A panel discussing Berkeley’s application of the always controversial density bonus had a surprise visitor Wednesday—developer Patrick Kennedy, perhaps the city’s foremost beneficiary of the law. 

Speaking before members of the Zoning Adjustments Board’s density bonus subcommittee, Kennedy said restricting the bonus that is awarded to developers for including state-mandated affordable units in their projects “will make a significant impact on density in this city. I suspect it will be huge.” 

Members of the ZAB panel were considering possible changes to the formulas now used to calculate maximum building sizes. 

One proposal called for eliminating roof space from consideration as part of a building’s open space requirements. A second examined eliminating counting each level of a parking lift—a technology embraced by Kennedy—as part of a structure’s required parking area. 

“Berkeley should be proud of its open spaces built on roofs,” Kennedy said. 

“If the committee is interested in providing affordable h ousing,” he said, the committee’s work “shouldn’t be done in the way of what is clearly the agenda of some people here who are interested in decreasing density” in the city. 

“We’re not interested in decreasing density,” said Rick Judd, a land use attorn e y who chairs the ZAB density bonus panel. 

“All of these things are designed to chip away at the maximum envelope,” Kennedy said, referring to total permissible project size. 

The developer offered to do an analysis of the impacts that would result from e limination of lift spaces, a suggestion embraced by panel member Dave Blake, who asked Kennedy to present it at a future meeting. 

“It’s something for people to discuss,” said Deputy City Attorney Zac Cowan, who attended the session along with Planning Di rector Dan Marks, Current Planning Manager Mark Rhoades, Principal Planner Debra Sanderson and others. 

Kennedy has specialized in mixed-use buildings in the city center—multiple floors of apartments built over ground floor commercial space—and his Ga ia B uilding at 2116 Allston Way is the tallest structure built in Berkeley in recent years, thanks to concessions granted under the density bonus and the city’s cultural space bonus. 

Both bonuses are written to allow a developer to build larger projects to c ompensate for moneys lost in building affordable housing and providing a space for cultural and arts uses. 

“I want this board to be mindful of the significant consequences of minor modifications,” Kennedy said. “Rezoning of University Avenue has ba sicall y stopped development along University Avenue and will likely continue to do so for the next 20 years.” 

He continued, “Most people in Berkeley are happy with development, as exemplified by the four-to-one margin of defeat of” Measure P, a 2002 bal lot mea sure that would have restricted high-rise development in the city.” 

“I don’t think you should allow a bunch of zealots to commandeer the development process here,” Kennedy said. 

Bob Allen, the ZAB member who urged the group to consider the rooftop space and parking changes, said he hadn’t intended them for downtown as much as for properties along Shattuck and University avenues that abut residentially zoned neighborhoods behind. 

ZAB member Dean Metzger cited the impacts of a five-story project on Unive rsity Avenue built all the way to the rear lot-line and without adequate parking on a homeowner behind, “defeating everything he bought it for.” 

“I’m not trying to limit, but I want to make sense of what is happening to neighbors,” he said. 

To aid in th e analysis, Metzger has created a spreadsheet program that takes requirements for different zoning areas and provides calculation on required setbacks, building size and other factors. 

Also on hand for Wednesday’s session were Planning Commissi oners Helen Burke, David Stoloff and Gene Poschman, who belong to agency’s parallel committee created to address implications of the density bonus from their side of the table. 

The City Council moved last month to create a joint committee drawing from bo th bodies. A vote to add a member from the Housing Advisory Commission is scheduled for September. The first meeting of the new panel has been tentatively slated for Aug. 18. 

“We’ve talked at the last two or three meetings about what we can do in the short term, b ut the longer-term issues may need to be addressed at the joint meeting,” said Allen. 

“But we also have to find a short-term way to help ZAB cope” with the bonus, said Blake. 

Judd suggested the ZAB panel hold a closed-door session to address some of the key issues, a notion quickly shot down by Sanderson. 

“I guess we can’t, since there’s no pending suit,” Judd conceded. 

The next session will consider changes that can be made at the administrative level without changing the existing city code, “but we need to look at the ordinance carefully, since most of it was written under the old version of the state density bonus law” that took effect this year, he said. ›?›

An Oakland City Councilmember says that a San Francisco Chronicle column about a confrontation between her and an Oakland police officer is factually untrue in key points, and that she never looked in the officer’s personnel file or evaded a traffic citation. 

In addition, the police officer involved—nine-year police veteran Michael Nichelini—has a history of disciplinary charges before the Oakland Citizens Police Review Board for disrespectful activity towards citizens, and earlier this year was recommended for four days suspension by the CPRB for allegedly striking, choking and gassing a man during a “sideshow” traffic stop. 

In his July 29 column, Chronicle columnist Chip Johnson wrote that after Officer Michael Nichelini stopped Councilmember Desley Brooks while she was driving her car in late July near the intersection of 14th and Clay streets in Oakland, she refused to cooperate, citing her membership on the City Council. 

Johnson wrote that Brooks “ignored the officer’s order [to go around a crew that was filming in the area], asking him, ‘Do you know who I am?’ Nichelini said he had no clue, but told her whoever she was, she would have to move her car. Brooks then announced her VIP status.” 

Johnson said that Brooks then told Nichelini “that she’d seen his personnel file, a document to which she has no legitimate reason to possess, and told the officer that he was the reason his father wasn’t considered for the chief’s job.” 

Nichelini’s father, Vallejo chief of police and former Oakland Deputy Chief of Police Bob Nichelini, was under consideration to replace Oakland Police Chief Richard Word last year, but did not get the job. 

In his column, Johnson said he “noticed that the windshield on Brooks’ car was cracked and that she wasn’t wearing her safety belt,” he asked her for her driver’s license “but got nothing but lip. ... Then, she drove away.” 

The public information officer for the Oakland Police Department said that no citation had been issued to Brooks for the alleged incident. 

Toni Cook, a former Oakland School Board member and a Brooks supporter, called Johnson’s column “yellow journalism” and said, “I was surprised that he’d leave himself so open to charges of being vindictive” against the councilmember. 

She said that if Brooks actually did drive away from a legitimate traffic stop without giving the officer her license “why didn’t he chase after her, or issue a warrant for her arrest?” 

Brooks said that she had refused to answer Johnson’s telephone calls when he was writing the column “because of past problems with him,” but she told her side to the Daily Planet. 

“I was coming from a festival with my sister and my niece, and I saw the officer sitting on his motorcycle in the middle of the street,” Brooks said during an interview at an East Oakland free music concert sponsored by her office. 

“I drove up to him slow, because I wanted to find out what was going on. The way I was driving, it was clear that I had no intention of running over him. But he put up his hand and started shouting at me, ‘Hey! Hey! HEY!” and waving me back. I thought it was inappropriate, given the circumstances. So when I got up to him, I told him who I was and asked him ‘is that how you talk to all citizens?’ And he answered, ‘when they don’t follow my orders.’” 

Brooks said that she did not appreciate the way the officer was talking to her, and says that “we exchanged some words.” 

“I asked him to give me his name,” Brooks said, “and when he told me, I said ‘no wonder.’ He asked me what I meant by that, and I told him that I was glad his father didn’t get the job as police chief. That’s when he asked me for my driver’s license.” 

Brooks said that once she heard Nichelini’s name, “I remembered him from some conversations with Pueblo, and that he’d had some history of disrespect to Oakland citizens.” She said she has never looked in Nichelini’s personnel file (”they don’t allow councilmembers to see those,” she said), and did not tell him that she had. 

Pueblo is a community organizing group which has been active in Oakland police issues. 

Jen Nuber, a volunteer community organizer with Pueblo, said that “it would be ludicrous for her to go to the trouble of looking in Nichelini’s personnel file. It’s all in the public record.” 

An April 2 Oakland Tribune article reported the Citizen Police Review Board’s suspension recommendation against Nichelini, saying that “for the second time in less than a year, the board ... sustained allegations of excessive force” against the officer. 

The Tribune article said that during a sideshow abatement patrol, after Nichelini stopped a car driven by a teenager identified as Devin Coakley, “Nichelini struck the teenager with his flashlight, put him in a headlock and then sprayed him in the face with his canister of pepper spray-like gas, the seven-member board determined.” 

The article also said that last August “the board sustained two of 10 allegations brought against Nichelini for improper verbal conduct and excessive force in another case,” recommending that he be suspended for two days and reprimanded orally. In the earlier case, “Nichelini used profanity when ordering Maxemiliano Montes, 17, out of his truck ... according to the board’s finding. In addition, the board found that Nichelini used his knees to hit Montes’ head against the pavement.” 

Minutes of the Nichelini-Montes CPRB hearing show that Montes accused the officer of asking him “are you a nigga or ese?” and asking him “do I need to tell you in Spanish?” and telling him to take “those fucking Mexican flags” off his vehicle. Those allegations were not upheld by the CPRB. 

Minutes of the two CPBR hearings are public documents and available online, and Nuber said that the “Coakley incident at the sideshow was one of the subjects of a meeting [earlier this year] between [Pueblo activist] Rashida Grinage and Councilmember Brooks” regarding police enforcement at Oakland’s sideshows. Brooks has been active in looking for legal, sanctioned alternatives to the illegal sideshows. Grinage was out of the state this week and unavailable for comment. 

Nuber said that Nichelini has a reputation among Oakland’s youth of color “for being a straight-up racist pig. They call him by the nickname Mussolini.” 

In her interview, Brooks also denied leaving the scene of a traffic stop. 

“After he asked my for my drivers license, I asked to see his supervisor,” she said. “He asked me for my license again, and I asked to see his supervisor again. After that, he seemed to get disgusted, and waved me on and told me I could leave. That’s when I drove off.” 

In his July 29 Chronicle column, Johnson said he based his account on a letter describing the incident written by Nichelini to Oakland Police Chief Wayne Tucker and “sent to the Oakland Police Officers Association.” Johnson said that Tucker forwarded a copy of the letter to Oakland City Administrator Deborah Edgerly. 

Brooks said that she herself has not yet seen a copy of the letter, despite queries to Tucker and Edgerly. Edgerly was on vacation beginning this week, and Oakland Police Officers Association President Bob Valladon did not return Daily Planet telephone calls for comment on this story. An Oakland Police Department spokesperson said that the letter had not been released to the press by the chief of police.›

Berkeley and Pacific Steel Casting have agreed to study the source of the burning rubber smell wafting from the company’s West Berkeley plant. 

Since March, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has issued three violation notices against Pacific Steel for emitting a foul stench from its faculties. 

The air district had ordered Pacific Steel, at 1333 Second St., to study whether the particles emitted by its three factories also posed a health risk to local workers and residents. 

But city officials argued that the air district request didn’t go far enough. 

Now under a separate agreement with the city, Pacific Steel will perform a more detailed health risk analysis and submit to tests aimed at identifying the specific source of the odors that have generated neighborhood complaints for the past 30 years.  

