Features

SCHOOL FUNDING 

Editors, Daily Planet:  

Your front page article (“Berkeley Unified Launches Study of Long-Term Funding Needs,” Daily Planet, June 1-3) states BUSD will “go where no school district has gone before” by weaning itself from state funding and relying on local sources. This is an exciting idea, however BUSD already is where no other district has gone. Without acknowledging the basic math that impacts the schools this new venture must fail. There are already several locally funded districts: Albany, Piedmont, Orinda. All carefully watch admissions so local funds are spent on local kids. There are also other districts that make no real attempt to guard admission. Berkeley is unique in the Bay Area as a preferred school that does not attempt to guard enrollments. Preferred districts see it as a fiduciary responsibility to guard the local funds. Berkeley’s ideology is troubled by this approach. As more local funds are raised the implication of being where no other district has gone before also rises. One former Berkeley High principal estimated that Berkeley High serviced a student body that was half out of district. 

The problem of “free-riders” is a classic political dilemma. One answer to this dilemma is to charge non-residents the average that tax payers fund the schools. Another is to set aside a scholarship pool of separately raised funds.  

Ignoring reality is also a choice. 

David Baggins 

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TOXIC TALENT 

Editors, Daily Planet:  

To all the people who wrote voluminously and mindfully in objection to a tasteless article by Richard Brenneman: Have you read this guy’s crime column? This is an individual whose charming “humor” refers to a gunshot wound as a “ventilation”; calls a random street assault a “dustup”; thinks it’s so cool to describe an armed robber as “packing a piece.” That’s enough to know what can be expected of this oh-so-hip writer. It may seem illogical, but it’s not unusual for an otherwise decent paper to carry one mean-spirited columnist whose poison is seen as a kind of balance. Unfortunately, he’s the Senior Editor. We have hopes for the Daily Planet and hope it will have the wisdom to tell this guy to take his toxic talent elsewhere. 

Sandy Rothman 

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INTO THE FRAY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

OK, I have to jump in to the fray. It seems your staff has fewer reporting and editing skills than we’d all realized. Congratulations on the really bad job of handling this one! Pagans have been a part of the Berkeley community for many years now, and have done some fine things for this city and your staff managed to insult all of us—the active and the quiet ones alike, and quite a few who aren’t Pagans as well. “Cute and clever” or “sarcastic and witty” never works when reporting an event. Your staff should know that without your readership having to remind them! 

Guess I’ll have to dust off my pentacle and actually go next year. 

Leave it to (local rabble rouser and folk singer) Carol Denny to respond with something even nastier than the Planet reporter—maybe the two of them could meet at some cafe and practice being sarcastic and witty together. Their brand of humor is certainly lost on me! No Pagan or Wiccan in his or her right mind would consider the awful and violent things she recommends, not even as a joke! 

Ashes of Roses  

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RICHMOND PROJECT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Regarding Richmond’s proposed campus development: Your staff and, particularly, your reporter Mr. Brenneman, who researched this issue, have done our community and the Bay Area a valuable service. 

Thanks, and keep it up! We need it! 

Tony Sustak 

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CORRECTIONS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I must address some corrections to Becky O’Malley’s editorial (“Seeing Ourselves as Others See Us,” Daily Planet, May 25-27). I am one of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc. of which she incorrectly states “make fun of Catholic nuns,” “are secretly resentful of women who are in a position of power,” that we “imitate” and/or “mock nuns.” I understand her misperceptions, however a little research at our website—www.TheSisters.org—would have easily cleared up her errors.  

First, we don’t mock nuns anymore than she mocks being a human. We are nuns, we take vows and serve our community and have many fans within many religions including Catholic nuns. We don’t imitate—we are as real as the hate crimes and homophobia, classism, sexism and racism that we seek to overturn in creative manners and agitprop actions.  

