazz- 

school. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Ellis Paul at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

MONDAY, APRIL 25 

FILM 

Buddhism and Film: “The Reincarnation of Khensur Rinpoche” at 3 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Loung Ung writes about life under the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and her escape in “Lucky Child” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

Pico Iyer discusses “Sun After Dark: Flights into the Foreign” and Michael Shapiro on travel writers in “A Sense of Place” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

“Where were you when they killed Victor Jara?” a free play reading with Actors Ensemble of Berkeley at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books, downtown Berkeley.  

Poetry Express Theme night “Planes, Trains, and Busses” from 7 to 9:30 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. berkeleypoetryexpress@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

New European Chamber Orchestra at 5 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

Tuscan Sun Festival with New European Chamber Orchestra at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $22-$42. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Songwriters Symposium at 8:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. 848-0886.  

Trovatore, traditional Italian songs, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

West Coast Songwriters Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $5. 548-1761. 

Alameda High School Jazz Band at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com

We were somewhere in the foothills east of Bakersfield when the first of the painted ladies showed up. 

This was the third week of March, on the way to Death Valley for what was being touted as the Bloom of the Century. Just before Route 58 started up the Kern River Canyon, Ron and I drove through a swarm of small orange butterflies. No way to identify them; I thought maybe California tortoiseshell, which were having a good flight year in the Coast Ranges. Next day at Furnace Creek, after encountering more of the same along the Badwater Road, I found a moribund painted lady (Vanessa cardui) in the parking lot. And then at Titus Canyon in the north end of the park, still more of them; a few stopped to nectar at a sweetbush with local checkerspots and blues, but most just kept moving. 

Then around the first of April, the wave of painted ladies hit the Bay Area. I got a secondhand report of orange butterflies in a residential neighborhood near Claremont Avenue. The East Bay Birders listserve erupted with painted lady sightings from El Cerrito, Castro Valley, Rossmoor, Martinez, Moraga, Mount Diablo. 

I spent most the morning of April 2 in a Zodiac in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta with a field biologist who was doing a songbird point-count in the marshes. From near dawn to noon the painted ladies streamed past, all headed north or northwest, sometimes pacing the boat. At one point we figured they were moving through at about one per second: mostly singles, once in a while two that seemed to be interacting.  

It rained the following day, a Sunday. But the sun came out on Monday, and the butterflies were still on the move. A friend spotted them in downtown Oakland; another called to say there were thousands moving through the UC campus. I saw them northbound along Martin Luther King in Berkeley, and the parallel side streets. When they came to an obstacle—a house, an apartment complex—they went up and over, not around it. That afternoon I watched a couple of them approach the south side of the Valley Life Sciences Building to within a foot or so, then fly straight up the face of the building and across the roof. 

Neither I or anyone I discussed it with had seen anything like this mass movement. But a little research determined that it wasn’t unprecedented. Painted ladies have a history of this kind of thing. 

In the spring of 1924, E. A. McGregor recorded a three-day flight through Southern California with densities of 300 butterflies per acre along a front at least 40 miles wide. Assuming 12 flight hours per day, McGregor calculated that at least 3 billion butterflies had moved through, all headed to the northwest. And I found references to similar flights in 1901, 1941, 1958, 1973, 1983, and 1998.  

Where were they coming from, and what had triggered the movements? Back in 1962 J. W. Tilden, who taught at what was then San Jose State College, provided tentative answers in an article in the Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera. He traced the 1958 outbreak to an origin in northern Mexico, where the cold-intolerant butterflies had spent the winter, and a final destination at least as far north as Oregon. What was going on appeared to be a multi-generational relay to the north, with no evidence of a southward return flight. Tilden thought the butterflies flew into the prevailing wind, although later research discounts that; they may orient by the sun and use polarized light to navigate. He couldn’t find a regular cycle to the movements but noted that “success in predicting these flights has been possible through knowledge of rainfall on the desert.” 