“We have to get to the bottom of this,” said Councilmember Linda Maio, who represents the affected neighbors. “For so many years we’ve been in the same situation where we have these odors and we don’t know exactly where they’re coming from.” 

Maio has scheduled a public meeting about Pacific Steel for 7 p.m. Aug. 10 at the James Kenney Recreation Center, in James Kenney Park. 

The study will be prepared by environmental consultant Environmental Resources Management (ERM) and supervised jointly by the city, Pacific Steel and a monitor assigned by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The air district must approve guidelines for the Pacific Steel study. 

City Toxics Manager Nabil Al-Hadithy said the agreement between the city and Pacific Steel would require about four times more work than was initially required by the air district. 

Local residents, however, said they were skeptical of the proposed study and the air board’s promised scrutiny of Pacific Steel. 

Located on more than three blocks of Second Street, just south of Gilman Street, Pacific Steel operates three factories that heat metal to a molten state and then pour it into molds. Neighbors said they suspect that the melting and pouring process releases compounds they have compared to the smell of burning pot handles. 

Pacific Steel has topped the air district’s complaint list in Berkeley every year since 2000, with the number of complaints rising from 18 in 2001 to 112 last year as more people continued to move into industrial sections of West Berkeley. 

While Pacific Steel has taken responsibility for the foul odor, it has insisted that the smell doesn’t constitute a health risk. Prior studies by the air district showed that emissions of cancer-causing particles were barely within state standards, according to Al-Hadithy. 

The air district ordered the new health testing because of resident concerns, said Terry Lee, the air district’s director of public relations. 

Lee said that because the company has increased production in recent years it would not be permitted to use old data as a basis for the study as feared by neighbors. 

“The air district remains somewhat suspect to people in the community,” said Chris Kroll, a member of the recently formed West Berkeley Alliance for Clean Air and Safe Jobs.  

“It’s just incomprehensible that they don’t know what is causing that that smell and whether there are health impacts.” 

In 1982, the district issued an abatement order against the plant ordering it to stop releasing foul odors. An air district hearing board in 2000 voted to lift the order. 

The West Berkeley Alliance has called for Pacific Steel to provide further background data on the plant and demanded that the air district accept a series of guidelines for testing the stacks. It says the guidelines are necessary to determine the source of the smell and whether it poses a public health threat. 

To ensure that the study is done in public view, the group is demanding that the city establish a citizen task force to meet formally with Pacific Steel, the air district and the Lawrence Berkeley Lab monitor.  

Al-Hadithy said that ERM is revising the study guidelines and that they will be available for public comment once they are complete. Because of Berkeley’s additional demands on Pacific Steel and the requirement for public input, Al-Hadithy said the study would last significantly longer than the three months initially projected by the air board. 

Meanwhile, Lee said Pacific Steel had until the end of the month to submit to the air district a plan to lessen the foul air nuisance. 

If the air district is dissatisfied with Pacific Steel’s response, Lee said it could take the company before its hearing board as it did during the 1980s.  

After receiving 46 notices of violation from the air district between 1981 and 1985, Pacific Steel installed carbon filters at two of its factories. They determined that the third and newest factory, built in 1981, did not have enough activity to require the filter.  

Joe Emmerichs, Pacific Steel’s general manager, declined to comment for this story. 

The agreement between Berkeley and Pacific Steel calls for a study of the plant’s sand recycler, a review of the factories both for odors and health risks, and an engineering analysis to determine how much it would cost to remedy problems identified in the study.  

Pacific Steel agreed to the additional studies, Maio said, at a meeting last month attended by herself, Mayor Tom Bates, and Oakland City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente, a union official who represents the plant’s unionized steel workers.›

In another example of a local business making it big, Elephant Pharmacy has announced its intention to open three new stores in the next year and has hired a new CEO to facilitate the company’s growth.  

Elephant expects to open new stores in San Rafael in November and in Los Altos in the spring. A store is planned for Pasadena in 2006. 

“We needed creative people in the beginning, but now we need a new management style,” founder Stuart Skorman said. 

That new management style comes in the form of CEO Kathi Lentzsch. 

Lentzsch has 30 years of retail management experience from home decorating stores Pier 1 Imports and Pottery Barn, among others. She said Skorman has been courting her for four years, before the store on Shattuck Avenue was built. 

“[Skorman] approached me when Elephant was just a concept on paper,” Lentzsch said. “Over the years I went from being intellectually interested in Elephant’s philosophy to a participant. So when [Skorman] asked me again in the spring, I was ready to come on board.” 

Elephant Pharmacy had a rough start after opening in 2001. Skorman bankrolled the company with the profits from previous ventures and nearly went broke in the process. According to Lentzsch, things began to look up last year, when “you could really see it was going to be something big—and so could CVS and JP Morgan.” 

The pharmacy giant and financial institution are minor shareholders and strategic partners. 

In what he calls “an M.B.A. moment,” Skorman explained the reasoning behind the company’s expansion.  

“It’s like a tent,” he said. “You need a tent whether you’re camping for one night or 10 nights, and we need the same number of people to run one store as 10. We still need PR and human resources, buyers and managers. But it’s hard to support that infrastructure with one store. We need six or seven to really make it work.” 

Elephant takes an innovative approach to health care, combining conventional and alternative methods of health care in the same store. According to a press release, the company was “created to meet the growing needs of educated baby boomers and other health-conscious people seeking a better shopping experience.” 

A key component of Elephant’s business plan is the free classes it offers to customers. Skorman said he believes that “the more you know, the healthier you are.” Classes address mental health, alternative healing, nutrition and exercise. In addition, a rotating group of local experts from registered nurses to naturopathic doctors offers consultations throughout the day. 

The consultations are just one example of Elephant’s customer care philosophy. Skorman’s goal is to be able to sustain the business and make a profit without losing sight of the people involved. 

“We tried to build helping people into the shopping experience,” Skorman said. 

“We really want to help people. If we don’t have a product that will help a customer, we’ll tell them that and suggest where to find it. We don’t try to sell them stuff they don’t need,” Lentzsch said. 

In keeping with this, information cards throughout the store offer alternatives to over-the-counter medications, such as avoiding napping after meals to relieve indigestion, and debunking medical myths, like the claim that vitamin C cures and prevents colds. As Skorman said, Elephant is “the pharmacy that prescribes yoga.” 

Elephant is staffed and run by “refugees from corporate America—people who are sick of the corporate world and ready to work for a company who really cares about people,” Skorman said. 

Lentzsch said she looks forward to what she views as her biggest challenge—“providing an environment where the company cares about the workers, the customers and the community.” 

Working for a company with a culture of caring is “a dream,” she said. 

As for Skorman, he has semi-retired after handing off the leadership of the company to Lentzsch and remains the chairman of the company. It is his intention use his free time to “recover from four years of very hard work” and spend time with his family. 

Lentzsch said she is thrilled to be involved in “one of the most interesting phenomenons I’ve seen in retailing.” 

b

Lookout! Records, the venerable Berkeley-based punk recording label, gave layoff notices to two-thirds of its staff last week. 

On Tuesday, the company announced that its top-selling recording act, Green Day, had pulled its pre-1994 music catalog from Lookout!. The band and the independent label had been in a long-running dispute over unpaid royalties, according to Lookout!’s former president and founder Larry Livermore. 

In a posting to Punknews.org, Livermore blamed Lookout! for Green Day’s departure. 

“Lookout! has been failing to pay Green Day (and other bands) [royalties] for years now, and apparently using the money instead to put out a series of terrible records that nobody wanted to buy,” he said. 

Livermore added that Green Day “could have taken their records away several years ago when Lookout! first breached their contract, but they were generous enough to allow Lookout! to keep licensing their records in hopes that the label would get back on its feet.” 

Lookout! released a statement on its website acknowledging that Green Day had taken control of their releases under Lookout!, but said that the two sides parted amicably. Lookout! management did not return phone calls Thursday and Green Day has not commented on the move. 

Former Lookout! employee and musician Jesse Townley said that the label has been in a downward spiral for years and that it was expected to fold after it produces albums that are already scheduled for release. 

“There aren’t plans to sign new bands,” he said. 

Townley said the label gave layoff notices to six employees last Friday. Only three managers are scheduled to remain with the company that had 19 employees in the late 1990s, Townley said. 

Lookout! Records’ main source of income has come from catalogs of bands that started with Lookout! before moving to major labels. When Green Day signed with Warner Brothers in 1994, the band allowed Lookout! to continue producing, manufacturing and distributing the two full-length albums and LPs it recorded under the label. 

Green Day joins a growing list of former Lookout! acts to jump ship. In recent years, Avail, Screeching Weasel, Riverdales and Enemy You have moved their catalogs to other labels. 

“Failure to pay royalties is not a new issue at Lookout!,” said Townley. He attributed lack of payments to bad business sense rather than malfeasance. 

“It’s sad that it’s come to this because that label meant so much to so many people,” Townley said. 

Besides Green Day, Lookout! was the first home for several Bay Area punk acts that eventually became major acts, including The Donnas and Operation Ivy. Some of the musicians in Operation Ivy later regrouped to become Rancid. 

Even if Lookout! folds, the East Bay will still be home to a thriving collection of small record labels, Townley said. Among some of the top players are Adeline Records, Left Off the Dial, 1234 Go Records and Substandard.H

More than 100 people filled the South Berkeley Senior Center Monday to debate the Berkeley Public Library’s practice of placing radio frequency identification devices (RFIDs) in books.  

The library has already begun installing the $650,000 system, replacing bar codes on book covers with radio antennas. The forum, hosted by KQED’s Keven Guillory, featured dozens of library users and staff members who denounced the use of the devices. 

The palm-sized RFID tags hold the promise of allowing patrons to check out all their materials at once by swiping the pile of books over an electronic reader. By increasing self check-out, library management believes it can boost staff efficiency and dedicate more time to serving patrons away from checkout lines. 

But some opponents charge that as scanners become more powerful and widespread, the technology will allow authorities to trace not just books, but library patrons as well. Others said they worried that the low level radio frequencies emitted by the tags might cause cancer. 

The union representing library workers came out Monday in opposition to the technology. In a memo from SEIU Local 535, the workers argued that the system might create more work for librarians, risk worker health, and possibly eliminate jobs. 

Every member of the public who spoke Monday opposed the technology.  

The library approved the system last year, and RFID checkout stations have already debuted at some branches. The system is not fully implemented, and during Monday’s forum Paul Simon of Checkpoint Systems, the library’s New Jersey-based vendor, acknowledged equipment failure at the Claremont Branch. 

Library Board Trustee Terry Powell said the library will continue implementing RFID, but wouldn’t shut the door on dismantling it even though the vendor has already been paid. “We’re still looking at the issues,” she said. 

Local opposition to RFID was minuscule when the library board unanimously approved it two years ago. But opposition has swelled this year as privacy advocates like the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation urged the city to reject RFIDs and a public feud between library workers and Director Jackie Griffin brought the issue to the forefront. 

