Sutter Health carried out its threat against nurses and other union members who staged a one-day walkout Wednesday and refused to let them go back to work Thursday morning, the start of a four-day lockout. 

Striking registered nurses from the California Nurses Association and members of Service Employees International who joined the one-day action Wednesday found themselves barred from their jobs at the Berkeley and Oakland facilities of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. 

They will not be allowed to return to their jobs until 6 a.m. Monday, five days after the strike began. 

In a prepared statement, CNA Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro called the lockout “an outrageous slap in the face to the patients and the communities that Sutter purports to represent,” and said the move “will sharply escalate tensions between Sutter and its RNs.” 

The lockout affects 6,700 CNA and SEIU employees at 13 Sutter facilities in Antioch, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Lakeport, Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Rosa and Vallejo. 

Carolyn Kemp, spokesperson for Alta Bates in Berkeley, said 60 percent of their R.N.s had reported for work, as had 57 percent of nurses without an RN degrees. 

“Once again, they’re lying,” said CNA spokesperson Charles Idelson. About 80 percent of CNA nurses throughout the 13 hospitals stayed away during Wednesday’s walkout, he said, “and I was at Alta Bates this morning (Thursday) and they were turning our people away.” 

A representative of SEIU Local 250, said 99 percent of their members had participated in Wednesday’s walkout. The union represents hospital workers who are neither doctors nor registered nurses. 

He said the union had already sent letters to each hospital saying they were willing to sit down and negotiate with each one as soon as striking union employees were allowed back on the job.  

Alta Bates officials insisted that the walkout and lockout had little impact on the hospital. Said Kemp, “The doctors are very happy and the patients are very happy. A cardiac surgeon who went in to perform an operation Wednesday found his whole team waiting for him. There are wards where every employee is still working,” she said. 

The biggest problem from the strike, she said, was the loud noise from strikers outside the facility. “It’s irresponsible,” she said. “It’s reprehensible.” Kemp said one patient was so disturbed by the noise that he had to be transferred to the Intensive Care Unit. 

The hospital was fully staffed Thursday by regular workers who had crossed the picket lines and by supplemental staff hired from temporary agencies. 

“The [state] Department of Health Services had been to all the sites and they told us they were very impressed by the way we had prepared for the strike and with the way we are operating,” Kemp said. 

Idelson said the lockout was a clear violation of the existing collective bargaining agreement between CNA and Sutter. 

The hospital staff members who joined the picket lines at Alta Bates Wednesday said they knew their actions would cost them a week’s pay. 

Frida Adamson, a member of the housekeeping staff for the past two years, explained her presence on the lines in a single sentence. “It’s an old saying: If you don’t stand for something, you stand for nothing.” 

The unions’ cause has been winning a voice in setting patient care staffing levels. 

“It’s unsafe,” said Rose Mejia, a CA1 care giver at Alta Bates for four-and-a-half years. 

While she often cares for nine or ten patients, she said six or seven is a much more reasonable load. “By getting so many, we wind up neglecting them,” she said. 

Among her duties are feeding and bathing her charges and drawing blood sample. 

“You want to do everything right; you don’t want to make mistakes,” she said. When she’s forced to rush from patient to patient, she said, patients yell at her. “They say, ‘What about me?’” 

Barbara Linde, a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) at Alta Bates, walked the picket line Wednesday because she’s unhappy with how the hospital uses its LVNs and RNs. 

RNs receive more training, typically a four-year degree, and typically have greater responsibilities than LVNs. 

Linde said often the LVNs are overloaded, making up for shortages of RNs, while at other times LVNs aren’t used to their full capacity. She charged that Sutter tries to skirt the law by manipulating the staffing ratios of the two nursing categories. 

“I want to be able to work to our capacity, where we are treated as valuable staff and are working within the limits of the law,” she said, adding that the walkout and subsequent lockout would be worthwhile “if we can get our contract settled. 

›

Over the strong objections of the Laney College president, Laney College staff representatives, and Trustee-elect Nicky González Yuen, a lame-duck session of the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees has authorized a free-of-charge, one-year agreement with an Oakland development firm to negotiate possible commercial development of certain Laney College and Peralta District properties. 

The Trustee Board action, taken on a 5-0-1 vote at its Nov. 23 meeting, gives Peralta Chancellor Elihu Harris the authority to draw up a contract with the Strategic Urban Development Alliance (SUDA), which has been linked to controversial lobbyist Lily Hu, now under subpoena from a federal grand jury. 

Outgoing trustee Darryl Moore, who was recently elected to the Berkeley City Council, abstained on the vote, saying that the board packet did not provide enough information on the proposed project, and that he thought it more proper that the incoming board make the decision. “The timing just didn’t seem appropriate to me,” Moore told the Daily Planet. 

Four new trustees were elected to the board last month, and are due to begin their duties at the next meeting. Among those trustees voting to approve the SUDA agreement were board president Lynn Baranco and Susan Duncan, both of whom had elected not to run for re-election, and were serving in their last meeting as trustees. 

SUDA president and CEO Alan Dones requested the exclusive negotiating rights from Peralta to put together a development plan for the Laney College parking lot and baseball field, as well as the adjacent Peralta District’s 8th Street administrative center. 

While Dones was vague about what the final plans might be, he told trustees that the development plan would be anchored by administrative offices built for unnamed government agencies, but he also mentioned the placement of a medical center and “up to 1,000 residential units” on the property. Dones said he has already identified 500,000 square feet of office needs “in the area,” as well as potentially $150 million potential development of office space, housing, retail, and medical facilities. 

Dones said that he knew of one public agency, which he did not name, which “could provide the bulk of the office space needs for the project.” He also said there was some urgency to beginning the negotiations with potential agencies, since “one of the agencies has some legal issues.” He did not elaborate. 

Dones said he was initially approached to develop the plan four years ago by “a previous chancellor,” whom he did not name. Ronald J. Temple was Peralta Chancellor in 2000. 

As an added incentive, Dones told trustees that the cost to Peralta of the one-year contract would be “minimal or none,” saying that his company was “offering to put up a non-refundable fee ourselves to underwrite Peralta’s costs in the evaluation process.” Dones said that SUDA was offering their services free of charge because “we think the investment will be good for the community.” 

Outgoing trustee Duncan called SUDA plan “the best proposal [for surplus and underutilized land at Laney College] that I’ve heard in my 18 years on the board.” She said she hoped “the incoming board would realize that this is not taking away from their powers, but is getting them more information. This item is merely a first step. It’s not a final step or an irrevocable step.” 

But that contention was disputed by trustee Moore, who said in a telephone interview that while the new trustee board is not bound to accept the development proposal submitted by SUDA at the end of the year, the contract prevents the new trustees from looking at any other long-term uses for that property during for one year. 

“By being an exclusionary agreement, the district must work with Dones’ corporation,” Moore said. “They can’t work with any other developer or work on any other project during the duration of the contract.” Moore said that was true even if the district identified another non-commercial use for the property, such as putting up a library. 

At last month’s meeting, Nicky González Yuen, who is replacing Moore as the Area 4 (Berkeley) representative on the Peralta board, said that he was withholding judgment on the merits of the SUDA development proposal. 

“This may be a fabulous project,” he told the board. “But I’m not even sure what the proposal is that you have in front of you.” González Yuen objected to board approval partly because the item was listed on the board agenda as an information item rather than an action item, which meant that the public did not have proper notice of the vote. “If you move forward on this,” González Yuen said, “you will undermine the trust people have in this district.” 

Although the meeting took place on the trustee’s regular meeting night, notice of the meeting was not posted on Peralta’s website, raising questions about whether the meeting had adequate public notice. An agenda for the meeting was also not posted online. 

Odell Johnson, acting Laney president, also urged delay, telling trustees that he felt “at a disadvantage because I know absolutely nothing about this proposal.” Laney Faculty Senate president Evelyn Lord called it “extremely inappropriate for the board to proceed; it concerns me deeply that this is the first time I’ve heard anything about the proposal.” 

Following the meeting, questions continue to be raised about how the SUDA proposal came to the trustee board in the first place. Trustee Moore said one of this objections to the proposal was that “the process wasn’t spelled out as to how this particular consultant was identified.” 

Public documents and recent newspaper reports point to possible explanations. 

A review of records from the City of Oakland—where SUDA recently signed a multi-million dollar deal to help develop the Thomas L. Berkeley Square four-story office building project in the uptown area—show that the company has been represented by lobbyist Lily Hu. Hu has been identified as the one of the targets—along with State Senator Don Perata—of a federal grand jury investigation concerning local government contracts. 

The San Francisco Chronicle revealed last month that SUDA’s Dones has received a federal subpoena to appear before the grand jury, asking for information about Hu and Perata. 

An article in the Oakland Tribune identified Peralta Trustee Alona Clifton, who voted for the SUDA/Peralta contract, as the president of a nonprofit that will be the official owner of the Thomas L. Berkeley Square complex. 

The Tribune article also said that one of the companies slated to work on SUDA’s Peralta project was IPA Planning Solutions. The Daily Planet first reported in a story last month that IPA recently received a $90,000 three year contract to develop a Facilities Master Plan and Strategic Master Plan for the Peralta District, one month after IPA owner Ineda Adesanya stepped down from her job as Peralta’s interim Director of Physical Plant.›

Richmond residents, business folk, environmental activists and newly elected City Councilmember Gayle McLaughlin braved the 40-degree cold Wednesday morning to picket one of the entrances to Campus Bay, protesting ongoing operations at the site. 

Home to a 350,000-cubic-yard hazardous waste dump and the projected home to a 1330-unit residential complex, the site has been the continuing target of residents worried that their health may be damaged by the spread of hazardous substances leaking or blowing from the site, home for a century to a chemical manufacturing complex. 

Dr. Jeffrey B. Ritterman, chief of cardiology at Kaiser Oakland, marched the picket line carrying a sign emblazoned with “Richmond Doctor Says No Love Canal in Richmond.” 

“What do we do with a toxic dump in the middle of the Bay Trail?,” he asked. “It’s preposterous to build housing there. But the City of Richmond and the Planning Commission are trying to ram this and other projects through the system without involving the people,” he said. 

“We need redevelopment, but in a way that’s healthy. We need development in places like the Iron Triangle, the Nystrom neighborhood and other areas of the city.” 

Ritterman also called on the city to emulate San Francisco and adopt the precautionary principle: When there’s reason to suppose something may be hazardous, don’t do it. 

Among the 48 or so other marchers was his colleague, Kaiser Richmond gastroenterologist Dr. Jean-Luc Szpakowski. 

“My concern is the long-term effects of toxins in an area which already has such a high rate of cancer. When colleagues come into the community, they find that people are sicker than where they come from,” he said. 

Neighboring business owners joined other protesters, carrying picket signs hammered together by Jess Kray, president of Kray Cabling. They marched in the morning cold chanting, “Safety and health before corporate wealth, safety and health before corporate wealth.” 

Wednesday’s action came as lawyers for the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board and their counterparts at the state Department of Toxic Substances (DTSC) finished negotiations to hand over much of the site from water board jurisdiction to the DTSC. 

Both agencies are part of the state Environmental Protection Agency, which itself was taunted by the marchers as they chanted, “E.P.A.—Earn your pay.” 

Activists regard the agreement as a mixed blessing, preferring to have the whole site under DTSC control because the agency has a sizable scientific staff, while the water board lacks even a single toxicologist. 

“The EPA should wake up,” said McLaughlin, who will join the City Council in January. By splitting site jurisdiction, she said, “the EPA is rolling over again.” 

On Tuesday, both EPA agencies released copies of letters they had sent to Russell Pitto, chair and CEO of Simeon Properties, and Brian Spiller, general manager for Environmental Services and Engineering for Astra Zeneca, the last owner of the since-destroyed chemical manufacturing complex. 

Simeon is a Marin County development firm and half of Cherokee Simeon Ventures, which has been developing the upland portion of the site in conjunction with Cherokee Investment Partners. 

Based in North Carolina, Cherokee is a multinational firm which invests public and private pension funds to develop projects on Brownfields, which are rehabilitated contaminated sites. 

Pitto’s name was invoked in one of the chants from the picket line: “Hey! Hey! Russell P. How do you spell toxicity?” 

Some of the chants were muffled by the surgical and gas masks sported by some of the colorfully clad. 

On hand at the margins of the demonstration to speak on behalf of Cherokee Simeon was Karen Stern of Singer Associates, a San Francisco public relations firm that represents such clients as ChevronTexaco, the DeBartolo Corporation, BART, Levi Stauss & Co., Ford Motor Co., the San Francisco 49ers and the Anschutz Investment Co.  

Stern handed out to reporters a prepared statement from CSV that began “Today’s protest is a disservice to the regulatory process and the project’s commitment to a working relationship with state regulatory agencies, the community, and the City of Richmond.” 

The second paragraph contained one controversial characterization of demands made by project opponents at the Nov. 6 State Assembly joint committee hearing on project oversight. 

“[T]he industrial neighbors and others demanded DTSC’s oversight. . .Now the industrial neighbors don’t want to play by the rules they helped create.” 

In fact, critics, both business owners and citizens, at the hearing conducted by Assemblymembers Loni Hancock (D-East Bay) and Cindy Montanez (D-San Fernando Valley) pleaded for DTSC to take over complete supervision of the site, not the split jurisdiction that resulted from the hearing.  

Under the new accord, the water board will continue to exercise jurisdiction over the excavation and replacement of contaminated muck from Stege Marsh at the edge of the site and the restoration of the marsh, while DTSC monitors the upland portion, including the massive mound of buried waste and the newly added marsh soils now being stored in an exposed portion of the waste mound. 

According to the letter from local DTSC Chief Barbara J. Cook, her agency is currently evaluating the status of the upland portion of the site to determine what additional remedial work may be needed and monitoring the air and water for traces of hazardous dust and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). 

The letters are legally binding interim documents, to be followed in several weeks by revised version of the original water board cleanup orders and a new order from DTSC, 

Cook’s agency is also evaluating the Biologically Active Permeable Barrier between the upland and the marsh, a limited-lifespan construction that uses plants to extract toxins from water flowing the from upland waste heap toward the bay. 

One UC policeman monitored Wednesday’s demonstration to make certain vehicles headed for the university’s Richmond Field Station could pass through. 

UC College of Natural Resources Assistant Professor Claudia Carr asked the occupants of each vehicle where they were headed, and marchers were prepared to block any headed for Campus Bay. 

Instead, the crews headed toward other site entrances, bypassing the brigade. 

Richmond Police made several appearances, and once an officer asked “Are you demonstrating against Bush? Any chance you’re gonna burn him in effigy, ‘cause I got a lighter if you do.” 

Ninety minutes after it began, Sherry Padgett, with Carr a mainspring of Bay Area Residents for Responsible Development, the primary organization behind the demonstration, thanked the participants for turning out, especially members of the Richmond Neighborhood Councils and the Downwind Property Owners, many of whom own businesses immediately to the south of Campus Bay. 

Also walking the picket line was Jessica Tovar, a San Francisco-based community and youth organizer for Greenaction For Health and Environmental Justice. 

“This is great,” she said of the demonstration. “This is just awesome.” 

Tovar will be marching another picket link next Wednesday as her organization protests the continued operation of PG&E’s Hunters Point Power Plant in San Francisco, a site they say is linked to asthma and other health problems in surrounding residential neighborhoods. 

Peter Weiner, BARRD’s attorney and the lead negotiator in the group’s discussion with Cherokee Simeon representatives, said the group’s demonstration was motivated by desperation and concern. 

“The environmental agencies have demonstrated that they cannot or will not stop the developer from piling the toxic waste on site,” Weiner said. Though Cherokee Simeon plans to remove the excavated marsh soils in the spring, “meanwhile it grows and dries and the wind blows the dust. 

“We want the marsh restored, but not at the cost of human health,” he said. 

DTSC spokesperson Angela Blanchette insisted Thursday that her agency considers the dredging operations to be safe. “The soil is wet and we are finding nothing that’s drying and turning into dust,” she said. 

Contra Costa County Public Health Director Wendel Brunner expressed his concerns about the upland cleanup two years ago—the cleanup that produced the 350,000 cubic yards buried at Campus Bay—which resulted in massive amounts of possibly contaminated dust blowing off the site. 

Brunner’s concern about Cherokee Simeon’s plans for moving the soil this spring are focused on the phase when giant tilling machines will mix lime with the marsh soil to neutralize acids in the mixture, raising the possibly of further offsite dust contamination.›

City officials Tuesday froze funds to Jubilee Restoration Inc., its third largest non-profit housing developer, after reports submitted by the organization in response to a federal probe revealed that the organization had diverted federal funds. 

In a Nov. 30 letter addressed to Jubilee, Berkeley Housing Director Steve Barton wrote that the organization had not refuted allegations from a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) report that it had failed to fully implement a program for homeless youth and instead used federal funds to support other programs including its housing development business. 

“Indeed [Jubilee’s] response provides evidence that supports HUD’s charges and contradicts previous statements made to the city,” wrote Barton, who declined to comment for this article. 

HUD is expected to respond to Jubilee’s disclosure within the next two weeks. Acknowledging that the charges against Jubilee were grave, HUD spokesperson Larry Bush said that if HUD concludes there is a clear showing of wrongdoing, Jubilee could be barred from any federal funding. HUD froze all funding to Jubilee in October following its three-month investigation. 

Jubilee is the charitable arm of Berkeley’s Missionary Church of God in Christ, headed by Pastor Gordon W. Choyce Sr.  

Choyce, who also serves as Jubilee’s executive director, owns numerous properties in Berkeley and Oakland and has used local and federal funding to position Jubilee as a leading affordable housing developer. In addition to the youth drop-in center, Jubilee also runs a recovery center for released inmates, which isn’t funded by HUD. 

Jubilee officials did not reply to telephone calls this week, but it appeared that Jubilee has closed its drop-in center. 

Since April 2002 HUD had supplied Jubilee with an annual $121,633 grant to pay for three full-time counselors at the drop-in center, called the Jubispot. 

In the city’s letter, Barton questioned why, from April 2002 through June 2004, Jubilee billed HUD $19,780 for work done by Housing Project Manager Todd Harvey and $55,483 for work done by Deputy Director Gordon Choyce II, both of whom Jubilee stated in its contract with the city were fully dedicated to housing development. Former Jubilee Development Director Mia Medcalf confirmed to city officials that neither Choyce nor Harvey performed youth counseling during her tenure from 2002 through January 2004, Barton wrote. 

Barton was also concerned that Jubilee billed HUD $2,527 for Harvey in 2003, even though the city had contracted to pay Harvey’s entire $40,000 salary through separate funds given to the city by HUD. 

Adding that Jubilee had failed to document any youth counseling services provided by Harvey and Choyce II, Barton wrote that even if Jubilee managed to support claims that they had provided those services, “It would then be evidence that Jubilee misrepresented the work of the project managers...in its contracts with the city.” 

Barton also backed HUD’s assertion that Jubilee should not have billed all of Medcalf’s time to the federal grant which was supposed to go only for direct counseling services, not program development or fundraising. Although Jubilee had claimed that Medcalf was involved solely in supportive services, Barton said that directly contradicted Jubilee’s documentation of Medcalf’s time, the observations of the city’s contract monitor and Medcalf’s own statements. 

Among Medcalf’s job duties that were ineligible to be billed to the federal grant were donations coordination, newsletter development, community outreach, political events and city meetings. 

The city’s contribution to Jubilee’s homeless youth program in the past has been a $26,000 annual grant to pay for an outreach worker. Barton wrote that although Jubilee had claimed that the city grant would fund an outreach worker’s entire salary, from March 2003 through April 2004, Jubilee then billed the city and HUD for a portion of the outreach worker’s time. Between the two sources, the outreach worker was apparently paid $35,818, even though the position was budgeted at $25,400 and Jubilee could only document that the outreach worker worked between 27 and 30 hours a week, Barton wrote. 

The decision to freeze funds reverses a decision by the City Council last month to provide Jubilee with $13,000 to help the organization answer HUD’s allegations. Jubilee had not received any of the funding, Barton said, nor had it provided the city with a letter authorizing HUD to share its findings with the city, a condition for the city to release the funds. 

HUD began monitoring Jubilee earlier this year after receiving complaints about its operations, Bush said. He added that Jubilee will be required to repay HUD for any ineligible expenditures. 

Berkeley had assigned a contract monitor to oversee the functions of the city-funded outreach worker, but did not oversee the entire homeless youth program, Barton said.›

Problems with renovation work are expected to delay opening of Berkeley’s Elmwood Theater until past the first of the year, but a local engineer involved in seismic retrofit of the theater building says his portion of the project is not to blame. 

Instead, delays in cleanup from a broken sewer line may be the culprit. 

Earlier this fall, the College Avenue theater temporarily shut its doors, with a sign on the marquee announcing “Closed For Remodel.” Announcements taped to the box office window indicated that “the Elmwood will be reopening soon,” and invited patrons to call a recorded information line for more details. 

This week, the line only said that the theater was closed for “major remodeling of our grand auditorium… [to] include a new floor, new high-back chairs, and new drapes,” and told listeners to “check back for updates on opening dates.” 

According to Elmwood Theater Foundation President David Salk, there are actually two separate renovations ongoing, one under the authority of the theater foundation, which owns the building, and another undertaken by San Carlos Cinemas, which rents and operates the theater. 

San Carlos Cinemas reportedly operates 75 screens at six movie theater locations, according to a City of Oxnard press release put out earlier. Salk said that while he was “not at liberty to talk about anything but” the renovations being supervised by the theater foundation, it was his understanding that the San Carlos Cinemas renovation involved “putting in new seats and carpeting and stuff.” 

However, reports from patrons who were present in the theater on the week it shut down indicated that they were informed that the initial problem resulted from a burst sewer line underneath the theater. 

Diana Aikenhead, an inspector in the City of Berkeley Department of Public Works, confirmed that Hand’s On Plumbing & General Contracting of Pacheco is doing what she called “exploratory work” on a sewer line under the theater. She said that while her office has not yet been called in to inspect the work, she added that “I guess it’s probably pretty bad because [the contractor has] been there a while.” 

Hand’s On Plumbing did not respond to telephone calls related to this story, and representatives of San Carlos Cinemas could not be reached for comment. 

Meanwhile, according to Salk, the theater foundation is taking advantage of the temporary closure caused by San Carlos Cinemas’ work to complete a seismic retrofit at the theater. The seismic retrofitting is being coordinated by the international architecture, engineering and construction management firm Integrated Structures, Inc. of Berkeley. That work—to strengthen the ceiling and the front façade—was left undone when the theater reopened after previous renovations ten years ago. A November press release on Integrated Structure’s website says that the renovations were “left incomplete after the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the project Engineer could not reach consensus on a retrofit scheme for the front façade.” 

Integrated Structures was not the project engineer in 1994. 

Integrated Structures owner R. Gary Black said negotiations with city staff on permits for the seismic retrofit began eight months ago, and were complicated by the fact that the theater façade had landmark status, and there “wasn’t an unlimited amount of money available” to fund the project. The seismic construction work itself did not begin until after Thanksgiving. Black said that the ceiling re-strengthening work is proceeding on time, “and as far as our work is concerned, the theater could open in two weeks.” 

He added that work on the building’s exterior can be done even with the theater open, and he expects completion of that portion of the retrofit work by mid-March. Integrated Structure’s website release says that a “low-cost, low-impact retrofit solution” drafted by the company “was unanimously approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in August.”›

Longtime Berkeley Police Review Commission Director Barbara Attard announced her resignation this week to become San Jose’s police auditor. 

Having led the PRC for seven years, Attard, 43, said the PRC could benefit from a change in leadership. 

“It might be time for some new ideas,” said Attard, who will remain at her post through the end of the year. Attard’s new job will pay her $140,000, about a 50 percent raise, she said. 

PRC Investigator Dan Silva is expected to apply for the director’s job. 

Jim Chanin, an attorney and former PRC commissioner, said Attard “did a great job under difficult circumstances.” 

She remained fair-minded and even tempered in an era when, he said, the city manager and city attorney tended to back the police department over the PRC. 

The PRC, which reviews citizen complaints of police misconduct, has seen its staff cut over the past decade from six employees to four, and is slated to lose one of its two administrative positions to budget cuts next year. The planned staff reduction comes as the PRC faces an increased work load due to a new administrative procedure that allows police officers to appeal the commission’s ruling. 

PRC Commissioner David Ritchie praised Attard’s work and called on city officials to give the commission a voice in selecting her successor. 

Copwatch Director Andrea Pritchett, a frequent critic of Attard’s stewardship of the PRC, also wanted input on the new hire. She said that by encouraging citizen participation in the search for Attard’s replacement, the PRC would garner more community support and thus have a stronger political hand in fighting budget cuts. 

City Manager Phil Kamlarz was unavailable for comment on the search for Attard’s successor. 

Before coming to Berkeley in 1997, Attard worked for 14 years in San Francisco’s Office of Citizen Complaints.  

In San Jose, Attard will head a six-person staff that audits investigations of the San Jose Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit. 

?

Balloons made of Mylar and aluminum don’t mix too well with power lines, as more than 4,000 South Berkeley customers of PG&E’s electric service discovered abruptly at 9:06 Saturday morning. 

Berkeley Deputy Fire Chief David P. Orth had just dropped off his son for an official ride-along at Station 5, 2680 Shattuck Ave., when he heard a sound he recognized instantly. 

“I was talking to some of the crew when I heard it. I said, ‘Uh-oh, there goes a transformer,” Orth recalled. “I actually saw some of the Mylar balloons flying by, and some callers reported actually seeing them strike the wires.” 

The metal-clad balloons had shorted overhead electric wires, blowing out a transformer. 

A PG&E spokesperson said the shortage occurred at 1510 Oregon St.  

Customers were affected most heavily in the area around Shattuck Avenue between Parker Street in Berkeley and 54th Street in North Oakland. 

By 9:52 a.m., the utility had restored power to about 1,050 houses, with the remainder back on line at 10:15 a.m. 

—Richard Brenneman

T-Rex, 25, says he has been living on Berkeley streets since he was eight. Wednesday night, however, he and his dog escaped the bitter winds blowing through their wooded hillside squat to take refuge in the city’s shelter for homeless youth. 

“This is th e best thing ever to happen to Berkeley,” T-Rex said of the Youth Emergency Assistance Hostel (YEAH). “I always avoided shelters but this place is different.” 

This week marked YEAH’s third season as a winter shelter for youth ages 18-25. Started by a group of Berkeley women in 2002, the 55-bed shelter located at the Lutheran Church of the Cross on 1744 University Ave. has brought the tight-knit Telegraph Avenue youth culture indoors. 

“We’re all like family,” T-Rex said as he pointed out a volunteer who he said had once been homeless and helped him survive on the streets years before. By 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 21 residents filled the shelter, several playing board games until their beds were ready. Most of them were white, split evenly between those pas sing through on their way south for the winter and those who called Berkeley their permanent home. 

YEAH Executive Director Sharon Hawkins-Leyden said the shelter has a laissez faire policy that welcomes all homeless youth, even those with serious drug a nd alcohol addictions so long as they don’t use drugs at the shelter. Youth with dogs are also welcome. 

“The only way to get them in is to accept who they are now, not what we want them to be,” she said. 

The city has been impressed with the shelter’s de but. This year, in the wake of budget cuts, the council doubled YEAH’s funding to $30,000—about one-third of its projected budget and enough to keep the shelter open 21 weeks, its longest season so far. The shelter operates with the support of 45 communit y volunteers, said Hawkins-Leyden, who hopes one day to keep it open year-round. 