About 20 years later, M. T. Myres at the University of Calgary, along with reporting a major southbound movement through Alberta in the late summer of 1983, was the first to point out the coincidence between painted lady outbreaks and El Niño events. If heavy rainfall in the Mexican desert fostered the growth of vegetation that could feed a lot of painted lady caterpillars, that could explain the population peaks that seemed to set off the northward flights. The larvae aren’t too picky; they’ll consume thistles, fiddleneck, and a variety of plants in the mallow and pea families. Myres conceded that some flights, like those of 1901 and 1924, had occurred in non-El Nino years, but felt those could be explained by a phenomenon called the Namias-Sumner effect which could also dump a lot of rain on the deserts. 

Meanwhile, the British entomologist C. B. Williams had noticed that painted lady outbreaks in the British Isles often occurred in the same years as the North American movements. (The European flights originate in North Africa. Painted ladies are found on every continent except South America and Antarctica, and many oceanic islands. Stragglers have been recorded as far north as Iceland and Hudson Bay.) Myres suggested that the climatic triggers could be global. By 2002 enough observational data had been compiled—from stations at Berkeley and Mount Diablo, and elsewhere in the West—that Robert Vandenbosch at the University of Washington could crunch the numbers, and demonstrate a correlation between painted lady population cycles and both El Nino events and the longer-scale Pacific Decadal Oscillation.  

This was not supposed to have been a strong El Nino, but it was indisputably a wet one. And the rains that made the Southern California deserts bloom also seem to have produced that torrent of painted ladies. Iowa State University has a website (www.public.iastate.edu/~mariposa) where observers can post their sightings. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the year unfolds, how far north the travelers make it, and whether any of their descendants return to the deserts where it all began. ?

TUESDAY, APRIL 19 

Early Morning Bird Walk Meet at 7 a.m. at Inspiration Point, Tilden Park, to look for Seaview Trail species, including nuthatches, warblers and sparrows. 525-2233. 

Bird Walk along the Martin Luther King Shoreline to see marsh birds at 3:30 p.m. for information call 525-2233. 

Mini-Rangers at Tilden Park Join us for an afternoon of nature study, conservation and rambling through the woods and water. Dress to get dirty, and bring a healthy snack to share. For children age 8-12, unaccompanied by their partents. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Berkeley Garden Club Spring Tea and “Natural Flower Arranging” at 1 p.m. at Epworth Methodist Church, 1953 Hopkins St. Cost is $8. 524-4374. 

Kayaking 101 Learn about safety and places to paddle at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

“Freeing a Superpower’s Slaves” The story of the first great human rights campaign with Adam Hochchild at 7:30 p.m. in Buttner Auditorium, College Prep School, 6100 Broadway. Cost is $5-$10. 658-5202. 

American Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation at 6 p.m. at 6230 Claremont Ave, Oakland. Advance sign-up needed. 594-5165. 

Berkeley Salon Discussion Group meets to discuss The Draft and the Military from 7 to 9 p.m. at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. Please bring snacks and soft drinks to share. No peanuts please. 601-6690.     

Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebration “All About Hamlet” at 7 p.m. at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. For reservations call 843-6798. yogikuby@earthlink.net 

“Community Resources for Better Health” with Donna Schempp, LCSW, at 4 p.m. at Jewish Family & Children’s Services, 828 San Pablo Ave., Suite 104, Albany. To register call 558-7800. 

Clarity Breathwork with Maggie Ostara, Ph.D. and Susan Chettle at 7 p.m. at Belldonna, 2436 Sacramento St. Cost is $30-$35. 883-0600. www.belladonna.ws 

Vision Screening for Toddlers at 10 a.m. at Habitot, 2065 Kittredge St. Cost is $5-$6. 647-1111. www.habitot.org 

Introductory Buddhist Meditation Class at 7 p.m. at Dzalandhara Buddhist Center, in Berkeley. Suggested donation $7-$10. For directions call 559-8183.www.kadampas.org 

Raging Grannies meet to sing for peace and justice at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Gray Panthers, 1403 Addison St. 548-9696. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org  

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20 

Tilden Explorers An after school nature adventure for 5-7 year olds who may be accompanied by an adult. No younger siblings please. We’ll learn about plant secrets. From 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

“Mountain Bike Racers in Berkeley?” Come meet the Berkeley High team and the founder of the NorCal Mountain Bike High School League at 8 p.m., at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Sponsored by Grizzly Peak Cyclists and open to all. Wheelchair accessible. 527-0450. 

