Erik Olson:
              
              Erik Landes-Brenman, city union representative, listens glumly as Council considers reopening the existing labor contract.
Erik Olson: Erik Landes-Brenman, city union representative, listens glumly as Council considers reopening the existing labor contract.

Page One

Nervous Council Tinkers With Parcel Tax Measure

By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR
Friday November 07, 2003

Amidst a growing uneasy restlessness throughout the city over Berkeley City Council’s proposed March money-raising ballot measure, an almost eerie quiet settled over the issue at this week’s Council meeting. Only a handful of citizens showed up to take advantage of what Mayor Tom Bates defined as “Your chance to weigh in on the issue.” -more-



Berkeley This Week

Friday November 07, 2003

FRIDAY, NOV. 7 -more-



Letters to the Editor

Friday November 07, 2003

RENTAL LAWS -more-



Unusual Play Probes Neighborhood

By Ira J. Spitzer Special to the Planet
Friday November 07, 2003

Elia Arce was leading a rehearsal with five artists at San Francisco’s Galeria de la Raza on a recent Thursday evening when a trio of street musicians walked by, playing Mexican Norteño music. -more-



Berkeley Lawyer Fights To Restore Civil Rights

By Jakob Schiller
Friday November 07, 2003

With civil rights in retreat in the wake of the Patriot Act and the prosecutorial zeal of Attorney General John Ashcroft, venerable Berkeley activist/attorney Ann Fagan Ginger has launched a counterattack, starting with a contest to identify the most egregious examples of trampled rights in the Bush era. -more-



Arts Calendar

Friday November 07, 2003

FRIDAY, NOV. 7 -more-



Report Puts ‘Escaped’ Tax At $267,957

By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR
Friday November 07, 2003

Berkeley failed to bill more than $250,000 for what city staff calls “escaped” property tax assessments over the past four years on seven city developments, according to a report given City Council this week by Acting City Manager Phil Kamlarz. -more-



Does City’s ‘Planner Wanted’ Ad Reveal Too Much?

By SHARON HUDSON
Friday November 07, 2003

A current job recruitment ad for a Berkeley city planner states that in Berkeley, “planners set the pace.” As one who once thought that the citizens and their elected representatives “set the pace” in Berkeley, I ask: Is this marketing hype, wishful thinking, or remarkable honesty from our enthusiastic planners? Is our planning department really a self-directed agency intent on implementing its own vision, an extreme version of “smart growth,” instead of Berkeley’s plans and laws? Let’s see… -more-



Neighbors Defeat Disputed Seminary

By Matthew Artz
Friday November 07, 2003

Score one for the neighbors. After a dogged two-year battle, the American Baptist Seminary of the West has pulled its application to demolish two turn-of-the-century cottages and replace them with a five-story building. -more-



First Time Homebuyer Loans Turn Into Economic Trap

Kent Brown
Friday November 07, 2003

The following letter was read during public comment at City Coucil’s Nov. 4 meeting. -more-



Homeless Survey Totals Provoke Hope, Surprise

By MATTHEW ARTZ
Friday November 07, 2003

There are fewer homeless people in Berkeley than previously believed, according to initial findings released Thursday from an Alameda County homeless survey. -more-



Kamlarz Picks Key Aides for New Era at City Hall

By MATTHEW ARTZ
Friday November 07, 2003

The aftershocks surrounding former City Manager Weldon Rucker’s September retirement announcement continue to rumble at Berkeley City Hall. -more-



Features

Police Blotter

By MATTHEW ARTZ
Friday November 07, 2003

Newspaper thefts -more-


Singer, Mayor Join Forces to Honor Berkeley Veterans

By JAKOB SCHILLER
Friday November 07, 2003

In a city well-known for opposing wars, Tuesday’s upcoming Veteran’s Day ceremony has been designed to maintain the city’s traditional stance while ensuring that veterans are honored for their service to the community. -more-


Berkeley Hills Firestation Proposal Survives Couple’s Legal Challenge

By JAKOB SCHILLER
Friday November 07, 2003

Proponents of the proposed Berkeley Hills firehouse scored a victory Wednesday when an Alameda County Superior Court judge ruled against two homeowners suing to stop construction. -more-


Berkeley Hills Firestation Proposal Survives Couple’s Legal Challenge

By JAKOB SCHILLER
Friday November 07, 2003

Proponents of the proposed Berkeley Hills firehouse scored a victory Wednesday when an Alameda County Superior Court judge ruled against two homeowners suing to stop construction. -more-