“They’ve really wowed the council and the mayor,” Berkeley Community Services Specialist Jane Micallef said. “I think when they first asked for funding everyone thought they would be so green that they’d fall on their face, but they’ve been great.” 

After opening in 2002 for five weeks, the shelter last year operated an 18-week season, taking in 214 different residents, most of whom would choose to sleep on the street rather than check into an adult shelter. 

“Regular shelters aren’t for us,” said Chad Perdue, a 25-year-old traveling from Portland with his partner Christian. “They usually have a lot of hard-core, violent drug addicts.” 

Because homeless youth often migrate and avoid services geared for adults, officials can only guess at their numbers. 

Megan Schatz, coordinator of the Alameda Countywide Homeless Continuum of Care Council, said the most recent surveys estimate that at any point in time the county is home to 300 homeless youth. 

Besides YEAH, the county has one other youth shelter, Covenant House, which operates a 25-bed year-round program at St. Andrew’s-St. Joseph’s Church in West Oakland. 

There most of the residents are local African Americans, many of w hom found themselves on the street after they turned 18 and left foster care. 

Amy Lemley, executive director of First Place Fund For Youth, an Oakland-based organization that finds housing for foster children, said that every year about 200 children age out of foster care and roughly two thirds of them find themselves homeless. 

Covenant House, which doesn’t allow dogs, has stricter rules about drug and alcohol abuse and a well established network of services for the residents. Several residents attend federal Job Corps training and the others spend their days at Covenant House’s youth service center where they are a assigned a case manager, see job training specialists, work towards a GED, and are offered drug abuse and mental health counseling, said S ean Sullivan, program director at Covenant House California. 

“It’s helping me out,” said Jamal, a 23-year-old studying to be a cook, who described himself as a foster child experiment that went wrong. “This is a good place to learn and think about the fu ture.” 

Hawkins-Leyden doesn’t think that Covenant House’s more stringent structure would work for YEAH’s residents, but she does want to emulate the model of tying services to the shelter. 

This year, YEAH will introduce evening classes in drug education, AIDS, pregnancy and STD prevention and creative writing. 

Still, she said, Berkeley could do a lot more to serve homeless youth. 

“Nearly everything is designed for adults,” she said, adding that the city’s mental health department lacks a specially tra ined youth therapist and that the city’s drug and alcohol rehabilitation services were too strict to attract younger addicts. 

Micallef acknowledged “big gaps in services to homeless youth,” and said she was working with the city’s service providers to co ordinate their activities and beef up their programs. 

Of the three organizations operating daytime youth drop-in centers, Micallef said two, the Chaplaincy to the Homeless and Fred Finch Youth Center, have had major personnel turnovers recently, while th e third, Jubilee Restoration Inc., is in jeopardy of losing its federal grant pending an investigation by the Department of Housing and Urban Development for misuse of funds. 

Hanna McQuinn, who last month took over as executive director of the Chaplaincy program, said her immediate goal was to implement an employment training program and connect the organization to the Jobs Corps program, her former employer. 

When it comes to helping homeless youth overcome addictions, local service providers remain hes itant to push too hard. 

Hawkins-Leyden said that most of the youth in her shelter are still healthy enough that they don’t see the need to get sober and are better served by learning to administer drugs safely to reduce the risk of overdosing or contrac ting HIV. 

“What works is if we keep them safe enough and alive long enough so they can get to the point where they realize they need help,” she said. 

In combating drug abuse among homeless youth, Hawkins-Leyden has formed a alliance with Davida Coady, e xecutive director of Berkeley’s drug abuse treatment program Options Recovery Center. Coady has been a vocal critic of YEAH’s philosophy, known as harm reduction. 

Although Coady would like to see local service providers push youth towards abstinence from drugs, she said homeless youth often rebel against strict programs like hers. 

“Harm reduction is a bad model but it might be the best you can do with youth,” said Coady, who plans to offer drug counseling at YEAH later this winter. 

Christian McCullough, a 21-year-old heroin addict, said he appreciated the shelter’s policy. “When I’m ready to get help I will,” he said, “but I don’t need anybody telling me what to do.” 



Linda Olivenbaum, spouse of newly elected Berkeley City Councilmember Max Anderson, Jr., made a gruesome discovery in her back yard when she went to move her car recently. 

There, partially hidden below a deck, she found the badly decomposed corpse of a 61-year-old man. 

Police were summoned to the home in the 1900 block of Alcatraz Avenue Nov. 22 along with the Alameda County Coroner’s Office. 

Subsequent investigation and an autopsy revealed that the body had been dead several days from what the coroner’s office said were natural causes brought on by long-standing heart disease. 

Coroner’s spokesperson Frank Gentle said the body was identified by the manager of an Oakland transient hotel where 61-year-old Curtis Bolander had been staying. 

“We’ve had no luck in finding any family members,” Gentle said. He requested anyone with information on Bolander to call the coroner’s office at 268-7300. 

“He wasn’t entirely homeless, but he moved in those circles,” Anderson said. “Apparently he had been feeling sick and was crawling under the deck to seek shelter when he died.” 

Anderson added that he hadn’t been in his back yard for some time.

In a hotly contested election race that ends Monday, two groups are vying for nine open seats on KPFA 94.1 FM’s Listener Station Board. 

The listener and staff vote could determine control of the board. 

The board in its current form was created to ensure democratic oversight of the station after an internal conflict temporarily shut the station down in the summer of 1999. During the conflict, Pacifica, the foundation that owns KPFA and its sister stations, locked staff out after employees and others protested plans to sell the station. Yet since the first board members were elected under new bylaws in 2003, infighting about the direction of the station has continued. 

“I have been around since 1969, and I have seen many local and national boards,” said Larry Bensky, the host of KPFA’s show Sunday Salon. “The current one is absolutely the least supportive and least constructive that I can remember.” 

Several controversial decisions have created a split on the board and People’s Radio and KPFA Forward—the two groups running in the election—are divided along some of the same lines.  

Principal among the fights was the decision by the board to order Interim General Manager Jim Bennett to move Democracy Now!, the station’s most popular show, to a different time slot. One of the 10 points of action on the website for the slate People’s Radio is to stick with that decision. 

According to Brian Edwards-Tiekert, a reporter with the evening news program, that decision raised questions about the role of the board, prompting many to allege that it was micro-managing. 

“The board needs to be there to be a check on management,” said Edwards-Tiekert. “But it needs to stop somewhere. It cannot take on management functions.” 

People’s Radio has also taken the controversial stand of demanding that the station’s programming council be democratically elected “with strong listener representation and the authority to make programming decisions by majority vote.” 

As it is, explains Susan Stone, a member of the programming council, the group is already one of the “most highly representative bodies we have under our roof.” 

“If it got any larger we would probably have to rent a hall,” she said. 

Currently, there are community representatives, board members, and several staff on the board. Without the guarantee of staff on the board, some are concerned listener representatives would not have the experience to make informed decisions about programming. 

“There is nothing in the bylaws which would indicate that every programming decision would be debated by a group of people who might not know what they are doing,” said Bensky. 

Michael Hernandez, an incumbent affiliated with the other group, KPFA Forward, said he questions whether People’s Radio is actually focused on democratizing the station. Instead, he sees their campaign as a power grab. 

“What we are coming to is a point where people are divided between letting KPFA be KPFA or making KPFA their statement or bully pulpit; a place where they can make their presentation unopposed and to hell with everyone else,” he said.  

Members and supporters of People’s Radio fire back that KPFA Forward is guilty of the same. They insist their campaign, including their demands about Democracy Now! and the programming council, are consistent with the station’s goal to insure that it is democratically run.  

“They have their own little turf to protect,” said Michael Lubin, an incumbent board member who is partial to the People’s Radio slate. 

He denies the accusations of micro-management. Instead he said he supports both the decision by the board to order the Democracy Now! change, and the decision to democratize the programming council because both decisions are attempts to involve the broader community. 

Part of the larger problem, both sides agree, is the vagueness of the bylaw that defines the role of the board. Under a subhead entitled, “Powers and Duties,” the bylaws say the LSB has the power, duty and responsibility “to work with station management to ensure…that station policies and procedures for making programming decisions and for program evaluation are working in a fair, collaborative and respectful manner to provide quality programming.” 

Both sides of the debate point to this section to defend their separate agendas.  

On top of the infighting, the election has also had technical problems. The election was originally scheduled to end on Nov. 25. But according to Brian Johns, the election director for KPFA, some ballots were printed and then mailed late. The printing coincided with the national election, which left most printers swamped, he said. 

The station is also in danger of not meeting quorum. If they do not get a 10 percent turnout of listener voters, the election will be void and the incumbents will stay in their spots. As of Wednesday, 714 of the 2,831 listener members needed to reach quorum had mailed in their ballots. KPFT, a Pacifica affiliate in Houston, did not meet quorum in their recent election.  

The board election, according to Johns, has cost $169,500.

Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board members greenlighted a five-story University Avenue condominium project Monday, saying they were delighted that the developer would be offering units to low-income residents. 

Developer Alex Varum said 20 percent of the units in his 1122 University Ave. project will be reserved for buyers making 80 percent or less of the Oakland Metropolitan Area median income (AMI). 

Under state law, he could have set the cutoff point at 120 percent, allowing him to sell the so-called inclusionary units at higher prices. 

“I’m really excited you’re going with 80 percent AMI,” said ZAB Chair Andy Katz. 

“I appreciate that too,” said member Jesse Anthony, who called the project an exciting addition to the University Avenue/San Pablo Avenue neighborhood. With projects such as these, he said, “one of these days Berkeley will have more people, we hope.” 

Outgoing ZAB member and City Councilmember-elect Laurie Capitelli praised the project, but said he wanted to make certain that the inclusionary units were spread throughout the unit and not concentrated in one area. 

“They’ll be in all floors in all (architectural) elevations,” Varum said. 

The project replaces a vacant lot, a bar and a liquor store. It will include two buildings. One is a five-story structure facing University with 48 housing units, two ground floor live/work units and two retail spaces. The other is a three-story structure directly behind it, which features an additional 15 units. 

The project includes 74 underground parking spaces, two of them reserved for commercial tenants. Additional parking for customers of the commercial tenants could be provided by parking slot subleases from tenants who won’t be using them during business hours. 

The building will also feature a garage entry door by Berkeley artist Amy Blackwell, who designed the whimsical gate at developer Patrick Kennedy’s Artech Building. 

ZAB member Deborah Matthew said she was concerned that the building “looks so much like a hotel” and asked about window treatments and exterior finish colors. 

Varum said the building will be finished in two shades of beige, with slate-like tile along the street-level frontage. Window frames, he said, will be high-quality aluminum. 

When Metzger questioned the need for ground-level commercial use, Senior Planner Deborah Sanderson said her department discourages ground-level residential and encourages commercial uses because of the heavy traffic in the area. 

No speakers opposed the project. 

“I am so happy to see something proposed for the neighborhood like this,” Joe Walton, who has lived nearby on Bonar Street for the last two decades, told the board. “I’m also in favor of the five-story building, because a nice five-story is far more attractive than these one-story ticky-tacky boxes with parking lots out front. There’s no downside that I can see.” 

Varum said he would be working with members of PlanBerkeley.Org, a group focused on development issues in the University Avenue corridor, to find appropriate tenants for the ground floor retail spaces. 

Members of the group had criticized the project in the past and Varum said he had taken many of their criticisms into account as the project evolved through several design iterations. 

Getting to the final approvals on demolition permits for the existing structures at the site and the use permit approved Monday wasn’t an easy process, Varum acknowledged. 

“The design review process took longer than expected,” Varum said, “and we made numerous concessions.” He estimated his costs so far at $300,000. 

After the meeting, Metzger expressed his concerns about the numbers of large projects recently approved by his fellow board members. “I can’t help but think that the projects we’re approving may become the slums of tomorrow,” he said. 

As the meeting ended, fellow board member and frequent opponent Carrie Sprague thanked Capitelli—“a wonderful and a very kind person”—for his service on the panel. Her remarks were greeted with applause and more praise for the incoming City Councilmember. 

“I want to thank all of you,” Capitelli responded. “In the last four years I’ve disagreed with all of you at least once, and I look forward to watching you on TV.” 

After the laughter, Capitelli shared chocolate and carrot cake with his former colleagues, audience members and the press.

Twenty years down the road, if anything good has come from the terrible gas leak in Bhopal, India, it is the birthing of a new generation of unlikely heroes.  

Until 27 tons of methyl isocyanate leaked out on that cold December night in 1984, Rashida Bee and Champa Devi Shukla had never even heard of Union Carbide. They’d never gone more than a few miles from their homes in Bhopal. Now, two decades later, Bee can’t sleep at night and has lost six family members to cancer. For days after the leak she scoured the city morgues trying to find her missing family members. Shukla has lost her husband and still suffers from panic disorders. Her granddaughter was born with a deformity.  

The tragedy brought about an amazing transformation of a generation of women who just wanted to go about their ordinary lives raising families and cooking dinner. Instead, they found many of their husbands were dead or crippled from the gas leak, unable to perform the back-breaking manual labor they used to do before the accident. So it was the women, many of whom never learned to read or write, who became both the breadwinners and chief activists in Bhopal. They kept the fire under Union Carbide, and when its new owner Dow Chemical tried to evade them, they went after Dow as well.  

The legacy of Bhopal is alive in these women—literally. They carry the shadow of that environmental disaster in their wombs and their breast milk. Children are still being born in Bhopal with deformities that activists say are linked to the disaster.  

Long before outsourcing and globalization were buzzwords, Bhopal was the poster child of how both could be done irresponsibly. And these women are showing up as far away from Bhopal as the board meeting of Dow Chemical in Midland, Mich., to press their case. As Bee said, “When women find they can’t feed their children, they actually get angry and want to fight.”  

And they have done it in a way that only women could. Like the Jharoo Maro Dow Ko campaign, where Dow executives as far afield as Israel and Italy found themselves presented with brooms. A humble household object became a political tool that sent a message: The same broom used to clean homes could in effect sweep Dow out of business in a gust of bad public relations. The globalization that brought Union Carbide to India is turning full circle, bringing these activists to Dow’s corporate headquarters and American courts. There, they demand release of company documents and more funds for the cleanup of contaminated groundwater. As political theater, it’s on par with Mahatma Gandhi making salt from the ocean in defiance of British salt taxes.  

These new women activists are not people I would have ever met when I lived in India. Women like Bee and Shukla led and still lead a hand-to-mouth existence as laborers in a stationery factory in Bhopal. They speak no English. I might have seen them on a local train or bus, but I would not have sat and conversed with them. Class would have kept us apart.  

This year we were still separated from each other. This time, however, they were receiving the 2004 Goldman prize, or the Environmental Nobels, in San Francisco. And I was just one of the many journalists and admirers clamoring for their attention. It was a humbling experience.  

Company bosses who once boasted to their shareholders that the Bhopal disaster had cost Union Carbide just 43 cents a share would do well to not dismiss these activists as illiterate housewives tilting at windmills with broomsticks. None other than Winston Churchill once snottily dismissed the absurdity of a “seditious, half-naked fakir” like Gandhi taking on the British empire in his loincloth. The price of that condescension proved costly.  

In an age where multinational corporations are the new empires, Rashida Bee, Champa Devi Shukla and their sisters might very well be the true inheritors of Gandhi’s legacy.  

And Gandhi, who died trying to preserve peace between Hindus and Muslims, would have approved of his unlikely heirs. Shukla is Hindu and Bee is Muslim. “It doesn’t matter whether you are Hindu or Muslim,” Shukla says. “Poor people like us suffer equally.”  

Sandip Roy hosts UpFront, New California Media’s radio show on KALW-FM 91.7 in San Francisco.  

s

Four weeks after the presidential election, there continues to be a controversy about the difference between the exit poll projections and the actual results. Almost daily, conspiracy theories surface on Internet blogs, only to be refuted a few hours later. 

To gain perspective on why many Democrats persist in the belief that the election was stolen let’s remember what happened on Nov. 2. In addition to exit polls reporting that Kerry was going to win, there were widespread reports of voting irregularities. I heard some of these in Colorado, where I was getting out the vote. Periodically the Boulder Democratic headquarters would receive calls that voters were being harassed or told the wrong place to vote.  

A national database (https://voteprotect.org/index.php?display=EIRMapNation) captured 24,842 of these voting irregularities. Mahoning County, Ohio, reported more than 1,000 voting incidents; for example, “Caller’s father voted on touchscreen machine for Kerry-Edwards, when he went to check his vote, the vote had recorded Bush-Cheney; he had to try three times to get the vote to Kerry-Edwards.” Similar incidents were reported in Miami-Dade County in Florida, “Voter voted for Kerry; when she reviewed the [touch screen] ballot it showed that she voted for Bush.”  

These documented irregularities don’t fully account for a Bush plurality of 3.3 million votes; but the fact that many of us saw or heard about election nastiness does explain why Democrats have a bad feeling about the election, why we want to believe that the Republican cheated their way to victory. To dispel these concerns and accept the results, Democrats require a coherent explanation for what happened—why Kerry didn’t prevail as we hoped. 

I’ve concluded that Bush won for two reasons and that neither involved a conspiracy. The first was that Republicans did a better job of getting out the vote. Matt Bai’s article, “Who Lost Ohio?” In the Nov. 21st New York Times Magazine explained, “The Bush campaign had created an entirely new math in Ohio” with so many white, conservative and religious voters now living in the brand-new townhouses and McMansions in Ohio’s growing ring counties, Republicans were able to mobilize a stunning turnout in areas where their support was more concentrated than it was in the past.”  

Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Ronald Brownstein and Richard Rainey observed that, compared to 2000, Bush’s biggest vote increases came in 100 of the fastest-growing “exurban” counties—meaning the distant suburbs, the “ring counties” that Bai noted. We can see evidence of this in Northern California. As we scan the voting results, moving eastward from San Francisco to Sacramento County, we see that Republican voters came out in progressively larger numbers than ever before; for example, 83 percent of San Franciscans voted for Kerry, while 53 percent of those in San Joaquin County voted for Bush and there was a virtual tie in Sacramento County. Over the past four years, the number of Republicans in the Bay Area exurbs has increased. For example, conservative Republican Congressman Richard Pombo—whose district encompasses eastern Alameda, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties, plus San Joaquin County—received 110,361 votes in the 2000 election and 152,434 in 2004; Pombo’s exurban district contains rapidly growing communities, such as Brentwood, that are heavily Republican. 

I saw this same pattern in Colorado: Republicans matched the Democratic get-out-the-vote effort by focusing on the suburbs and exurbs. In Boulder County, where Kerry received 67 percent of the vote, Democrats turned out 90.8 percent of those registered; in exurban Douglas County, where Bush received 67 percent, Republicans turned out an astounding 96 percent of those registered. In critical Jefferson County, a rapidly growing Denver suburb, Democrats hoped to win outright; however, because of the combined Democratic and Republican GOTV effort, there was an 89.6 percent turnout, and Bush got 20,000 more votes than he did in 2000, 52 percent of the total. 

Understanding the Republican GOTV strategy explains the exit-poll discrepancy—the polls were off because they didn’t adequately consider the extent of the Republican turnout in the suburbs and exurbs. In other words, the poll weightings were wrong because they were based upon the 2000 race and, therefore, the pollsters didn’t sample enough voters in the ‘burbs. 

Democrats got out the vote but so did Republicans; 37 percent of voters self-identified as Democrats and 37 percent said they were Republicans. For all practical purposes the Presidential campaigns ended in a dead heat.  

What finally tipped the election to Bush was Party loyalty: 93 percent of Republicans voted for the nominee of their Party while only 89 percent of Democrats supported Kerry. That 4 percent decided the election. Kerry would have won if Democratic voters had supported him as fervently as GOP loyalists supported Bush. 

In the final analysis, Bush won the election because Republicans did a superb job getting out the vote and holding their base. Howard Dean, and others, warned the Kerry campaign that they should spend less time appealing to undecided voters and, instead, focus on energizing the Democratic base. That Dean was right is one of the big lessons to be learned from the Kerry defeat. 

”

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

BERKELEY TAXES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Too high or drunk to take care of your things? Thinking of wintering down south but would rather not schlep all of your crap around with you but don’t want to get rid of it either? Well, don’t fret my pet: Berkeley doesn’t have enough money to adequately fund library, fire, and police services or to keep its streets clean but it apparently has ample funds to gather up and store your possessions—free of charge. Such a deal! (“Protecting Possessions For City’s Homeless Strains Resources,” Daily Planet, Nov. 12-15). 

I will continue to vote no to any attempts by the Berkeley City Council to increase my taxes until they chose to spend our money more responsibly. 

Millicent Wilson 

• 

SUTTER’S LABOR  

PRACTICES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I have been a nurse assistant for 15 years at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center and would like to give a frontline worker’s perspective on union contract negotiations and our strike. Sutter says that the strike is about some hidden agenda that the union has, but it’s not. My co-workers and I have made the difficult decision to strike because we care so strongly about our community and we need to stand up for our patients. Sutter keeps cutting down the number of caregivers and nurses and we don’t have time to really take care of people. All other hospitals except Sutter have agreed to patient care standards to improve staffing and training. Sutter has been bargaining in bad faith and using unfair labor practices to try to scare us, but they can’t silence us. We will do what it takes to stop Sutter’s unfair labor practices and stand up for good care in our community. Instead of using patients’ money to commit unfair labor practices, Sutter should be living up to the standard that has been set everywhere else. 

Darnita Goodman 

Vallejo 

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RICHMOND COVERAGE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thanks for your continuing coverage of the Zeneca-Simeon development in Richmond. We residents much appreciate the attention to this issue—which 

is sorely lacking from the major media and the other so-called “independents.” 

Karen Franklin 

Richmond 

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WAR PROFITEERS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Author Pratap Chaterjee’s observation that NGO’s are leaving Iraq because “it takes profit to motivate” under dangerous conditions (“Berkeley Author Investigates Iraq War Profiteers,” Daily Planet, Nov. 30-Dec. 2) may well be true, but the best reason an NGO should stay out (in addition to the possibility of staff losing their heads) is that their participation in the occupation is against the interests and desires of the Iraqi people. As long as the public perception is of the U.S. as occupier controlling Iraq’s future, no matter how pure a foreigner’s motivation, unless they are actively working against the occupation, they will not be welcome. The U.S., through military might, may crush the Iraqi people into submission, but in doing so will destroy voices of moderation and reap a harvest of hatred and revenge for generations to come.  

Tom Miller 

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TAXI SCRIP PROGRAM 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Some of you with friends or relatives who depend on Berkeley’s taxi scrip program to have a life may have heard that City of Berkeley is proposing to drastically cut down the number of rides it offers to seniors and the disabled.  

A staff memo on taxi scrip states that there is no money for everyday life trips, only scrip for emergencies. However, it is those “everyday life trips” that keep seniors and disabled persons out of nursing homes and institutions. It is those “everyday life trips” that allow them to participate in their community, and prevent deadening isolation. While the proposal promises to add over 200 new riders to the program, it is doing so by slashing the number of rides by a whopping 80 percent.  

Astonishingly, a look at the taxi scrip budget shows that administrative costs are remaining as expensive as they were when more scrip was distributed. Those costs haven’t been slashed a commensurate 80 percent. In fact, these administrative costs are over 50 percent the amount spent on scrip. This is not right. Too much is at stake.  

There are solutions. Here’s one: Why not shutter down the taxi scrip office to very part-time hours and sell taxi scrip for only two weeks every three months? Why not use volunteers at the senior centers to help with the distribution during those two weeks, further cutting down administrative costs?  

If I could think up one alternative to butchering a life saving program, I’m sure city staff could come up with perhaps even better ones. Not too long ago, taxi scrip was improved thanks in large part to former Mayor Dean and staff that cooperated with her concern. Under Mayor Bates, the same concern and cooperation are expected.  

If you care, please call Mayor Bates urging him not to decimate the taxi scrip program and to work instead toward maximizing its effectiveness.  

Maris Arnold  

P.S. Another money saving suggestion to City of Berkeley: Stop hiring consultants! Especially those $100,000-a-pop ones. Use instead the vast reservoir of expertise from retired Berkeleyans.  

• 

ANSWERING THE QUESTION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The irritating device of asking a question in order to provide an answer (see Bonnie Hughes’ letters, Daily Planet, Nov. 26-29) has a long history, and Ms. Hughes has correctly pointed out that it has nothing to do with uncovering the truth. The “question” format came into being during the Middle Ages when the church was trying to explain the Trinity. 

It was a confusing concept. How could Jesus be the son of God, if the holy spirit, Jesus and God were all one? When Jesus said, “Father, why have thee forsaken me?” was he talking to himself? You can see why the peasants scratched their heads at the whole idea. The church does not like believers to be unclear about these things, so it invented the “question” format as a way for priests, bishops, etc. to “explain” things. However, the “question” was always slanted to have  

only one answer, so while it seemed to be a real question, in fact it was just a way to manipulate the people who scratched their heads (about 99 percent of the population). 

The “question” suggests that the query lies in the mind of the reader, but in fact it is a device of the writer. It allows people to hide behind “just asking questions,” rather than coming out and stating their point of view. Christians these days are raising “questions” about evolution, but their purpose is not to discover answers, but to make people believe the world is 6,000 years old and human beings were made in God’s image. 

Back in the Middle Ages, failure to get the right “answer” generally got you burned at the stake. We aren’t there yet, but when 35 percent of the population thinks there is no evidence for evolution, and 29 percent isn’t sure, don’t bank on not ending up there. 

Conn Hallinan 

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DEMANDING ACTION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

With increasingly widespread reports of various types of election fraud, it’s time for citizens to rise up and demand action. We must demand full coverage in the media, we must demand that both parties pay as much attention to these reports as they are to those in the Ukraine. It is a cruel irony that Colin Powell and others demand democracy there, yet ignore the hijacking of democracy here in the U.S. The big question is: Where is the Democratic Party in all this? Perhaps trying not to seem “unpatriotic” in questioning the very fabric of our democracy, moving ever further away from their base and to the right. Whatever the reason, we cannot afford to wait for action from the party. We must stand up for what we value most—our democracy and our freedom. We must take to the streets and the time is now. 

Arianna Siegel 

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FAULT LINES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

One of my responses to Ms. Thomas (“Berkeley-Stanford Big Game Means Big Headache for Stadium Neighbors,” Daily Planet, Nov. 23-25) was that after several centuries, we might make it a policy not to build anything on or near a major fault, say within a quarter mile. 

This might happen sooner, but only after our present siting practices are obviously not suitable. 

Moving buildings and activities back away from any fault will be very expensive and time consuming. 

Charles Smith 

• 

EDITORIAL CARTOONS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I’ve been meaning to convey my great appreciation for Justin DeFreitas’ sharp-edged, well-targeted political cartoons—concise and powerful in both substance and style. We really need to keep exposing the incredible hypocrisy of these power-mad folks, and his cartoons are right on target. 

The Planet and its readers are fortunate to have his work. I hope it reaches ever more widely. 

Thanks.  