“Concerned About Teacher Contract Negotiations?” Join the Berkeley Federation of Teachers in a community forum, at 7 p.m. at Longfellow School Auditorium, 1500 Derby St. Childcare provided. Wheelchair accessible,. Traduccíon al Español disponible. 549-2307. 

Direct from Chiapas with Gustavo Castro at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10 sliding scale. Benefit for Chiapas Support Committee. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

A Conversation with Alice Walker and Sue Hoya Sellars at 6 p.m. at Belladonna, 2436 Sacramento St. Tickets are $20. 883-0600. www.belladonna.ws 

“Saving Social Security” with Deb Androsa of Global Exchange at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Gray Panthers, 1403 Addison St. Light supper served. 548-9696. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Action St. 841-2174.  

Taoist Tai Chi Beginning Level Class at 7 p.m. in the Large Assembly Room of the First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Affordable monthly donation requested. 415-864-0899. www.taichicalifornia.org 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome. 548-9840. 

Artify Ashby Muralist Group meets every Wed. from 5 to 8 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, to plan a new mural. New artists are welcome. Call Bonnie at 704-0803. 

Stitch ‘n Bitch Bring your knitting, crocheting and other handcrafts from 6 to 9 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at 6:30 p.m. at the Berkeley BART Station.www.geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, APRIL 21 

Protest Against Military Recruiters at 10:30 a.m. at the fountain on Sproul Plaza, UC Campus. Sponsored by UC Berkeley Berkeley Stop the War Coalition, member of the Campus Anti-war Network. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ucbstopthewar/ 

Downtown Parking Workshop at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Sponsored by the City of Berkeley Transportation Commission. 981-7010. 

LeConte Neighborhood Assn. Meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the Le Conte School. The agenda will include traffic concerns, LeConte School Relandscaping, cars parked on front lawns and swimming pool closures. 843-2602. KarlReeh@aol.com  

Sustainable Solutions Caravan A reportback on the vegetable oil alternative fuel caravan from California to Costa Rica, at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

“Where Have All the Fishes Gone?” A lecture on disappearing marine life with John McCosker, acting director of the Steinhart Aquarium at 12:30 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Admission is $5-$8. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Earth Week Strawberry Creek Cleanup Volunteers are needed for the Creek Cleanup from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the natural amphitheater just east of Sather Gate, UC Campus. Trash bags and gloves provided. 642-6568. stevemar@berkeley.edu  

Golden Gate Audubon Society presents Director of Conservation Arthur Feinsteinn on the challenges and rare successes of wetland restoration, featuring slides of the MLK Regional Shoreline Park, at 7:30 p.m. at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. 843-2222. www.goldengateaudubon.org  

Health and Justice Fair with healthy food, music, art making, massage and information from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s Center, 635 22nd St., Oakland. 

BUSD West Campus Site Planning Meeting on “Preferred Alternatives” at 7 p.m. in the cafeteria, 1222 University Ave. 644-6066. 

“Healthy Cities and Smart Growth” a conference sponsored by the Center for Civic Partnerships at the Doubletree, Berkeley Marina. Cost is $250. For information call 916-646-8680. www.civicpartnerships.org 

“21MST March to Brazilia” a doumentary on the Brazilian Landless Workers Movement at 7:30 p.m. at La Pena, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Donation $5-$10. 849-2568. 

“Cuba’s Political and Judicial System” with Isaac Saney, Prof. International Studies in Halifax, Nova Scotia, at 2 p.m. in Dwinelle Hall, Room 3335, UC Campus. 835-7110.  

“History of Police Violence in America” with Kristian Williams, Katya Komisaruk, Mesha Monge-Irizzary, and Andrea Prichett at 7 p.m. at AK Press Warehouse, 674-A 23rd. St., Oakland. 208-1700. 

Cutting Back Car Usage at the Simplicy Forum, at 6:30 p.m at the Berkeley Library, Claremont Branch, 2940 Benvenue. 549-3509. www.simpleliving.net 

Berkeley School Volunteers Training workshop for volunteers interested in helping in Berkeley Public schools at 4:30 p.m. at 1835 Allston Way. 644-8833. 

“Adaptations for Safety at Home” at 4 p.m. at Jewish Family & Children’s Services, 828 San Pablo Ave., Suite 104, Albany. To register call 558-7800. 