The argument has traditionally been made against drag queens and transphobically against intersex individuals that we envy or despise women. We all come from women my dear and if you were to look at us and a picture of a woman I think you would agree that we aren’t trying to fool or deceive anyone that we are women or superior to women. I resent that comment in particular and I think our female and intersex members around the world would agree.  

Our Order was founded to promulgate universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt—that is guilt applied to you for being yourself—gay, female, poor, a person of color, specially-abled, etc. Amongst our innovations is that in our Order, unlike most mainlining religions, the nuns have the power and all have a voice in the decisions and directions and we transform stigmatic guilt into a call to activism. I would be thrilled if the Catholic Church would put the Pope and cardinals on hold and let the nuns run the church for a while. Maybe then condoms could be put in the hands of those who want them and the “holy” war against queers who want to marry and raise their children in dignity would be stopped. Maybe then women around the world could be granted economic freedom and healthcare for all could manifest. Maybe then wars would be condemned rather than John Kerry refused communion for not demonizing marriage for all. Maybe then making the world a better place for our children’s children would be a priority rather than the greedy needs of the few. 

No, we don’t imitate the Catholic Church, it really would be easy but we have higher goals than that. You wrote that “Religious belief has always been used as justification for outrageous and intolerable actions” and I agree. You also wrote that you have been educated by nuns and now I know that is true again. 

Sister Kitty Catalyst OCP 

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STATE BUDGET 

Editors, Daily Planet:  

Gov. Schwarzenegger has failed. He campaigned on the promise that he could slash the car tax and balance the budget by getting rid of “waste.” The reality is much different. The governor has failed to find the mythical ‘waste.” Instead the cuts in crime fighting youth programs are part of a long list of critical services that the governor is slashing to afford his car tax refunds. My son’s classroom size is likely to climb into the high thirties, his access to the library is going to be cut, his lungs are going to be attacked by more pollution as cut bus routes drive up traffic, to name just a few more. It is a Faustian bargain. The governor offers a “lower tax” (that mostly benefits those that can afford expensive cars) and we all pay far more in crime, congestion, pollution, hospital bills, and lost kids. Let Arnold and your state representatives know where your priorities lie. 

Tom Lent  

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UNIVERSITY AVENUE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Following the last meeting of the Planning Commission the mayor and City Council should all be very concerned about the fate of University Avenue. 

It seems as if the Planning Commission has its own agenda for more growth and for the abandonment of the UASP. The commission seems out of control. Instead of hearing the concerns of University Avenue neighbors, the commission only seems to hear the voices of the developers and the build-at-any-cost advocates. And the commission seems to be advocating regulations and guidelines which are overly vague and could lead to more Acton Court buildings. 

It was my understanding that the council instructed the Planning Commission earlier this year to come up with a nuts-and-bolts way to implement the UASP and to address the concerns and needs of all parties, neighbors and developers. But this is clearly not happening. The Planning Commission is not helping to bring people together; it is driving them further apart. 

It certainly seems as if the package the Planning Commission will present to the council for consideration will not solve the unanswered questions about the avenue. The City Council will be asked to vote on regulations and guidelines which will increase the volume of debate on every University Avenue project to come. You can expect more bitter fighting, rancor and the inevitable lawsuits. 

I know the council wanted to have the issue of University Avenue settled before the summer recess. But the attitude of the Planning Commission has made this impossible. 

The City Council must reject the commission’s work when presented for endorsement. The council must tell the commission they got it wrong. The council must tell the commission to meet and listen to all members of the community affected by University Avenue development. And come up with guidelines all can live with. It is possible to reach a consensus, the neighbors and developers seem willing to talk. If it takes a few extra months to get these issues settled it will be worth it in the long run. 

Frank Greenspan 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

I have been to San Luis Obispo only once, but the beautiful downtown creek left a lasting and favorable impression. Couldn’t Berkeley use something other than Telegraph Avenue as a city icon? 

I suggest forming a citizen’s group to get donations and to organize volunteer labor. This might be a way to revitalize community pride as well as downtown Berkeley. 