RFIDs emit a low-range radio frequency that can be picked up by a specially designed scanner. The scanner can only read the code for the library material. To connect the code to the actual book title, the code would have to be cross-referenced with the library’s catalogue. 

While the system doesn’t pose much of a privacy risk now, Lee Tien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation warned government and business interests were pushing the technology and that over time scanners will likely be installed in convenience stores, malls, and airports, making the library book code a valuable piece of information for authorities trying to track citizens. 

“Big money wants to sell RFID chips to manage information...And the government wants that information, too,” he said. 

Tien’s group helped stop the installation of RFIDs in the San Francisco Public Library. Currently they are fighting to keep RFIDs out of U.S. passports and state identification cards. 

David Mulnar, a UC graduate student who has researched privacy concerns relating to RFID and worked with the library, said Berkeley has so far avoided mistakes made in other communities. For instance at the Cesar Chavez branch library in Oakland, the RFID code was merely the inverse of the bar code, which would make it easier for authorities to figure out materials checked out by library patrons. 

Simon acknowledged that there were privacy concerns with RFID, but said that library users need not worry that their reading materials might be uncovered by interlopers lurking with RFID readers.  

A six-foot antenna (which costs approximately $1,000) is required to read a Berkeley library RFID chip from three feet away, he said. Addressing audience concerns, he said Checkpoint RFID tags did not contain memory for additional information besides the book code and contained no heavy metals. Simon also insisted that Checkpoint was in sound fiscal health and would not go out of business, leaving the city stuck with no one to service the technology. 

City Councilmember Gordon Wozniak, a retired physicist formerly with Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, battled audience members over whether the chips presented a health risk. Wozniak said RFIDs emit a safe frequency that is higher than AM radio, but lower than FM radio. 

“We’ve been exposed to these frequencies for a long time,” he said, adding that recent studies showed no links between exposures to the radio waves and health risks. Audience members questioned whether the cumulative impact of radio waves might be connected to rising cancer rates. 

Almost as controversial as the technology was the composition of the panel. Scheduling conflicts kept a representative of the ACLU from attending. That left the first panel with Simon from vendor Checkpoint Systems, Wozniak, an RFID supporter, and Mulnar. 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington demanded another public forum with a more balanced panel. 

“How many people think this was an equal amount of passion from both sides?” he asked the audience. After the meeting Councilmember Darryl Moore, who also sits on the library’s board or trustees, accused Worthington of grandstanding. 

“To besmirch the board [by saying] that we didn’t make it balanced is unfair,” he said. 

As has become commonplace at library meetings, Griffin, the library’s director, was singled out for attack by a feisty audience angry that the public forum on RFID came after its implementation. 

“You came in here and got some cabal to do this and didn’t even tell people about it...How do I take you to court? How do I make you give us our democracy back?” said Nancy Delaney of Berkeleyans Organizing For Library Defense (BOLD), an anti-RFID group.  

Griffin did not speak during the meeting. 

When Delaney’s comments were greeted with cheers, library Trustee Ying Lee rose to Griffin’s defense, but failed to quiet the crowd. 

“Personally I’m extremely uncomfortable when a large number of people attack a single person with a different point of view,” she said. 

“They need to respect our point of view,” said a man in the audience. “You’re backing [Griffin],” another audience member yelled. Seconds later several shouts of “Bullshit” rang out in the senior center from critics of Griffin. 

›

Over the objections of some neighbors, Berkeley opened the door Tuesday for its largest Jewish congregation to move into its newly built multi-million dollar synagogue. 

The city approved Congregation Beth El’s plan for holding major events without taking up a majority of on-street parking spaces around its new home at 1301 Oxford St. 

The congregation, which will have 31 parking spaces on site, has scheduled a grand opening for Sept. 9. 

Although the city has yet to grant Beth El an occupancy permit, approval of the parking plan was seen as the final obstacle for the congregation in its four-year battle with neighbors. 

“We’re extremely pleased that we’ve crossed this major hurdle,” said Katherine Haynes-Sanstad, the synagogue’s first vice president. 

Nancy Levin, of the Live Oak Codornices Creek Neighborhood Association, said her group had consulted an attorney and would consider its options in light of the city ruling at a meeting next week. 

LOCCNA contends that the congregation’s plan to use four satellite parking lots for major events of more than 150 people is unsatisfactory, because some of the lots might not be available on event days. 

It also opposes the city-sanctioned monitoring plan that would call for Beth El to possibly add more off-site parking if it were determined that congregation guests used more than 50 percent of available on-street spaces in the surrounding neighborhood. 

“I don’t see how allowing Beth El to use 50 percent of available parking spaces minimizes impacts to neighborhood parking,” Levin said.  

The congregation and LOCCNA have battled over the new synagogue for years since Beth El announced it was moving from its home two blocks away at the corner of Arch and Vine streets. 

After coming to terms over the restoration of Codornices Creek, which runs through the property, Beth El officials and LOCCNA signed an agreement outlining the congregation’s responsibilities to keep the neighborhood unburdened from members and guests looking for parking spaces. 

Neighbors have insisted that street parking around Oxford and Spruce streets is sparse, while an environmental study commissioned by the congregation found that there were between 50 and 100 on-street parking spaces available at all times of the day. 

The compromise required that for events of 150 people or more the congregation must use “on site valet parking and satellite parking or other effective techniques.” 

Over the past several months Beth El has submitted several draft parking plans and made significant changes to their proposals to bring it more in line with the framework agreed to with LOCCNA. 

In approving the proposal, Deputy Planning Director Wendy Cosin wrote, “staff believes that Beth El has worked hard to accommodate neighborhood concerns into its parking management plan.” 

The congregation has contracted with Safeway, St. Mary Magdalen Church, First Union Title company and the Berkeley Richmond Jewish Community Center to provide spaces for large events like weddings and congregation functions. 

Combined, the satellite lots would add up to 102 parking spaces in addition to 31 spaces at the site and 26 on-street parking spaces along the synagogue’s street frontage. Beth El’s current home has two on-site parking spaces. 

North Berkeley residents say a truck driver has been taking aim at the Arlington Traffic Circle. 

Over the past two weeks, the concrete posts that wrap around the edge of the circle have been repeatedly attacked, said Sara Holmes, board member of Friends of the Fountain and Walk, and the traffic circle’s chief caretaker. 

Holmes said 13 of the 33 custom-cast posts, known as bollards, have been knocked down and destroyed since July 20. 

“It’s clearly an intentional act,” she said. 

Holmes said that careless motorists have occasionally struck the posts, but that the circle has never sustained such extensive damage in a short period of time. 

Berkeley Police Spokesperson Joe Okies said the department suspected that the culprit drove a dooley, a vehicle with four back wheels with a raised wheelbase. 

“It appears that a truck or trailer cut the turn too sharply and knocked over the bollards,” Okies said. 

The only evidence of the attacks have been tire marks along the circle, according to Holmes. 

“Someone is driving over these things,” she said. “It’s unfathomable.” 

Replacing the posts isn’t easy or cheap, Holmes said. It took the city about a year to replace 10 posts knocked down from an accident over a year ago, said Holmes. 

The custom-made posts cost about $300 apiece, she said. Since city coffers are low, Holmes said Friends of the Fountain and Walk and other residents are raising money to replace the damaged posts. 

Anyone interested in contributing can send donations to Friends of the Fountain and Walk, P.O. Box 8192, Berkeley, 94707. If someone has information about the attacks on the circle, they are encouraged to call the police non-emergency number at 981-5900.k

An Oakland Unified School District Board member says that she was misquoted in a July 29 story on the Oakland School for the Arts (“OSA Will Now Include Middle School”). 

In the article, Board Director Alice Spearman is quoted as saying “Even though we have a school of the arts run by Oakland Unified [at Skyline High School], our school doesn’t measure up [to OSA].” 

Spearman said that she did not refer to Skyline High School in her statement, but was referring, instead, to the East Oakland School of the Arts, a small school within Oakland’s Castlemont High School. Spearman said that she believed the arts curriculum at OSA and the Skyline Performing Arts Academy are “comparable.”

Steven Vincent, a U.S. freelancer kidnapped and executed in Basra on Aug. 2, was one of a kind. For Americans trying to make sense of the war in Iraq, that’s precisely the problem.  

Almost all American journalists covering Iraq these days are embedded w ith the U.S. military. Traveling through the country alone, as Vincent did on his reporting assignments, is “too damn dangerous,” says Joel Simon, director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. More than 52 journalists have been killed in Iraq since th e March 2003 invasion, the majority of them Iraqis and Arabs, according to the CPJ. Vincent is believed to be the first non-embedded U.S. journalist intentionally slain in Iraq.  

Vincent was on his way back to Iraq for his latest writing project when I m et him several months ago on a plane trip from New York to San Francisco. He had the window seat next to my middle seat. I noticed him because he devoured the Sunday New York Times. As a longtime editor and newspaper junkie, I was elated to see someone ab sorb words off the printed page. I asked him what in the paper he was most interested in, and he started talking about Iraq.  

Vincent was a passionate defender of the U.S. war, which he saw as the only chance to bring democracy to Iraq. He said there was a “silent majority” in the country—Iraqis who were grateful for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and still supported U.S. efforts in Iraq, but were afraid to say so. He objected to the term “insurgents”—he preferred “terrorists”—and felt that use of the t erm demonstrated the media’s liberal bias. He was especially passionate about women’s rights.  

When I asked him about his sense of the dangers for a freelance reporter who refused to “embed” with the U.S. military, he said two things: that it was essenti al to capture day-to-day life as Iraqis lived it, and that he didn’t want to discuss the threats.  

Vincent was found shot to death in the southern port city of Basra. His Iraqi interpreter was also shot and injured. A former art critic, Vincent had publi shed a well-received book on the Iraq war, In the Red Zone, and had just published a column in the Sunday New York Times. He had spent several months in Basra gathering material for a book he planned write on the history of the city.  

Vincent financed his own reporting projects, and had learned enough Arabic, he told me, to “get by.” His fervor reminded me of alternative media journalists I knew in the late 1960s and early ‘70s who scoured Indochina for Dispatch and my own news service to tell Americans the “other side” of the conflict—the stories that weren’t based on official U.S. sources.  

As support for the war in Iraq wanes, Vincent felt compelled to tell what he saw as the “other side” of the story—the necessity of U.S. troops defending Iraqis’ ri ght to freedom. On a public radio program produced by my news service, Vincent said “the Iraqi people were just overjoyed that the monster (Hussein) is gone from power. But at the same time they are humiliated they couldn’t bring the tyrant’s downfall the mselves ... And this humiliation can easily morph into resentment every time a Humvee rumbles down a Baghdad street or traffic gets tied up at a GI checkpoint.”  