FRIDAY, APRIL 22 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Victor Perez-Mendez on “The Biggest Volcanic Explosion” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $13, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. 526-2925.  

Youth Alcohol Awareness Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Civic Center Park. Sponsored by the City of Berkeley. 981-5806. 

Rep. Cynthia McKinney “From Attica to Abu Ghraib” at 6 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. Donation $5-$25. 593-3956. www.attica2abughraib.com 

Amy Goodman “See No Evil: Media in a Time of War” at 8 p.m. at Florence Schwinley Little Theater at Berkeley High. Tickets are $15 and benefit Berkeley Community Media and Berkeley High’s Communication Arts and Sciences Program. 848-2288, ext. 11. 

“Democracy and Global Islam” a conference from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Lipman Room, Barrows Hall, UC Campus. for details see http://igov.berkeley.edu/conferences/Islamconfdescription.doc 

“The Future of Food” a documentary film on genetically modified foods, followed by a discussion with Mollie Katzen, Michael Pollen, Koons Garcia, and Ignacio Chapela, at 6:15 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $10-$20 sliding scale. 923-0505. 

Kulture Kulcha An evening of food, song and dance for the South Asian LGBT community at the California Ballroom, 1736 Franklin St. at 19th, Oakland. http://trikone.org 

Berkeley Chess Club meets Fridays at 7:15 p.m. at the East Bay Chess Club, 1940 Virginia St. Players at all levels are welcome. 845-1041. 

“Three Beats for Nothing” meets at 10 a.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center to sing for fun and practice. 655-8863. 

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. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, APRIL 23 

Earth Day in Berkeley from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Civic Center Park. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

Earth Day Cleanup at Eastshore State Park Volunteers will assist with shoreline cleanup and invasive species removal from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Meet behind the Sea Breeze Deli off of University Ave. and West Frontage Rd. Volunteers should bring gloves, sturdy shoes, sunscreen and a shovel or pick for plant removal. 544-2515. 

Earth Day Cleanup in Richmond Volunteers will participate in a bay trail cleanup off Rydin Ave.from 10 a.m. to noon. Participants should bring gloves, sunscreen and water. For more information, contact the California State Parks Foundation at 888-98-PARKS. 

What Happened to the Komodo Dragon? Since the renovation of the EEC at Tilden Park, many have inquired about our former, famous resident. Come learn about the lives of these giant monitor lizards at 11 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center. 525-2233. 

Wildflower Trading Cards Color and cut your own set of wildflower trading cards to take home. We will also look for blooms on a short walk. For ages 7 and up at 2 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $3-$5. Registration required. 525-2233. 

Propagation of Native Plants Through the Seasons from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Visitor Center, Botanical Garden, Tilden Park. Cost is $30-$35. Reservations required. 845-4116. www.nativeplants.org 

Botanizing California A series of local and overnight field trips to highlight California’s plant communities. Cost is $80-$95. Registration required. 845-4116. www.nativeplants.org 

Designs for a Small Garden Using a Variety of Hardscape at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens Nursery, 729 Heinz Ave. 644-2351. www.magicgardens.com 

Waterwise Workshop: Gardening Where You Are A presentation on biodiversity, healthy soil and plant selection from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Registration required. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

John Muir Society celebrates the 167th anniversary of the birth of “the man who celebrated the earth” from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the John Muir Historic Site, 4204 Alhambra, off Highway 4, Martinez. www.johnmuir.org 

“From Attica to Abu Ghraib” A conference on Human Rights, Torture and Resistance from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Dwinelle Hall, UC Campus. 593-3956. www.attica2abughraib.com 

Albany YMCA Spring Garage Sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 921 Kains Ave. Featuring everything from books, clothing and children’s toys to household and office items and lots of wonderful treasures. 525-1130.  

Crowden Music Center’s Community Music Day with performances by ensembles and students, from noon to 5 p.m. at Crowden Center, 1475 Rose St., at Sacramento. www.crowdenmusiccenter.org 

“Healing the Spiritual Way” with Franz Gringinger, M.D. at 7 p.m. at Vara Healing Arts Center, 850 Talbot Ave., Albany. Free. 415-279-5293. 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. and Sun. at 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Nepalese Cultural Night Benefit for a school in Nepal with music and dance performances, followed by dinner. At 5:30 p.m. at Yogakula, 1700 Shattuck Ave. 2nd floor. Tickets are $25. www.yogakula.com 

“International Tour Directing” from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Vista Community College. 2020 Milvia St. Cost is $13. RSVP to 981-2931. 