Robert Gable 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

I received a letter from the city manager about renewing my 2005 preferential parking permit. No where in the letter or on the renewal form does the city mention the mitigation passed along with the fee increase passed last year, that people with incomes under $29,000 a year may pay only half the $30 fee. All they have to do is attach a copy of their income tax statement or other proof of income with the renewal form and a check for $15. 

Is the city so desperate for funds that it will mislead low-income residents by not supplying this information? I think the city manager should send out a new letter with this information and inform those who have already paid that they may receive a refund with the proper supporting information on income. 

One warning: If paying in person, it’s best to make your own copies since the city charges $2 a page! 

Estelle Jelinek 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a born and raised Berkeley girl, I find Susan Parker’s columns offensive and racist. She writes in a very condescending way about the “colorful natives” in her recently gentrified neighborhood. I don’t know where she’s from but I wish she would go back. Why are you printing this stuff? 

Thanks for letting me express my opinion. 

Leslie Williams 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

Regarding the proposed Longs store in downtown Berkeley, councilmembers Spring and Maio’s remarks sound like they have not visited a local Longs lately. It is not a “liquor outlet” (Maio), that would be Beverages & More. Nor, just by its presence, will it attract “...panhandling to buy alcohol…” (Spring). Panhandlers are rampant in every block of downtown already, with or without Longs. 

It is a dry goods store offering pharmacy, gifts, photo, seasonal items, grocery items, snacks, cosmetics, etc. It is not a ready-food store and thus will offer no competition to the nearby E-Z Stop Deli. They will add their friendly, intelligent service in a spacious, well-stocked store. 

The nearby Walgreens could benefit from the competition. Locals, students and business people in the area are currently given no choice but to shop at the Walgreens which is crowded, rude, under-staffed, and has a limited selection of goods. I invite opposing councilmembers to visit a Longs store in person to see how clean, neat, friendly and professionally the stores are run. With downtown bemoaning the glut of empty storefronts and several recent business closures, the City Council should be welcoming Longs with open arms. Any store selling liquor or cigarettes (Walgreens, E-Z Stop, etc.) should have the same safeguards in place to avoid sales to minors and Longs should not be singled out. 

Katie Breer 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

Bus fare hikes are again being considered by AC Transit, not yet six months following the December 2003 fare hike for seniors and disabled persons.  

Despite drastic cuts in services, according to items 9 and 10 on an agenda for last AC Transit board meeting (May 19) those who can least afford a fair increase: disabled people, seniors, and also students may be asked to pay more to ride AC Transit next September 2004.  

AC Transit holds its board meetings first and third Wednesdays at 2 p.m.  

Although AC Transit does have a limited if ineffective forum for riders to protest its policies, meetings are always held in small rooms that soon fill, usually at 2 p.m., when working people are least likely to be able to attend. President Wallace, a kindly soft-spoken man, is obviously preempted in meetings by the AC Transit attorney. 

Now is the time to protest fare hikes. Let us not allow a second fare increase in less than a year! AC Transit Riders unite!  

Arlene Merryman 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

Whatever Bush and Cheney’s true reasons were for invading Iraq, the actual result has been to validate Osama’s paranoid fear of the USA to millions of Muslim men. Our country’s invasion, born of arrogance and greed, was Al Qaeda’s most effective recruiting tool. But, the sexual abuse conducted in American-run prisons overwhelms the invasion. 

Do you remember the movie “Lawrence of Arabia”? There is a scene, about 1/3 into the film, which cauterizes the audience, solidifies its sympathies with Lawrence against the Turks. Up until that scene, it’s not clear who are the good guys and who are the bad, or why. In that scene, however, a soldier who escaped Turkish capture describes the Turks’ forced sodomization of prisoners. From then on, there is no doubt. 