In my conversations with him, Vincent revealed himself as an effective proponent of the Bush message on the war in Iraq. As long as Iraq is too dangerous for reporters like Steven Vincent to cover on their own, Americans will have no access to the kind of news that would let us know whether he was right or wrong.  

Sandy Close is executive director of Pacific News Service and New California Media, an association of more than 700 print, broadcast and online ethnic media organizations founded in 1996.

http://www.jfdefreitas.com/index.php?path=/00_Latest%20Work0

ADVERTISING POLICY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am writing to correct the public perception regarding the City of Berkeley’s policy on advertising in community publications. After reading letters alleging the City of Berkeley is not purchasing ad space in the Berkeley Daily Planet, the Planet published mistaken information that a citywide policy was issued to prevent use of the Berkeley Daily Planet for public notices. This is not the case. The city’s policy is to use adjudicated newspapers or newspapers of general circulation for legally required notices.  

1) There is no boycott of the Berkeley Daily Planet. It is against the policy of a city municipality to take a political stand for or against a newspaper. 

2) The city is required by state statutes to use adjudicated newspapers or newspapers of general circulation for legal public noticing. 

3) Sometimes economics is a factor. The city continues to seek the least cost for advertising and to use as many outlets as possible. 

4) Various departments within the city may issue public notices using a variety of outlets, as long as newspapers of general circulation and adjudicated papers are used for legally required notices.  

I urge the Planet to correct the public record in this matter and not rely on hearsa y in its reporting.  

Phil Kamlarz 

City Manager 

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Daily Planet has never reported in a news article on the City of Berkeley’s policies regarding advertising in the press. The paper has never been qualified under state law to print legally required notices which must run in adjudicated general circulation papers, and has never expected to carry them. A Planet editorial alluded to a report from an ad salesman that some discretionary announcement (non-legal) advertising had been transferred by the city manager’s office from the locally owned Planet to a corporate competitor, a fact later confirmed by a call to that office made by a columnist. Further confirmation was provided by a conversation held with an elected official on the topic by a freelance contributor, who then wrote a letter to the editor complaining about what he’d learned. Mr. Kamlarz’s third point is presumably his office’s justification for placing its ads in the corporate publication. Citizens are encouraged to comment on wh ether or not they think it’s good public policy to “buy local.” 

• 

SEMANTICS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Many of Bob Burnett’s remarks of June 28 (“When Down Looks Like Up”) not dealing with Bush’s military adventure in Iraq refer to the administration’s Orwe llian semantics. Allow me to knit the two and then to comment. 

Until 1947, our military forces were grouped under the appropriately named War Department. After some months as the National Military Establishment, it was re-named to its current title, Depa rtment of Defense. The secretary who straddled these departments was James Forrestall, who soon killed himself and promptly had the then-largest aircraft carrier named after him. 

After 9/11, something horribly dubbed the Department of Homeland Security w as invented, still without much apparent use or effectiveness. 

The various failures of our intelligence and investigative agencies aside, my proposal is to restore a direct and honest use of the English language by renaming the Department of Defense as t he War Department, since war, both aggressive and covert is its business, and that Homeland Security be renamed the Department of Defense, since national defense is its alleged purpose. 

We can go from there. 

Phil Allen 

• 

PEACE AND JUSTICE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a former Peace and Justice Commissioner, I was disturbed to see that a month after the Peace and Justice Commission failed to muster enough votes to support a resolution to support a U.S. Department of Peace, it was also unable to pass a resolution from Code Pink to bring California’s National Guard troops home from Iraq. Something is seriously wrong here. At the heart of the matter lies what I would consider to be some horribly misguided commission appointments by some of Berkeley’s elected officials. Commissioner Wornick, for example, is an extreme conservative opposed to Peace and Justice’s mission and led the opposition to both proposals. Considering that his appointer, Mr. Wozniak, is Berkeley’s most conservative councilmember with a his tory of defending Berkeley Lab’s nuclear weapons work and tritium contamination, it is of little surprise. 

What’s disappointing is that Mayor Bates, who claims to be progressive, appointed Leslie Cocholla, one of the commission’s most conservative member s. She voted both against bringing California National Guard troops back from Iraq and against urging Congress to create a Department of Peace. She claimed her refusal to support the Department of Peace was because the City of Berkeley might suffer fiscal burden. That claim was easily discredited when it became apparent the only cost for Berkeley was the price of the postage to mail copies of the resolution to Washington.  

Remember how the Bush administration shifted its rationale for the war after the w eapons of mass destruction argument was discredited? Well, after council adopted the Department of Peace resolution the mayor’s appointee realized her argument had been discredited and acted similarly, insisting meeting minutes not reveal that fiscal impact on Berkeley was the reason she originally stated for not supporting the Department of Peace resolution.  

I recently called the mayor and discussed this matter with him as he is about to appoint a new Peace and Justice commissioner to replace Cocholla. Disappointingly he made no firm commitment to improve the situation by reappointing a real advocate for peace to the commission. The mayor is supposed to represent the sentiments of the voters and should not be appointing people who are unwilling to supp ort peace and bring the troops home.  

Berkeley has a proud history of speaking out on issues of peace and social justice. I hope things will change if enough people realize what Mayor Bates’ appointee to the Peace and Justice Commission is doing to under mine Berkeley’s opposition to war.  

Alan Moore 

• 

RESPONSE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Joanna Graham’s attack upon me was pure libel. With zero evidence, I am accused of having single-handedly “infiltrated and neutralized” the Peace and Justice Commission. Who exactly on Peace and Justice have I appointed or caused to be appointed? In the words of Jane Litman, one member of Peace and Justice, in her op-ed piece, “John [Gertz] is not a member of Peace and Justice, nor of city government, nor does he speak for the Jewish community. He is an individual citizen.” The fact of the matter is that I have recommended exactly one new member for consideration, an African American, with no known position (even to me) on the Middle East, and she has not been appointed to the post. I made that recommendation because I do feel that Peace and Justice should no longer be the exclusive playground of Berkeley’s lunatic fringe. African-Americans (who do not currently hold a seat) and other Berkeleyans should be allowed seats.  

Not satisfied with her first utterly false accusation, Graham insinuates that I would spy for Israel and even murder for Israel. I have indeed become outraged by extreme anti-Israel and even anti-Semitic incitement in the pages of the Daily Planet, on KPF A, and in Peace and Justice’s mindless resolutions. As a private citizen I have decided to do all I can to take Berkeley back from this gutter. And yes, as one private citizen, I have said publicly that I will do all that I can to make sure that politicia ns, like Linda Maio, who have supported hateful one-sided anti-Israel resolutions, will not become mayor. But I want to stress that my every action has been and will be legal and ethical. Such actions include writing op-ed pieces and letters in this newsp aper, donating and raising money for candidates, and lobbying my elected officials. As for the canard that I am not a real American because I am pro-Israel (I actually identify with Israel’s left wing and, for example, very enthusiastically support Israel’s impending withdrawal from Gaza), well you should know I am also pro-Free Tibet, and pro-Free Burma, and that I would rather see our troops in Darfur than Iraq. I also love Great Britain, and have a soft spot for France and Italy, too. Ms. Graham, I ass ure you that I am as American as you, born, bred and proud to be so. If you visit my home you will find a well-read copy of the Federalist Papers and many similar volumes on my bookshelf. No, Ms. Graham, I will not assassinate anyone, nor blow up City Hal l, even if, in accordance with your conspiratorial delusions, the prime minister of Israel himself orders me to do so. Yes, Ms. Graham, as you note, an American Jew is serving time as an Israeli spy. So perhaps all Jews should be expelled from America, ev en supposed anti-Israel Jews, since they could be double agents. A Palestinian Arab is doing a life sentence for the murder of Robert Kennedy, so let’s throw out all the Arabs too. And let’s not forget the Catholics, who may harbor a secret loyalty to the pope, and the Japanese, who may still furtively worship the emperor, and since I don’t understand Spanish, let’s throw out the Hispanics for good measure since who knows what coded anti-American orders they are receiving over Univision. 

Finally, you ask that Peace and Justice make this the year of discussing Palestine and Israel. This is in line with O’Malley’s recent editorial that called for communication as the antidote to terrorism. Dialogue among the parties on the divisive issue of Palestine/Israel can be very constructive, if sometimes painful. I support it. But Peace and Justice was not promoting dialogue when it passed successive anti-Israel resolutions. The result was not dialogue, but a meeting of hundreds of people on the steps of City Hall screaming slogans at each other and the press, in a disgraceful and decidedly anti-communication spectacle that served only to set Berkeleyans at each other’s throats. 

John Gertz 

• 

Q AND A 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I’m happy to accept Joanna Graham’s invitation to talk about Israel/Palestine. 

I want to talk to progressives first. 

What governments in the Middle East allow women to drive cars, go to school, hold jobs, own land, serve in the legislature, and lead the government? Well, there’s Israel. 

What governments in the Middle East regularly send medical aid teams to impoverished areas in Africa? Hmm, there’s Israel. 

What Middle-East government has a history of democracy combined with freedom of the press to criticize government acts? Israel. 

What Mi ddle-East government has a track record of being the region’s leader in environmental awareness, religious freedom, and gay/lesbian/transgender rights? Israel. 

Now, to talk to everyone: What government has been the focus of a multinational effort to wipe it off the earth from the day it was recognized by the U.N.? Israel. 

What government has used its state-run schools and TV stations to teach children that their political enemies are swine? The Palestinian Authority. 

What government has used the school s and TV stations it controls to teach its children that the best thing they can grow up to be is a suicide bomber? The Palestinian Authority. 

What government gives free rein to murder-organizations like Hamas to bring kids into summer camp for the purpose of training them to commit terrorist slaughter against random civilians? The Palestinian Authority. 

Like Ms. Graham, “I do not pretend to control what my fellow citizens...say.” And, like Ms. Graham, I hope that, with the infusion of facts, “at least the spell will have been broken.” 

David Altschul 

• 

DREAMER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

If I were a logical-minded alien from another world monitoring Earth’s media, I would have to conclude that Israel/Palestine is the largest, most populous nation on the p lanet, therefore dominating the news. My only wish is that the Daily Planet would choose be part of the solution—rather than part of the problem—in Israel/Palestine, and choose not to publish opinion pieces and letters using rude and emotionally laden ter ms such as “Zionazi” or “Islamofacist.” Better yet, I would love to see more opinion pieces and letters which reflect the consensus in the democratic parts our world, namely that both Israelis and Palestinians have a right to self-determination and nation hood. 

I can dream, can’t I? 

John Erlich 

• 

ONE LITTLE PROBLEM 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Just one little problem with Dan Spitzer’s rebuke of Becky O’Malley on the terrorism issue: Israel has killed 10 times as many Palestinian civilians. The terrorist acts against Israel have been in response to the four decades of Israeli occupation of Palestinians. In fact, Israel itself was created by many acts of terror against the Palestinians of which Deir Yassein was only the most prominent. Since the U.S. taxpayers have forked over hundreds of billions of dollars since 1967 alone to support the illegal and immoral Israeli Occupation, it behooves us to especially criticize Israel. Far from being picked on, Israel has had a free ride for way too long from most of the media. 