Moments Notice A monthly salon devoted to improvised music, dance & theater at 8 p.m. at Western Sky Studio 2525 8th St., at Dwight. Tickets are $8-$10. 415-831-5592. katarinaeriksson@aol.com 

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, APRIL 24 

People's Park 36th Anniversary Celebration from noon to 6 p.m. Free and open to all.  

What Has Happened to Ferns and Flowers? A great re-alignment of ferns and flowering plants has been made by botanists. Learn what is new, and walk in the garden to see examples, from 10 a.m. to noon at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

A Lot of Galls! Insects and other organisms cause swellings on plant parts that serve as homes for offspring. We’ll look for these growths and learn thier history, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Free Sailboat Rides between 1 and 4 p.m. at the Cal Sailing Club in the Berkeley Marina. Bring warm waterproof clothes. www.cal-sailing.org 

“The Ghosts of Rwanda” A screening of the Frontline special on the genocide in Rwanda, followed by conversations with Africa activists at 3 p.m. at the Parkway Theater, 1834 Park Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $7. Sponsored by Priority Africa Network. 527-3917. 

Visual Arts-Language Arts Anniversary Gala from 1 to 5 p.m. at Café de la Paz, 1600 Shattuck Ave at Cedar. A benefit for the arts and literature programs in public schools. Tickets are $25. 845-9610. www.valaproject.org 

“Whither a Buddhist Golden Age?” the History of the Burmese in Northern Thailand, a colloquim at 12:15 p.m. at IEAS Conference Room, 2233 Fulton St., 6th flr. 643-6492. http://buddhiststudies.berkeley.edu 

Berkeley City Club free tour from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tours are sponsored by the Berkeley City Club and the Landmark Heritage Foundation. Donations welcome. The Berkeley City Club is located at 2315 Durant Ave. For group reservations or more information, call 848-7800 or 883-9710. 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

House Rabbit Society Benefit with Pizza and Poetry and announcing the winners of the “Dare to Care for a Hare” Poetry Contest, at 1 p.m. at House Rabbit Society National Headquarters, 148 Broadway, Richmond. Donation $10. 970-7575. www.rabbit.org 

“From Ike to Mao and Beyond: My Journey from Mainstream America to Revolutionary Communist” a memoir by Bob Avakian, book launching party at 1 p.m. at Longfellow Auditorium, 1500 Derby St. 467-3426.  

Tibetan Buddhism with Jack van der Meulen on “Healing through Tibetan Yoga” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

CITY MEETINGS 

City Council meets Tues., April 19, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Berkeley Housing Authority meets Tues., April 19 at 6:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. ww.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/housingauthority 

Citizens Humane Commission meets Wed., April 20, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Katherine O’Connor, 981-6601. www.ci.berkeley.ca. us/commissions/humane 

Commission on Aging meets Wed. April 20, at 1:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. William Rogers, 981-5344. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/aging 

Commission on Labor meets Wed., April 20, at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Delfina M. Geiken, 981-7550. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/labor 

Human Welfare and Community Action Commission meets Wed., April 20, at 7 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Kristen Lee, 981-5427. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/welfare 

Design Review Committee meets Thurs., April 21, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Anne Burns, 981-7415. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/designreview  

Transportation Commission meets Thurs., April 21, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Peter Hillier, 981-7000. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/transportationª

The estimable San Francisco-based Pesticide Action Network (PANNA) put out a call to its world-wide environmental activist constituency on Thursday, asking them to celebrate Earth Day by telling Bayer, the massive world-wide chemical/pharmaceutical conglomerate, that a ban on the toxic pesticide Lindane is long overdue.  

The PANNA action is part of a series of international events, linking this year’s Earth Day theme—children’s health—to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs Treaty). The first meeting of governments who have ratified the treaty takes place in Uruguay in early May. 