Charlene Woodcock 

• 

READ THE LITERATURE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I just read Zelda Bronstein’s article on MBNA switching her SoCal affinity card from Mastercard to Amex (“MBNA Switches Cal Alumni Credit Card Without Member’s Approval,” Daily Planet, Nov. 30-Dec. 2). Basically she’s bashing MBNA for her own admitted carelessness in throwing out valuable and informative literature that was sent to her. It’s obvious she follows the ever-growing masses in this country that take no responsibility for their own actions. Does she think institutions like that spend their money sending out useless literature? Sure some of it may be simply of no importance or contain solicitous information but you should at least give it a cursory glance on the off chance it may—and did in her case—contain very important information regarding her account. Shame on her for her careless disregard and shame on you for printing such an article.  

Robert Umenhofer  

• 

TORTURE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The International Committee of the Red Cross concluded that prisoners at Guantanamo had been tortured. A criminal complaint filed in Berlin charged the Secretary of Defense, Director of the CIA and the General in charge of U.S. forces in Iraq and others, with human rights violations at Abu Ghraib prison. 

Are we not capable of washing our own dirty linen? Has Congress completely abandoned its responsibility to check the policies and balance the excesses of the White House? If so, then out of a sense of honesty Congress should consider amending the Constitution to remove the prohibition against “cruel and unusual punishment.”  

This is not a partisan issue. It involves our already diminished reputation in the world. By ignoring Geneva Convention rules, sanctioning the abuse of prisoners, we risk losing whatever trust we have left and, more importantly, the destruction of our own self-respect. I value my own self-respect and I demand that Congress take care of our nation’s self-respect. 

Marvin Chachere  

San Pablo 

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VOLUNTEER EFFORT IN OHIO 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thousands of us went to Ohio, ground zero, to volunteer our time in order to remove George Bush from office and we definitely made a difference. I worked out of the America Coming Together office in Cuyahoga County which includes Cleveland and most of its suburbs, a heavily democratic area. There were folks there from all over the United States, including Hawaii, and from several other countries such as Denmark, Canada and Holland that I had the privilege to work with. Together we canvassed voters by telephone and in neighborhoods, organized voter education events, did data entry, hosted celebrities, presented assemblies to 18 year old high school students, who were very excited about voting, and the list goes on. 

On November 2 along with Move On, Election Protection, Vote Mob, the Kerry Campaign and other groups throughout Ohio we turned out more voters for the Democratic ticket than had voted in Ohio in many years. At the polls we provided voting assistance to countless citizens who wished to cast ballots, many who had never voted before or not in a very long time. Many more voters would have been disenfranchised if it were not for the help they received from the many volunteers who were ready and willing to walk several extra miles to make sure folks got to the correct polling places, had comfortable situations while waiting in long lines, made sure that the disabled were accommodated, bought and passed out food and drink to those in need and much more. We did make a big difference. 

During my 17 days in Ohio I met many new and empowered activists and half of them were under 30. They were inspired by the energy that all of us created together which boosted their hope that we would make the difference. And for this they were willing to work tirelessly. These new participants are charged up and will continue to be involved because so many of us went to Ohio and other swing states and helped to create inspiration. 

Most of us who worked in Ohio to help elect John Kerry feel certain that Kerry would have carried Ohio if not for the massive amount of disenfranchisement, dirty tricks and possible voter fraud. The jury is still out on much of it as the recount goes forward. Most importantly, though, is that we made an incredible effort and all together we inspired ourselves to continue to work very hard to take back our democracy. 

Meaveen O’Connor 

• 

NO TO ELEPHANT RIDES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors last year wisely voted to ban elephant rides from the annual Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival, for reasons of animal welfare and public safety. 

Such progressive and compassionate views have yet to reach Sacramento, apparently. Even now California State Fair officials are negotiating to have elephant rides at the 2005 State Fair. Bad idea, and they need to hear from us. 

One can only imagine the death and destruction (not to mention lawsuits) should a five-ton elephant run amok through a crowd of 50,000 people with terrified children aboard. It wouldn’t take much to set the disaster in motion: a car backfiring, a firecracker, a minor earthquake, an airplane’s sonic boom.... 

When not giving rides, these Asian elephants (an endangered species) are kept in chains, separated from their family groups. The travel in trucks from Southern California is stressful on the animals, and potentially dangerous. 

There’s also a public health risk: Elephants can carry and transmit tuberculosis to humans. And what of the negative message that such bogus “entertainment” sends to impressionable young children? 

Those concerned should contact Mr. Norbert Bartosik, General Manager and CEO, California State Fair, P.O. Box 15649, Sacramento, CA 95852. Telephone: (916) 263-3000; fax: (916) 263-7903; e-mail: genmgr@calexpo.com. 

The elephants and the public alike deserve better. 

Eric Mills 

Action for Animals 

Oakland 

• 

STOLEN ELECTION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

What a hoot! Ironically, officials of the Bush administration are pointing at exit polls and saying that they show that the election was stolen. I could not agree more. However, the Bush administration officials are very selective in their finger-pointing. They are not talking about the recent Presidential election with its ever-growing list of computer glitches, computer errors, computer anomalies and computer mistakes, all of which magically favored Bush, no, they are talking about the recent election in the Ukraine! 

In our election, Bush had only a 47 percent pre-election job approval rating and only a 48 percent post-election job approval rating (Zogby International polls), yet Bush managed to get an amazing 52 percent of the popular vote in the “counting” on Election Day. A one-day electronic vote wonder. Thirty million votes were cast on electronic voting machines without any paper trails.  

This Bush election “miracle” was created inside of the voting machines run by his right-wing corporate buddies, Diebold, ES&S, Sequoia and SAIC, four interlocked secretive right-wing electronic vote-counting machine manufacturers, using secret software to “count” our votes privately. 

Without paper trails for all votes, it is clearly impossible to demonstrate that this election was not stolen.  

James K. Sayre 

Oakland 

The Oakland chips are beginning to fall in place for Mayor Jerry Brown’s run for California attorney general in 2006, and if you thought the whole purpose of the effort was for the Oakland chips to fall in place for the rest of us in Oakland, you went and slept through part of this production, didn’t you? 

First, thanks to the Oakland Tribune’s Peggy Stinnett, we learn that Mr. Brown’s old buddy, Jacques Barzaghi, is moving to Morocco, possibly to take advantage of a sister city program Oakland set up with that country. Ms. Stinnett believes that Mr. Barzaghi is gone for good, writing that “the parting of Jacques and Jerry has been like an unfriendly divorce. ... [T]he two men are seriously breaking up their long relationship, and it looks like the final parting with an ocean between them.” Me, I’m not so sure that this isn’t just a just a way to get a lingering embarrassment out of the picture during the campaign—you know, out of sight, out of mind—and that Mr. Barzaghi won’t be turning up in the Brown camp when and if Mr. Brown returns to state office. In any event, another chip in place. 

In the area of law and order—critical to any prospective attorney general—Oakland had its 79th and 80th murders earlier this month. While that makes it a particularly bad year for those 80 people who were killed within our borders, it allows Mr. Brown to declare that murders are “down” from last year, which is something like the old Malcolm X line of someone sticking a knife into your back and then—when you holler in protest—pulling it halfway out and calling it progress. But count on Mr. Brown to use it as a yardstick of success in his upcoming campaign. 

The defeat of a third violence prevention measure during Mr. Brown’s terms would have been a serious blow to both his law enforcement and leadership credentials, but with the passage of Measure Y, he’s pretty much left with the picking of Police Chief Richard Word’s replacement to put his law resume in order. 

But picking the new police chief may be stickier than you think, even with Mr. Brown’s unlimited selection powers under Oakland’s Strong Mayor law. 

Continue, for a moment, under the premise that the mayor is lately making Oakland decisions with a full eye on their impact on his chances for the office of state attorney general. 

It’s hard to get elected to that post without the general support of police unions, and California police unions won’t generally look favorably on an attorney general candidate if the police union in his own city is less than enthusiastic about his prospects. That would lead you to believe that Mr. Brown is going to be careful not to pick an Oakland police chief who is disliked by the Oakland Police Officers’ Association. 

But some Oaklanders, thinking that since they’re footing the bills for all of this, are of the opinion that the Mayor might want to come around and consult with them, too. A group of impatient Oakland citizens decided not to wait on Mr. Brown to take the first step, but put together a meeting the other evening over at the Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church to offer some suggestions as to what criteria the mayor should use to pick the new chief. Mr. Brown said he welcomed the input and came out for a while to listen as a long line of citizens walked up to the microphone to have their say. Mr. Brown being Mr. Brown and easily bored with citizen talk, he decided not to actually stay and listen to the whole group, but ducked out midway through to chat on camera with the television reporters out in the foyer. 

Which would lead one to believe that the mayor is continuing on Course A; that is, picking a new police chief in close consultation with the Oakland Police Officers Association, and lesser consultation with the many Oaklanders whose streets the police department patrols. 

There is danger in doing so. 

While Oakland citizens have no influence whatsoever on police unions around California, they might have some influence on other citizens. The issue of a new police chief is so important in Oakland that some of these citizens might take it upon themselves to detail their experiences with Mr. Brown up and down the state, if they feel they are being seriously and completely frozen out. An Oakland Truth Squad, sending out regular press releases and fact sheets and following Mr. Brown from city to city, would probably not be particularly helpful to his campaign. It might, in fact, be more embarrassing than Mr. Barzaghi sticking around. 

But the more serious danger is that hiring a new Oakland police chief in the same mold as the last Oakland police chief—that is, one who cannot or will not change the culture of the Oakland Police Department, to borrow a comment made at the Lakeshore meeting by Alameda County Sheriff Charles Plummer—could lead to continued social unrest and problems between Oakland police and Oakland citizens. 

The pots are boiling on several burners right now, most notably with the city’s African-American and Latino youth. Oakland has a serious problem of making these young folks feel that they do not belong in this city, first by dissing and dismissing them when they tell us we’re not providing anything for them “to do,” then by rousting them when they create their own social outlets—such as sideshows—that many older Oaklanders believe are not appropriate. Oakland police as they are presently organized are poorly equipped to handle tense crowds of dark Oakland youth. In events such as the Festival at the Lake, Carijama, and the sideshows, in fact, they have tended to make things worse, escalating the tensions rather than easing them. Oakland needs a police chief who is either smart enough to be able to put together a separate youth squad with officers of a different mentality to deal with crowd control and other non-hard-crime youth problems, or else has enough courage and political strength to tell the mayor and City Council that some other agency needs to be developed and put in charge. 

But the youth problem is only the tip of the iceberg, the portion which is generally the quickest and most likely to blow. Underlying that is an Oakland police culture that sees itself separate and aloof from citizens in much of the city, particularly those parts of the city where citizens suffer most from crime and violence. Many of those citizens were among the crowd that gathered at the Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church to give their input to Mayor Brown on the selection of a new police chief. A better relationship between the police and them would almost certainly lead to reductions in Oakland’s crime and violence. A continued bad relationship will probably mean continued problems, and that won’t look good on Mr. Brown’s resume as he tries for Attorney General. And all of it starts with who’s the mayor’s choice for the new chief. 

In other words, played the wrong way, Mr. Brown’s police chief chip could easily end up blowing his whole carefully-constructed stack. Let’s watch and see how this goes. 

Nondescript Slasher 

A Monday afternoon dispute between two fellows outside the US Liquors at 2997 Sacramento St. took a nasty turn when one pulled a knife and slashed the other’s forearm. 

When police arrived, the injured disputant could offer no description whatsoever of the fellow who slashed him, said Berkeley Police spokesperson Officer Joe Okies. 

With no information, there was little officers could do beyond making sure the victim received medical treatment for the relatively minor wound. 

Witness Call Leads to Bust 

An alert eyewitness called police after spotting a stealthy fellow extracting golf clubs from a car parked in the 2100 block of San Pablo Avenue just after 7:15 p.m. Monday. 

Officers promptly arrived and spotted the suspect, whom they relieved of the clubs and other items taken from the car, along with the burglary tools used in the heist. 

The 51-year-old suspect was handcuffed and driven to the city lockup on suspicion of burglary, possession of burglary tools and receiving stolen property. 

More Burglary Tools 

Four hours after the car burglar’s bust, officers arrested a 39-year-old man near the corner of Sixth and Page streets for holding his own set of burglary tools and for giving a false ID to the arresting officer. 

Traffic Stop Leads to Abuse Arrest 

What began as a routine traffic stop in the 1500 block of Dwight Way late Wednesday afternoon ended in a felony arrest for a 26-year-old mother. While talking to the driving, the officer who made the stop noticed signs of abuse on her young child and arrested the mother. 

Late-Breaking Bank Heist 

Berkeley Police were summoned to the 2124 Shattuck Ave. branch of Wells Fargo Bank at 2:15 Thursday, after a gunman walked into the bank, produced a pistol and demanded cash. 

Tellers complied, and the robber fled with the contents of their tills. 

Bank cameras captured the image of a white male, approximately 6’ to 6’1” tall with salt and pepper hair, a gray mustache and a scab or cut over his right eye. 

Anyone with information is requested to call the Berkeley Police Robbery Detail, anonymously or otherwise, at 981-5742 or e-mail police@ci.berkeley.ca.us.

Against Thomas Lynch’s set of “life on this sorry sawmill camp”—great beams hold up roof and sidings of rusted metal, flanked by a two-story tall iron wheel, with a ragged line of treetops painted on the backdrop—Lonnie (Kevin Jackson) comes out at dawn and sings the Shack Rouser Song “Wake up . . . Day’s breakin’.” 

It’s just the first of 20 songs (mostly traditional blues, gospel and spiritual tunes) that make up the counterpoint to the action and the hard living of Zora Neale Hurston’s rediscovered Polk County, onstage at the Berkeley Rep. 

Almost immediately, as figures come and go in the half-light, there’s trouble: Big Sweet (Kecia Lewis) confronts Nunkie (Rudy Roberson) to get back the money he beat Lonnie, her “regular,” out of, gambling. When Nunkie refuses, Big Sweet lets him have it and literally squeezes it out of him. Nunkie complains to the others who gather around. “Why you want to die so young?” says one, “Give her the money and live to be old.” 

”God send me a pistol and I’ll send him a man!” exclaims Big Sweet. 

If Lonnie’s the gentle urger-along, the mellower, the folk poet (”Lonnie dreams pretty things,” Big Sweet says), Big Sweet’s an enforcer, an equalizer for the black workers on the camp. The quarters boss (Eric L. Abrams) admonishes her: “This rough-housin’ gotta stop. You stomp three men; they can’t work.” 

And with the entrance of more folks singing, led by My Honey (Clinton Derricks-Carroll) on guitar, the sign of more trouble brewing: Dicey (Peri Gaffney) can’t do enough for My Honey, who wants none of her. “How long you gonna be gone?” she asks him. “From since when ‘til nobody knows!” 

Big Sweet handily divests her of the knife she brandishes, warning her, “Wanting a man who don’t want you’s like peepin’ in a jug with one eye—all you see is darkness.” Dicey’s defiant. “Why we got to have all this disturbment?” she’s asked. “I’m gonna get me a new big knife and I’m gonna make me a graveyard of my own!” 

The juiciness of the vernacular comes from the meat of experience behind it. Hurston knew these workcamps, where she went as an anthropologist to study black folk culture and music. If her view of things has acquired a blush for the stage, the reality behind the picture presented isn’t hard to conjure up. The language does that—despite its charm and inventiveness, it’s also clearly a weapon, a warning, and a sponge for the desperation of circumstances, which can change quickly from menace to hilarity, just as much as it’s a source of poetry and ribald humor.  

There’s a romanticized autobiographical touch: into the camp comes pretty young citygirl Leafy Lee—“That’s a pretty name to have, especially when it’s yours for real!”—an educated young lady, played by Tiffany Thompson, who says she’s come to learn the blues, to sing like Ethel Waters.  

Everybody’s suspicious at first, but Big Sweet takes her under her wing. Leafy confides that she’s returned to the camp she was born in, her mother having just died, and that nothing held her to New York, not even a man asking her momma for her hand. 

Big Sweet and Leafy learn from each other. “I aim to put my wisdom tooth in your ear; I mean to be your forerunner, like John The Baptist.” News spreads quickly among the men about the exotic among them. They fawn over her. My Honey seems to be the most successful of Leafy’s many suitors. He sings “Careless Love” while Dicey suffers in the shadow. 

There’re more dilemmas to be overcome before Leafy and My Honey will be able to Jump the Broom: told to leave the camp by the philandering Boss, Big Sweet wonders if she and Lonnie should go to New York, where Leafy says they could live on their singing. “I can’t leave; I’m somebody now. I can’t feel like nothin’ no more.” 

Vampy Ella Wall (Deidre Goodwin) sashays in (a sassy entrance long prepared for that has Ella swivelling her legs around atop the piano—and the piano player running for it)—and brings a lot of voodoo along with her, teaming up with Dicey and Nunkie to “do the devil’s work.” 

Director Kyle Donnelly, who adapted Hurston’s manuscript with Cathy Madison, has a particularly good moment of staging, with stalwart Doug Eskew as Stew Beef singing “Let The Deal Go Down” as the other players move in slow motion, syncopated by the slapping-down of the cards. 

It’s a fine cast of nearly 20, all singing and dancing very well, sometimes brilliantly (even in the background: Aliza Kennerly as Maudella has few lines, but gracefully dances up a storm, over and over). But pride of place goes to Kecia Lewis as Big Sweet in a wonderful performance, with too few numbers to show off her fine voice (she’s also a recorded contemporary Gospel singer; her mournful singing of “John Henry” introduces a liturgical note amid the flowing of the blues). 

The play, which Hurston cowrote with Dorothy Waring, was neglected in the Library of Congress archives for decades. Donnelly and Madison shortened it considerably. The music of the first half seems to rise out of the action and flow back into it more naturally than in the second half, when the songs seem more to illustrate the action, as in a conventional musical. There’s also a concentration of some of the nine new numbers by Chic Street Man at the opening of the second act; they’re good songs, but some have a more modern flavor than the traditional numbers. In others (like “Lick It Like That” and “Sweet Potatoes In The Oven”), there’s a closer match to the vernacular of the old tunes. 

There’s a period feel to Polk County, and a folkloric sensibility, mediating whatever’s folk in it. Hurston wrote it after the great decades of the folkloric drama in Europe—the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, which inspired Garcia Lorca’s Andalucian plays like Blood Wedding (and the greater, if lesser-known, “esperpentos” of his older contemporary, Ramon del Valle-Inclan, like Divine Words). There were also the “proletarian” dramatizations of peasants grappling with modernization—a kind of literature in which Hurston couldn’t find a place.  

It’s a great rediscovery and a rousing show in any case. Berkeley Rep has a hit on their hands—out of the past. 

On Tuesday, Dec. 7, the City Council will vote on the Foothill Bridge, which UC Berkeley proposes building on upper Hearst Avenue, at the intersection of La Loma, Hearst, and Gayley Road. To build this bridge, UC Berkeley must obtain an encroachment permit (airspace approval), from the city.  

The proposed bridge will run over Hearst Avenue, connecting the La Loma Student Residence Hall to the Hillside Student Residence Hall on the south side of the street. The bridge is supposedly designed to aid the mobility of disabled students trying to get between the two residence halls. Councilmember Spring has pointed out however, that it is questionable whether the bridge as designed will serve this purpose. UC planners concede that the bridge will not solve mobility problems for disabled students who need to get down the hill to the main campus. The proposed bridge will also not improve safety for northside residents or other non-student pedestrians because it is only for the few disabled students living in the La Loma and Upper Hill residences. Access to the bridge will require a student identification card and a key to get into an elevator that goes up to the bridge.   

The university first presented their blueprints for the bridge in 1988, in conjunction with the construction of the two residence halls. Both residence halls were planned to be able to house students with disabilities, but all the dining and meeting facilities are in the Hillside residence, across the street. Opposition to the bridge from city officials and residents has kept the university from obtaining rights to the airspace that belongs to the city and its citizens for 16 years. Now UC Berkeley is back with this proposal for a final vote before the City Council on Dec. 7. The university was wrong about the bridge in 1988 and they are still wrong today. 

Neighborhood residents have additional objections. Residents living uphill argue that the bridge will obstruct their views, and this could jeopardize their property values. Other residents fear that allowing the university to build the bridge will set a precedent, which will make it easier for the university to build more bridges in the future. For most of the residents in the northside neighborhood, the bridge represents yet another expansion of the campus, and institutionalization of residential areas.  

The Public Works Commission, among others, criticized UC Berkeley’s concept. The Public Works Commission’s compelling analysis, delivered to the council in July 2004, concluded that UC Berkeley failed to meet certain minimum Berkeley Municipal Code 16.18.080 requirements and therefore, by law, must be denied an airspace permit. They also stated that the bridge would add nothing to non-student pedestrian safety.  

Berkeley Municipal Code 16.18.080 demands that UC Berkeley come up with alternatives to a bridge such as building a tunnel under Hearst Avenue, remodeling the residence halls, redesigning the intersection on La Loma/Hearst/Gayley Road, or constructing a new and improved pathway to Gayley Road from the Hillside Residence. UC Berkeley’s claim that they have to build the bridge in order to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act is untrue. It is not necessary that disabled students need to be housed in the La Loma residence at all. In the new student residence halls on the south side of campus, all the units are either handicapped-accessible or convertible within 24 hours.  

In public hearings and City Council meetings, residents requested that UC Berkeley protect all pedestrians, bicyclists, handicapped students and neighbors alike, by improving and redesigning the dangerous intersections along the campus corridor and especially the La Loma/Hearst/Gayley intersection. Citizens also strongly urged the city to suggest to UC Berkeley that they conduct a comprehensive study about the possibility of building a tunnel at this intersection. UC Planner David Mandel stated before several city commissions that scientific studies undertaken by UC proved that building a tunnel was not feasible. However, UC Berkeley did no comprehensive studies when they submitted their recent bridge plan to the City of Berkeley in 2004. Their study from 1988 is outdated, new technologies are now available.  

UC students have recently stated that the process of gathering signatures from students living in the two Foothill Residence halls, in support of the bridge, was flawed and deceiving, because students were not told about the issues involved, and the possible alternatives. Therefore, the results of this signature drive by UC Berkeley’s principal planners are questionable. In fact, only a handful of disabled students were willing to sign in support of the bridge. It is therefore not surprising that on Nov. 12 the Daily Californian wrote a firm, negative opinion against building the Foothill Bridge, under the headline “Don’t Build Bridge.”  

“[I]t is a waste of resources that could end up causing more problems than it solves… Despite the potential benefits of the bridge, proponents ignore the fact that other student housing facilities can accommodate most students with disabilities. In fact, the university has no trouble-accommodating students who need such consideration. On top of the extraneous nature of the project, the bridge would not solve the problem it professes to address. ... If the university is bent upon bettering housing complexes for the benefit of Berkeley students, this construction project is not the way to do so. While we appreciate the University’s good intentions, we believe the bridge is unnecessary and its negative effects far outweigh the potential convenience for La Loma residents.” 

Building a bridge is not the solution for students or residents. The best way to solve the problems related to the Hearst, La Loma, Gayley intersection is to send UC Berkeley back to the drawing board to come up with alternative solutions that meet the Berkeley Municipal Code requirements. UC should then request a new hearing process. As concerned citizens, members of BLUE, and northside neighborhood residents, we are major stakeholders in the decision making process because our quality of life will be affected by whatever decisions are made. We share the same physical environment as UC students, and have common concerns about safety, traffic, parking, pollution, health, land-use, urban planning and design. Please join us in opposing UC Berkeley’s Foothill Bridge project. Let’s look for alternative solutions that will work for both the Northside Neighborhood and the student community. 

The Northside Neighborhood Association Steering Committee: Roger Van Ouytsel, Carl Friberg, Paula Smith, Jane Tanton, Jed Parsons and Berkeleyans for a Livable University Environment. 

Since there is no worldwide religious consensus, the belief in divine revelation produces this devastating dichotomy: Either God is not almighty because He was incapable of making Himself clear regarding the existence of one true religion, or the Almighty created mostly defective people who can’t recognize His clear message. Consequently, faiths based on a revelation by a god who claims to be both omnipotent and omnibenevolent must either inculcate a prejudice against nonbelievers or an aversion to impartial consideration. 

Another demographic fact corroborates the conclusion that existing religions must inculcate an aversion to impartial consideration. Most countries have traditional religions; and even in the United States, there still is a correlation between an individual’s faith, and his or her parents’ religion. If most people are simply inheriting their faith then they are not choosing it; therefore, they are not choosing it responsibly. Why would a good god reward someone who selfishly embraces a religion without bothering to determine that it is a morally correct decision? If the opportunity for eternal bliss is determined mostly by the inadvertent circumstances of birth, then no existing religion could be the product of a just god. 

Discrepancies destroy the credibility of an allegation; so a mysterious god shouldn’t expect to be believed. Nevertheless, the religious are so concerned with their selfish pursuit of an unjust and unreasonable reward that they don’t care whether their beliefs are just or reasonable. For instance, if you ask Catholics why their Church was once a terrorist organization that started religious wars, tortured infidels, and brutally murdered heretics, some of the true believers might quietly assume that you are in league with the devil and hope that God strikes you dead “to show that you are wrong.” Moreover, in order to maintain their status as moral authorities, religious professionals encourage their followers to endorse unjustified beliefs on faith. This outright denial of the importance of rational self-control is the most poisonous idea ever proposed; without responsible reasoning there is no restraint to propaganda or prejudice. 

Responsible reasoning is so important that a halfway decent god would not have failed to emphasize it. Responsible behavior shows love; therefore, it is the key to morality. But, responsibility requires reacting to reality; so responsible reasoning requires the courage to face disturbing facts, the concern and the patience to learn about important issues, and the humility and discipline to avoid pleasing presumptions. Concern, patience, courage, humility, and discipline are virtues. In absolute contrast, immorality is produced by thoughtlessness and presumption; and every selfish prejudice is sustained by a lack of regard for responsible reasoning. Consequently, even the greatest moral principles are often meaningless when they are not implemented with responsible reasoning. For example, religions that proclaimed the golden rule still actively supported monarchy, feudalism, colonialism, slavery, and chauvinism; and religions that condemn killing still show little concern over unnecessary war. The religious disregard for responsible reasoning explains crusades, jihads, and inquisitions. In addition, it explains how the Christian-conditioned Nazis assumed their supremacist and aggressive beliefs without concern for objective justification. And, it even explains how the Christian-conditioned Bolsheviks embraced communism, atheism, and totalitarianism without sound reason or evidence. Tyrants like Bin Laden, Hitler, and Stalin will continue to attract extremist mobs so long as religions condition their adherents to embrace beliefs, like greedy children, with no concern for responsible reasoning. 

To eliminate tyranny, we must accept our adult responsibilities. We must take personal responsibility for our choices; and we must accept the need for responsible reasoning. If we truly take control of our lives and demand responsive, effective, efficient, and honest political representation, then responsible governments will adopt sensible policies, and an era of peace will result. 

Thomas Ulatowski is a local resident. 

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Go West, ye seekers of gifts. To be precise, go to San Pablo Avenue, to Fourth Street, and to venues nearby and in between. Here are some choice possibilities that turned up on a recent random tour of shops on the west side of town.  