If you are really such a great Zionist, Spitzer, go live in Israel and stop getting the rest of us involved in defending your favorite state. 

Michael Hardesty 

• 

MANIFEST BIAS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

When the O’Malleys bought the Daily Planet, ma ny of us were pleased to see the continuation of a much needed resource, a community newspaper. Unfortunately, the Planet under the O’Malleys has covered local matters poorly and with manifest bias and overemphasized international matters in its editorial s and op-eds, something out-of-place in a small, civic daily. 

With reference to the editorial pages, there has been an overwhelming focus upon Israel. John Gertz’s articulate letter of Aug.2-4 notes that as in previous years, the U.N. General Assembly pa ssed 92 condemnation resolutions, of which 88 were directed at Israel. I’d say that the Daily Planet has a similar ratio of pronouncements when it comes to editorial commentary on international matters. Ditto, the past Peace and Justice Commission resolutions brought to the City Council were overwhelmingly anti-Israel. No wonder Ms. O’Malley is so distraught to see a more open-minded Peace and Justice Commission. 

How appropriate that Johanna Graham’s op-ed requesting that Berkeley make 2006 “the year of talking about Israel/Palestine.” A perusal of Graham’s commentary makes it crystalline that she means a year of Israel bashing. Graham’s cracker quickly crumbles when she says we don’t have enough of it. The Daily Planet has and apparently will provide Graham with all the pro-Palestinian propaganda she clearly covets. 

Once again, since Becky O’Malley states she is so opposed to terrorism, I would like her to sans the usual equivocations, criticize the Palestinian punks who blow up innocent Israelis. And while she is at it, condemn the scores of Palestinian adults who, as noted in last Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle, conduct summer camp in which 10-year-old boys are taught songs championing the murder of Israelis. Surely, Ms. O’Malley, you take issue with that sort of execrable indoctrination of children, don’t you? 

Dan Spitzer 

Kensington 

• 

STARBUCKS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

We are disappointed by John Geluardi’s article on July 22 (“El Cerrito Café in Danger of Falling Under Starbucks Wheel) as it was unfair and a misrepresentation of Starbucks and its healthy co-existence with a variety of coffee stores and strong commitment to local communities. 

We firmly believe that there is room for choice in every community. As Starbucks has opened stores over t he years, a growing number of independently owned coffeehouses have also sprung up across the United States. As a result, consumers are offered more choices, new jobs have been created and neighborhoods have been enriched with the addition of local gathering places. Starbucks and other coffee retailers offer a unique atmosphere and different products that appeal to the local marketplace. 

We also believe that in many of the neighborhoods where we operate, our presence have actually benefited other coffee retailers by increasing foot traffic and raising consumer awareness of specialty coffee. We recognize the relevance of the J.R. Muggs café to its customers and wish the owners every success in serving the local community in the years ahead. 

At Starbucks, our store partners take considerable pride in the strong relationships we have established with our customers and the community. We actively support local community groups and charities, provide volunteer time and support many organizations. Last year contributions were valued at $14.6 million and volunteers provided 214,000 hours. 

Starbucks has achieved success one cup at a time, one store at a time. We started as a small business in Seattle’s Pike Place market more than 28 years ago. Since then, each one of our stores has become a unique part of its neighborhood. Our stores are about people. We believe that our customers and partners at each location give the store its own personality and atmosphere. 

Finally, we also recognize that our success is not an entitlement and will work towards earning the trust and respect of all our customers. I invite your readers to learn more about the way Starbucks seeks to be good neighbor at www.starbucks.com 

Leamon J. Abrams 

Director, Civic and Community Affairs 

Starbucks Coffee Company 

• 

BERKELEY HONDA 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I read Tim Lubeck’s letter about Berkeley Honda with sympathy. It worries me that unions and their members appear to be set on a very narrow track. I ask union members to consider: When does it become unreasonable to ask for more money and benefits? Unions are not to blame. They merely follow in the wake of a mainstream social attitude which views inflation and rising costs as normal. I think the problem lies in accepting without question a s tatus quo built on false premises. The mainstream encourages us to get in debt and above all keep buying. There are alternative ways to live—as a member of a residential cooperative, for example. For most people, housing is one of the biggest costs. It do esn’t have to be. 

Jean Hohl 

• 

CROSSING THE LINE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Joanna Graham’s long and verbose commentary is full of prejudicial remarks, and simplistic, dangerous generalizations. Picking on individuals like Eric Alterman or John Gertz and identifying them with American Jewry is not exactly scientific, but typical of Ms. Graham’s approach. Simply referring to some isolated incidents (e.g. individual Americans spying for Israel) and anti-Israel myths is definitely not the way of encouraging or initiating “a year of talking about Israel/Palestine.” Ms. Graham’s inappropriate and ridiculous accusations about “infiltrating and neutralizing” Berkeley’s Peace and Justice Commission was ably addressed by one of the commissioners, Rabbi Jane Litman (August 2-4, 2005). 

For me, the worst part of this “commentary” appears in parenthesis in the last paragraph: “Do not think that Zionists have not been active here: [reference to school curriculum] The first two books my son read in high school were about the Holocaust!” Is reading about the Holocaust a Zionist plot? I, a Holocaust survivor, reject Ms. Graham’s statement, even when it comes from one who identifies herself as a “Jewish American.” (Interestingly, with this one exception, she speaks about Jew s using the third person plural) As a Jew, and as an American, I am deeply saddened that in 21st century America, Ms. Graham, a Berkeley resident, has joined the circle of anti-Zionists who cross the line into anti-Semitism. 

Ferenc Raj 

• 

WILLARD POOL 

Edi tors, Daily Planet: 

Just another voice here, crying for our swimming access. I live two blocks from Willard Pool and it has become obvious to me that this community resource is very, very important to our community. Terminating access to this pool is not the way to generate support in the community for school projects. I believe the person who sets priorities for the district needs to take a better assessment of what is supported and what is not supported by Berkeley citizens. 

Seeing the amount of my pr operty taxes that go to the BUSD, I believe that it is important for those of us who rely on Willard Pool for needed exercise be heard and be dealt a fair hand in what those taxes pay for. It seems this battle never ends. Hear the message, BUSD: We pay fo r all of the programs you approve, and without significant complaint. It’s time to repay that support by guaranteeing the continuation of Willard Pool! 

Michael Tandy 

• 

RFID 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Shirley Stuart (Letters, Aug. 2-4) says she’s disappointed that I didn’t offer the “accurate, unbiased information” on RFID which I was calling for in my letter of July 29. I wasn’t holding out on the readers, I don’t have that kind of information about RFID. I do have a technical background in other areas of el ectronics and radio, so that I think I’d know the straight goods if I saw them. The intent of my letter was to criticize the Daily Planet for not doing a better job of investigative reporting on this topic. 

I’m interested in seeing what the Planet has to say about the meeting last Monday (Aug 1). I hope there was a reporter there. 

David Coolidge 

• 

CANDACE KILCHENMAN 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Candace Kilchenman, environmentalist and activist, left us on Saturday, June 25 after a brief illness. She served m any years on the Berkeley-East Bay Gray Panthers Board, and was active in TriValley Cares and the Sierra Club. Her concerns were global warming, environmental degradation, water purity, and peace. She will be dearly missed by her many friends, her daughte r, Chris Oller of Fresno and son Michael Kilchenman of Santa Cruz. 

A Celebration of her Life will be held on Saturday, Aug. 13 at 2 p.m. at Strawberry Creek Lodge, 1320 Addison St. Please call 486-8010 for more information. Donations in her name may be made to the Berkeley Gray Panthers, 1403 Addison St., Berkeley, 94709. 

Margot Smith  

Berkeley-East Bay Gray Panthers 

• 

WALGREENS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

This letter is in response to a commentary by Alyss Dorese (“Why I’m Boycotting Walgreens,” July 29). 

It was quite an interesting and somewhat amusing article. She professed her confusion about the differences between the Walgreens and Berkeley Bowl parking lots. She claimed that the two stores were separated by their adjacent parking lots. Yes, Ms. Dore se, but I guess you missed the street that also separated the lots. It’s known as Oregon Street, hardly confusing. There are also large white arrows on the paving indicating which is an exit and which is an entrance. 

But I digress. The real reason she wa nts to boycott Walgreens and suggests that others do also, is because her car got a boot on the wheel and she received a ticket for illegally parking in Walgreens lot to shop in Berkeley Bowl. I go to Walgreens quite often and I see people pushing carts full of groceries from Berkeley Bowl to their cars in Walgreens lot very often.  

She’s mad at Walgreens for that, even though they had every right to do it, and they reduced the fine to $30 from $60! On top of that it seems that Walgreens has a policy of allowing people to park in their lot if they shop at Walgreens first, then shop at Berkeley Bowl. I doubt if Berkeley Bowl has the same type of policy. 

I’m all for boycotts. I’ve been boycotting McDonalds for many many years, ever since Ray Kroc gave all those illegal contributions to the Nixon campaign. 

I’m merely a customer of Walgreens, not an employee, nor a friend of any employees. I just found Ms. Dorese’s article and call for a boycott ridiculous, and felt a need to address it. 

Charles R. Shaw 

• 

PARKING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In reading Alyss Dorese’s July 29 commentary about her parking experiences in the Walgreens lot near Berkeley Bowl, I was delighted to learn that Walgreens actually boots and fines Berkeley Bowl shoppers rather than just t hreatening to. 

Ms. Dorese’s essay was full of the amazing lack of logic and common sense often found in Berkeley residents, whether for geriatric reasons or because of baby boomer self-centeredness. “It is very confusing entering the lots trying to figur e out whose is whose.” Well, duh, the one surrounding Berkeley Bowl belongs to Berkeley Bowl, and the one next to Walgreens belongs to Walgreens.  

And again, “I noticed that although the parking lot was three-quarters full, Walgreens’ store was nearly em pty.” Yes, Walgreens is a drug/variety store, with a normal flow of customers picking up items of ordinary living—toothpaste, greeting cards, diapers, prescriptions. The Walgreens lot is also much smaller than the Berkeley Bowl lot. Berkeley Bowl is an ov erhyped boutique store. I lived on Newbury Street behind Berkeley Bowl for many years, and watched crazed, frantic Bowl shoppers park in driveways and by fire hydrants to get into the store to push and shove and claw their way to the baby arugula, or what ever. 

No matter how mighty the sense of entitlement of Berkeley Bowl shoppers, Walgreens shoppers need to be able to park too. Older or disabled customers can’t always walk many blocks from neighborhood parking spaces, and they need to be able to get th eir prescriptions and other necessities. Walgreens is within its rights to enforce parking restrictions. Other Berkeley stores, such as Andronico’s, Safeway, Long’s, etc. also post notices restricting parking to customers, and to a particular length of time. 