Getting rid of lindane is a cause I’ve been working on for more than 25 years, ever since I read the label on a head lice remedy that a doctor prescribed for use on my kids. I was curious about what lindane, the active ingredient, was. I did a little research, and was horrified to learn that it had been banned for use on dogs and sheep but was still being prescribed for use on human children. The article I wrote about its dangers for New West Magazine got more public response than anything I’ve written before or since. Many concerned parents handed out copies in schools around the country, and eventually, more than 20 years after I wrote the original article, states are starting to ban its use on humans. But lindane’s build-up in the environment from agricultural uses continues. 

PANNA provides a cogent summary of where the anti-lindane campaign is today: 

“Lindane has been banned for all uses in more than 50 countries. The U.S. is now the only country in North America (and one of the only industrialized countries worldwide) that continues to allow agricultural use. Canada phased out agricultural uses at the end of 2004, and Mexico has agreed to phase out all uses of lindane by the end of 2005.  

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allows lindane use for seed treatment on six grain crops, where the majority is applied to corn and wheat. Bayer CropScience became the primary distributor of lindane seed treatment products in 2004, when it acquired a seed treatment company called Gustafson LLC.  

“Lindane is an organochlorine insecticide, a class of pesticides that has largely been phased out in the U.S. All of the pesticides targeted for global elimination under the POPs Treaty are organochlorines, as these chemicals tend to persist in the environment, build up in the food chain, and travel across national borders on wind and air currents.  

“Continued U.S. agricultural use of lindane contributes to the buildup of lindane in the Arctic region, where it is among the most commonly found contaminants in the environment and threatens the traditional foods and health of indigenous peoples in the region. Lindane and its breakdown products are also found in blood testing of the general population. A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control reported lindane in 62 percent of the subjects sampled, with the highest body burden levels among women of childbearing age.  

“In the U.S. and Canada lindane is also used to control head lice and scabies, despite research linking it with increased risk of brain tumors in children. Children are particularly vulnerable to lindane’s toxic effects, including seizures and damage to the nervous and immune systems. Lindane is also a suspected carcinogen and hormone disruptor. When lindane is used in head lice shampoos it can contaminate urban sewer systems and pollute sources of drinking water. California banned lindane shampoos and lotions in 2002, and similar legislation is pending in New York and Illinois.” 

The Bayer corporation recently moved the global headquarters for its Bayer Biological Products division from North Carolina to Berkeley. The mayor was a prominent participant in their announcement press conference, though der Gobernator, expected to participate, was a no-show. 

PANNA’s anti-lindane campaign is directed at a different division, Bayer CropScience, which distributes the agricultural products containing lindane. They’ve asked supporters to call Esmail Zirakparvar, President and CEO of Bayer CropScience’s North American offices, in North Carolina (919-549-2000) to urge the company to stop selling lindane. That’s a long distance call, of course, and it would be easier to call Bayer’s Berkeley office (510-705-5000) or even to drop by their plant on Seventh Street with a tasteful note expressing the same sentiments. Just ask the Berkeley employees to pass the message along to their corporate colleagues in North Carolina. As biologists, they should be able to understand our concerns. 

All good Berkeleyans know that police harass innocent minority people in places like Orange County or Texas, right? It doesn’t happen here in Northern California—well, maybe in Oakland or even San Francisco, but certainly not in Berkeley, right? We have a Police Review Commission. Our cops all went to college. They know better. Uh-huh.  

A couple of weeks ago, our friend Laurette (not her real name) came to Berkeley about nine o’clock one weekday morning for an appointment with a new doctor, whose address was on Dwight between Ellsworth and Dana. She downloaded a map from Yahoo, and her husband dropped her off, along with her nine-month-old son and his stroller. The street number she had turned out to be part of a multi-unit building, with a parking lot in front. She went up to the front door, which was closed, and rang the doorbell. No answer. She rang again—still no answer, so she tried the doorknob, thinking it might lead to a foyer, but it was locked. So she pushed the baby in the stroller back to the sidewalk, started down the block, map in hand, and took out her cell phone to call the doctor’s office to check the address. 

Just then, a police car zoomed up next to her, tires squealing, and stopped in the middle of the street. The driver jumped out and ran over to block her path. “Don’t move! Put your hands behind your back! Down on the ground!” he said. 