Ethnic Arts (1314 10th St., just south of Gilman and west of San Pablo) has a basket full of beguiling hand-knitted finger puppets. There’s a veritable Noah’s ark’s range of 2”-high creatures: a ram, a pileated woodpecker, a lamb with knobby knitted fleece, a pink French poodle with a lolling tongue and a smile. Made in Peru by a women’s knitting collective, the puppets could charm a child or decorate a gift package. I wanted one of each. ($3 apiece)  

Also at Ethnic Arts, a tableful of unusual Christmas ornaments from around the world: Indonesian fabric creatures (fish are particularly fetching) and palm leaf rice goddesses, ceramic mermaids from Peru, fine wire mesh shirts and pants from Africa, Guatemalan beaded ornaments (fauna, sea horses, lady bugs, shrimps), knitted ornaments from the same Peruvian collective that makes the finger puppets, Javanese puppets and more. ($3.50-$9)  

Another table displays a fabulous variety of nativities from around the globe, including a tiny (smaller than a small matchbox) mini-retablo nativity from Peru to others in many sizes from Kenya, Mexico, India and Peru in wood, metal, ceramic, palm leaf, or cloth. ($3.50-$56)  

Next door, at Zia (1310 10th St.), you can find angels and Christmas trees made from salvaged wood by artisans in Georgia. The Christmas trees are three feet high; the angels measure 40” through their halos. The angels’ arms are spindles taken from old chair backs, their wings fashioned out of old ceiling tin, their halos are wire. Subtle, weathered colors and strong rustic designs. (Angels, $185; Christmas trees, $100)  

Shifting gears, literally, Zia is selling candlestick holders made from auto parts welded by an artist in Davis to dramatic, sculptural effect. (singles, $140; pair, $120). And, in yet another very different vein, there are wonderful life-size wooden crows carved of wood and painted black. Various poses, startlingly lifelike. ($150)  

For the dancer-cum-cook in your life, check out the flamenco dancer aprons at The Spanish Table (1814 San Pablo Ave.). The aprons are made from scraps by a Seattle seamstress who makes flamenco dresses. Cotton and other fabrics, some with the characteristic big white polka dots on brightly colored backgrounds. ($24) 

At the Spanish Table, you can also choose from among a vast array of paella pans ranging from 10 to 130 centimeters (the latter serves 200—recipe available: start with 18 kgs. of rice) in carbon steel, copper, non-stick surfaces, stainless steel, and enamel. ($6-200) To get a would-be paella maker started, give a kit that comes with paella rice, Spanish olive oil, smoked Spanish paprika, saffron and a paella pan for six ($57). The Spanish Table stocks matching fire and gas-powered rings.  

Terra cotta cookware from Spain is pretty and versatile—it goes on top of the stove and into the oven. Plates, casseroles (some with covers, some without), bean pots, little bakers ($2.49-$49)  

Looking for a sure-to-please toy for a cat or dog? Animal Farm Discount Pet Food & Supplies (1531 San Pablo Ave.) is selling a laser pet toy that shines a bright dot that dogs and cats love to chase ($9.99). Touted as “the best cat-specific toy” is Da Bird, a wand with a propeller of chicken feathers on the end ($7.99). Your favorite dog would love an eminently chewable dental ball. This hard rubber toy has grooves that are filled with a liver-flavored, enzyme-spiked doggy toothpaste. There’s a kit that includes toy and toothpaste ($14.99).  

Down the street, Lucky Dog Pet Store (2154 San Pablo Ave.) has an item that’s sure to please the cat or small-to-medium-sized canine that has everything: his or her own appropriately sized chaise lounge or club chair, covered in fuschia, yellow, purple, black or zebra print velveteen ($89-119). Also at Lucky Dog, a selection of carry-on pet carriers for cats or small dogs, in a variety of materials. ($35-79)  

Omega Too (2204 San Pablo Ave.) has one-of-a-kind Moroccan side tables made of wood and hand-painted in rich colors. Four styles, some with ceramic tops. ($195-$350) Also at Omega Too: sturdy and beautiful iron doormats in graceful designs. ($50) Known for its exceptional collection of old-fashioned lighting fixtures, both new and vintage, Omega Too is offering 3-legged, antiqued brass Italianate candlestick lamps from Italy in three sizes. Each lamp takes a 60-watt bulb and a clip-on shade (Omega Too has a great assortment of clip-on shades). ($75-115)  

The inimitable Good Vibrations (2504 San Pablo Ave.) is filled with inimitable gift possibilities, such as its own customized kits specially priced and packaged for the season. Consider Foot Fetish Holiday, which includes foot scrub, a tongue-2-toe tingler, foot soak, foot lotion and pumice stone ($42) and/or the Power Positions Kit, which holds Bump ‘n’ Grind (“a custom accessory for the itty bitty vibe”), GV Slip Inside (cream lubricant) and the Pocket Kama Sutra ($29).  

Just a few doors south, the Ecology Center Store (2530 San Pablo Ave.) has a large selection of glassware made from re-used (even less energy-intensive than recycling) bottles that have been cut in half and fashioned into tumblers and goblets. In green, blue, and yellow. Pretty, virtuous and affordable (tumblers, $5.50; goblets, $8.50). For kids, consider the store’s trains, wagons and trucks made of sustainably harvested wooden blocks painted with non-toxic paint ($14.75). You could pack these or other gifts in one of the Ecology Center’s reuseable gift bags, made of sustainably harvested fibers (romblon or abaca), colored with eco-friendly dyes, woven by a women’s cooperative in the Philippines and marketed under fair trade terms (wow). A variety of sizes, including wine-bottle sized, and colors. ($2.50-$40).  

Down on Fourth Street, Zinc Details (1842 Fourth St.) has a wide assortment of rare vintage lacquerware that was originally imported to the United States in the Sixties, got caught up in a customs dispute, and then sat in a warehouse for over 40 years. Now liberated, the bowls, salad mizing spoons, salt and pepper shakers, graceful little teapots, teardrop containers, trays and round boxes include examples of both lacquered wood and lacquered plastic in vivid colors—orange, blue, turqouise, avocado and red, as well as cream and black. Retro and hip. ($12-220)  

Stained Glass Garden (1842 Fourth St.), behind Sur la Table, is selling lovely bowls, serving dishes, glasses, goblets, even a cake stand made from recycled glass by Fire & Light in Arcata. Soft, jewel-like hues of yellow lilac, green, aqua, red, blue and taupe ($12-83). Give the birds in your garden a one-stop bath/exceptional aesthetic experience by giving a birdlover one of the pretty and whimsical mosaic birdbaths made by Tina Amidor, who also teaches mosiac birdbath glasses at the Stained Glass Garden. They’re all knockouts, but my favorite was one that featured pieces of old-fashioned china teacups decorated with floral motifs. ($250-650).  

Looking for a nice way to present photographs and other mementos? Miki’s Papers (1842 Fourth St.) has beautiful handcrafted photo albums covered with exquisite Japanese, European and domestic papers by a Kensington artisan. The pages inside are acid-free ($20-60). Do you have a small gift that needs a special box? Miki’s has charming paper-covered boxes custom-made in Japan in unusual geometric shapes ($20 and up). Any gift would be enhanced by being wrapped in one of the store’s exquisite Thai and Japanese papers that are almost like cloth. One standout is printed with gingko leaves on a background of either red, olive, cream or silver. Other designs are abstract. 2 x 3 feet. ($5).  

I first walked into Hydra (1716 Fourth St.) in a mood of delight, curiosity and concern. My consumer self was delighted by the big fake rubber ducky floating outside the store and curious to see what lay inside. What I found was an amazing variety of real rubber ducks—zebra ducks, devil ducks, Statue of Liberty ducks, wedding ducks, to name only a few—and a marvelous array of bath products in over 200 flavors/scents. But my local land-use activist self was also curious to find out if the items for sale were made on the premises, as they should have been, given that the property lies in the Mixed Use-Light Industry zone. Here, I feared, was yet another example of creeping commercialization of Berkeley’s light manufacturing district. So I was further delighted to learn that the all natural soaps—most vegan, a few milk and honey—bubble baths, shower gels, shampoos and bath salts are manufactured right in back. The soaps and the salts are sold by ounce (65 cents-$1.50/oz.) I was particularly taken by the description of a soap colored to resemble an American flag and called “Old Glory”: “With air and citrus notes, no matter how you slice it, it smells like freedom.” Believe it. (Old Glory is $1.50/oz.)  

If the artisanal spirit is stirring in a deserving acquaintance, consider giving that person a gift certificate for a class or classes at West Berkeley’s Building Education Center (812 Page St., 525-7610). Since 1992, the Building Education Center has been offering hands-on classes in carpentry, ceramic tile, plumbing, electrical wiring, landscaping, owner contracting, apartment building management and other home construction, remodelling and maintenance subjects. Classes range from one-day or weekend- intensives to courses running one night a week for a month. Fees run from $50 to $495. Parking is easy and free.  

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Berkeley Repertory is joining in a production called Polk County with Princeton’s McCarter Theatre, and here it is, the East Coast cast, same director, same staging, same everything. It sounds as if the Rep is getting off pretty easy. But it turns out that it isn’t all that easy at all, as we’ll get into later. The question now is, what’s the reason for all the hoopla?  

The reason is that it’s a very big deal. Make that a very big deal. It’s not only the first West Coast showing of a play by Zora Neale Hurston, a major writer from the period of creative flowering between the two World Wars known as the Harlem Renaissance. She was also, as you may have grasped, a woman. And a black woman. She’s a significant writer whose prominence has been re-established in the years since 1973 when the renowned author Alice Walker brought her back into public attention. 

But Polk County was totally lost. It was part of a group of 10 mostly unproduced manuscripts that Hurston placed with the Library of Congress for copyrighting in 1944. She never came back. Zora Neale Hurston died in poverty in 1960. 

What happened then sounds classically romantic; years later, a retired librarian named John Wayne decided to spend time checking out unpublished and overlooked manuscripts in the Library of Congress. (Cathy Madison, who shares honors with director Kyle Donnelly in the play’s rescue from oblivion, says that there are over 250,000 unpublished manuscripts at the Library of Congress “waiting to be discovered.”) Understandably, Wayne chose to focus his work one of his favorite writers, Hurston, and located 10 mostly unproduced, all unpublished, plays.  

Madison, who at that time was literary manager at Washington’s Arena Stage, seems to be “the first person from theater to have actually read the manuscript.” Turned on by a minor piece in the Washington Post, she and Kyle Donnelly (director and co-adaptor of the Princeton-Berkeley production and at that time the associate artistic director at Arena) agreed to look into the Hurston find, and they both fell in love with the play.  

It took about five years for them to convince the artistic director at Arena to produce it. Madison was understandably reluctant to chance the play as it appears in the manuscript. Estimates of its uncut length are that it would run up to about four and a half hours. She says that it took her three hours just to read the play and points out that there are twenty songs in addition to the dialogue. 

There was work to be done before it could be presented to a contemporary audience. 

After Arena co-produced a public reading at the library in 2000 which was a smash success, the artistic director became more enthusiastic about the play’s stage potential and Kyle Donnelly directed the first production at Washington’s Arena stage. It won the Helen Hayes Award for Best New Musical. 

Donnelly then went to Princeton’s Mathews Theatre at the McCarter Theatre Center, where she worked with the Berkeley Rep to polish the play into the production that we can now see at the Berkeley Rep. 

Will Leggit, the Rep’s production manager, quickly shoots down ideas that a co-production such as the one that is on stage here means little more than splitting the costs. He describes a process in which the Berkeley staff was actively involved in significant decisions about the play’s presentation. It seems to be a process which varies from one such production to another, depending upon the individuals involved.  

The idea of such close cooperation between artistic people with so much at stake is a mind-boggling concept in itself, but the relatively simple task of organizing the cross-continent transportation and living arrangements seems daunting enough. Arranging to collect a director, seventeen actors with who knows how many musical instruments per actor, a huge stage set and, no doubt, other stuff, too, (and maybe more people. Who’s counting? The lead actress, Kecia Lewis, does a smashing job in between bouts at home with her 1-year old child.) 

We will ignore the issue of providing housing for this small mob for over eight weeks. Leggit dismisses the problem with a casual, “We have that, and the McCarter doesn’t. That’s why we brought them here, rather than the other way around” 

Perhaps the ultimate surprise in it all is Leggit’s explanation that the reason that theaters are presenting an increasing number of co-productions is that “It’s an economy measure.”

It’s a beautiful, crisp morning in the town of Sonoma. Sunlight reflects off color-saturated autumn foliage and whitewashed adobe buildings. From the park in Sonoma Plaza, a pleasant walk leads you past Sonoma State Historic Park, charming boutiques, enticing eateries and beautifully restored Victorian homes. A perfect day for an extended “paseo” in the heart of wine country. 

Highway 121 delivers you into the Sonoma Valley. Lined with thousands of acres of vineyards and well-known wineries, the land expands to share its wealth. Signs of fall abound, from the earth tones of sere native grasses to the vibrant golds, rusts, and purples of grape leaves. Fog clings to the sensual contours of rolling hills, with new blades of grass sprouting among the amber curves. Expansive fields, thick groves of oak and eucalyptus, and soaring birds preview a day in the country. 

Sonoma’s heritage dates back to California’s mission system and its fight for independence from Mexico. Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma was established in 1823. Soon after, General Vallejo, in charge of San Francisco’s Presidio, came north to Sonoma to establish a garrison and make his home. In June of 1846, today’s peaceful Sonoma Plaza was the site of the Bear Flag Revolt when settlers raised the flag of the new Bear Republic. Independence was short lived, California joined the United States one month later, but the bear flag remains and Sonoma is its birthplace.  

At eight acres, the once barren plaza of the 1800s, the largest of its kind in California, is an oasis of green. The site of early fiestas and parades now meets the needs of Sonoma’s residents and visitors. Light filters through towering trees onto dense lawns, a lovely rose garden and stone fountain, a small duck pond, and comfortable benches. Well-spaced picnic tables beckon for an al fresco meal. Home to the original City Hall and the Old Library, now housing the visitor center, it’s easy to see why this plaza is Sonoma’s focal point. 

You can easily plan a full day visiting historical attractions and enjoying their tours, browsing first class shops and sampling Sonoma’s treats, all within easy walking distance. Arriving early will even ensure you an all-day free parking spot in the public lot. 

Sonoma State Historic Park consists of six historical attractions, five around the northeast corner of the Plaza: the Mission, the Barracks, the Blue Wing Inn, the Toscano Hotel, and La Casa Grande. The sixth, General Vallejo’s home, a short half mile drive or walk, might best be saved for the end of your visit. Additional historic landmarks, identified by plaques, surround the Plaza and today house thriving businesses. 

Mission San Francisco Solano marked the end of the 300-year mission trail, being the last mission established and the most northern. The long adobe wing, the oldest building in Sonoma, serves as a museum and a gallery for 61 watercolors by Chris Jorgensen. In 1903 he traveled along El Camino Real documenting, in lovely detail, all of California’s surviving missions. In the Chapel, mission style décor, with its bold colors and primitive designs, is stark and arresting. Outside, in the courtyard, view the construction of the three-foot thick adobe walls and the bundles of reeds tied down with leather straps to form the roof. 

In 1834 soldiers traveled north to Sonoma to serve as buffers to Russian expansion from Fort Ross and to prepare the way for settlers. Inside the Sonoma Barracks, an attractive two-story adobe building, you can read a soldier’s dormitory and see the list of what every soldier was expected to provide for his tour of duty, which included six horses and a mule. Enjoy a historical video at the indoor theater, and then wander through the Barracks Books and Gift Shop amid its Bear Flag memorabilia. Upstairs, let the view from the wide balcony overlooking the courtyard take you back to the enticing smells of fresh bread baking in the brick forno and meat roasting on the iron grill. 

Next door at the Toscano Hotel, one dollar once bought workingmen room and board. On weekend afternoons, docents from the Sonoma League for Historic Preservation, resplendent in period dress, give tours of the artfully refurbished hotel. Their stories bring to life the wood paneled bar, its tables complete with cards and chips for a game of poker and a shot of whiskey, and the cheerful kitchen where 39 cents purchased a home cooked dinner. 

Continue your paseo to take advantage of the wide variety and quality of goods offered around the plaza: clothing, jewelry, ceramics, blown glass, home furnishings, art galleries and wine shops. Old style architecture, secret shop-filled courtyards and alleys and appealing landscaping make shopping a pleasure. At Baksheesh, handcrafted gifts from developing counties are offered in fair trade agreement with the artisans. Weavings from Guatemala, a Himalayan bead calendar and glass earrings from Chile are among the many reasonably priced treasures found there. At The Sign of the Bear you’ll find everything you could want for cooking and dining, including the modern day version of a wicker picnic basket. Picnic Time Columbus Backpack comes fully equipped with all the amenities needed for a “formal” picnic, including wine glasses and vineyard motif plates and napkins. 

Use your Picnic Backpack and Sonoma’s bounty for a plaza picnic. The Basque Boulangerie Cafe is always busy; making a selection is so difficult. Pick up a Basque Round or a Long Sour and don’t forget something for desert—brownies or a Gateau Basque. There are 24 gourmet options at the Sonoma Sausage Grill and Retail Shop and it won’t be any easier to choose between Hawaiian Portuguese, Chicken Spinach-Feta or a Sonoma Dog. Sonoma’s Cheese Factory, on the plaza, and Vella Cheese Factory, two blocks from the plaza, are famous for their Jack Cheeses. The Cheese Factory carries 10 varieties of Classic Jack from spicy Habanero to mellow Vidalia onion as well as a full deli of cured meats, antipasto and salads. At Vella Cheese, the Bear Flag brand of Dry Jack has been a quality product for over 70 years. The handsome old stone building, erected in 1904, and the friendly staff are worth the short walk. 

It would be a shame to visit Sonoma without expanding your paseo beyond the plaza. Within a one-block perimeter you’ll discover handsome Victorians, painted in sparkling white and contrasting hues, set on large lots lovingly landscaped with shade-giving trees, lush green lawns and beds of colorful flowers. Each one unique, carefully restored and adding to Sonoma’s heritage and charm. 

Save time on your way out of town for a visit to Lachryma Montis, General Vallejo’s home for 35 years. A narrow lane, lined with towering oaks and cottonwoods, leads you to the Gothic style American Victorian house, attractively painted in yellow and green. Stroll among the well tended gardens, the outbuildings, pavilions and fountains, and the vine-covered arbor leading to the pool for which the estate was named. The half-timbered brick Chalet, built as a warehouse for wine and fruit, now serves as the park’s interpretive center and museum. Inside the house, furnished with many of Vallejo’s personal effects, imagine the general in his library of more than 12,000 books, rewriting his La Historia de California. The mansion, the name of which translates to “Tear of the Mountian,” is a bucolic tribute to an important figure in Sonoma’s past.  

At the end of the day the autumn sun descends through the sky while the angle of its light accentuates the richness of the colors around you. A fitting partner to the richness of experiences gleaned from a day spent revisiting the past and celebrating the present in historic Sonoma. 

FRIDAY, DEC. 3 

Outings on Fridays with Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association Tour of the Cameron-Stanford House in Oakland at 11 a.m. Cost is $15. Reservations required. 841-2242. www.berkeleyheritage.com  

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Bruce Cain, Prof. of Political Science, UCB, speaking about the election. Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $13, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For reservations call 526-2925.  

American Indian Pow-Wow and Craft Fair from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the R Building cafeteria, Merritt College, 12500 Campus Drive, Oakland. Cultural entertainment and Grand Entry at 1 and 7 p.m. Benefits the American Indian Child Resource Center. www.aicrc.org 

First Fridays Film Series “In Bad Company” Fr. Bill O’Donnell in conversation with Martin Sheen, filmed in Dec. 1998, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. Free. 482-1062. 

Bhopal: 20 Years of Survival with a screening of “Bhopal Express” at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $5-$50. All proceeds to go to The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal. 415-981-1771. 

Christmas Play Auditions for Arlington Community Church Christmas Play 6 to 8 p.m. for children ages six and fourteen, and various adult roles. To reserve audition slot call 526-9146. 

Hayehwatha Institute Peace Ceremonies with Andree Morgana at 7 p.m. at Belladonna, 2436 Sacramento St. Cost is $10. 883-0600. www.belladonna.ws 

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

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. 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 

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

SATURDAY, DEC. 4 

Sick Plant Clinic The first Sat. of every month, UC plant apthologist Dr. Robert Raabe, UC entomologist Dr. Nick Mills, and their team of experts will diagnose what ails your plants from 9 a.m. to noon at the Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. 643-2755. 

“Winter Blooms!” Free garden tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden. Sat. and Sun. at 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. 845-4116. www.nativeplants.org 

Long Walk with Your Dog Meet at 2 p.m. at Meadows Playfield in Tilden Park for a 3.5 mile walk along Wildcat Gorge. 525-2233. 

PAWS Holiday Photos Have your pet photographed in a fundraiser for Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Red Hound Pet Store, 5523 College Ave. Cost is $20. 845-7735 ext. 19. www.berkeleyhumane.org 

Holiday Decorations - Naturally Create wreaths and garlands using natural materials. Bring a pair of small hand clippers, a bag lunch, and a large flat box to take home your creations. From noon to 3:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. For adults and children 8 and over. Cost is $30-$61. Reservations required. 636-1684. 

Fungus Fair The beauty, tastes, smells and intricacies of the world of fungi from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Palestinian Handcrafts Holiday Sale Embroidered pillows, dresses, vests, scarves etc, hand painted pottery, puppets/dolls, olivewood crafts, fresh olive oil and olive soap from Palestine. Arabic food will be available for sale. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Berkeley Friends’ Meeting House, 2151 Vine St. All proceeds will go directly to the artists and farmers. 

Decorate a Flower Pot, Plant a Bulb from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. Free and open to all ages. 526-3720 ext. 17. 

Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios Sat and Sun. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For map see www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Reused and Recycled Handicraft Sale from 10 a.m. to noon at GAIA, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, 1958 University Ave. 883-9490. www.no-burn.org 

Berkeley Potters Guild Sale from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sat. and Sun. through Dec. 19. 731 Jones St. 524-7031. www.berkeleypotters.com 

Holiday Open House Gardening and writing books will be featured at Small Press Distribution from noon to 4 p.m. Readings at 2 p.m. 1341 Seventh St. at Gilman. 524-1668. www.spdbooks.org 

Holiday Crafts Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Park. 548-3333. www.ecologycenter.org 

Holiday Plant Sale with bulbs, house plants, cacti and succulants, carnivorous plants and orchids from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. 643-2755. 

Holiday Arts Fair at the California College of the Arts from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 5212 Broadway at College Ave. 594-3666. 

Arts and Crafts Sale from noon to 5 p.m. at Oak Center, 1324 Adeline St. at 14th. 

American Indian Pow-Wow and Craft Fair from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the R Building cafeteria, Merritt College, 12500 Campus Drive, Oakland. Benefits the American Indian Child Resource Center. www.aicrc.org 

Community Arts and Wellness Day with yoga, martial arts, dance classes and more from 2 p.m. to midnight at Studio Rasa, 933 Parker St. Cost is $10-$20. Sponsored by Studio Rasa and Epic Arts. 843-2787. 

Artisan Marketplace from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Belladonna 2436 Sacramento St. 883-0600. www.belladonna.ws 

Connecting Through Dance “Music of the Night” Fund-raiser to connect sighted and visually impaired communities. The program includes dance between sighted and visually impaired partners, as well as instruction and open-floor dancing for all. At 7 p.m. at Lake Merritt Dance Center, 200 Grand Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. 501-4713. 

CopWatch Know Your Rights Workshop A free training from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. covering your rights when you are stopped, how to keep safe while documenting/observing the police, what we can do if police have violated our rights. 2022 Blake St. 548-0425. 

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, DEC. 5 

Celebration of Forest Activism and Silent Auction to benefit the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters, with food, live music and book signings from 4 to 8 p.m. at Unitarian Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar at Bonita. 548-3113. www.HeadwatersPreserve.org 

Voyage Through Time Make a flipper book of the motions of the Earth’s continents over the past 250 million years, from 10 a.m. to noon at Tilden Nature Area. Cost is $5-$7, registration required. 525-2233. 

Astronmony of the Star of Bethlehem with a slide show on recent ideas about the star and how great writers have told its tale, at 2 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center. 525-2233. 

Art Show and Holly Fair from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302. www.uucb.org 

Holiday Art Show and Sale with works by the Albany Adult School Senior Painting and Drawing Class from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. 524-9122. 

Richmond Art Center Arts Festival from noon to 5 p.m. at 2540 Barret Ave., Richmond. 620-6772. www.therichmondartcenter.org 

Pottery of Marty Weinstein on sale from noon to 5 p.m. at 871 Indian Rock Ave. Half of all proceeds go to Bay Area Community Resource. 526-5823. 

She Made Holiday Arts Bazaar to benefit the Women’s Daytime Drop-In Center from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Pro Arts Gallery, 550 Second St., Oakland at Jack London Square. www.she-made.com 

Fungus Fair The beauty, tastes, smells and intricacies of the world of fungi from noon to 5 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Introduction to TaKeTiNa, rhythmic group process, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Ashkenaz, back studio, 1317 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $25-$45 sliding scale, no one will be turned away for lack of funds. 650-493-8046. 

“Eyes of the Beholder” workshop from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Hillside Community Church, 1422 Navellier St, El Cerrito. 415-383-7159. www.essential-motion.com 

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 

Tibetan Buddhism with Lee Nichol on “The Self Traversing Time” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, DEC. 6 

Public Hearing on Mental Health The public is invited to comment on gaps in services in the mental health system, how to expand services, and on the need for prevention and early intervention at 6 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center. For further information contact Harvey Tureck at 981-5213. 

Civic Arts Grant Workshop Sponsored by the City of Berkeley Civic Arts Commission at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. For information call Charlotte Fredriksen 981-7539. 

Tea 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, in Tilden Park. Cost is $5-$7, registration required. 525-2233. www.ebparks.org 

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. 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, DEC. 7 

Mid-Day Meander from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Pt. Isabel. Meet at the parking lot at the end of Rydin Rd. Canine companions welcome. 525-2233. 

Snowcamping 101 A training session and slide lecture with Jodi Bailey and Kalle Hoffman at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

“Water Follies: The Environmental Consequences of Groundwater Pumping” with Robert Glennon, Morris K. Udall Prof. of Law & Public Policy, Univ. of Arizona, at 5:30 p.m. in 10 Evans Hall, UC Campus. Sponsored by the Water Resources Center Archives. 642-2666. 

Red Cross Mobile Blood Drive from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Berkeley Repertory Theater, 2025 Addison St. 1-800-GIVE-LIFE. www.BeADonor.com 

Open House for Wu-Wei Acupuncture and Healing Center from 3 to 5 p.m. Learn about Chinese medicine. 520-7835. www.wuwei-acupuncture.com 

Family Story Time at the Kensington Branch Library, Tues. evenings at 7 p.m. at 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

Berkeley Salon Discussion Group meets to discuss “Why Should We Explore Outer Space” from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Please bring snacks and soft drinks to share. No peanuts please. 601-6690. 

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

Cantabile Choral Guild Auditions at 7 p.m. at All Souls Episcopal Church, 2220 Cedar St. To schedule an audition time call 650-424-1410. 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 8 

Holiday Wreath Making Class from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. Cost is $25-$30. Registration required. 643-2755. 

“Ethical and Racial Diversity in the Jewish Community” with Booker Holton, Ph.D, at 11:30 a.m. at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. Cost is $5. 848-0237.  

Life Line Screening for stroke at University Inn, 920 University Ave. Appointments begin at 9 a.m. Cost is $125. For information or to schedule an appointment call 1-800-697-9721. 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday, rain or shine, at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes, sunscreen and a hat. 548-9840. 