Unlike Ms. Dorese, I patronize Walgreens, and I don’t go to Berkeley Bowl. I go to the farmer’s markets (no, not in Berkeley—the same pushing, shoving and clawing happens there too), and try to eat locally and seasonally. You might want to try that, Ms. Dorese—it will save wear and tear on your nerves, and the parking will be simpler too. 

Aija Kanbergs 

Oakland 

• 

ROSE-COLORED GLASSES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In response to Neil Doherty, who states he had difficulty understanding the point of my lette r titled “Rose-Colored Glasses”: I refer you to an excellent essay parallel in themes. A Google search will connect you to Stanley Crouch’s Salon essay titled, “Addicted to Violence.” I simply illustrated the local picture as it pertains to reactionary an d revolutionary violence. 

As to the rest of the misinformation Doherty attributes to me, I will not respond. He is clearly a “hater” with no real knowledge as to my vision or the huge volunteer effort I provide for the betterment of our community. 

I would like to further explain the amazing results of our grass roots campaign. Our campaign provided an alternative to “business as usual” in a council district under the control of the BCA party. We received 37 percent of the vote while being outspent 8-1. We accomplished this within a mere 6 weeks time without any political machine support, no insider endorsements, door hangers etc. However, I did win the only endorsement which is based on a debate of issues, the Oakland Tribune. Oh yeah, I happen to be a white woman running in a district identified as African American. Clearly our agenda resonated with plenty of tired South Berkeley folks. 

Laura Menard 

• 

YOUTH VOTING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I would like inform your readers about our voting age demo on Tu esday July 12 in Berkeley to raise public awareness of a proposed ballot initiative to lower the voting age to 17 for school board elections in Berkeley. While the number of people who attended, 8, were slim, we got a fair amount of reporters. It was a le arning experience. I hope that more people show interest in the next one (in early October). 

I have talked to most of the City Council about this. I think that the City Council may go for it, because it is a compromise compared to our last proposal (aski ng the state to allow 16-year-olds to vote in local elections). I would like to thank our past supporters (Worthington, Moore, Anderson, Spring) and like to thank those who are keeping an open mind (Bates, Capitelli, Maio). I think that it is important to allow high school seniors to evaluate their administrators. Call the Mayor and Councilmembers to show your support. 

Also, I have talked with the majority of the school board. I know that this is a hard choice for them, because it is scary to have to appeal to 500 additional voters, but I think that they will make the right decision. Mr. Doran has shown interest in this measure. Ms. Issel opposes enfranchising a younger demographic, because she thinks that this resolution would politicize the classroom. Mr. Rivera has had some doubts, but he said that he won’t make his final decision until it appears before him. Unfortunately, I have not had the pleasure of speaking with Ms. Riddle, but I am looking forward to that. I would like to thank Mr. Rivera and M s. Riddle for considering this. And of course, I’d like to thank Mr. Doran for showing support. Please show them that you care by telling them that you want them to allow 17-year-olds to vote in school board elections or to at least give Berkeley voters the opportunity to vote on it. If Berkeley doesn’t want it, fine. But if Berkeley does want it, local officials should give them a chance. 

C’mon, Berkeley. Let’s get the ball rolling. Tell the papers what you think of our idea (whether you like it or not). We need to have a conversation about this in the press to get our cause recognized. I don’t care how short or long your letter is, but get it in. Write it now! 

We are planning to have another demonstration before the City Council Meeting on Oct. 11. So if you are interested in coming, please e-mail me now (baucer@gmail.com; of course, right after you write your letter to the newspaper). We need more people to come to support to show to the officials that Berkeleyans do care about democracy. We need to show them that Berkeleyans do care about their youth and that Berkeleyans do want this now. 

Thank you for your continued support. 

Rio Bauce 

Chair of the National Youth Rights Association-Berkeley Chapter 

• 

JOHN ROBERTS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Supreme Co urt Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was a powerful force for moderation, independence and consensus-building on a much divided court. Judging from the giddy anticipation on the right and from the anti-abortion movement, Supreme Court nominee John Roberts will be anything but a consensus builder. Let’s just hope he doesn’t push the Supreme Court too far to the right and over the cliff.  

Remember how the anti-choice jihadists went off with the mere mention of Alberto Gonzales being a replacement for O’Connor? John Roberts’ selection as Supreme Court nominee has quieted down this noisy contingent. John Roberts is solidly in the religious right’s corner. White House spin will tell you just the opposite. 

Roe v.Wade is just a memory even if a recent poll confirmed 68 percent of Americans are against overturning it while 29 percent were for overturning it. We are about to witness what a committed religious and extremist minority can do when they take over a government. 

Ron Lowe 

Nevada City 

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Some years ago, shortly after I got my first Internet account, I signed up to an online discussion group on African-American affairs. It was the opening up of a whole new world. Every morning, first thing, I’d log on and read through the 25 or so e-mails that had already been posted from back east and the midwest. If one or two of them seemed particularly provocative and ripe for reply, I’d think it over while eating breakfast. By the time I got back to the computer a half hour later or so, the west coast had joined in, and another 25 or so messages had been posted to the discussion list, many of them in response to the one or two that had caught my own attention. 

I’m a quick writer, and I write on deadline for a living, but one of my own personal requirements is that I actually have something to write about before I set down at the keyboard and start the process. 

So I’d set off for work with thoughts running through my head and all day long—in between work assignments—I’d compose thoughtful and careful replies to the morning’s posts. First thing after hitting the door at home in the evening, I’d log back on with a four- or five-paragraph essay ready in my head, the only thing lacking being the actual typing itself. 

But by that time—and all of you familiar with Internet chat groups know where this one is going—the list had been flooded with postings (on the most prolific days as many as a hundred), and my first task was to wade through them to find out which one was relevant to the thread I was concerned with. What the hell do these people do all day, I used to wonder. Sit at the computer and write messages back and forth? 

Most often, to my dismay, I’d find that either someone had already sent a post during the day that included many of the points I had planned to make myself, or else in the intervening hours, the discussion had gone so far beyond what it had been in that morning—either degenerating into infighting, backbiting “flame” wars or on to new subjects—that commenting on old news hardly seemed worth it. Funny how information eight hours old was almost always “old news.” 

In the march into the brave new Internet world, I quickly found that I could hardly keep up. The further I got, the more behind I got. And I don’t think I was by myself in this. 

Several years have passed since my early Internet days, and if anything, the average speed along the information highway has increased. Today, the old Internet signup discussion groups that seemed so revolutionary in the early ‘90s are now old school themselves, relics of an ancient past. They have been replaced, in the main, by what we now call blogs (there is an original meaning to the term but, like the term “spam,” the term “blog” has so quickly entered public usage that the original meaning, whatever it was, hardly seems to matter any more, another case where the information has passed by so fast, it’s become irrelevant in its own time). 

Anyhow, for the uninitiated, blogs are personal Internet webpages where you can read what an individual writer is posting on a daily—and in some instances, hourly—basis. 

Some of the blogs seem to be there just for the fad of it. Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown launched his own—to great fanfare in the blog world—at http://jerrybrown.typepad.com earlier this year. This seemed to be in line with Mr. Brown’s carefully-constructed reputation of keeping up with new trends. 

One early poster to Mr. Brown’s blog, someone named Flap, wrote enthusiastically, “Looking forward to many a spirited discussion! Time to start rebuilding California.... wouldn’t you say?” 

But veteran bloggers were more cautious. 

Ann Althouse wrote last February in her Althouse blog (http://althouse.blogspot.com/) that Mr. Brown had gotten “40 comments on the second post at the moment, many of which contain the phrase ‘Welcome to the blogosphere.’ I hate to be unwelcoming, but, jeez Jerry, after you got all that all that attention for putting one reprint up on a blog, why didn’t you show us that you actually meant to be a blogger by tossing us a tidbit every day? I hate to be as catty and exclusionary as a state school sorority girl, but maybe we ought to hold off saluting a new blogger until he’s demonstrated some actually tendency to blog.” 

And a poster to Mr. Brown’s blog named Nora (who indicated that full disclosure required her to reveal that she was a cynical Texas conservative), seemed to know Mr. Brown as well as many of us. “It will be interesting to see how a politician handles this medium where all your critics are just as visible as you are,” she wrote, also last February. “I predict either unprecedented enforced honesty, or you’ll get bored with this before the election and it won’t matter.” Who said Texas conservatives don’t know what they’re talking about? After an initial flurry of posts, Mr. Brown’s enthusiasm has waned, either from boredom or from being busy with other things, or, like the some of the rest of us, simply not being able to keep up (if it’s the last one, I can certainly sympathize). 

In a medium that exists on regular posts, with normally only a couple of days break in between, Mr. Brown’s recent offerings are, to say the least, thin. He posted a blog entry on Oakland Environmentalism on April 30, then, a month later, on whether everybody should go to college, and a month after that, one paragraph on his wedding. His last post, July 4, was about his attendance at Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s inaugural. 

Missing in this period, for just one example, was any posting about his reasons for his controversial foray into suspension of Constitutional rights—his “arrest the sideshow spectators” ordinance—that generated widespread discussion in local newspapers, on street corners, in the Oakland City Hall chambers—just about everywhere in Oakland, in fact, except in Mr. Brown’s blog. 

But abandoning projects once he’s gotten them started seems fairly typical of Mr. Brown. It doesn’t take a long memory to recall the time he convinced us that it was absolutely, absolutely! necessary for the good of the public schools that we allow him to appoint three members to the Oakland School Board and then, once we voted him the power, he appointed three members and then appeared to lose all interest in the public schools and rode off, Don Quixote-like, on his horse in an opposite direction, deciding that no, charter schools were actually the way to go. 

If you think any criticism of Mr. Brown’s blog habits are implied here, you are wrong. How Mr. Brown runs (or doesn’t run, or runs away from, or runs for another political office while he’s supposed to be running) Oakland is one thing, but his blog is his own, not an official city function, and how he handles it is his own affair. As for me, considering Mr. Brown’s one-blog-post-a-month habit, I’m just tickled to death that I’ve found someone along the information superhighway with whom I can finally keep up. 

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Shoplifter’s blade 

A security guard at Walgreens in the 2100 block of Shattuck Avenue recovered more than shoplifted goods after he apprehended a 19-year-old man attempting to leave the store at noon Monday. 

Possession of a concealed switchblade added a potential felony charge to the boosting bust, and a subsequent records check after police assumed custody revealed the fellow was in violation of his probation from an earlier conviction. 

Groping bandit 

A would-be bandit grabbed the breast of a woman customer during an attempted robbery at the Andronico’s in the 1500 block of Shattuck Avenue shortly before 3 p.m. Wednesday. 

The man is described as a white male between 30 and 40 years of age with light brown/dark blond dreadlocks and long facial hair who stands about 5’6” or 5’7”. He was wearing sandals at the time of the foiled robbery, said Berkeley Police spokesperson Officer Joe Okies. 