Now, a few details. Why do I think this woman’s telling the truth? Because I trust her—our family has known her for almost three years. She even babysits for my granddaughter, and if we didn’t trust her implicitly, she wouldn’t be doing that.  

She’s French, from Paris. She’s here with her husband, a scientist working in an important research organization, probably with major security clearances. Her English is pretty fair, but not perfect. 

Momentarily confused, she did what she was told and sat down on the ground. “What’s the problem?” she asked. “Don’t ask me questions—I ask the questions, not you!” the policeman said. She describes him as short, blue-eyed, would-be blond but with shaved head, “militaristic looking” and “nervous.”  

By this time she was pretty nervous herself, in a state she described as “grand peur” (great fear). She says what particularly scared her is that he was alone, and she was afraid of what he would try since there were no witnesses. She told him she didn’t speak English very well. “Oh yes you do!” he said. Then she realized she couldn’t keep a good grip on the stroller from the ground, so she stood up again and asked if she could pick up the baby. “No!” he said. 

He demanded her bag, a diaper bag, which he searched, finding nothing of interest. Then he asked for her wallet, which he looked through, finding her I.D., which he took back to the car, presumably to check her identity on his computer. After he’d done that, suddenly his attitude changed. He got out of the car again and was all apologies. By then three more police cars, each containing a couple of officers, pulled up behind him, and soon everyone was apologizing profusely.  

It seems that she was on Blake, not Dwight as she’d thought. The door she’d tried belonged to a woman who was peering fearfully out a window and called 911, saying that “a Mexican woman in a pink dress” was “trying to break into my house.” 

Oh, one more detail you’ll need to understand this. Laurette is of North African ancestry, with deep olive skin, abundant dark hair and big brown eyes. Why are you not surprised to learn that she’s a dark-skinned person? 

And does anyone really think that if the caller had said “there’s a blond woman at my door” four police cars would be the result? If a blond woman with pink skin was pushing a baby in a stroller down Blake at 9 a.m. while talking on her cell phone and looking at a map, would she have been ordered to put her hands behind her back and get down on the ground?  

When I went over to Laurette’s house on Sunday to talk to her about this story, I took along our friend Cyril to interpret. He’s another French scientist, also of African descent, with dark skin and kinky hair. He lives near the place where this happened, and he says he’s often been stopped by the police, once just for crossing the street outside of a crosswalk late at night.  

After the apologies started, Laurette said, she started screaming at the cops. Why, she asked, did they assume, without even investigating, that a woman with a baby should be treated as a criminal? Well, they said, the baby might be a decoy. Oh sure, it happens all the time in Berkeley—desperate women steal babies and use them as decoys for daring daylight home invasions. 

And what if she’d actually been a Mexican woman, also lost on the way to the doctor, but without Laurette’s green card, education, bourgeois confidence and relatively good English? Suppose that woman didn’t understand the instructions, or panicked, and ran? What would have happened then?  

Pierre, Laurette’s husband, went on the Internet later and looked at the police reports posted there, but since there was no arrest he couldn’t find any record of what happened. He called the Berkeley Police Department and learned that he could fill out a complaint form, but since there were no independent witnesses he decided it would be futile. 

He’s been a U.S. citizen for several years, as is their son, who was born in Berkeley. Dark-skinned immigrants have never been treated well in France, so Laurette and Pierre are under no illusions, but they’d hoped the U.S. would be different. But now they’re thinking that maybe the United States isn’t the right country for them after all. They’re talking about moving to Germany.  

When I spoke with them on Sunday, I told them that many Americans, especially in Berkeley, still do believe that it’s supposed to be different here. I told them that I’d write up their account of what happened to them, without their real names since they’re afraid of unspecified reprisals. I urged them to file a complaint with the Berkeley Police Review Commission, not that it would do them any good, but on behalf of the next person harassed. I told them that Americans say that “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,” and that filing the complaint would be their contribution to the vigilance which is every citizen’s duty. 

And I told them that in this piece I would challenge Berkeley city officials to find out how a law-abiding young mother could be terrorized by the police at nine o’clock in the morning on a city sidewalk. I’d like to hope that, even without a complaint, somewhere in our city administration or on our city council someone would be shocked enough by this story to investigate what happened. Anyone who’d like to talk to Laurette can call me, and I’ll put them in touch.