Franklin School Plan Approved

Matthew Artz
Friday November 07, 2003

The Berkeley Unified School District Board unanimously approved changes to the site plan of the Franklin Adult School at their Wednesday meeting. -more-


UnderCurrents: Heed the Meaning, Not Dean’s Clumsy Remarks

J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR
Friday November 07, 2003

A small sandy-haired boy was throwing stones at the master’s recently invented (and highly successful) plow. Benignly Jefferson watched the boy…who was now periously climbing a tree. -more-


Telegraph Tour Looks Back Through History

By STEVE FINACOM Special to the Planet
Friday November 07, 2003

150 years ago, when the first American settlers were arriving in what would become Berkeley, the area now south of the university campus was a grassy slope with views in all directions and perhaps a few of the Peralta family’s cattle wandering through. -more-


Editorial

French Cuisine, Free Wi-FiAwait Bateau Ivre Patrons

By Becky O’Malley
Friday November 07, 2003

So you’re writing a novel. Or you wish you were writing a novel. Right away, you come up against Virginia Woolf’s famous Hard Saying: “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” Men as well as women have read that sentence, looked around at their living space, and abandoned worthwhile writing projects. -more-


Back Stories

Opinion

Editorials

French Cuisine, Free Wi-FiAwait Bateau Ivre Patrons 11-07-2003

Editorial: Southside Needs Public Space 11-04-2003

News

Nervous Council Tinkers With Parcel Tax Measure By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 11-07-2003

Berkeley This Week 11-07-2003

Letters to the Editor 11-07-2003

Unusual Play Probes Neighborhood By Ira J. Spitzer Special to the Planet 11-07-2003

Berkeley Lawyer Fights To Restore Civil Rights By Jakob Schiller 11-07-2003

Arts Calendar 11-07-2003

Report Puts ‘Escaped’ Tax At $267,957 By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 11-07-2003

Does City’s ‘Planner Wanted’ Ad Reveal Too Much? By SHARON HUDSON 11-07-2003

Neighbors Defeat Disputed Seminary By Matthew Artz 11-07-2003

First Time Homebuyer Loans Turn Into Economic Trap Kent Brown 11-07-2003

Homeless Survey Totals Provoke Hope, Surprise By MATTHEW ARTZ 11-07-2003

Kamlarz Picks Key Aides for New Era at City Hall By MATTHEW ARTZ 11-07-2003

Police Blotter By MATTHEW ARTZ 11-07-2003

Singer, Mayor Join Forces to Honor Berkeley Veterans By JAKOB SCHILLER 11-07-2003

Berkeley Hills Firestation Proposal Survives Couple’s Legal Challenge By JAKOB SCHILLER 11-07-2003

Berkeley Hills Firestation Proposal Survives Couple’s Legal Challenge By JAKOB SCHILLER 11-07-2003

Franklin School Plan Approved Matthew Artz 11-07-2003

UnderCurrents: Heed the Meaning, Not Dean’s Clumsy Remarks J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 11-07-2003

Telegraph Tour Looks Back Through History By STEVE FINACOM Special to the Planet 11-07-2003

BHS Small Schools Plans Gather New Momentum By Matthew Artz 11-04-2003

Berkeley This Week 11-04-2003

Arts Calendar 11-04-2003

Immigrant Death Case Ends in Plea By Matthew Artz 11-04-2003

Letters to the Editor 11-04-2003

State Official Challenges Builder Asbestos Claims By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 11-04-2003

Gill Tract Should Be Used For Agriculture Amy Kaplan 11-04-2003

Development Committee Biased Toward Big Boxes By Martha Nicoloff 11-04-2003

Council Faces Eventful Agenda By J. DOUGLAS ALLEN-TAYLOR 11-04-2003

CENA Gives Qualified ‘No’To Proposed Tax Hike Dean MetzgerPresident of CENA 11-04-2003

Adult School Driveway Set By CalTrans By MATTHEW ARTZ 11-04-2003

Police Blotter By MATTHEW ARTZ 11-04-2003

From Susan Parker: Crab Competition Almost Too Much to Stomach From Susan Parker 11-04-2003

Qualified Praise for Solano Avenue Complex By JOHN KENYON Special to the Planet 11-04-2003