Pistol and pot 

The Berkeley Police officer who stopped a 15-year-old pedestrian for a street-crossing infraction near the corner of Sacramento and Prince streets late Monday evening spotted a suspicious bulge under the youth’s sweatshirt. 

After the young person admitted he was in possession of marijuana, a quick frisk turned up something more serious—a loaded .38 caliber revolver stuck in his waistband, said Officer Okies. 

Because the piece was listed as stolen, he was charged with receiving stolen property and concealing a weapon as well as a marijuana charge, among others. 

Assailants busted 

Police arrested two men, ages 31 and 25, on charges of assault with serious bodily injury late Monday following an attack in the 1800 block of Dwight Way that ended with the 18-year-old victim in the hospital suffering from non-life-threatening injuries. 

Burglary bust 

Awakened by odd sounds shortly before 6:30 Tuesday morning, a resident of the 800 block of San Diego Road looked out his window to discover a pair of fellows in the process of breaking into his car. 

A quick call to police and a prompt response by officers ended with both men, ages 29 and 30, in custody. “It was a good stop by our night crew,” said Officer Okies. 

The not-so-dynamic duo was captured in possession of property believed stolen in five separate burglaries, resulting in a charge of receiving stolen property. Possession of burglary tools added another. 

Police so far have linked the property to the original burglary on San Diego Road and a second in the 100 block of Tamalpais Road. More charges may been added as the remaining items are linked to other crimes. 

Cyclist robbed 

Police are seeking three bandits, at least one of whom claimed to be packing heat, who robbed a bicyclist of his wheels and his wallet outside the Jack in the Box fast food eatery in the 2100 block of San Pablo Avenue about 9 p.m. Monday. 

The victim didn’t call police until the following morning. 

Batteries charged 

Police booked a 28-year-old man on two battery charges, one of them serious, after an incident in the 2600 block of Parker Street shortly before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. 

Officer Okies said an off-duty officer from another law enforcement agency had intervened to stop an attack on a 22-year-old when the 28-year-old with the fists turned on him, earning in the process a count of battery on a peace officer in addition to one count for the original battery. 

BART busts 

BART police spotted two furtive fellows in the 1300 block of Cedar Street just after 6 p.m. Tuesday, and their suspicions increased when the pair spotted them and took flight. 

When the officers caught up with them, they discovered a recently stolen purse and some marijuana. 

The pair, an 18-year-old and a juvenile, were booked on suspicion of theft and receiving stolen property. One of the duo also earned a probation violation, plus a pot charge. 

Officer Okies said the purse was returned to its rightful owner. 

French Hotel heist 

A lone pistolero stormed into the French Hotel shortly before midnight Tuesday and demanded cash. The clerk complied. 

Subway robbery 

A gunman walked into the Subway sandwich shop in the 1600 block of Solano Avenue at 8:50 p.m. Wednesday and demanded cash, which he received.

People who bear firearms have a legal, moral, and financial responsibility for the terminal resting place of every projectile that is fired. Our rights come with real responsibilities. As a firearms instructor, I am well aware of the flagrant and common ignorance regarding firearm ownership. Often people who keep firearms for self defense do not bother undergoing the training and practice sessions required for proficiency. Firearms education is on a dangerous decline in large part due to the disinformation published by the media and Hollywood. The problem is compounded by the elimination of firearms education in the schools. With today’s “no tolerance” policies you cannot so much as wear a T-shirt depicting a firearm, let alone teach firearm safety in our schools. It may be difficult for many to believe but marksmanship was a sport for which you could earn a letter in high school. It would be irresponsible to abandon our means of self defense because of accidents. Automobile accidents cause far more death and injury than firearm accidents, yet no one is rallying for “car control.” 

Your editorial, entitled “Guns Make Murder Too Easy,” suggests a course of corrective action that is ill-advised to those who wish to preserve liberty and freedom. It is this sort of feel-good, sentimental thinking that can unleash the worst sort of unintended consequences. Gun control is foolhardy at best and down right sinister at worst.  

The Second Amendment…America’s Original Homeland Security 

The Founding Fathers of this great union fully understood the dangers that a standing army posed to the citizens this nation. They fully understood that if the people were to remain free, they had to be armed. So important was this concept that they enshrined it in Amendment II of the Bill of Rights: 

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. 

With the adoption of the Militia Act of 1792, every “free able-bodied white male citizen” between the ages of 18 and 45 was required to enroll in the militia. The important key here is that the militia was not the army. The militia consisted of the able-bodied voting citizens of the United States. In a word, the militia consisted of the People.  

Let’s fast forward to the 20th century. During that century alone 170 million people were murdered at the hands of their own governments. In all cases, draconian gun control measures were instituted prior to the fleecing of the populaces. The people willingly disarmed themselves (in the name of safety/security), placing full faith in the governments that would later come to slaughter them. These people learned the lesson … at the wrong end of the barrel. 

Where do we stand today? Self proclaimed “liberal” legislators, commentators, and organizations have been engaged in a long standing campaign to persuade the American people that they would be better off leaving the responsibility of using lethal force to the “authorities.” Most of us, fortunate enough to have been raised here, have no true understanding of what it is like to be under the heel of an oppressive government. Such restrictions on these lethal instruments seem reasonable to average couch potato. After all, when was the last time anybody needed an AR-15 to fend of Federal troops from raping and pillaging their home town?  

In 1932, the U.S. Army (led by MacArthur, Eisenhower, and Patton under the direct orders of President Hoover) cleared out and burned the encampments in Washington D.C. of 15,000 destitute World War I veterans and their families, injuring hundreds and killing several. From 1942 to 1945 120,000 Japanese Americans were involuntarily incarcerated in concentration camps “for their own protection.” In 1970, a contingent of 28 Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire, on students of Kent State University who were conducting a peaceful protest of the Vietnam War, injuring several, and killing four. In Philadelphia during 1985, 11 people, including five children, were killed by the U.S. police, when a bomb was dropped on the house containing members of MOVE. In April of 1993, 74 men, women, and children were shot and/or incinerated in Waco at the hands of federal agents who were attempting to infringe on their constitutional rights. 

One has to wonder where the guardians of freedom are after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the developer in Kelo v. The City of New London. In that 5-4 ruling, the court ruled that local governments have the authority to declare eminent domain on a private property and award it to different private property for development. They completely redefined “public use” in the last clause of the Fifth Amendment in a way that renders it meaningless. On top of that, the legislative branch, Congress, has been too busy reauthorizing the Patriot Act (a blatant violation of the Fourth Amendment) to bother keeping the judicial branch in check. Congress has exercised its constitutional powers of impeachment against a Supreme Court justice only once in our 231 year history (1805, associate Supreme Court Justice, Samuel Chase). Folks, our Founding Fathers’ legislature would have had those five justices impeached and summarily shot on grounds of treason. 

Let me be clear. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. We must keep a close eye and tight reign on our legislatures (both state and federal). For it is they who wield considerable clout to either preserve or harm our constitutional republic. Those who would usurp our freedom and liberty will walk amongst us as wolves disguised as sheep. Necessarily, they will attempt to persuade us to relinquish our arms in the name of greater security and safety. Our Founding Fathers’ message is clear. The Second Amendment is a doomsday provision. It is the People’s ultimate life insurance policy. To do away with it, is to invite oppression and genocide.  

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.  

—Benjamin Franklin 

Alec Dawson is an NRA-certified firearms instructor in Orange, Calif. 

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Summer in Berkeley is wonderful. No need for reservations at restaurants, parking galore, and best of all we have our neighborhood pools for the whole family. When I see the Willard Pool full of kids and families I want to look around for the oak tree with the rope swing. Even though there are no rope swings around these swimming holes, Willard, King and West Campus pools are the destination (usually within walking distance) for kids and families looking to share the magic of aquatic recreation. In the shallow pool a wide-eyed tiny tot grips her mom’s neck while being lowered for the first time into the water. In the deep pool two teenaged boys are trying to catch the eye of a sunbathing girl by doing outrageous cannon balls into the water. In the long pool several adults are doing laps while a lifeguard makes suggestions about swim technique.  

The three outdoor city pools are fantastic public facilities in all seasons where most residents of all ages and conditions can learn water safety, practice healthy lifestyles, and participate in team recreation and community building. The pools are a valuable and vital part of Berkeley life. 

Unfortunately two pools, probably Willard and King, will be closed for nine months (the school year) from the beginning of September through next May due to city budget and service cuts and due to the refusal of Berkeley Unified School District to participate in the use and maintenance of the shared pools. Traditionally, King and Willard Middle schools have offered swimming as a physical education class from September to October and April to May. To avoid having to help share the costs of pool maintenance during these periods the superintendent and School Board ended the pool P.E. classes at King and Willard schools, thus helping to force pool closures for everyone during the prime fall and spring seasons. Obviously BUSD was not aware of the importance of the community pools for health, safety and recreation for children and adults in our community. 

What will be the practical results of these closures? Middle school kids at King and Willard will not learn water safety; will not learn the health benefits of a regular exercise program; and will be less likely to take up the sport of swimming later on in high school and collage. Schools must take some responsibility for the obesity epidemic among today’s youth population. These cuts will hurt the underserved population the most since wealthier parents can always enroll their kids in private swim teams such as the Bears. 

Many in the swim community are using swimming to counter health problems that come from aging. My friends Gael and Stefan suffer from chronic back and hip pain. My back stiffens up with too many days off. We have to swim in order to avoid expensive medicine and doctor bills. We swim proactively and use the pools all year long. 

Many established swim programs such as Yassir’s very popular senior aerobics class at West Campus and Blythe Lucero’s wonderful Berkeley Aquatic Masters (BAM) workouts at both West Campus and King will be shoved into one pool with the lap swimmers forcing overcrowding and the eventual fall off of patrons. Those patrons willing to stay in Berkeley they will be forced to travel across town using the roadways and parking where walking and biking were more appropriate before. In the process the city will lose many talented and helpful aquatic staff. The quality of life for many people will be affected. 

BUSD has made a terrible mistake by ending the swim P.E. classes and not helping to fund the pools, a marvelous shared asset with the community, a community that has been very generous with the school district. In years past the Berkeley High swim teams used Willard pool for training and swim meets, pushing out public swimmers, while not contributing to maintenance costs. Now Berkeley High has a brand new and very expensive pool which is off limits to the community and continues to ignore the needs of its middle school population and the community with regards to health, safety and recreation.  

For parents who want swimming to be part of their child’s school experience contact your school principal, your School Board and the superintendent of schools and request that they work with the city to help support the pools and aquatic education. Public swimmers need to stay involved to expand the wonderful aquatic experience to the whole community. This is a special situation that finds the community and BUSD in the same boat. Let’s work together to keep it afloat. 

Bill Hamilton is a member of the United Pool Council.  