Poetry Writing Workshop, led by Alison Seevak, every second Wed. at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, Edith Stone Room, 1247 Marin Ave. Registration required. 526-3700, ext. 20. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www.geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

THURSDAY, DEC. 9 

“Death of a Shaman” a film about the Mien people who came as refugees from Southeast Asia to Kansas, at 6:30 p.m. at the Ellen Driscoll Theater, Frank Havens Elementary School, 325 Highland Ave., Piedmont. Sponsored by the Appreciating Diversity Film Committee. 599-9227. www.diversityworks.org 

Going Local: The Power of Growing Food Locally A panel discussion featuring three food policy experts and activists who will explore the power of supporting locally grown food in the face of mounting industrialization of the world’s food system. At 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

West Berkeley Holiday Party from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Bank, 1065 University Ave. Sponsored by the West Berkeley neighborhood Development Corporation. 845-4106. 

Community Menorah Lighting with music, clown, fire-juggler, dreidels and Chanukah gelt at 5 p.m. at Cody’s Books, 1730 Fourth St.  

Red Cross Mobile Blood Drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Pauley Ballroom, UC Campus. 1-800-GIVE-LIFE. www.BeADonor.com 

East Bay Mac User Group meets the 2nd Thursday of every month, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Expression Center for New Media, 6601 Shellmound St. http://ebmug.org, www.expression.edu 

HOW TO HELP 

Alameda County Community Food Bank’s Annual Food Drive accepts donations of non-perishable food in the red barrel at any Safeway or Albertson’s. 834-3663. www.accfb.org 

Firefighters Toy Drive Donate new, unwrapped toys and canned food to any Berkeley fire station. For information call 981-5506. 

Find a Loving Animal Companion at the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society Adoption Center, 2700 Ninth St. 845-7735. www.berkeleyhumane.org  

United Way Bay Area is recruiting volunteer tax preparers and greeters/interpreters in Alameda County to assist low-income families who are eligible for free tax assistance and refunds. No previous tax preparation experience is necessary. There is a special need for volunteers who can speak Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese. Training sessions begin Jan. 8. Register now by calling 800-273-6222. www.earnitkeepitsaveit.org  

CITY MEETINGS 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon., Dec. 6 at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/citycouncil/agenda-committee 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Mon. Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Pam Wyche, 644-6128 ext. 113. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/rent 

Landmarks Preservation Commission meets Mon., Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Gisele Sorensen, 981-7419. ww.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/landmarks 

Parks and Recreation Commission meets Mon., Dec. 6, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Virginia Aiello, 981-5158. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/parksandrecreation 

Peace and Justice Commission meets Mon., Dec. 6, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Manuel Hector, 981-5510. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/peaceandjustice 

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

keley.ca.us/commissions/youth 

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

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Commission on Disability meets Wed., Dec. 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Don Brown, 981-6346. TDD: 981-6345. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/disability 

Energy Commission meets Wed., Dec. 8, 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 Thurs. Dec. 8, at 7 p.m. at 1125 University Ave., Jackie Y. Griffin, 981-6195. www.ci.ber 

keley.ca.us/commissions/library 

Planning Commission meets Wed., Dec. 8, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Janet Homrighausen, 981-7484. www.ci.berkeley. ca.us/ 

commissions/planning 

Waterfront Commission meets Wed., Dec. 8, at 7 p.m., at 201 University Ave. Cliff Marchetti, 644-6376 ext. 224. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/waterfront 

Commission on Early Childhood Education meets Thurs., Dec. 9, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Angellique De Cloud, 981-5428. www.ci.berkeley. ca.us/commissions/earlychildhoodeducation 

Community Health Commission meets Thurs, Dec. 9, at 6:45 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center. William Rogers, 981-5344. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/health 

Housing Advisory Commission meets Thurs., Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center. Oscar Sung, 981-5400. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/housing 

West Berkeley Project Area Commission meets Thurs., Dec. 9, at 7 p.m., at the West Berkeley Senior Center. Iris Starr, 981-7520. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/westberkeley  

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., Dec. 9, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. Mark Rhoades, 981-7410. www.ci.ber- 

eley.ca.us/commissions/zoning™

With its $67 million Center Street campus construction project on schedule for completion in January 2006, Berkeley’s Vista Community College is planning a birthday bash this week to celebrate its 30th anniversary. 

The 4,200-student downtown facility opened in 1974 as the fourth and last of the Peralta Community College District’s colleges. It presently operates out of a building at 2020 Milvia St. 

Public Information Officer Shirley Fogarino said that while the Dec. 2 anniversary event at Ashkenaz is “not expected to raise a lot of money,” it is part of a president’s capital campaign to generate funds to match $2.1 million in state expenditures for supplies and furnishings for the new building. 

Other fund-raising plans include selling naming rights to portions of the new campus and soliciting small donations from Vista alumni. A fund-raising event with actor Danny Glover is scheduled for the Berkeley Repertory Theater next March. 

Meanwhile, Fogarino says that construction on the new facility is presently “in the steel phase. They’re putting up steel for the first floor, and we expect to be topping off the framework in March of next year.” 

When completed, the building will be 165,000 square feet and six stories, and will be northern California’s first single-structure, urban community college campus. 

Swinerton Management & Consulting company is overseeing the project, while S. J. Amoroso Construction Company is the contractor for the building. 

Vista President Judy Walters says that the facility construction is part of a long-range upgrade plan for the college. 

“In ten years, Vista will be in the ranks of the top 25 community colleges in California in terms of reputation for the quality of students we prepare for the workforce and transferring to four-year institutions,” she said in an interview last summer. “Our student body will continue to be wonderfully diverse, not only in terms of ethnicity and skin color, but in their abilities. Vista is here. We are not an appendage, an afterthought, or a struggling child. We are here.” 

When Vista was founded 30 years ago last April as the Berkeley Learning Pavilion, it’s original goal was to service the northern cities of Alameda County—Albany, Berkeley, and Emeryville. Within six months, the college’s name was changed to the Peralta College for Non-Traditional Study (PCNS), with a mission of offering “alternative post-secondary educational programs and services” for students throughout the Peralta Community College District. 

In its first three years, PCNS was considered a “college without walls,” holding classes in such widespread areas as Berkeley High School, the West Berkeley YMCA, the North Berkeley Community Center, and the Oakland Army Base. In 1978, the college’s name was changed to Vista, and three years later, it was granted full accreditation from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. 

Not surprising for a Berkeley college, Vista has had a history of controversy. 

Impetus for construction of the new facility came in 1995, when Albany, Berkeley, and Emeryville residents—including then-Assemblymember Tom Bates and then-Berkeley Vice Mayor Maudelle Shirek—made an abortive attempt to create a Vista Community College District out of a portion of the Peralta Community College District. Part of the citizens’ concerns was that Vista had never had a permanent campus facility. The Peralta District eventually had to sue to prevent Vista from seceding. 

According to published reports from that time, former Vista president Barbara Beno was reportedly fired from her position in 2000 in part because of her support for independence for the college from the Peralta District. 

Earlier this year, charges of racism surfaced when Peralta’s Board of Trustees voted not to renew the contract of former Vista president John Garmon after hearing complaints from the college’s faculty senate. Outgoing trustee Darryl Moore said at the time that Garmon had “dropped the ball” on fundraising for Vista’s new campus, and had failed to build community ties for the 30th anniversary celebration. 

Garmon, who is white, later charged racial bias in his firing, stating that the five African-American members of Peralta’s seven member Board of Trustees voted to end his contract “on racial grounds and voting as a black majority for race-based reasons.”  

The board of trustees later hired Walters—who is also white—to replace Garmon. She assumed the Vista College presidency on July 1 of this year. 

The fundraiser, with food, music and dancing, begins Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Ave. Music will be provided by the Bay Area jazz-blues-swing band Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums. Tickets—$10 for the students, $20 for members of the public—are available at Vista’s cashier’s office at 2050 Center St., at www.vistabash.tix.com, or at 981-2800.

Jubilee Restoration Inc., in response to a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) investigation into misuse of funds, released records last week showing that it spent federal grant money designated for a homeless youth outreach program to pay employees working for its housing development arm. 

Jubilee, Berkeley’s third largest affordable housing developer, released the financial records to city and federal officials to answer charges of nepotism and misallocating federal funds. 

HUD and city officials are preparing separate analyses of Jubilee’s response. If either decides Jubilee has proved to be unreliable, it could discontinue funding and effectively shut the organization down. Berkeley would then be at risk of losing the HUD grant for services to homeless youth. 

Officials at Jubilee and the city declined to comment for this story. An official city response to Jubilee is expected this week. 

Under a $121,633 annual grant from HUD, Jubilee, starting April 1 2002, was supposed to hire three full-time counselors to staff a homeless youth drop-in center. The counselors were funded by HUD specifically to provide assistance with drug and alcohol counseling, AIDS and sexually transmitted disease awareness, finding work and avoiding crime.  

Jubilee, however, apparently never filled two of the positions and didn’t fill the third, a youth director, until October 2003.  

Accounting reports show that instead the organization used the federal funds to pay for other staff, several of whom appear to have had little or no contact with the operation of the drop-in center. The three biggest recipients were Developmental Director Mia Medcalf, who earned $60,821 from 3,754 hours billed to the homeless youth program, Deputy Director Gordon Choyce II, who received $54,943 from 3,314 hours billed and Housing Program Manager Todd Harvey, who earned $19,780 from 1,633 hours billed.  

Choyce II, the son of Jubilee Executive Director Gordon Choyce Sr., heads the organization’s housing development business, with Harvey serving under him.  

In a written response to HUD, Jubilee maintained that it had “hired more than three individuals who were working part-time to perform the function of three full-time employees.” Jubilee, however, didn’t specify the names of the individuals assigned to work as counselors or identify the type of work performed by the employees that qualified them to be paid with funds earmarked for the homeless youth program.  

Although it was scheduled to begin in April 2001, reports on the drop-in center show little evidence of a functional homeless youth program before the arrival of Youth Director Rebecca Prophet in October of 2003 and significant gaps in service after she left this summer. The drop-in center, called the Jubispot, is supposed to be open three days a week, but since July 5, Jubilee can only document six days when it served local homeless youth. 

The homeless youth drop-in center was originally proposed by the Berkeley Ecumenical Strategies Team, a collaboration of local churches, but dissension in the group forced Jubilee to assume control of the program from its inception. 

Initially the three churches in south and west Berkeley were to operate complementary services with the grant money, but after the other churches pulled out, Jubilee eventually shifted the program to 2144 Byron Street, a property owned by Jubilee, which is the charitable arm of Berkeley’s Missionary Church of God in Christ, also headed by Gordon Choyce Sr. 

Under Choyce Sr., Jubilee has become a player in nonprofit housing development and has also operated social service programs including a recovery program for men recently released from prison. 

To help fund Jubilee, the city has given it an annual allotment of $86,000—$26,000 to pay for an outreach worker for the homeless youth program and $60,000 in money transferred from HUD. 

The city had frozen this year’s allocation to Jubilee because the organization failed to provide expenditure reports. However, two weeks ago the City Council approved giving the organization $13,000 to help it answer HUD’s charges.›

A small but vocal group of demonstrators rallied for an hour in front of the KGO-TV offices in San Francisco on Monday morning, protesting what they called “media silence on 2004 election irregularities.” Demonstrators later marched to the San Francisco offices of United States Senator Barbara Boxer where organizers met with Boxer’s staff. 

Among the rally speakers was Berkeley City Councilmember-elect Max Anderson, who blasted President George W. Bush as a “thief,” saying “we need to go to Washington and make a citizens’ arrest to put that two-time loser out of office.” 

Anderson likened the movement to investigate election irregularities to Berkeley’s Free Speech Movement of the ‘60s. “Just like then, we’re going to have to throw ourselves into the machine and stop its gears,” he said. 

The demonstration of some 150 activists was co-sponsored by the Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club of the East Bay and the Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley. Much of the emphasis was on the upcoming recount of Presidential ballots in Ohio, which was declared for President George W. Bush over Democratic challenger Senator John Kerry. 

Demonstration organizers called for “minimum standards in the voting method throughout the United States,” “an auditable paper trail for electronic and all voting machines,” and “upholding and enforcing the Voting Rights Act to prevent the continued disenfranchisement of minority voters,” among other demands. 

Demonstrators sang “Black boxes with no paper trail, as predicted they will fail” to the tune of “O Tannenbaum” and carried signs reading “Support The Ohio Recount,” “Election Fraud Is So Newsworthy,” and “End The Media Blackout Of The Election.”  

Several speakers and signs linked the widely discredited recent elections in the Ukraine with the widely accepted 2004 U.S. presidential election. 

Donald Goldmacher of the Voting Rights Task Force of the Wellstone Democratic Club, a demonstration organizer, quoted outgoing Secretary of State Colin Powell as saying that the United States “cannot accept the Ukrainian results as legitimate because the vote does not meet international standards.” Goldmacher said that the recent United States national election also “does not meet international standards.” 

He said that while KGO-TV was the target of this week’s demonstration, “KGO has actually done a reasonably good job in presenting stories on election fraud issues.” 

Speaker Ross Boylan of United for Peace and Justice said it was ironic that “while U.S. Senator Richard Lugar says that problems with the recent Ukrainian elections were proved by discrepancies between the vote and the exit polls,” the American national media has virtually ignored the same discrepancy in the 2004 U.S. Presidential election. 

Boylan said that while it is still too early to tell if possible fraud in the U.S. election was large enough to overturn the result, “we still are conducting investigations and gathering information.” 

Linda Burnham of Women of Color Resource Center in Oakland described what she called widespread instances of attempts to suppress African-American and Latino votes in Southern states in the election. 

Monday’s event was the fourth in a series of Bay Area election protest demonstrations, which have already been held at the Alameda County Registrar of Voters Office in Oakland and the San Francisco office of United States Senator Diane Feinstein. A Monday, Dec. 6 noon rally is scheduled for the San Francisco office of U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

A one-day strike at Berkeley’s Alta Bates Medical Center and 12 other Sutter Health hospitals in Northern California commencing at 6 a.m. Wednesday will cost strikers five days of pay. 

To fill in the gap the hospital has lined up “incredibly skilled” replacements to fill in for five days, said Alta Bates spokesperson Carolyn Kemp. 

Sutter has responded to the single-day job action called by members of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 250 and joined by members of the California Nurses Association (CNA) with the announcement that those who leave Wednesday will be shut our for an additional four days. 

The chain’s response could put a chill on Christmas plans for union members. 

A flyer put out by the hospitals warned union members to “Do the math: How much will Local 250’s strike—and five days of lost pay from your last paycheck before the holidays—cost you and your family? Is it worth it?” 

The warning followed the declaration, “Unless your contract is ratified before the five-day replacement period, employees who choose to strike on December 1 will not be returned to work until Monday.” 

The announcement described the lockout as a move “to encourage employees to ratify this great offer,” management’s latest contract proposal. 

While Kemp portrayed the strike as a union move to bring their members into line, the union depicts the action as a last-ditch effort to force the chain into raising the quality of health care. 

SEIU Local 250 President Sal Rosselli denounced the five-day lockout, and said the union would institute an unfair labor practices complaint with the National Labor Relations Board if Sutter follows through with the threat. 

“They’re simply doing it to punish the workers,” he said. 

Kemp said many union members had reported they were willing to keep working, while Rosselli said the strike had “overwhelming support” from both unions. 

Rosselli’s union represents most Sutter employees at the hospitals except for Registered Nurses, who belong to the CNA. 

The two unions “are united in this drastic actions—and a walkout is a drastic action—because we have been bargaining since last March and Sutter Health still refuses to give us a voice in setting staffing levels,” Rosselli said. 

Sutter officials have charged the union with trying to force Sutter to sign a master contract—a contract that would apply to all hospitals in the system—a charge which Rosselli denies. 

“They’re lying to the press and the community. We’re not demanding a master contract and we’re willing to accept eight different contracts,” he said. He said the union hadn’t sought a master agreement. 

“We certainly are demanding standards, and it makes sense to have a model contract to base them on,” Rosselli added. 

“We’re very happy they’ve given up on the master contract,” said Kemp. 

The key issue for both unions is an employee role in setting staffing standards and levels, a role granted the unions by all the other Northern California hospital chains, Rosselli said. 

The SEIU contract expired on April 30. 

“We tried to get them to sit down at the table starting in January,” said Kemp. “We implemented new wages and benefits in July” at levels higher than originally offered to the union. 

Kemp said the hospitals’ wages are the highest in East Bay and benefits included 100 percent health coverage for members, their spouses or domestic partners and their dependents, “something offered by only three or four percent of all employers in the country.” 

Between them, Alta Bates in Berkeley and Summit Medical Center in Oakland—two hospitals in the same bargaining unit—have 1,300 SEIU members and 1,700 CNA nurses. 

While Kemp said the strike wouldn’t reduce the quality of care at the hospitals, Rosselii said, “the people they’re hiring don’t know anything about their hospitals,” which would impact the care patients received. 

›

With battles still raging over new development in Berkeley, the three newly elected Berkeley City Councilmembers are facing plenty of scrutiny as they prepare to name members to commissions that have a big say on the future face of the city. 

Their appointments, which can come as early as Dec. 1, could affect the balance of power on the Planning Commission, which recommends land-use policy, the Zoning Adjustment Board, which hears permit applications for the city’s most controversial new developments, and the Landmarks Preservation Commission, which has authority over exterior alterations to buildings designated as historically significant.  

Already, those who support constructing smaller buildings and conserving older structures are putting the pressure on councilmembers-elect Darryl Moore from District 2 and Max Anderson from District 3. Having found themselves in the minority on all three boards, those in favor of slower growth want the two new progressive councilmembers to appoint commissioners more skeptical of new developments than several of the commissioners selected by their predecessors, Margaret Breland and Maudelle Shirek. 

“People will be very disappointed if there isn’t at least a different Planning Commission,” said Councilmember Kriss Worthington who has traditionally appointed commissioners who favor tighter controls on new developments. 

On the opposing side, members of Livable Berkeley, a pro-development group, have suggested preferred candidates for commission appointments. 

Each councilmember is entitled to appoint a commissioner to each of the city’s 45 citizen commissions, but could also leave current commissioners in place. 

Earlier this year, proponents of more city development seized a majority on the Planning Commission when Councilmember Breland sacked Commissioner John Curl, and replaced him with the more development-minded Tim Perry.  

Over the next few months, the commission is scheduled to review parking requirements for commercial businesses and finalize a land use plan for a section of town just south of the UC Berkeley campus. 

Moore was out of the country Monday and unavailable to comment on Perry’s future as a commissioner. 

Anderson said that it was “very likely” he would quickly replace Jerome Wiggins, who was appointed to the commission by Shirek and has not been directly affiliated with either of the two factions. Anderson, who declined to comment on any other commission posts, also left open the possibility that his appointment to the Planning Commission could come from outside South Berkeley’s District 3. The commission, on which seven of the nine members hail from north of University Avenue, has been criticized recently for not being geographically representative of the city.  

Councilmember-Elect Laurie Capitelli said he hadn’t settled on any appointments to key commissions. On Planning, he is expected to either retain David Tabb, appointed by his predecessor in North Berkeley’s District 5, Miriam Hawley, or to choose a like-minded pro-development commissioner. 

The Zoning Adjustment Board (ZAB), which has had a solid pro-development majority for several years, could also see power shift. Capitelli, soon to be a former board member, will have to quickly appoint a successor. If Moore and Anderson chose to appoint new commissioners the ZAB could be a more harrowing place for developers. Currently, three members of the nine-member board—David Blake, appointed by Worthington, Carrie Sprague, appointed by Spring, and Dean Metzger, appointed by Councilmember Gordon Wozniak—have consistently opposed constructing larger buildings and demolishing older structures.  

Both Moore and Anderson inherit ZAB commissioners who have favored most new developments, but neither of them faces pressure to make a quick change. Moore inherits Deborah Matthews, who, unlike Perry lives in District 2, and chose not to challenge Moore for the council seat. Anderson inherits Jesse Anthony, a close friend of his predecessor Maudelle Shirek. 

On the Landmarks Preservation Commission, those favoring stronger city intervention to protect historic buildings have often found themselves narrowly outnumbered on key items. Capitelli and Moore inherit pro-development commissioners James Samuels and Aran Kaufer, who works for developer Patrick Kennedy. Anderson inherits Patricia Dacey, who has frequently sided with preservationists. 

If new commissioners are appointed to the LPC this week they will get to participate in next Monday’s meeting and could vote on landmarking Brennan’s, a longtime West Berkeley restaurant and pub. 

Anderson and Capitelli will both also have to appoint new members to the Police Review Commission (PRC). Jackie DeBose, appointed by Shirek, and Lucienne Sanchez-Resnik, appointed by Hawley, have both submitted resignation papers, PRC Secretary Barbara Attard said. 

›

Cal graduates: Did you, like me, get your MBNA/MasterCard though membership in the California Alumni Association?  

If so, did you, like me, receive an unsolicited new credit card in the mail last week?  

If that’s so, too, I’m hoping that, unlike me, you immediately noticed that MBNA had switched you from MasterCard to American Express.  

In my case, it took a customer service rep at the New York Times to alert me to the switch. “Is the new card also a MasterCard?” she asked. I noticed, at last, that it was not. My new card bore on its emphatically blue-and-gold front a large Cal insignia; the California Alumni Association’s logo with its stylized campanile; and in the lower righthand corner, the sign of American Express.  

The MasterCard to American Express changeover was not one I would have made voluntarily, since in my experience, MasterCard has much wider acceptance.  

The cover letter from MBNA seemed to indicate that I had no choice in the matter: “Please verify name and address, and sign Card(s) immediately to validate,” it said. “Notify us if corrections are required. Please destroy any cards and unused access checks you previously received.”  

Though I’d already activated the new card, I hadn’t yet destroyed my old one. I resolved to get MBNA to switch me back to MasterCard. Easier said than done: neither the “24-hour Customer Service” number on the back of the American Express card nor the number on my old MBNA statements yielded a live person who could hear my plea, much less do something about it.  

I decided to call the California Alumni Association and complain. I was handed over to a woman who graciously supplied yet another toll-free number for MBNA (1-888-880-6262). If that doesn’t work, she said, call me back, and I’ll put you in touch with the person here who deals with “our royalty partners.” I asked how many Alumni Association members had gotten MBNA credit cards through their membership in the Association. She guessed 30,000. When I wondered if anybody else had complained, she said that although I was the only person who’d called to protest the switch and the seeming impossibility of contacting MBNA about switching back, the Alumni Association itself was unhappy with the company and was making its dissatisfaction known.  

I called the new toll-free number for MBNA and reached a live person who readily switched me back to MasterCard. I’ll still be getting a new credit card number, and, it follows, a new card. But at least I’m back with the credit card company I prefer.  

When I expressed my displeasure about the process, the MBNA rep told me that a month or so ago, the company had sent letters notifying clients of the imminent change. Failure to decline an American Express card was taken as acceptance of it. I assume that I threw away the earlier letter, unread, just as I throw away all unsolicited mail from credit card companies.  

The MBNA rep also said that the American Express card had been made available only “to select groups.” I silently wondered if I’d been classified as “select” because I pay my credit card bill in full each month. MBNA isn’t making any money off of me; perhaps that’s why they switched me to American Express.  

As for my notion that MasterCard has greater currency: The company rep said that the company had researched my area and found that American Express was as widely used as MasterCard. “Maybe it’s just where you shop,” he politely suggested.  

The moral of the story: Read all your junk mail. And, MBNA customers, write down that toll-free number (1-888-88-6262), and put it in a safe place. The next time you want to talk to a live person about your account, you’ll know what to dial.  

Zelda Bronstein (B.A. ’70) is a lifetime member of the California Alumni Association.  

President George Bush’s re-election has some European politicians on the far right and the far left scrambling to rethink the role of faith in the daily life their constituencies, as well as their position on Christian values.  

The lesson of the recent U.S. presidential election was not lost on Rocco Buttiglione, Italian minister for European Affairs and founder of the United Christian Democrats party (CDU). Buttiglione was recently forced to resign as European Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security due to blunt comments he made on homosexuality.  

Reacting swiftly to the Republican victory in the United States, Buttiglione declared plans to found a religious action group modeled on the American Christian Coalition. The group will advocate for “the freedom of Christians in Europe,” where, analysts forecast, Muslims in the next 30 years could account for as much as 50 percent of the population.  

Buttiglione’s aides clarified that the new organization will not be a political party but a movement committed to securing a greater role for Christian principles in Europe’s public life.  

“Inspired by the role played by American Christians (in the U.S. election), Mr. Buttiglione is thinking of a new paradigm: the resurgence of Christian political movements in Europe.”  

Writing for Italy’s conservative daily “Il Foglio,” Buttiglione criticized European intellectuals for believing “that modernity implies the demise of religious beliefs; and instead America, the world’s most progressive country, shows that religion is at the core of a free society and of a modern economy.” Claiming that his thinking is widespread in the European Union, Buttiglione says he has received thousands of letters and e-mails of support from all over Europe, including encouragement from the leaders of Italy’s Jewish and Muslim communities.  

Buttiglione is a controversial character. One of the foremost experts on the current Pope (he’s a close papal friend), the Italian minister is a leading European philosopher and a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Formerly a left Christian Democrat, he founded the Popular Party of Italy after the corruption scandals of the 1990s. Attempting to provide stability to the collapsing Italian political system, he launched a dialogue with the reformed Communist Party.  

Last October, Buttiglione incurred the ire of the European parliament. Named to the European Commission by the Berlusconi government, Buttiglione sparked a furor by declaring his opposition to abortion and his belief that gay people are sinners and that homosexuality is an act against nature and the will of God.  

As could be expected in a political Europe that is ever ready to assert its laic and rationalistic nature, his comments didn’t find many sympathetic ears. The European parliament, which ratifies appointments to the European Commission, threatened to veto Buttiglione’s appointment, causing the EU’s first constitutional crisis. On one side was the parliament—elected directly by the people—which asked for Buttiglione to step down. On the other side were the EU’s heads of government—who are generally appointed in a delicate political game by the various national parties—who refused to intervene in the internal affairs of a member country. Bowing in the end to political pressure, Buttiglione left the commission, returning to his post in the Italian government.  

However, the fracas in Strasbourg, the seat of EU’s parliament, has given Buttiglione a tribune from which to advocate his ideal of Catholic rebirth and the refounding of Europe on the basis of Christianity.  

He’s not alone. From the other side of the political spectrum, Fausto Bertinotti, leader of Italy’s Party of the Re-founding Communists, also has been inspired by the American election results. Bertinotti, a leader of Italy’s fourth-strongest political party, declared that Europe can no longer limit itself to its predilection for equality, fraternity and legality—the values put forth by the French Revolution. Bertinotti’s opinion is significant because he’s also the leader of the European Left, a political caucus of 16 of Europe’s leftist parties that represents anywhere from 7 to 10 percent of the continent’s voters. Bertinotti says that shunning religion, in a world that has changed rapidly after the Sept. 11 attacks, doesn’t answer the need felt by people to be part of something that transcends the laic and pragmatic policies promoted by progressives.  

The European left, Bertinotti believes, must recognize that there’s more to life than just labor, economics and material possessions. Urging socialists to rediscover the Christian and humanistic roots of European Democratic Socialism, Bertinotti very publicly called for a “new Bad Godesberg.” In 1959 the German Democratic Socialists (SPD), in an extraordinary congress held at Bad Godesberg, decided to abandon Marxist ideology, embraced the market economy and made the pursuit of happiness the center of its political program.  