To Muslim men, the sex abuse pictures from Abu Ghraib show the US to be the kind of pervert about which Muslim radicals rant and rail. Whatever the US mission to the Middle East was - whether to force democracy, stability, or to control terrorism - it is now “Game Over” for us. There is nothing more we can do. 

The Bush government has betrayed us by conducting the war as a depraved nation on a cultural conquest, which Islam has always feared. Turns out, thanks to Bush and Cheney, Osama may not be paranoid; the USA really is an ambitious, corrupt empire. Bush’s administration has failed to protect us. Their arrogant invasion and incompetent occupation have created many, many more enemies. 

Bruce Joffe 

Piedmont 

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Editor, Daily Planet: 

I hate to contradict Charles Siegel’s statements about Union Square, but having been in the retail business for over 15 years, including four years with a company that had a store on the square itself, I would not describe Union Square as being your typical retail center. The bulk of the regular customers at the Union Square stores are either tourists from the nearby hotels, or office workers from downtown businesses. Folks from the suburbs do not flock into Union Square to shop, except perhaps once a year at Christmas. Charles is also off base with the parking situation. There is a 985-space garage right under the square itself, an 1865 space garage at Sutter and Stockton, a 925-space garage at Ellis and O’Farrell, and a large private garage on the block behind Macy’s. I suspect people who do come in from out of town drive for the most part, rather than having to fight their way onto BART with bags full of stuff, not to mention having to run the gauntlet of panhandlers and other bizarre people who congregate around the Powell Street BART station.  

What are the implications for Berkeley? If you want to replicate Union Square in Berkeley, build hotels, build more parking, get more office workers, and clean up the streets. Also, get much faster vehicular access from the freeways. On the other hand, if you want to have a fully pedestrianized downtown, with small boutiques and restaurants only, fine, but it won’t attract serious shoppers. As Charles correctly points out, Berkeley is not a natural or a convenient shopping destination in its current physical format. Also, if you want to see one possible vision of what a pedestrian mall can turn into, visit the pedestrian precinct in downtown Sacramento and look at the empty storefronts. All the retail activity in that town is several blocks away in a large indoor complex which has a parking garage attached to it, or out in the suburban malls. 

Sorry, but it’s a fact of life that retail activity and cars go hand in hand in this country. It may not be the ideal situation from a quality of life standpoint, but as I said in one of my earlier missives, you can’t have your cake and eat it. 

Malcolm Carden 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

Judy Stamps writes that “years of research in urban design” shows that University Avenue would be most appealing with the three- and four-story buildings of the UA Strategic Plan (“University Avenue Strategic Plan Should Benefit All Berkeley Citizens,” Daily Planet, May 28-31.) 

In reality, as Allan Jacobs says in his book Great Streets, all the research on urban design shows that streets are most visually appealing if the buildings on them are at least half as high as the street is wide. On University Avenue that means that buildings should be at least four stories. 

In his book The Regional City, Peter Calthorpe uses two buildings in Berkeley as models of good urban design: the four-story building on University and Grant, and the five-story building on Oxford and Berkeley Way.  

Calthorpe Associates did not develop a plan for three-story buildings on University Avenue because they believe research shows this height is visually appealing. Pressure from local residents forced them to limit heights to less than what their professional judgment and the research recommends.  

I agree with Stamps that we should zone University Ave. to benefit all Berkeley citizens, not just a vocal minority with a vested interest in the outcome. That is why the city should not cave in to pressure from the small, noisy contingent of University Avenue neighbors. These local residents care only about the impact of development on themselves and not about the good of the city as a whole. 

Charles Siegel 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

The exceedingly convenient timing of latest Bush Administration hysteria about those darned summertime terrorist threats (do they only attack in nice weather or are they guided by holiday greeting card fanatics?) is not hard to understand. After all, public support for Bush has been dropping steadily since the mass torturing and unseemly abuse of Iraqi prisoners was revealed to the world in April. However, I could not understand how the London-based Institute for International Baloney got their asserted number of 18,000 “potential terrorists.” (What exactly is a “potential terrorist” anyway?) This morning, one of the local papers said that the FBI was going to notify some 18,000 state and local law enforcement agencies of this new supposed terror threat. So it all adds up, one “potential terrorist” per American state and local law enforcement agency. One on one, I think that we can handle that.  

And exactly how are these potential terrorists crossing our national borders after three years of the draconian internal security rules set up by Attorney General John Ashcroft? In donkey carts overland from Canada or Mexico? By plywood gliders flown 5,000 miles from their mountain redoubts in Afghanistan and Pakistan (against the prevailing Westerly winds, to boot)? And how is an alleged threat with “no time, no place and no date” qualify as being called “intelligence?” It sounds more like finely tuned propaganda to scare us into supporting our heroic warmonger to me.  

James K. Sayre 

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Editors, Daily Planet: 

Jesse Arreguin states that he is the director of the ASUC’s City Affairs, Lobby and Housing Commission (Letters, Daily Planet, May 14-17). I expect that a person in such a position would have access to accurate information about rental housing, and I was therefore very surprised by his assertion that “Most landlords illegally inflate rents and compromise the rights of tenants.” In an informal conversation the executive director of the Rent Board estimated that the number of renter petitions is about 150 per year, and that there are several thousand landlords and about 19,000 rentals in Berkeley. A formal request would elicit more precise numbers but is unlikely to change the basic magnitudes. Even if we assume that every petition represents a case of illegal rent, or compromised tenant rights, and even if we assume that every petition is against a different landlord, this is still a long ways from “most.” 

I don’t think I exaggerate in stating that exaggeration has been a major factor in many of the major social problems facing us today. For an admittedly extreme example, one needs to look no further than “weapons of mass destruction.” You begin to believe your own exaggerations, and make decisions that are based on them. How objective can Mr. Arreguin be towards a class of people he regards as crooks? The problem goes the other way too. If most landlords are crooks, what kind of people will want to become landlords? And how will they treat their tenants? 

If housing is really a “basic human right” why is it that only landlords have to pay to provide it? And why do we vilify them for doing it? I don’t share Mr. Koenigshofer’s faith in the market, but that doesn’t mean that rent control is the best solution. 

Robert Clear 

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Editors, Daily Planet:  

If I may weigh in regarding John Koenigshofer’s op-ed assailing Berkeley’s Rent Stabilization Ordinace (“Kill City Rent Control Panel,” Daily Planet, May 11-13), and Rent Board chair Max Anderson’s subsequent response (“Rent Board Chair Chides Control Foe’s ‘Rant,’” Daily Planet, May 25-27): 

Mr. Koenigshofer obviously relishes his role as an anti-rent control agent provocateur. His suggestion that rent control is “unfair,” “unneeded,” “counterproductive,” should be dismantled, etc., flies in the face of reality: Rent stabilization ordinances have been part of California’s social/cultural fabric for nearly 25 years, and have been declared reasonable and constitutional by the California Supreme Court in several decisions. 

Along with the City of Berkeley, San Francisco, Oakland, Hayward, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, West Hollywood and a half dozen other California cities operate rent stabilization ordinances. Moreover, more than 100 mobile home park sites statewide maintain rent stabilization laws. Together, these community rent stabilization ordinances regulate nearly a million tenant households across California.  

To briefly respond to Keith Winnard’s June 1 letter regarding Max Anderson’s May 25 op-ed stating his opposition to tenant “means testing”: If Mr. Winnard considers means testing to be “logically consistent,” than it follows that a parallel or reciprocal rental property owner means testing process is also logically consistent. 

Such an approach, however, is both counterproductive and legally untenable. 

Like the regulation of electricity and gas, telephone service, water, and other vital California services, community rent stabilization ordinances are universal regulatory programs—not selective or arbitrary income-based programs. 

Chris Kavanagh, 

Commissioner, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board 

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