The notion that religious life doesn’t need to contradict popular aspirations for social justice, equality, democracy and progress, is not foreign to the Italian left. The Italian Communist Party was historically very tolerant of the clergy and churchgoers. It deliberately sought a coalition government—the “Compromesso Storico,” or the historic compromise—with the Christian Democrats. While Italian Communists were never able to fully realize this compromise on the political level, in everyday life Communists and Catholics cooperated to pull Italy out of its post-WWII depression. The phenomenon was so cherished even the entertainment world celebrated it with an extremely successful TV series called “Peppone e Don Camillo,” which ran in the ‘60s. It recounted the story of a real-life Communist mayor of a small town and its real-life parish priest. Despite being ideological foes, the two were able to work together to solve the town’s pressing problems.  

Now, some of Europe’s leading left voices are eager to rediscover the lessons of that political episode, thanks to the recent shocking defeat of American Democrats and liberals.  

Paolo Pontoniere is the San Francisco-based correspondent of Focus, Italy’s leading monthly magazine.  

›

My wife and I hosted one of the over 1,600 house meetings held Sunday night to chart the future of MoveOn PAC. The tightly structured event asked participants to select their top issue and strategy for the next two to four years, but left no time for the larger questions about how people can get involved in grassroots activism in between elections or how the group should prioritize its funds. 

Should MoveOn PAC return to primarily relating to its members as donors, or can the organization become a national network of grassroots groups for the college-educated middle class that comprise most of its membership?  

Created as an Internet strategy to build opposition to President Clinton’s impeachment, MoveOn.org and its Political Action Committee have become two of the great political successes of the past decade. MoveOn enrolled tens of thousands in e-mail action campaigns, joined with the Howard Dean campaign in waging the first aggressive attacks against President Bush, and ran anti-war and economic issue ads that were consistently brilliant and strategic. 

In 2004, MoveOn Pac transformed itself from a group that raised money for hard-hitting newspaper ads and television commercials to an entity that also funded political organizing. The MoveOn PAC harnessed its grassroots base for phoning and door-knocking in swing states, joining ACT and ACORN as the key 527 groups that galvanized record Democratic voter turnout. 

After thousands of MoveOn members walked precincts and called voter lists, it became clear that the group’s potential went well beyond its fundraising prowess. In an era of declining secular civic engagement MoveOn touched a chord, as further evidenced by the thousands of participants in its Sunday night house meetings. 

The question now is where the phenomenally successful group goes from here. The Sunday night events did not address this issue, focusing instead on external issues and strategies. 

But if our house party was typical, MoveOn members were energized by their electoral activism. While temporarily deflated by Bush’s victory, most are ready to rumble. 

This puts MoveOn’s leadership in the seemingly enviable position of having to figure out how to best harness the energies of tens of thousands of talented people. But the flip-side of this opportunity is that if the group delays too long in getting people re-involved it could lose them; this puts a premium on MoveOn’s quickly figuring out how to complete its transformation from an Internet and donor-driven group to a powerful vehicle for grassroots activism outside electoral campaigns. 

MoveOn’s growth pains reflect its dramatic success—after the presidential campaign galvanized its membership, many MoveOn members will no longer be content to simply give money and vote for their favorite television or newspaper ads. But MoveOn’s organizational structure of a central staff communicating to members via the Internet would have to change to accommodate an ongoing grassroots activist component. 

That’s why MoveOn should explore becoming a national network of grassroots groups along the lines of ACORN, the Associated Communities for Reform Now. ACORN has local chapters that work on local, state and national campaigns, but its demographic membership base-working-class families of color-differs greatly from the overwhelmingly white, college-educated and middle to upper middle class members of Move On. 

I don’t sense much interest among MoveOn members for the group to focus on local issues, but organizing local chapters creates the sense of belonging and community that is the springboard for activism. It would also lessen the group’s dependence on the Internet, which for all the good it does for bolstering activism, is no substitute for in-person meetings and strategy discussions. 

ACORN’s local chapters boost the group’s power at the state level, and MoveOn’s local chapters could dramatically impact politics in California and likely other states. Many of the domestic priorities of the Kerry campaign—such as expanded health insurance, an increased minimum wage, and increased education spending-can be meaningfully addressed through successful state-based campaigns. 

MoveOn members are primarily focused on national politics, and local membership chapters would also be the best strategy for harnessing the group’s energy for national campaigns. Consider how local chapters of CISPES (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador) and Neighbor to Neighbor built a national progressive movement against US intervention in Central America—this organizational model brought thousands of new activists into national and international struggles in the 1980s and can be replicated today. 

Creating a new organizational structure for MoveOn would take time and money, but the upside is tremendous. America needs an activist-oriented political organization for the progressive middle-class, and MoveOn already has the membership base to create a powerful national organization. 

One of the tragedies of the Central American Peace Campaign is that its mass organizational vehicles for anti-war activism were not replaced with similar groups pushing other national campaigns. The recent Presidential campaign came closest to recapturing the energy and mass participation of the left’s last great political movement, and it would be a tragedy for progressives to again fail to sustain and build the activist organizations responsible for this success. 

ACORN is already off and running to expand its membership in working-class communities of color. MoveOn should also seize upon its gains, and is perfectly positioned to attract tens of thousands of new activists as times get tougher in the months ahead. 

Randy Shaw is the author of The Activist’s Handbook. He and his wife live in Berkeley and can be reached  

at rshaw@beyondchron.org. 

“Purses, clothing, weavings, holiday décor” and jewelry, with many items priced $10 or less, are among the gifts offered at the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant Holiday Craft Fair Dec. 11-12 at the First Congregational Church. Most crafts for sale are made by indigenous women in cooperatives in Central America, Asia, Haiti, and Africa. 

Proceeds benefit the organization’s programs to “offer sanctuary, solidarity, support, community organizing assistance, advocacy, and legal services to those escaping war, terror, political persecution, intolerance, exploitation, and other expressions of violence.”  

The weekend sale will operate 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley, Channing Way and Dana Street. Call 524-7989 for further information, or visit www.eastbaysanctuary.org. 

—Steven Finacom

ACCIDENT INFO 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I was hit by a car and knocked to the street while walking in the crosswalk at Gilman Street and Santa Fe on Tuesday morning, Nov. 23, at approximately 8:15 a.m. The woman who hit me had been heading south on Santa Fe and was making a left turn onto Gilman Street, heading east. She hit me as I was crossing from the corner where the Westbrae Deli is to the corner where Toot Sweets Bakery is. She said she didn’t see me, which was apparent, since she didn’t hit her brakes until she actually hit me. I was able to stand up after being hit, but I was so shocked and angry that I failed to get either her name or her license plate number. She was driving a bright red Volvo station wagon, relatively new model (or at least in mint condition, if older than a few years), and had at least one, if not two, very young children in car seats in the back seat. She was Caucasian, possibly late 30s-early 40s, shoulder length light brown hair, and was wearing sunglasses. She offered to pull to the side of the road, but again, I wasn’t thinking clearly, and just wanted to get out of the street. If you have any information about this accident, please contact the Daily Planet so that they may forward it to me. Thank you for your help with this, and please, watch out for pedestrians in crosswalks! 

Nora Hale 

• 

LETHAL DANGERS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I was very interested in—and shocked by—your Nov. 19 article “UC’s Toxics Decision Impacts Campus Bay Site.” In 1995 the Department of Toxics Substances Control disclosed “high levels of mercury, arsenic and lead” in Richmond Field Station samples and “very high levels of arsenic in sediments from the portion of Stege Marsh adjoining the site.” 

My husband, William Berges, was a librarian at the Richmond Field Station from 1956-1985 when he retired because of illness. He died of lung cancer in 1987. 

I am very upset, but also glad that the public is now aware of the lethal dangers incurred by university employees. 

Frances H. Berges 

• 

CAMPUS BAY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I write to provide some additional information and to correct any misperceptions readers might have from the Daily Planet article “UC Toxics Decision Impacts Campus Bay Site.” In particular, my comments address the cleanup of historic industrial contamination at the neighboring University of California’s Richmond Field Station (RFS). 

To date the university has spent over $15 million dollars at the RFS on site cleanup and restoration of the native tidal marsh that includes habitat for the endangered California clapper rail. We are proud of our extensive and on-going efforts to interact with the public regarding cleanup activities, which has included public presentations, regular outreach by e-mail and a project website (www.cp.berkeley.edu/RFS_MarshRR.html). The campus has maintained good working relations with more than a dozen environmental agencies and community advocacy groups involved with the project. Feedback, including that from staff of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), has been overwhelmingly positive. 

The university was not allowed a choice of which agency would serve in the lead role on the RFS site. The university was in the process of evaluating site contamination and proposed research uses when the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) issued a mandatory site remediation order in 2001. Because the RFS site has been identified as a water contamination risk, RWQCB is the lead agency on the project. Nevertheless, many other regulatory agencies have been actively involved in this work. 

The university has also worked to involve the community in the marsh restoration by partnering with the nonprofit Watershed Project. If any readers wish to participate in the recovery of this valuable tidal marsh, there are a number of upcoming opportunities. Planting native plants in clean marsh lands will take place the third Saturday of each month. For information on the project and volunteer opportunities, please visit the Watershed Project’s website : www.thewatershedproject.org. 

Mark Freiberg 

Director, Environment, Health and Safety, 

UC Berkeley 

• 

SIERRA CLUB 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am writing to clarify the Sierra Club’s position on the Berkeley creeks ordinance which was incorrectly stated Jerry Landis’ commentary piece (“Sierra Club Backs Creeks Task Force Plan,” Daily Planet, Nov. 23-25). The article attacked the Sierra Club for lacking “social balance” without listing any specific policies the Sierra Club has taken positions on. 

In fact, the Northern Alameda County Group supports an open process with diverse viewpoints, rather than a two-sided process with polarized participants. The Sierra Club supports reasonable efforts to protect and daylight creeks, restore habitat, and improve bay water quality. The City Council recognized these goals when the original creeks ordinance was adopted. Stakeholders now have to opportunity to work with new information to improve Berkeley’s strategy for environmental protection in a way that is fair to homeowners. 

There are diverse viewpoints both within the club and the environmental community as a whole. This is why the Sierra Club democratically elects leadership at all levels, considers all sides before taking a position, and supports sending representatives to collaborative negotiations like the task force. 

With many creek culverts failing and the need for clarification in the ordinance, it is time to come together for a solution. 

Andy Katz 

Sierra Club Conservation Chair 

Northern Alameda County 

• 

CLARIFICATION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I want to clarify that in my Nov. 23 commentary, the headline “Sierra Club Backs Creeks Task Force Plan” was added by Daily Planet editors.  

Nowhere in the letter do I suggest that the Sierra Club backs the task force plan, nor do I know that they do, but someone may infer, as I do, that, given their interest in creeks activism, they may support it. That they endeavor to influence local elections is indisputable.  

Jerry Landis 

• 

PUBLIC MORALITY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Pierre Vladimir Stroud has presented the best analysis I have seen of what the Democrats must do to win (“Democrats, Progressives Need to Redefine America’s Public Morality,” Daily Planet, Nov. 23-25). For more than 20 years a constant right-wing drumbeat has branded liberal ideas of social conscience and the common good as “old and failed.” The result is an atmosphere of greedy, self-centered callousness that worships wealth and celebrity and is all too willing to toss those deemed less than worthy “off the island.” Even many self-styled “Christians” seem to think that Jesus loves them best, and that He hates anyone who is not exactly like them. 

Fortunately, most serious studies show that these are not the view of the majority of Americans. However, most who vote seem to use gut-feelings rather than logic to make their choices. As I was a public school teacher for 40 years, I still believe education works. People can be taught to see cause and effect relationships, and, one can hope, act appropriately. 

Judith Wiese 

• 

BUDGET DEFICIT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

When Berkeley’s new City Council considers how best to close our $7.5 million budget deficit, its members might want to take a close look at the largest line item on the spending summary, the Public Works Department’s $77 million. Though Oakland is over five times Berkeley’s size (56.1 square miles vs. 10.5) and has almost four times our population (399,484 vs. 102,743), it spends only 30 percent more on public works ($100 million). To put it another way, Berkeley spends three times as much per person ($750 vs. $250) and four times as much per square mile ($7.34 million vs. $1.78 million). Surely some of that difference is due to inefficiency and waste that could be trimmed without reducing services. 

Robert Lauriston 

• 

CAL STADIUM 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In response to Matthew Artz’s article on the Big Game (“Berkeley-Stanford Big Game Means Big Headache for Stadium Neighbors,” Daily Planet, Nov. 23-25), I would like to say I am one of the long-term Panoramic Hill neighbors that enjoys having the football stadium within easy access and I am strongly in favor of a thorough seismic renovation of the facility. 

I have lived at the base of Panoramic Way for nearly 20 years and have enjoyed the ease of walking to the football stadium. Now that I have young children I have the added bonus of sharing the experience with them. My children enjoy watching the games and particularly like the marching bands and all of the excitement that comes with college football. I feel the city and the university do a great job ensuring a safe and pleasant family experience while I am watching the Bears play. Regardless of what Coach Tedford decides, I believe the stadium needs to be renovated and improved for everyone’s safety and benefit. I am not in favor of permanent lighting but I would support retractable lighting. 

I admit that for roughly six or eight afternoons a year there is significant noise and congestion in and around the stadium area. Those afternoons may be a perfect opportunity for those that do not attend the game to enjoy a movie downtown, go to the library or visit friends and take a stroll down at Cesar Chavez Park. I don’t expect everyone to be a football fan but for the few afternoons a year that non-football fans are inconvenienced there are plenty of places to visit and get away from the noise and people.  

John Benson 

• 

SMART GROWTH 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I thoroughly enjoyed Marcia Lau’s “She’s Not Intimidated By Mad Yelling” (Daily Planet, Nov. 19-22) and was surprised at the response it received. P. Levitt writes (Letters, Nov. 23-25), “Old buildings, some poorly placed and designed (by previous communities who did not plan smart growth), will burn down, fall down, come into dis-use, or will not be economical to maintain”. 

Well, yes, occasionally an old building burns to the ground, but in downtown Berkeley they usually come down with the aid of a bulldozer and an ABAG loan. 

Our local monument to “smart growth” has hardly been economical to maintain. The Gaia building’s $10 million repair job apparently has failed again—the scaffolding and shroud have reappeared for yet another unsightly round of repairs. 

As for our non-vital downtown movie theaters, how can they thrive? A developer just demolished the parking garage where moviegoers parked!  

Gale Garcia 

?

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

Berkeley, Vallejo Men Slain in Emeryville  

After three years without a homicide, Emeryville racked up two slayings in five days, including the murder of a Berkeley man who was moving appliances into a three-unit rental building owned by a relative. 

Donald Malcolm Sims, 40, was shot multiple times Wednesday night outside the triplex on 44th Street near the corner of Adeline Street. Sheri Taylor, the owner of the building, was also hit by a bullet in her leg, said Sgt. LaJuan Collier. 

Sims was shot a few minutes before 7 p.m. and pronounced dead at 7:35 p.m. at Oakland’s Highland Hospital. 

The other murder occurred Nov. 20 outside the Denny’s Restaurant on Powell Street adjacent to the Interstate 80 restaurant. 

Robert Bridges Stanford, a 22-year-old Vallejo resident, was shot once in the head. 

Emeryville detectives arrested a suspect in the Stanford slaying five days later, 18-year-old Vallejo resident Vasega Till.  

Sgt. Collier said there was no evidence that the two shootings were related. 

Hands Off, Sonny 

A 73-year-old Berkeley woman called police a few minutes after midnight on Nov. 22 after a man about four decades her junior grabbed her posterior as she was walking along the 1800 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 

There are no suspects in the event, which police are calling a sexual battery. 

About That Bullet Hole. . . 

A resident of the 900 block of Jones Street made a startling discovery last Wednesday—a bullet hole, evidence that someone had fired a round into the dwelling sometime in the previous week. With no witnesses, police have no suspect, said Berkeley Police spokesperson Officer Joe Okies. 

Call Interrupted  

A 77-year-old Berkeley woman was talking on her cell phone as she walked along the 2100 block of Jefferson Avenue around 8:30 p.m. last Wednesday when a young man grabbed the instrument out of her hands and ran away. 

Police have no suspects in the case. 

Knife Flasher Busted  

A late night argument between two acquaintances in the 1700 block of Derby Street took a sharper edge Friday when a 60-year-old disputant pulled a knife and flashed the weapon at the other. 

Police took the knife-wielder to the city lockup, pending arraignment on a single charge of brandishing a deadly weapon. 

Strong-Arm Purse Snatch  

A tall, slim bandit forced the purse away from a 37-year-old woman in the 2800 block of Russell Street just after 2 p.m. Saturday. The woman was uninjured and the robber remains at large. 

Rat Pack Bike Theft 

Five young men in their late teens to early 20s confronted a 19-year-old bike rider near the corner of Adeline and 62nd streets about 6:30 p.m. Sunday and strong-armed his ride, said Officer Okies. 

No suspects have been arrested in the crime. 

Pistol-Packin’ Jacker 

A young man believed to be between 16 and 20 years of age pulled a pistol on a motorist near the corner of 7th and Delaware streets about 11:15 Sunday night and demanded the car. 

The driver of the vehicle, a Volkswagen, wisely gave it up and the bandit fled behind the wheel.

Two years ago my husband and I waited, with others, for an AC Transit bus on the corner of 55th Street and Telegraph Avenue. When the bus came, the driver stopped and allowed the able-bodied people on. Then he closed the doors. “I’m running late,” he sho uted at us. “You’ll have to wait for the next bus.” 

He drove off before we could reply. The second bus appeared a few minutes later. The driver let down the automatic lift and I pushed and pulled Ralph and his wheelchair onto it. The lift went up and I m aneuvered the chair down the narrow aisle into the special section for wheelchairs. It wasn’t easy. Ralph’s electric wheelchair is big and bulky and difficult to manipulate in small spaces. Passengers had to move. The strap that goes around the wheelchair in order to secure it was short. We had to re-situate the chair several times. The people around us were patient, but I couldn’t help feeling as though we were inconveniencing everyone.  

We were taking the bus because our van had broken down. We could not use Para-Transit because they require 24-hour advance notice. The van didn’t break down until just before Ralph was to attend a meeting at the Center for Independent Living. So much for independence.  

After the meeting, we caught the Number 40 bus heading in the opposite direction. “Hurry up,” said the driver when she stopped at the corner and opened the doors. “I’ve been picking up wheelchairs all day long and I’m late.” This was not a positive start. I could feel my blood pressure rising.  

At the intersection of Ashby and Telegraph avenues, the driver put the lift down to allow a woman with a walker off the bus, and that’s when all hell broke lose. The lift would not go back up. It was stuck in the down position, meaning, of course, that Ralph was stuck on the bus. “Everybody off,” ordered the driver. “You’ll have to catch the next bus while I get this fixed.” 

Everyone got off except for Ralph and me. We waited for the mechanic. Ninety minutes later we were on our way. A trip that should have tak en less than 30 minutes from CIL to our doorstep, it instead took almost two hours. I vowed never to use AC Transit again. 

But I didn’t keep my promise. I like leaving my car at home and walking to nearby destinations, or, if necessary, taking a bus. Las t year, when I started graduate school at San Francisco State University, I began using BART regularly. This commute includes a shuttle ride from the Daly City BART station to campus and back. When the shuttle is behind schedule, I take MUNI. Sometimes, instead of walking the half mile from my house to the MacArthur BART Station, I take the No. 15 AC Transit bus that stops at the corner of 51st Street and Martin Luther King Way.  

Last week I was running late. As I walked down MLK, the No. 15 roared past me. I ran to the bus shelter, but when I got there the bus had pulled from the curb and was idling at the traffic light. I knocked on the bus door and looked at the driver. He looked back at me and shook his head no, then stared straight ahead at the red light. I knocked again and asked to be let on. He ignored me. Plenty of time passed before the light turned green. He could have easily let me on the bus and not been delayed, nor caused any drivers behind him to be inconvenienced. Though not against the curb, the Number 15 was still in front of the bus stop.  

I vowed, once again, not to bother with taking the damn bus.

With the election over it is distressing to hear our City Council and staff continue to distort the citizens’ reasons for voting down all of the city’s tax proposals. The latest example is Kriss Worthington’s Nov. 16 condemnation of the groups opposed to eliminating one of the city’s fire truck companies. He accused them of “spreading hate and lies.” 

After almost a year of communicating to the city that eliminating a ladder fire truck company for any portion of time was unacceptable to the neighborhoods and citizens, they did it anyway. There are two sides to every issue. The negotiations between the city and the firefighters union is a prime example. The city tells us that the union refused to reduce their pay so the truck elimination could be avoided. The firefighters union tells us their offer was to allow them to be in line with the other city unions. Take your pick, and argue your case, but you don’t accuse the other side of bad faith unless you have a very good reason for doing so and do make sure your own motives are clean. 

Let’s not forget that the union initially did not support Measure M. When certain councilmembers accused the union of not being a team player and threatened the firefighters with the loss of the truck if they did not support Measure M, the union changed its mind and supported Measure M with both money and time. Measure M failed. The city eliminated the fire truck anyway. So much for team players! 

Because the citizens of Berkeley believe that public safety must be the first priority of the City Council, they came in large numbers to the Nov. 16 City Council meeting. Speaker after speaker demanded that the City Council restore the fire truck. It was after the public speaking session ended that Councilmember Worthington told the audience that the speakers were spreading hate and lies and that the election results were from misinformation that had been given to the voters by the opposition.  

What is astounding about this is that during the election debate the city was unable to materially dispute any of the facts the opposition was using to state their case. Never during the campaign did I hear anyone from the opposition use the words hate or lies, instead they based their opposition to the taxes primarily on facts and figures that are publicly available on the city’ own website. The election results came about not because of any misinformation, but because, for the first time, the voters had an opportunity to learn what the city is actually doing with its money. 

There is a huge disconnect between our City Council and staff with the neighborhoods and voters. In response to this, some councilmembers have said “well we are the elected representatives of the people.” If this is true, why aren’t they representing the majority will of the people now that they have made their wishes clear? 

If Kriss Worthington and the City Council believe that the neighborhoods are spreading hate and lies, the citizens for their part, doubt the credibility of the city. The public safety issues, the creek task force decision, the city’s inability to deal with the university, and its’ failure to address the root causes of the budget crisis are only a few of the reasons many neighborhood leaders have become more cynical, less trustful, and uncooperative. 

At the Nov. 16 council meeting, the speakers repeatedly told the city that they are ready to help the city get through the budget crisis (which will be with us for years). Budget Watch has given the city a blueprint that will work. Instead we were told not to “spread hate.” 

Can someone at City Hall help? 

Dean Metzger is a member of the Zoning Adjustments Board.›

Progressives and Democrats (not always the same thing) are still licking our wounds from Nov. 2. But we’ve begun a vigorous discussion about how to rebuild our capacity to win elections and influence people. Some of us debated this with a few thousand of our closest friends on Sunday, Nov. 21, courtesy of MoveOn.org’s national house party and online discussion board. Here’s my contribution to the fray: 

The Revolution Might Not Be Strategized: While rebuilding a real strategy is essential and long overdue, we need to fight and win immediate battles, using improvised tactics. Bush has clearly laid out the battlefield: privatizing Social Security, destroying what’s left of progressive taxation, and denying consumers access to the courts. 

If progressives still can’t articulate a positive message about why these things should be saved, let’s at least put out a ruthlessly disciplined negative message about why not to mess with them: Private pensions are disappearing or going bankrupt, making Social Security more important than ever. A national sales tax means taxes on postage stamps, movie tickets, and coffins—a real “death tax.” Capping medical liability means that when incompetent hospital employees lethally botch Harry’s operation, his widow Louise will be left with next to nothing. 

The Campaign for America’s Future already has a form where you can send your legislators a great letter against Social Security privatization. Sign it now at http://ourfuture.org. 

Hijack The Agenda—Pre-Empt Bush’s State of the Union Address: Better still is to pre-empt the right’s negative agenda with a clear positive agenda. Let’s write our own “State of Union” report, or “Covenant with America,” and overshadow Bush’s official State of Union (SOU) address by releasing it first. 

Invite Congressional Democrats to sign on if they want to regain some definition and relevance. Either way, release it by mid-January, with a strong publicity campaign. 

We want 10 short and pithy calls to action, modeled on the “Contract with America” by which the GOP seized Congress in 1994. The SOU typically frames the whole year’s legislative agenda. If progressives can put the White House on the defensive early, we might destabilize its steamroller throughout 2005. 

Message—Something Beats Nothing: Progressives and Democrats need a clear message and, to paraphrase Ike, I don’t care what it is. (“Hope, Growth, and Opportunity” served Democrats well in their heyday, and Republicans more recently. It’s still in the public domain.) Losing the last six national elections should finally have taught us this. 

The GOP has had all the new ideas, even though they’ve all been wrong. This has helped them pose as “reformers” and “populists,” while we look like dinosaurs. 

We must reclaim the mantle of innovation and of being on average voters’ side. Having some substance and specifics is far more important than the exact details. And we shouldn’t bore voters with mind-numbing details. 

Delivery—Might Makes Right: More important than even our message’s broadest outline is our need to deliver it with determination and conviction. The GOP came on “wrong but strong” this year, forcefully articulating its base’s so-called “values” and thereby energizing that base to turn out and vote. 

As in 2000, they tricked our presidential candidate into wasting time denying mischaracterizations. This left him looking wimpy, unclear, and unreliable—depressing our base’s enthusiasm, growth, and ultimate turnout. 

“Always Attack, Never Defend”: This is Sen. Tom Harkin’s maxim. Democratic candidates must never again start a sentence with “I’m not...,” “I don’t...,” or “I wouldn’t.” Deny nothing, qualify nothing, apologize for nothing—just press our own positive message. 

Stigmatize The GOP Early And Often: We can’t win by treating politics as a courtly croquet match while the right fights trench warfare. The GOP has plenty of vulnerabilities; all we need is the nerve to take aim at them. If the national discussion over the next few months is about those Achilles heels, it won’t be about the GOP’s misleading case for dismantling the New Deal. Let’s talk about Tom DeLay’s fundraising improprieties; the record pace of Congressional pay raises since the GOP took control in 1994; the sneaky legislative “rider” that recently authorized GOP Rep. Ernest Istook to examine individuals’ tax returns; and Porter Goss’ unilateral disarmament of the C.I.A. 

Never Parrot Your Adversary’s Framing Language: We should have learned this lesson back in the Reagan years. We will never win a battle to repeal the Patriot Act. But we might prevail if we accurately call it the “Scoundrel Act,” or the neutral “Public Law 357-66.” 

Let’s never again complain about the underfunded “No Child Left Behind Act,” which is anything but. Howard Dean, an early critic of pointless school testing, ably rechristened it the “No School Board Left Standing Act.” And any media reference to Social Security privatization or a flat tax as “reform” deserves a prompt flood of letters to the editor. 

Messengers—Recruit Team Players: The GOP stands for extreme individualism, while progressives stand for solidarity around common goals. But paradoxically, the GOP’s most successful candidates (Reagan, Dubya) are gregarious men, who’ve maintain a loyal, harmonious, and well-functioning team of aides for years. 

Our recent losing nominees (Gore, Kerry) are reclusive eggheads who visibly dislike meeting voters, and who come across as arrogant nerds. They also have a pattern of trying to micromanage their own campaigns, and of failing to make or delegate decisions. They hire conflicting advisors, fire freely, and yell at the survivors. 

We need to recruit candidates who can win the “Who would you rather sit beside on a plane?” test -- folks who can speak affably, clearly, succinctly, and charismatically. We need fewer Phi Beta Kappa overachievers and more former fraternity presidents (or the palatable equivalent). 

Expel the DLC Trojan Horse: The right-wing “New Democrats” of the Democratic Leadership Council are neither new nor Democrats. These Bubbacrats and Demicrats pose as arbiters of “electability,” yet adhering to their centrist, no-message advice has lost us election after election. 

They’re an albatross—invite them to follow their fellow Dixiecrats into the GOP. Democrats need to play in the South, and the most capable, like John Edwards and Mark Warner, will win statewide races. But we can’t keep giving veto power to a region that we long ago lost. 

Discipline Counts: A party that couldn’t tell Zell Miller to go to hell is not a functional party. The Democrats need to set a party line (see “Message” above), and punish or expel renegades who never toe it. 

Mitigations—Keep Our Hands Clean: If Democrats can’t defeat bad GOP initiatives that are bound to fail, they must learn to keep their fingerprints off them. “Me-tooism” is deadly—a lesson the GOP learned back in the 1950s.  

Kerry squandered Iraq as a winning issue by voting for the war resolution. He fell victim to the “flip-flop” label by also voting for Bush’s extravagant tax cuts, the Scoundrel Act, and No School Board Left Standing.  

Rivals John Edwards and Dick Gephardt suckered themselves into the same voting pattern. This neutralized all these Bush failures as viable partisan issues. Arnold wouldn’t be California governor today if state Dems hadn’t unanimously voted for the disastrous electricity deregulation plan introduced by his mentor, former GOP Gov. Pete Wilson. 

Institutionalize Ourselves: Progressives need the secular equivalent of the religious right’s churches, which have effectively distributed political messages and mobilized their members to vote. Karl Rove won Bush the general election the same way Kerry’s smartest advisor won him the Iowa primary: by ensuring that swing-state voters were shepherded to the polls through a network of personal contacts. 

Phone calls from strangers on the coasts (our countermeasure) was a feeble match. We need to stop bowling alone. We need to extend our strongest electronic networks (like MoveOn) outward, so that they reach the unwired and ensure face-to-face accountability on Election Day. 

We also need to work with unions to build this infrastructure between elections. In European countries where 70 percent or more of the workforce is unionized (including many managers), unions sponsor ongoing social events, daycare, and other social services. 

Tap Into the Cultural Mainstream: Progressives don’t need to start blabbing about “values” and pretending to be churchgoers. But we do need to listen better.  

Michael Moore, who grew up blue-collar, likes to chide liberal audiences for not listening to country and western music. He’s got a point. Get past the overproduced Nashville stuff, and you’ll find some pure, eloquent poetry about real Americans’ lives and yearnings.  

Come on, most Bay Area radio sucks anyway. The country station—whatever its dial position this month—is often the freshest thing on our air. 

Get Born Again For A Day: To understand the evangelical movement’s growth and force, don’t just wonder. Visit one of their churches some Sunday. 

At the Charismatic church in Santa Rosa where I once taped a video documentary, I found a multiracial congregation dressed in everything from three-piece suits to t-shirts and cutoffs. Everyone clearly felt equally welcome and cherished. About how many mainline congregations (or other mainstream institutions) could one say that? 

Between fellowship, counseling, support groups, food baskets, and rock-solid hugs, this church was tangibly helping folks suffering a variety of problems—poverty, layoffs, tragic events, addictions—claw their way into, or back into, the middle class. 

Promoting community and upward mobility is exactly progressives’ longstanding mission—no pun intended. We need to once again learn how to do it effectively. We need to make the obvious case for a government that is less intrusive into people’s private lives, but stronger—not weaker—in efficiently providing a network of essential social supports. 

Michael Katz is a Berkeley resident, although his record collection is heavy on Austin.  

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The colorful, vivid imagery born in the West Berkeley studio of artist Juana Alicia that graces buildings across the nation may soon appear on the walls of a five-story building on University Avenue. 

Recognized as one of the nation’s finest muralists, Alicia was taught by two students of perhaps the greatest North America master of the form, Diego Rivera, whose vibrant forms and hues are reflected in her work. 

Alicia’s mentors in the form were Lucien Bloch, who was Rivera’s painting assistant and the daughter of émigré composer Ernest Bloch, and Stephen Dimitroff, Rivera’s plasterer. 

In Detroit, she grew up in the African American cultural renaissance of the 1950s and ‘60s, where she found strong influence in the muralist John Biggers as well as in her godmother and high school art teacher, Dr. Cledie Collins Taylor. Taylor was the founder of Arts Extended Gallery, the city’s first African American gallery, which is still going strong after 50 years. 

For the last year-and-a-half of her public school education, Alicia switched to the Detroit Institute of the Arts, where she found her passion for murals. “I was so inspired that I knew it was what I wanted to do,” she recalls. 

Among her other influences, she cites the two other members with Rivera of the “Tres Grandes” of Mexican murals, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siquerios; Rivera’s spouse and fellow artist, Frieda Kahlo; German expressionist Kathe Kollwitz; Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi; African American sculptor and print-maker Elizabeth Catlett; and from antiquity, the anonymous painters of Teotihuacan and the Mayan bas-relief sculptors of Chichen Itza. 

While still in Detroit, Alicia came to the attention of Cesar Chavez after he saw her silk-screen prints of the grape boycott. Chavez asked her to come to Salinas to work with the United Farm Workers. 

“Because there were very few Chicanos in Detroit, when I came to California I rediscovered my own culture,” she said. 

Instead of working in the UFW office, Alicia said, “I decided it would be more fruitful to do work organizing in the fields with the highly politically-conscious Mexican working class that was organizing the strike and bringing about a very different kind of cultural revolution.” 

Her labor of love resulted in pesticide and herbicide exposures which caused her serious health problems, including bouts of pneumonia. 

When Alicia was seven months pregnant with her son, she left field work and started working with the Migrant Teacher Corps, with which she became a bilingual educator. 

After taking classes at a local community college, she was recruited by Professor Ralph Guzman at UC Santa Cruz, where she earned two degrees and three teaching credentials. 

As a teacher, she quickly shifted her focus to doing art with the migrant children of Watsonville, where her projects included a large mural at Watsonville High School. The work was destroyed in the 1989 earthquake. 

In 1981, at the urging of her brother—“He said I needed to be in an urban center, where I could find support for my murals”—Alicia moved to San Francisco, though she continued to commute to Watsonville to work with her migrant students. 

Two years later came her first urban mural commission from the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Community Development and the San Francisco Arts Commission. Entitled “Las Lechugueras”—The Women Lettuce Workers—the 1,500-square foot acrylic artwork was installed at 24th and York streets in the Mission District. 

In the intervening years, 29 more murals have followed, invoking not only her Chicano heritage but echoes of the Art Deco, Art Nouveau, and psychedelic styles as well. 

Alicia moved to West Berkeley in 1995, drawn by the creative environment, the multicultural milieu and the schools for her recently born daughter. 

“It’s the arts and ceramics Mecca of the area,” she said. 

Two more murals are in the works: a massive mural project on multicultural healing traditions for the UC San Francisco Medical Center and the exterior of Satellite Housing’s planned 80-unit senior residential facility at 1535 University Avenue—her first Berkeley commission. 

After witnessing the deterioration of her earliest acrylic friezes and the perils of earthquakes, she is using tile for both projects, so the works will endure and can be removed, even from ruined buildings. 

Final drawings for the UCSF panels, which will grace the exterior walls of two adjacent buildings joined by a covered portico featuring a frieze, are due Dec. 17. She’ll then begin fabricating the tiles in February with installation planned for October, when she’ll begin the tiles for her University Avenue commission. 

Meanwhile, Alicia continues her work with activist groups as well as her teaching, offering classes in Chicano Studies at UC Davis and occasional classes in Spanish, Portuguese and Chicano Art History at Stanford and San Francisco State. 

“I have no permanent faculty positions,” she said, “because I spend most of my times doing artwork.” 

Her studio in the basement of her Ninth Street Berkeley home contains a heavy-duty kiln for baking her tiles, drawing tables and pencil sketches—plain and colored—for preliminary renderings of her work, paints, and an assortment of the vibrant works that are her specialty. 

Intense, witty and sharply focused, Alicia brings to her work a unique perspective which has won her numerous commissions and widespread recognition as a leader in her field. 

Alicia will host an open studio exhibit and art sale this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in her studio, 2016 Ninth Street, a block south from University Avenue. 

For more on the artist and examples of her work, visit her web site at http://juanaalicia.com.›

In this history of the American experience of free speech during war time, Geoffrey Stone explodes the myth that elite professors cannot write compelling prose. Stone’s narrative of the ups and downs of the First Amendment in times of national emergency is a gripping read, full of free speech heroes and villains, victories and defeats.  

Stone’s story spans from the 18th century to the current one; but while the wars change, the tensions between our commitment to free speech and democracy endure. The pa st and current problem is that, despite our national commitment to freedom of speech as a necessary part of the democratic process, many Americans instinctively feel that any criticism of governmental policy while American soldiers are at risk is simply t reasonous. Censorship during wartime is a popular political option. And this predilection towards intolerance is often encouraged and capitalized on by opportunistic politicians to the First Amendment’s detriment.  

Stone does an excellent job in describing the patterns that have re-occurred over two centuries and myriad conflicts. Often in the excitement of military crisis, censorship is imposed that we later recognize to be neither militarily necessary nor politically prudent. Everyone now agrees that the Alien and Sedition Act of 1798 and the Espionage Act of 1918 were free speech disasters, but of course when regret seems only to be felt in hindsight, it is not very reassuring to activists who wish to protest military policies in the present day.  

S tone points out that we better respected civil liberties in World War II than in World War I and outright prosecution for the expression of anti-war views was the exception not the rule during the Vietnam War. He attributes these facts to the growth of wh at might be called a “free speech” culture in America after World War I, led by the famous Supreme Court First Amendment dissents of Justices Oliver Wendell Holmes and Louis Brandeis.  

Yet ironically this growth of support for free speech values does not always result in less actual repression during times of war. Sometimes the problem is a failure of courage on the part of judges when free speech issues are raised in a time of national emergency. There sometimes seems to be almost a “national security” exception to the First Amendment.  

Secondly, in the Vietnam War when courts did restrict prosecutions for making statements critical of the war effort, government just moved to new forms of repression. Stone is especially good at telling the story of how the FBI, CIA, and Army, without Congress’s knowledge much less approval, compiled dossiers that would have done the KGB proud on 500,000 loyal American citizens. We still do not know the harm this massive secret government program to “neutralize and dest roy” the anti-war movement caused the individuals personally and the anti-war cause in general. For that matter, we don’t know if a successor program has been instituted after the attacks of 9/11 since the Bush administration prefers to do its business i n secret.  

Finally, sometimes good free speech doctrine is overwhelmed by the presidency’s ability to use its unrivaled access to the media to equate dissent with disloyalty. Most presidents succumb to this temptation, but few were as ruthless and effect ive as Richard Nixon during the Vietnam War. Nixon effectively linked anti-war speech to a patriotism deficit.  

Yet the problem remains. You need not be a media expert to know that it is not difficult for a savvy White House to use its media access and c ontrol over national security information to stunt criticism. As our culture becomes more media-oriented, the power of government propaganda becomes an increasing threat to the marketplace of ideas that the First Amendment is supposed to sponsor. Unfortun ately, this is an issue that current American First Amendment law does not even face, much less resolve.  

Most readers will expect Stone to draw lessons for the future from his riveting history of the past. He does devote a few pages to the post 9/11 wor ld, but his recommendations for change are less compelling than his history. Stone’s suggestions for reform are for the most part both abstract and non-controversial. He speaks little of the corrupting effects of government secrecy and propaganda and even appears to support some policies that severely restrict dissent. For instance, Stone would appear to approve a federal court’s acquiescence in New York City’s refusal to allow a giant anti-war rally in Central Park during the 2004 Republican convention o n the ground that the demonstrators might injure the grass. Millions for police protection, but not one penny for turf repair.  

But, to be fair, Professor Stone’s reticence on how the First Amendment should evolve to meet current and future national secu rity crises in no way diminishes the value of his compelling story of how free speech and fear have faced off in the past.  

John Denvir, a Berkeley resident, teaches constitutional law at the University of San Francisco Law School and is author of Democracy’s Constitution:Claiming the Privileges of American Citizenship. 



Many of us come to understand the Iraq War through the lens of newspaper and TV journalists who track our forces on the battlefield and in Pentagon briefings. 

In Iraq, Inc: a Profitable Occupation, Pratap Chatterjee provides a view of the Iraq War that goes beyond Humvees, firefights and Pentagon spinmeisters, and reveals a complex and lucrative system of private enterprise, where billions of tax dollars are spent—and sometimes misspent—to support the warriors and rebuild Iraq.  

The 248-page paperback, just released by Seven Stories Press, looks at the army of privately contracted dishwashers, barbers, toilet cleaners, security guards, transporters of prisoners, intelligence gatherers and truck drivers, generally invisible to the public. The presence of these workers only comes to light when one among them gets kidnapped or killed or steps out of line and into the media spotlight, as the contract interrogators at Abu Ghraib did.  

At the core of Chatterjee’s research are the multinational corporations that get the contracts, deploy the workers, purchase the equipment and get rich in the process. A project director and managing editor at Oakland’s CorpWatch, Chatterjee, 40, has been tracking military spending for a decade.  

In an interview earlier this month in his downtown Oakland office, Chatterjee, a Berkeley resident and former member of the city’s Community Environmental Advisory Commission, said that since the first war with Iraq, the role of private enterprise in military contracting has changed dramatically. “In the first Gulf War one in 100 ‘boots on the ground,’ as they call it, was a private contractor.” When the U.S. invaded and occupied Iraq in 2003, one in 10 was a private contractor. “Today, as we speak and the U.S. is launching a war in Falluja, one in four ‘boots on the ground’ is a private contractor.” 

Chatterjee, whose well-documented information comes from investigation inside Iraq and from research in the U.S., begins Iraq, Inc. with a hard look at Houston-based Halliburton. The c orporate giant has profited from the war with some $18 billion in contracts to perform such tasks as meal preparation, mail delivery, base construction, and fixing Iraq’s oil industry. (Vice President Dick Cheney, the company’s former CEO, receives more than $150,000 in annual payments from Halliburton.)  

Employees are attracted by Halliburton salaries, which top what they could otherwise earn. The pay varies according to the worker’s home country: a South Asian kitchen worker might earn $300 each month, an Indian fabricator, $550 and an American truck driver can get $8,000.  

The corporation employs few Iraqis. The Iraqi Labor Ministry reported in October, 2003 that 70 percent of the labor force was unemployed. “…Halliburton and the occupation authorit i es simply do not trust Iraqi workers, fearing that they might kick out or kill their colonial bosses,” Chatterjee writes. 

When making purchases, Halliburton doesn’t skimp. Why should it? Its contracts guarantee costs plus 1 percent profit. So greater exp enditures—buying a $5 towel rather than one at $1.60—increase the company’s earnings. 

Should Halliburton be condemned as a war profiteer? Richard Dowling, spokesperson for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers doesn’t think so: “Yes, it is a profit motive tha t brings companies into a dangerous location, but that is what capitalism is all about,” he told Chatterjee. “Halliburton employees are under fire and several have died, but (the companies) are still here. With all due respect to nonprofit organizatio ns l ike the United Nations and the Red Cross, they have pulled out. If it takes profit to motivate an organization to take a tough job, then that’s the only way to do it.”  

Because of the growing resistance and associated sabotage, security has become b ig bu siness in Iraq, with an estimated 20,000 private security guards on patrol. They work for a variety of contractors and earn anywhere from $60 to $200 per month for Iraqis, to $1,000 a day for Americans. The well-paid Yankees guard high-profile targets, tr ain police and have been known to engage in military combat. Several were implicated in the Abu Ghraib scandal where Iraqi prisoners were tortured.  

Chatterjee points out the irony. “I realized that the security for ordinary Iraqis had completely disappeared. I discovered that all the cinemas were closed, the children’s zoo and playgrounds were empty, the banks of the Tigris where musicians once performed on summer evenings had shut down. No, there was no ban on any of these activities, it was jus t fear of suicide bombs, American attacks, and street crime, the latter a hitherto unknown phenomenon under the dictator.” 

Another task the U.S. contracts out is that of bringing democracy to Iraq. Part of the plan is the creation of a “free” media, which, in f act, was designed to put a positive spin on the U.S. occupation. So the military funded the Iraqi Media Network radio and TV station, set up by Science Applications International Corporation of San Diego on a $15 million sole source contract. The group had no media experience. “The closest SAIC has gotten to running a television network is a contract to manage surveillance cameras at the Olympics,” Chatterjee says. 

And North Carolina-based Research Triangle Institute’s $167 million contract was t o bring democratic institutions to 180 Iraqi cities and towns. What was set up, in fact, were town councils chosen by a select group of people, something Chatterjee calls “appointocracy.” Because this top-down system was met with opposition in a number of instanc es, Chatterjee concludes: “Iraqis no longer believe that the Americans intend to allow them to choose for themselves…. (This) has in fact strengthened rejectionists like Moqtada al Sadr—the very opposite of what the occupation authorities wanted to achiev e in the first place.” 

On the economic front, the U.S. put in place new laws that allow foreign ownership of Iraqi banks and businesses. “The Iraqi banks that are able to avoid a foreign takeover now have to compete with foreign banks and their many subs idiaries that have an unlimited source of capital and lending abilities.” The new laws that facilitated foreign investment “sparked a little gold rush in Washington, D.C.” with companies rushing to acquire distribution rights ”for everything from grain or auto parts to shampoo.” 

While putting aside the question of whether we should be fighting in Iraq, this well-researched and thoroughly annotated book provides the reader with a broadened context in which to evaluate the ongoing war effort.  

Why did the author risk his life going several times to the dangerous battle-scarred country to research the book? “If I didn’t go there, the story wouldn’t be told,” he said. “My job as a journalist is to serve the public interest, to stand up and challenge the powers that be.”  

Pratap Chatterjee has done that well in Iraq, Inc. 

Judith Scherr is a former managing editor of the Berkeley Daily Planet. ?Í

TUESDAY, NOV. 30 

CHILDREN 

First Stage Children’s Theater “Flights of Fantasy” at 7:30 p.m. at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $4 at the door. 845-8542.  

FILM 

Alternative Visions: “Latent Excavations,” new work by Lynn Marie Kirby at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

John Ross describes “Murdered by Capitalism: 150 Years of Life & Death on the U.S. Left” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra “Symphony Not As Usual” Bartók’s “Rhapsody” and Beethoven’s “Grosse Fuge” at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $22-$49. 841-2800.  

Gerard Landry & The Lariats at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054.  

Peter Barshay and Murray Low at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Taj Mahal at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Through Sun. Dec. 5. Cost is $16-$24. 238-9200.  

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 1 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Visions of the Holidays” Art work by Berkeley residents, from kindergarteners to seniors, on display in storefronts in downtown Berkeley, through Dec. 31. 549-2230.  

“Innovative Developments in Glass Arts” by five East Bay glass artists on display in the Addison Street Windows Gallery through Jan. 15. 981-7533. 

Jesse Allen, Giclee prints. Reception at 5 p.m. at Epoch Gallery, 2284 Fulton St.  

FILM 

Powerpoint to the People An evening of automated digital presentations at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

John Dominic Crossan and Jonathan L. Reed on “In Search of Paul: How Jesus’ Apostle Opposed Rome’s Empire with God’s Kingdom” at 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Sponsored by Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host with Charles Ellik at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-7. 841-2082.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wednesday Noon Concert, Javanese Gamelan Ensembles, directed by Midiyanto, at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. 642-4864.  

Music for the Spirit Lenore Mathias, flute, performs Handel, McKean and French works at 12:15 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway. 444-3555. 

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra “Symphony Not As Usual” Bartók’s “Rhapsody” and Beethoven’s “Grosse Fuge” at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $22-$49. 841-2800. www.berkeleysymphony.org  

Matthew Bourne’s “Nutcracker!” at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus, through Dec. 5. Tickets are $30-$74. 642-9988.  

Sauce Piquante at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054.  

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

Bill Miller at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $15.50-$16.50. 548-1761.  

Kaputnik, Mister Loveless, Buffalo at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $6. 848-0886.  

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

Whiskey Brothers at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473.  

Pacific Rim Shot at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Taj Mahal at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $16-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, DEC. 2 

FILM 

Cine Mexico: “Canoa” at 5:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Free screening. 642-0808.  

EXHIBITIONS 

Keith Wilson, paintings. Reception at 6 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. at Ashby. 848-1228. www.giorgigallery.com 

Kazutoshi Sugiura, prints. Reception at 6 p.m. at Schurman Fine Art Gallery, 1659 San Pablo Ave. 524-0623. 

“Threshold: Byron Kim” Guided tour at 5:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808.  

THEATER 

“Measures Taken” Workshop production by UC Dept. of Theater and Dance at 8 p.m. in Zellerbach Room 7, UC Campus. Also Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 4 at 2 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $5. 642-9925. 

“Theatre Rice and the Chocolate Factory” Modern Asian-American theater at 8 p.m. at 155 Dwinelle, UC Campus, through Dec. 4. Tickets are $2-5. www.theatrerice.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Lunch Poems Reading Series with Billy Collins, former U.S. poet laureate and author of “Sailing Alone Around the Room: Selected Poems” at 12:10 p.m. at the Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus. 642-0137.  

“The Rebozo: History and Technique” with Virginia Davis, textile artist, at noon at the Phoebe Hearst Museum, Bancroft at College. 643-7648. 

“Food in California Indian Culture” with Ira Jenkins, editor, at 4 p.m. at the Phoebe Hearst Museum, Bancroft at College. 643-7648. 

“Hard Manual Labor of the Imagination” the poetry of Ishmael Reed, at 7:30 p.m. at College Preparatory School, Buttner Auditorium, 6100 Broadway, Oakland. Cost is $5-$10. 658-5202.  

David Thompson on “The Whole Equation,” a history of Hollywood, at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

Andrew Wood on “Road Trip America: A Tour of Off-beat Destinations” at 7:30 p.m. at Easy Going Bookstore, 1385 Shattuck Ave. 843-3533. 

Poetry at the Albany Library with Eva Schlesinger and Jeanne Lupton at 7 p.m. at 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720. 

Word Beat Reading Series at 7 p.m. with Michael Kelly and Selene Steese at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave., near Dwight Way. 526-5985.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“Voices of Heaven and Earth” with Holy Names University Chamber Singers at 7:30 p.m. at the Valley Center for Performing Arts, Holy Names University, 3500 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Tickets are $5-$15. Please bring an unwrapped gift for a child for Project Joybells. 436-1330. 

Oakland Opera Theater “Rake’s Progress” by Igor Stravinsky, at Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway. Thurs. - Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. through Dec. 19. Tickets are $22-$32. www.oaklandopera.org 

Petty Booka, Old Puppy at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

Ian Tyson, folk and western, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Gini Wilson, solo jazz piano, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

FRIDAY, DEC. 3 

THEATER 

Aurora Theatre “Emma” at 8 p.m. at 2081 Addison St. through Dec. 19. Tickets are $36. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

Berkeley High School “O & E” An original interpretation of the greek myth of Eurydice and Orpheus, at 8 p.m. Fri. and Sat., Sun. at 7 p.m. at the Little Theater, Allston Way. Tickets are $5-$7. 332-1931. 

Berkeley Repertory Theater, “Polk County” A musical about aspring blues musician, Leafy Lee, at the Roda Theater, 2015 Addison St. to Jan. 9. Tickets are $15-$60. 647-2949.  

Impact Theatre, “Meanwhile, Back at the Super Lair” by Greg Kalleres, Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. through Dec. 11, at La Val’s Subterranean Theater, 1834 Euclid. Tickets are $10-$15. 464-4468. www.impacttheatre.com 

“Measures Taken” by Bertolt Brecht, workshop production by UC Dept. of Theater and Dance at 8 p.m. in Zellerbach Room 7, UC Campus. Also Dec. 4 at 2 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $5. 642-9925. 

“Theatre Rice and the Chocolate Factory” Modern Asian-American theater at 8 p.m. at 155 Dwinelle, UC Campus, through Dec. 4. Tickets are $2-5. www.theatrerice.com 

FILM 

“The Bloods of ‘Nam” Screening of the 1996 film based on the book by Wallace Terry at 7 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Cine Mexico: “Bricklayers” at 6:30 p.m., “Midaq Alley” at 8:45 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Tallis Scholars performs “O Magnum Mysterium” at 8 p.m. at First Congragational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $42. 642-9988.  

Matthew Bourne’s “Nutcracker!” at 8 p.m. at Zellerbach Hall, UC Campus, Sat. at 2 and 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. Tickets are $30-$74. 642-9988.  

Messiah Sing-Along with the University Symphony at 7 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $15. 642-4864.  

“Praetorius and the German Carol Tradition” at 8 p.m. at 2300 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $10-$25. 415-262-0272.  

Desde la Bahia Party with Edgardo Cambón y Candela at 8 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $15. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

New Chicano Music with Quetzal at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Lecture and demonstration at 8 p.m. Cost is $5-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com  

Geoff Muldaur & The Fountain of Youth at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Vinyl, Diego’s Umbrella at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $7-$10. 548-1159.  

Mushroom, The Weepies at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8. 848-0886.  

The Sadies at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082.  

Frank Jackson Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

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

Actions Aside, Tiger Uppercut, Sabretooth Zombie at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

Taj Mahal at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $16-$24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, DEC. 4 

CHILDREN 

Naomi Rose, author and illustrator of “Tibetan Tales for Little Buddhas” at 2 p.m. at the Museum of Children’s Art, 538 Ninth St., Oakland. 465-8770. 

“Wild About Books” with children’s music from the Americas at 10:30 a.m. at the Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6223. 

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Rosie and the Railroaders, interactive train songs, at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $3-$4. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

“Light up the Lights” a multi-holiday winter song festival with Gary Lapow at 3 p.m. at Habitot, 2065 Kittredge St. Cost is $5-$6. 647-1111. www.habitot.org 

THEATER 

Shotgun Players “Travesties” by Tom Stoppard opens at 8 p.m. at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. and runs Thurs.-Sun. through Jan. 9. 841-6500.  

FILM 

Cine Mexico: “Miroslava” at 5:10 p.m. “Reed: Insurgent Mexico” at 7 p.m., “Frida” at 9:10 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Threshold: Byron Kim” Sign lanuage interpreted tour at 1:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808.  

“Painting in Everyday Life in Traditional Japan” gallery talk and tea with Lynne Kimura at 3 p.m. at Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808.  

John E. Sloan on his new work “Up and Balanced” at 2 p.m. at Nexus Gallery, 2701 Eighth St.  

William Wong introduces “Oakland’s Chinatown” at 4 p.m. at Eastwind Books, 2066 University Ave. 548-2350.  

Joan Reardon on her biography of M.F.K. Fisher “Poet of the Appetites” at 5 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500.  

Kermit Lynch on “Inspiring Thirst: Vintage Selections for the Kermit Lynch Wine Brochure” at 5 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra “A Ceremony of Carols” A free concert at 8 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addision St. 964-0665. www.bcco.org 

Voci, “Voices in Peace: Litanies and Lullabies” at 3 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way. Tickets are $15-$20, children under 12 free. 531-8714.  

Philharmonia Baroque “Fathers and Son” at 8 p.m. at First Congregational Church, Dana and Durant Sts. Tickets are $28-$62. 415-392-4400.  

Trinity Chamber Concert “The Gregor Experience” at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $8-$12. 549-3864.  

Kairos Youth Choir “Amahl and the Night Visitors” a traditional holiday opera at 7 p.m. at Calvary Presbyterian Church, 1940 Virginia St. Tickets are $8-$10. 704-4479. www.kairoschoir.org 

Young People’s Chamber Orchestra Winter Holiday Concert “Slavic Extravaganza,” at 7 p.m. at All Souls Church, 2220 Cedar St. Tickets are $5-$10 at the door. 595-4688.  

Sing Noel, tradtional and not-so-traditional carols at 8 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 1707 Goulding Rd., Oakland. Tickets are $10-$15. 658-2792. 

Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir Christmas Concert with guest Malcolm Williams at 7:30 p.m. at the Paramount Theater, Oakland. Tickets are $10-$35. 465-6400. www.oigc.org 

Mahealani Uchiyama, traditional Polynesian music and dance, at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts. Tickets are $12-$20. 845-2605.  

Musical Night in Africa with Kotoja, West African Highlife Band, The Nigerian Brothers at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$15. 525-5054.  

Fred Frith, solo performance at 8 p.m. at the Berkeley Rep, Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. in a benefit for the Park Day School. Tickets are $12-$20.  

Moment’s Notice Improvised music, dance and theater at 8 p.m. at Western Sky Studio, 2525 8th St. 415-831-5592. 

Dancing in the Passion Cave performance by Frank Moore at Wildcat Studio, 2525 Eighth St. Sliding scale $5-$50.  

Navidad Flamenca at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $18-$20. 849-2568.  

Braziu at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10-$12. 548-1159.  

Audrye Sessions, IO, Push to Talk, indie rock, at 9:30 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $7. 848-0886.  

Sally Timms, Johnny Dowd at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082.  

Geoff Muldaur & The Fountain of Youth at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Snake Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Samantha Raven, Green and Root at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. 

Girl Talk at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

SUNDAY, DEC. 5 

CHILDREN 

Juan Sanchez at 3 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $4-$6. 525-5054.  

Colibri at 2 p.m. at the Phoebe Hearst Museum, Bancroft at College. 643-7648. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Earthy Delights” the ceramic sculpture of Ralph Holker, Peter Voulkos and others. Reception at 1 p.m. at Osceola Gallery, 4053 Harlan Street, Suite 305, Emeryville. 658-1440. 

FILM 

Cine Mexico: “Hell Has No Limits” at 5:30 p.m., “Angel of Fire” at 7:40 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Surviving Suprematism: Lazar Khidekel” symposium exploring the career of the 20th century Russian artist and architect, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Judah L. Magnes Museum, 2911 Russell St. 549-6950.  

Wendy Burton describes “Joy is a Plum Colored Acrobat: 45 Life-Affirming Visualizations for Breast Cancer Treatment and Recovery” at 2 p.m. at Cody’s Books, 1730 Fourth St. 559-9500.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Handel’s “Messiah” Sing Along at 2:30 p.m. at First Church Christ Scientist, 2619 Dwight Way. Donations benefit the restoration of Maybeck’s national landmark building. 845-4367. 

Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra “A Ceremony of Carols” A free concert at 4 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addision St. 964-0665. www.bcco.org 

Kairos Youth Choir “Amahl and the Night Visitors” a traditional holiday opera at 5 p.m. at Calvary Presbyterian Church, 1940 Virginia St. Tickets are $8-$10. 704-4479.  

“Messiah” Sing-Along with New Millenium Strings Orchestra at 6 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. Suggested donation $10. 525-0302.  

Philharmonia Baroque “Fathers and Son” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, Dana and Durant Sts. Tickets are $28-$62. 415-392-4400. www.philharmonia.org 

Cantare Chorale “Go Tell It” a concert of secular and sacred holiday music at 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 2619 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $24-$30. 925-798-1300. 

The Cornelius Cardew Choir premiere performance of “Insomnia” by Brad Fischer at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center. Tickets are $8-$10.  

Chango Fest! A celebration dedicated to the Yoruba Deity at 7 p.m. at La Peña. Benefit for the Berkeley-Palma Soriano Sister Cities. Tickets are $10-$15. 644-9260. 

Ekaterina Semenchuk, mezzo-soprano, at 3 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $46. 642-9988.  

John Gorka, modern folk, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761.  

Alan Pasqua, piano trio, at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373.

There aren’t many native live oaks on our streets, though we can see them easily enough up in Tilden Regional Park, in private yards, and in some public places like the UC Berkeley campus. The ones on campus are survivors (so far) of an unfortunate rash of deaths caused not by Sudden Oak Death Syndrome but by landscape errors. 

Our live oaks are very well adapted to the natural climate here. They have small, tight, hard, glossy leaves that don’t transpire a lot of water, so they make it through the long dry season quite nicely. But they’re susceptible to certain root fungi that thrive when they have both warmth and moisture—in other words, with summer irrigation. Watering lawns is the most notorious form of summer irrigation in cities and suburbs, and a nice lawn to relax on in the shade of a mighty live oak seems to be one of those campus idylls. Unfortunately, it can be fatal to the mighty tree in question; also unfortunately, oaks typically die slowly, over a decade or so, and cause and effect aren’t always obvious. 

If you are lucky enough to have a live oak on your property—probably a coast live oak; that’s what we see the most of on this side of the hills in yards as well as in the wild—you’d be well advised to take care what’s planted under it, so you don’t have to irrigate. Plant now to give your understory the winter rains for breakfast; you can find a list of drought, and shade-tolerant plants, many of them native, at any good nursery or in Marjorie Schmidt’s classic Growing California Native Plants. 

Our live oaks, especially coast live oaks, are under well-publicized threat lately from Sudden Oak Death Syndrome, caused by a phytophthora, which is an odd organism indeed—not a fungus, exactly, though it gets called “water mold.” It’s being tracked through a number of other hosts, including garden-variety (unfortunately) rhododendrons and our own wild tanoaks, who seem to be falling to it at a faster rate than true oaks. What effect the disease might have on wildlands is still unknown; it’s possible that individual trees that die of it are just more susceptible than their brethren, and that there’s enough of a resistant population to keep the species going just fine. 

If SOD does prove devastating to live oaks, it will devastate more than them. Oaks in general, and live oaks where they’re plentiful, are “keystone species” here. Upon them depend an incredible number of other species, from charismatic megafauna like deer (who eat acorns) and the predators who eat deer, to smaller animals like tree and ground squirrels, packrats, chipmunks, and arboreal salamanders; innumerable birds: scrub and Steller’s jays, acorn woodpeckers, and others eat acorns, and other species (like sapsuckers) eat sap or (like black-headed grosbeaks) eat spring’s catkin flowers. 

Oaks host other species such as a dizzying array of gall wasps, and parasite mistletoe, which in turn feed ichneumon wasps and other insects, phainopeplas and waxwings. Oak moths can strip a tree—but it usually recovers—and in turn support whatever birds are around and feeding hungry youngsters. And many species nest in, shelter in, hide under, or hunt from oaks. I suppose a commune of acorn woodpeckers in the Berkeley flats is too much to hope for, but I know that the live oaks near my house are supporting wildlife, because I have many optimistic oak sprouts from buried acorns every year. I generally leave them to grow, just to see what happens. If any turns into a tree, I’ll change my garden plan accordingly. 

A staggered file of young live oaks graces the center of University Avenue along with ceanothus and alternating strips of grass lawn and drought-loving groundcover and flowers. There are more in the median lawn of Sacramento Street south of University, along with several other nice species like California buckeye. I notice that there are Crataegus specimens there, too, and senior ash trees along the sidewalks. Some wit has seen to it that the street has oak, ash, and thorn together, and may they all bless the neighbors and the rest of us too.

TUESDAY, NOV. 30 

Morning Bird Walk at 7:30 a.m. at Briones. 525-2233. 

“Harvest Health Fair” from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Berkshire, 2235 Sacramento St. Health screening for blood pressure, hearing and podiatry, plus health education and vendors. 841-4844. 

“Elder Abuse” A video on legal and medical issues at 1:15 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 549-2970. 

“The Socio-Ecology of Elephants: Analysis of the Processes Creating Multilevel Societies” with George Wittemyer, UCB, at 4 p.m. at 652 Barrows Hall, UC Campus. 642-8338. www.ias.berkeley.edu/africa 

Argosy University Information Sessions for degree programs in Psychology, Education and Business at 6 p.m. at 999-A Canal Blvd., Point Richmond. To RSVP or for directions to the school, call 215-0277. 

Organic Produce at low prices sold at the corner of Sacramento and Oregon Streets every Tuesday from 3 to 7 p.m. This is a project of Spiral Gardens. 843-1307. 

Family Story Time at the Kensington Branch Library, Tues. evenings at 7 p.m. at 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

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, DEC. 1 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters meets the first and third Wednesdays of the month at 7:15 a.m. at Au Cocolait, 200 University Ave. at Milvia. For information call Robert Flammia 524-3765. 

Mini-Farmers in Tilden A farm exploration program, for ages 4-6 years; accompanied by an adult. We will explore the Little Farm, care for animals, do crafts and farm chores. Wear boots and dress to get dirty! Fee is $3-$5. Registration required. 525-2233. 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday, rain or shine, at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes, sunscreen and a hat. 548-9840. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www. 

geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

Fun with Acting Class every Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Free, all are welcome, no experience necessary. 

THURSDAY, DEC. 2 

Morning Bird Walk Meet at the Tilden Nature Area at 7:30 a.m. to look for locals and winter visitors. 525-2233. 

Lawrence Berkeley Lab’s Environmental Restoration Program Dr. Iraj Javandel, Program Manager, will present a brief overview and information on the Lab’s Draft Corrective Measures Study at 7 p.m. at the City of Berkeley Planning Dept., 2118 Milvia St., 1st floor conference room. 486-7292. 

Vista Community College 30th Anniversary Party at 7:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Ave. Music by Steve Lucky and Rhumba Bums. Proceeds go toward furniture, equipment for new Vista campus. Tickets are $10-$20 and available at Vista’s Cashier’s Office, 2020 Milvia St., 1st Floor, or online at vistabash.tix.com. 981-2800. 

FRIDAY, DEC. 3 

Outings on Fridays with Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association Tour of the Cameron-Stanford House in Oakland at 11 a.m. Cost is $15. Reservations required. 841-2242. www.berkeleyheritage.com  

American Indian Pow-Wow and Craft Fair from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the R Building cafeteria, Merritt College, 12500 Campus Drive, Oakland. Cultural entertainment and Grand Entry at 1 and 7 p.m. Benefits the American Indian Child Resource Center. www.aicrc.org 

First Fridays Film Series “In Bad Company” Fr. Bill O’Donnell in conversation with Martin Sheen, filmed in Dec. 1998, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. Free. 482-1062. 

Bhopal: 20 Years of Survival with a screening of “Bhopal Express” at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $5-$50. All proceeds to go to The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal. 415-981-1771. 

Christmas Play Auditions for Arlington Community Church Christmas Play 6 to 8 p.m. for children ages six and fourteen, and various adult roles. To reserve audition slot call 526-9146. 

Hayehwatha Institute Peace Ceremonies with Andree Morgana at 7 p.m. at Belladonna, 2436 Sacramento St. Cost is $10. 883-0600. www.belladonna.ws 

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

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

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

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

SATURDAY, DEC. 4 

Sick Plant Clinic The first Sat. of every month, UC plant apthologist Dr. Robert Raabe, UC entomologist Dr. Nick Mills, and their team of experts will diagnose what ails your plants from 9 a.m. to noon at the Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. 643-2755. 

Long Walk with Your Dog Meet at 2 p.m. at Meadows Playfield in Tilden Park for a 3.5 mile walk along Wildcat Gorge. 525-2233. 

PAWS Holiday Photos Have your pet photographed in a fundraiser for Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Red Hound Pet Store, 5523 College Ave. Cost is $20. 845-7735 ext. 19. www.berkeleyhumane.org 

Holiday Decorations - Naturally Create wreaths and garlands using natural materials. Bring a pair of small hand clippers, a bag lunch, and a large flat box to take home your creations. From noon to 3:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Area, Tilden Park. For adults and children 8 and over. Cost is $30-$61. Reservations required. 636-1684. 

Fungus Fair The beauty, tastes, smells and intricacies of the world of fungi from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Decorate a Flower Pot, Plant a Bulb from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. Free and open to all ages. 526-3720 ext. 17. 

Berkeley Artisans Holiday Open Studios Sat and Sun. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For map see www.berkeleyartisans.com 

Reused and Recycled Handicraft Sale from 10 a.m. to noon at GAIA, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, 1958 University Ave. 883-9490. www.no-burn.org 

Berkeley Potters Guild Sale from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sat. and Sun. through Dec. 19. 731 Jones St. 524-7031. www.berkeleypotters.com 

Holiday Open House Gardening and writing books will be featured at Small Press Distribution from noon to 4 p.m. Readings at 2 p.m. 1341 Seventh St. at Gilman. 524-1668. www.spdbooks.org 

Holiday Crafts Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Park. 548-3333. www.ecologycenter.org 

Holiday Plant Sale with bulbs, house plants, cacti and succulants, carnivorous plants and orchids from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. 643-2755. 

Holiday Arts Fair at the California College of the Arts from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 5212 Broadway at College Ave. 594-3666. 

American Indian Pow-Wow and Craft Fair from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the R Building cafeteria, Merritt College, 12500 Campus Drive, Oakland. Benefits the American Indian Child Resource Center. www.aicrc.org 

Community Arts and Wellness Day with yoga, martial arts, dance classes and more from 2 p.m. to midnight at Studio Rasa, 933 Parker St. Cost is $10-$20. Sponsored by Studio Rasa and Epic Arts. 843-2787. 

Artisan Marketplace from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Belladonna 2436 Sacramento St. 883-0600. www.belladonna.ws 

CopWatch Know Your Rights Workshop A free training from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. covering your rights when you are stopped, how to keep safe while documenting/observing the police, what we can do if police have violated our rights. 2022 Blake St. 548-0425. 

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, DEC. 5 

Celebration of Forest Activism and Silent Auction to benefit the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters, with food, live music and book signings from 4 to 8 p.m. at Unitarian Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar at Bonita. 548-3113. www.HeadwatersPreserve.org 

Voyage Through Time Make a flipper book of the motion’s of the Earth’s continents over the past 250 million years, from 10 a.m. to noon at Tilden Nature Area. Cost is $5-$7, registration required. 525-2233. 

Astronmony of the Star of Bethlehem with a slide show on recent ideas about the star and how great writers have told its tale, at 2 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center. 525-2233. 

Art Show and Holly Fair from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302. www.uucb.org 

Holiday Art Show and Sale with works by the Albany Adult School Senior Painting and Drawing Class from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. 524-9122. 

Richmond Art Center Arts Festival from noon to 5 p.m. at 2540 Barret Ave., Richmond. 620-6772. www.therichmondartcenter.org 

Pottery of Marty Weinstein on sale from noon to 5 p.m. at 871 Indian Rock Ave. Half of all proceeds go to Bay Area Community Resource. 526-5823. 

She Made Holiday Arts Bazaar to benefit the Women’s Daytime Drop-In Center from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Pro Arts Gallery, 550 Second St., Oakland at Jack London Square. www.she-made.com 

Fungus Fair The beauty, tastes, smells and intricacies of the world of fungi from noon to 5 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

Introduction to TaKeTiNa, rhythmic group process, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Ashkenaz, back studio, 1317 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $25-$45 sliding scale, no one will be turned away for lack of funds. 650-493-8046. 

“Eyes of the Beholder” workshop from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Hillside Community Church, 1422 Navellier St, El Cerrito. 415-383-7159. www.essential-motion.com 

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 

Tibetan Buddhism with Lee Nichol on “The Self Traversing Time” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, DEC. 6 

Public Hearing on Mental Health The public is invited to comment on gaps in services in the mental health system, how to expand services, and on the need for prevention and early intervention at 6 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center. For further information contact Harvey Tureck at 981-5213. 

Civic Arts Grant Workshop Sponsored by the City of Berkeley Civic Arts Commission at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. For information call Charlotte Fredriksen 981-7539. 

Tea 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, in Tilden Park. Cost is $5-$7, registration required. 525-2233. www.ebparks.org 

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. 524-9122. 

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

TOPS Take Off Pounds Sensibly meets every Mon. at 9 a.m. in Albany. For information call Mary at 526-3711. 

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, DEC. 7 

Mid-Day Meander from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Pt. Isabel. Meet at the Parking lot at the end of Rydin Rd. Canine companions welcome. 525-2233. 

Snowcamping 101a training session and slide lecture with Jodi Bailey and Kalle Hoffman at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

Red Cross Mobile Blood Drive from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Berkeley Repertory Theater, 2025 Addison St. 1-800-GIVE-LIFE. www.BeADonor.com 

Organic Produce at low prices sold at the corner of Sacramento and Oregon Streets every Tuesday from 3 to 7 p.m. This is a project of Spiral Gardens. 843-1307. 

Family Story Time at the Kensington Branch Library, Tues. evenings at 7 p.m. at 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043. 

Berkeley Salon Discussion Group meets to discuss “Why Should We Explore Outer Space” from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. Please bring snacks and soft drinks to share. No peanuts please. 601-6690. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

Cantabile Choral Guild Auditions at 7 p.m. at All Souls Episcopal Church, 2220 Cedar St. To schedule an audition time call 650-424-1410. 

Acting and Storytelling Classes for Seniors offered by Stagebridge, at Arts First Oakland, 2501 Harrison St. Classes are held at 10 a.m. Tues.-Fri. For more information call 444-4755. www.stagebridge.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 8 

Holiday Wreath Making Class from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. Cost is $25-$30. Registration required. 643-2755. 

“Ethical and Racial Diversity in the Jewish Community” with Booker Holton, Ph.D, at 11:30 a.m. at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. Cost is $5. 848-0237.  

Life Line Screening for stroke at University Inn, 920 University Ave. Appointments begin at 9 a.m. Cost is $125. For information or to schedule an appointment call 1-800-697-9721. 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday, rain or shine, at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes, sunscreen and a hat. 548-9840. 

Prose Writers’ Workshop An ongoing group focused on issues of craft. Novices welcome. Community sponsored, no fee. Meets Wed. at 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 524-3034. georgeporter@earthlink.net 

Poetry Writing Workshop, led by Alison Seevak, every second Wed. at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, Edith Stone Room, 1247 Marin Ave. Registration required. 526-3700, ext. 20. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www.geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

HOW TO HELP 

Alameda County Community Food Bank’s Annual Food Drive accepts donations of non-perishable food in the red barrel at any Safeway or Albertson’s. 834-3663. www.accfb.org 

Firefighters Toy Drive Donate new, unwrapped toys and canned food to any Berkeley fire station. For information call 981-5506. 

Find a Loving Animal Companion at the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society Adoption Center, 2700 Ninth St. 845-7735. www.berkeleyhumane.org  

CITY MEETINGS 

Commission on the Status of Women meets Wed., Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Tasha Tervelon, 981-5347. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/women 

Fire Safety Commission meets Wed., Dec. 1, at 7:30 p.m. at 997 Cedar St. David Orth, 981-5502. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/firesafety 

Community Environmental Advisory Commission meets Thurs., Dec. 2, at 7 p.m., at 2118 Milvia St. Nabil Al-Hadithy, 981-7461. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/environmentaladvisory 

Public Works Commission meets Thurs., Dec. 2, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Jeff Egeberg, 981-6406. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/publicworks 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon., Dec. 6 at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/citycouncil/agenda-committee 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Mon. Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Pam Wyche, 644-6128 ext. 113. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/rent 

Landmarks Preservation Commission meets Mon., Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Gisele Sorensen, 981-7419. ww.ci.ber- 

keley.ca.us/commissions/landmarks 

Parks and Recreation Commission meets Mon., Dec. 6, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Virginia Aiello, 981-5158. www.ci.berkeley.ca. 

us/commissions/parksandrecreation 

Peace and Justice Commission meets Mon., Dec. 6, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Manuel Hector, 981-5510. www.ci.berkeley. 

ca.us/commissions/peaceandjustice 

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

keley.ca.us/commissions/youth 

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

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

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It’s become a staple Christmas Grinch feature for small town papers, metro dailies, and even NPR: The Salvation Army’s familiar bell ringers with kettles for donations are banned from yet another collection site. This year’s villain is the Target chain, which gets a fair amount of favorable publicity at other times of the year from its foundation’s support of a variety of charitable causes. Target’s excuse is that if they let the Salvation Army collect, everyone else wants to do it too. Sorry, but that’s not good enough. 

The particular virtue of the Army’s collection strategy is that it’s an instantly recognizable reminder that there are still people in need in the community—an uncomfortable and even unpalatable concept for some. Behind the scenes foundation grants, while they may accomplish some good purposes for recipients, don’t do much to educate givers. Signs in Target that X percent of profits go to charity, whether the shopper cares or not, do nothing to spread the perception of responsibility for care of the needy to the rest of society, where it properly belongs. 

The Malling of America (an apt phrase coined by William Kowinski in 1978 when the phenomenon was just getting started) has, among other things, been an attempt to create, yes, reality-free zones across the land. At the mall, the poor are not always with you, or at least they’re tastefully hidden. Malls try to ban untidy ideas as well as untidy people—the one on San Pablo on the Emeryville-Oakland border has just confiscated all of the boxes which distribute free newspapers, including ours. 

This is not to say, of course, that non-mall municipalities don’t try some of the same tricks when they can get away with it. Not too long ago, a coalition of Progs and Mods fronted a ballot initiative which tried to prevent poor people from asking for money in downtown Berkeley. It took a federal judge to explain to City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque that you really can’t ban free speech in public space as long as we still have the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  

But malls and Target parking lots aren’t public space, they’re private fiefdoms which can if they choose ban reality-based activities on behalf of the poor. They can even ban the Salvation Army, which is both faith-based (motivated by religious belief) and reality-based (they do lots of hands-on work with the destitute). And as long as people shop only in malls they can preserve the illusion that everything’s just fine in America, no problem.  

A particularly Berkeleyesque flavor of Puritanism attempts to address the question by denouncing seasonal gift-giving altogether. While there are still people in need somewhere, the reasoning goes, you shouldn’t buy that bottle of perfume for poor old Aunt Nellie. Well, no. Internet theology (what a wonderful modern convenience that is!) informs us that Jesus uttered the much quoted comment that the poor will always be with us in the context of defending a devotee who poured expensive ointments on his head. Commentators galore link his response to principles in Jewish law which can be found in Deuteronomy 15: “For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.” (King James Version—might not be accurately translated, but it’s resonant.) The idea is that both indulgence and charity should be features of the well-ordered life. 

Fortunately, Greater Berkeley offers ample opportunities to maintain balance. As a public service, the Planet is providing a series of features on unusual gift-giving opportunities, and our loyal advertisers are sponsoring a nice holiday gift guide section in December papers. In most on-the-street shopping venues in Berkeley and environs, the Salvation Army kettles and all they represent have not been banned. For example, James Carter of the Albany Chamber of Commerce informs us that there’s one on Solano, in front of the Safeway store, not far from several lovely stores which can be found in our Holiday Gift Guide. He says that two of them have even offered to staff kettles in front of their own doors. As you do your shopping with these fine vendors, you’ll also have the opportunity to support the work the Salvation Army does year-round. What could be more convenient?  

—Becky O’Malley?

The long weekend gave us the opportunity to spend a couple of days in what we still call “the country,” on the property where the publisher’s mother settled after she came to Santa Cruz as one of UCSC’s first faculty members. She called it “the ranch”—about 60 rocky acres, a fair portion of which is pretty much vertical, mostly covered with second growth redwoods and eucalypts planted at the turn of the 20th century. The driveway through the woods is about a mile long, rutted dirt with seven switchbacks, an easy ascent for the benefit of the horses who pulled wagonloads of supplies up to the summer camp operated by the owners at the time, but a challenge for automobiles.  

The camp’s long gone, replaced right before World War II by a “modern” country cottage—concrete slab floors covered with linoleum tiles, industrial sash windows, knotty pine paneling—which is now used by the extended family on vacation. My mother-in-law, who was an artist as well as a professor, added her own touches, notably a studio in a prefabricated barn shell and a concrete-block chapel where many of her paintings hang. A stable was converted by hippies in the ‘60s to a house—it’s now the home of a young family with three kids who look after the two aged horses, four peacocks and some goats too mobile to count which are the remains of what was once a sizable menagerie. Another rustic outbuilding now houses the woman who cared for my mother-in-law in her old age, along with a son who is starting junior high in town. In the former water tower, built of old growth redwood by the original owners, lives a winemaker who has a small stand of organic grapes which he makes into organic Kosher wine by hand, only his own hands because of religious requirements. A retired hippy lives in the woods in an old RV. A typical Santa Cruz Mountains establishment of the old school, in other words, home to eight full-time residents and many more from time to time.  

The reason it’s “the country” in quotes is that when you look up to the top of the hill above the property you now see, somewhat disguised but definitely there, a line of expensive homes, probably these days a couple of million dollars a pop. The country road which goes to the bottom of the driveway has a couple of new houses on it every time we come: respectful county-style houses, some of them pretty fair copies of the frame Victorians which have stood there for more than a hundred years, but new, and pricey.  

Santa Cruz County is experiencing feverish growth these days, spilling over from Silicon Valley and generated by UCSC’s industry-fueled expansion. The city of Santa Cruz is building condos and bikeways and praying for transit and grocery stores just like Berkeley is, but people there still want houses in “the country,” and who could blame them? Even with the slowdown in the economy Santa Cruz’s new rich can still afford to build. But if everyone moves to the country it’s no longer the country, but what they used to call on the East Coast the Exurbs: home to people who don’t have to be at work every day at 8, and who are well paid for the privilege. And their megahomes take up a lot of land. 

All of this description is a long-winded prelude to a quick pointer to Oregon’s 60-40 vote on Nov. 2 against the state’s panoply of smart-growth restrictions on population expansion into the countryside. If the vote stands up to legal challenges, the state might have to compensate—at ruinously expensive levels—property owners who can’t turn their rural land into exurbs or even suburbs.  

It’s just plain foolish to believe that building more condos on tram routes in Portland has prevented people who can afford them from wanting ranchettes outside town. Despite the efforts of some smart growth theorists to turn “backyard” into a pejorative term, people with families, even people with modest incomes, still want those backyards, and will commute for hours to get to them. The pent-up demand is there, and it has created a much more extreme-than-necessary reversal of some very important environmental restrictions: The baby has been tossed out along with the bath water.  

The same thing could happen in California. The facile solutions offered by smart growth ideologues might backfire here too, turning angry refugees from too much growth in their city backyards into equally ideological property rights advocates along the lines of the Oregon majority voters. There are no easy answers, and no one has a monopoly on smarts. It’s time for dialogue instead of ultimatums, and for realism from all participants. 

—Becky O’Malley›