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Recently published comments have recalled the Berkeley City Council’s vote in September 2003 to support Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s request for an investigation into the death of a young American woman who was protesting the demolition of Palestinian homes by the Israeli army. As a member of the council majority that supported that resolution, I hope I can clarify the facts for your readers. 

Rachel Corrie, a young woman from Washington state, had been in Palestine attempting to prevent the destruction of homes by the Israeli army. Having placed herself as a human shield in front of a house that was about to be demolished, she was killed by the bulldozer. An investigation into her death by the Israeli government followed. But the Israeli government refused to release the report that resulted from the investigation, even to Rachel Corrie’s parents. 

It was this refusal to recognize a family’s need to understand the circumstances of their daughter’s death that motivated our congresswoman’s request for an American investigation and that inspired the council majority’s support for that request. These events occurred almost two years ago. I feel now just as I did when I supported the Rachel Corrie resolution. It seems clearer than ever that our energies and policies need to focus on ending the human suffering on all sides that is perpetuated by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As a citizen and as a public official, I want to do what I can to forward a two-state solution, to help put an end to the tragic destruction, danger, and fear that have become all too familiar, for too long, in that conflicted part of the world. 

Linda Maio 

District 1 City Councilmember 

I am surprised that the Berkeley Daily Planet, whose editor recently called for “communication” as the solution to the world’s ills, would publish two pieces in a recent issue (Aug. 2) that pull out all the old anti-Semitic shibboleths in order to beat up both selected individuals and Jews in general.  

Mark Ritchey crawled out from under his rock in Cotati to engage in an incoherent rant attacking the character of a Berkeley citizen. In the process, he uttered several anti-Jewish canards of the sort propagated by the Ku Klux Klan.  

As for Joanna Graham, does she really think that she can curry favor with her friends in the lunatic left by repeating age-old anti-Jewish myths? The concept of an international Jewish conspiracy is right out of the anti-Semitic forgery known as the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. And charges of dual loyalty are the oldest trick in the anti-Semitic playbook. Perhaps Ms. Graham is unaware that the thesis of a Jewish conspiracy to control the media, banks, and government, was standard fare in old Europe, and had the logical consequence of the murder of six million Jewish men, women and children.  

But as long as Ms. Graham is calling for a dialogue in 2006 regarding Israel and Palestine, perhaps she can start by answering some of these questions.  

Why have there been 40 years of airline hijackings, homicide bombers, and murder of children? Why have Jews been murdered, not only in Israel, but all over the world, precisely because they were Jews? 

How come Yassir Arafat, who kept his people in poverty and ignorance by diverting millions to his own bank account, who paid salaries to killers, was considered a “moderate” by Europeans and the United Nations? And why were Arafat’s millions never used to provide housing, education, or utilities for his people? 

If the occupation is the problem, how come the Arabs launched three wars (1948, 1956, 1967) before the occupation began? And how come the Palestine Liberation Organization was established before there was an occupation? What were they trying to liberate? 

How come Germans don’t send suicide bombers into Poland to get back land they lost during World War II? Ditto for Tibetans blowing up Chinese cities. 

Why is it that only the Palestinians claim a right of return? What about the million Jews forcibly expelled from Egypt, Libya, Iraq, and other Arab countries? Are they not entitled to a right of return, or compensation for the billions in property taken from them? 

How come one million Palestinians vote freely in Israel, but not one votes in any Arab country? 

How come, of the hundreds of security fences all over the world, only the security fence in Israel, designed for the sole purpose of saving lives, has been labeled an Apartheid wall? 

How come so many “progressives” in Berkeley favor a terrorist-run Palestine, controlled by a gang of thugs, over a liberal democracy in Israel? 

And how come the leaders of the anti-Israel cabal in Berkeley repeatedly claim threatening phone calls, but never once file a police report, or attempt to track down the source of the alleged threats? 

How come all nationalisms, including the Palestinian variety, are applauded by Berkeley “progressives,” yet Zionism, the movement for a Jewish national home, is treated as a dirty word? 

Joanna Graham expresses her dismay that her son read two books in high school about the Holocaust. She claims that this proves that the Zionists have been busy. Perhaps Ms. Graham can learn from the words of a truly great man, the Rev. Martin Luther King. Shortly before his death, Dr. King had the moral courage to confront hatred of Jews. During a 1968 appearance at Harvard University, he stated “When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You are talking anti-Semitism.” 

In the great city of Berkeley, the need to extirpate this poison from our midst is long overdue.  

Berkeley resident Lawrence W. White is an author, physician and bioethicist. 

As I envision my young, African-American, Jewish sons walking past the anti-Beth El signs on Oxford Street to enter their new synagogue, I cannot help but think about the Civil Rights Movement and all the children and young adults who had to be taught to hold their heads high and bravely go where they were so clearly unwanted. Our Beth El children will have to do the same. 

The hostility of the opposition to Congregation Beth El’s three-block move into a new building on the long-abandoned property at 1301 Oxford St. is extreme, even by Berkeley standards. It is a pitched battle in which neighbors don’t want fellow Berkeley citizens to park on public streets in accordance with existing parking regulations. It is a campaign complete with a proliferation of signs on Oxford and Spruce Street lawns. Obviously those signs are meant to foment public opinion against our 60-year-old North Berkeley institution, but they have an additional, vulnerable audience: The children and youth of Congregation Beth El.  

For years, Congregation Beth El has run a nursery school, a religious school for elementary and middle school kids, and one of the East Bay’s most beloved camps, Camp Kee Tov, in addition to hosting the Midrasha high school program. Arguably the biggest users of Beth El are not the people who come to services at all, but rather the youth we attempt to steer toward an adult life of community involvement and social justice. Ironically, our North Berkeley neighborhood is giving them an object lesson in rising above public hostility. 

As an African American Jew, Beth El congregant, and mother of two young sons, I am disheartened that I will have to teach my children the same hard lessons my grandmother had to teach my now 80-year-old mother. My mother went to Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. The ride from St. Louis, MO, required her to move to the back of the train to the Colored cars under Jim Crow. Frankly, there were many places my mother was not wanted in both St. Louis and Nashville. My grandmother taught her to hold her head up high, be respectful, and be proud of who she was.  

What will I tell my sons in Berkeley in 2005 as they face the hostility of our North Berkeley neighbors? “You have a right to be here. Our congregants have worked long and hard and negotiated in good faith with the neighbors. We have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to restore Codornices Creek and to build the first geothermal facility in Berkeley. We have rejuvenated land that had lain unkempt since well before I was an undergraduate at UC Berkeley in the late ‘70s. We have built in full accord with zoning regulations and struggled to satisfy requirements that no other institution in Berkeley has had to meet. We have significantly reduced our impact on parking in the neighborhood by providing 31 on-site spaces, a drive-through, and alternate parking options. And yes, we are still not wanted, have not been wanted for 10 years.”  

I will tell them, “Hold your heads up high and meet their gaze. Know that you are part of a 60-year-old congregation, born of this neighborhood, that sent delegations to march with Rev. Martin Luther King, that feeds the hungry, that builds bridges among Berkeley’s religious communities, that has educated three generations of youth, that embraces diversity. And please, be especially polite to those who are acting so ugly to you. Be undaunted.” 

Some may say, “But this is different. We are not attacking your children, we are attacking Beth El.” I ask you what is Beth El? The building is not Beth El; the cars are not Beth El; traffic is not Beth El. People are Beth El. And we are the very old and very young and every age in between. We are white, and yellow, and brown. We are gay and straight. We are taxpayers and residents and voters. We are business owners and public servants. I am Beth El. My children are Beth El. Those signs need no ethnic epithets to scream “We don’t want you here!” Our children can read. Our children know. 

Although my husband and I never dreamed that we would be giving our children the same instructions in Berkeley, Calif., in 2005 that parents gave their teenagers in Little Rock, Ark., in 1957, we are thankful that we have elders among the Congregation Beth El community who opened hostile communities to Jews and African Americans and Asians and Latinos across the United States—elders who have consistently fought for justice for all and prevailed. My sons come from and live among people who know how to persevere, to survive, and to thrive.  

My younger son has two favorite bedtime songs. One is a contemporary Hebrew call for peace, and the other is “We Shall Overcome.” Both yearn for shalom/peace some day. I hope that that day will come soon for us and for our neighbors, but particularly for our children.  

Katherine Haynes Sanstad is a member of Congregation Beth El, Berkeley, where she serves as a member of the board of directors and as the congregation's first vice president. 

On May 15, I attended Maria King’s funeral at St. Joseph the Worker Church. Maria’s funeral was beautiful, though wrenchingly sad. Saddest of all, I thought, was that the church was only half-full. Since the San Francisco Chronicle had run a front-page story that day “A Death in Berkeley”—I expected the service to be packed. It wasn’t. Some of Maria’s homeless friends were there, and locals who knew her. The priests at St. Joseph’s, especially pastor George Crespin were there, having grown to think of Maria as a friend. Her shocked family was there en masse having flown in long distance from scattered locations.  

I never met Maria. I feel sure if I had, I would have remembered her. Because there is one thing the Chronicle writer got wrong: Maria King was not your average “Homeless Everywoman.”  

Born and raised among the intelligentsia, she was exceptionally, precociously bright and gifted. It was almost impossible for Maria to end up as she did—dead on a cold February street, her head kicked in by two brutal punks. And in Berkeley, of all places, the most liberal university town in America.  

The odds against such a ludicrous tragedy must be astronomical. 

To those with long experience of contemporary mainstream psychiatry, and especially of the federally funded MH/MR system in which Maria was treated, however, an explanation of her terrible death seems all too clear. The question surrounding Maria’s death is not just “where did the system fail,” but rather, “where did it fail the most dismally?”  

Inept psychiatric treatment, mostly especially the cocktail of psych drugs Maria had been force-fed for years was, overwhelmingly, the culprit, precipitating her slide into the mental confusion and instability that led to chronic homelessness—and in the end to her horrible, wholly unnecessary death.  

The East Bay area phone directory lists several pages worth of therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists. Unfortunately, the average layperson is clueless as to how to choose the most appropriate. More unfortunately still, private therapy is expensive, with average starting prices at $150 an hour. 

The most practical answer, seemingly, is to seek out the local MH/MR clinic where patients are billed little or nothing on a sliding fee scale. Thousands of citizens (and their number is ever-growing) avail themselves of federally funded medical care programs when they need a doctor. Medical care is incredibly expensive.  

Maria’s mistake, common throughout the United States, and encouraged by current trends is psychiatry, and by the American Psychiatry Association itself, was to accept the equation of psychiatry with other branches of medicine.  

Few patients realize current mainstream psychiatry endorses chiefly biopsychiatry—and that the federally funded psychiatric system including short-term stay psych hospitals and state hospitals as well the outpatient clinics endorses only biopsychiatry and offers only one “one-size-fits-all” treatment: chemical therapy. 

Somewhere during the ‘80s and ‘90s, with the rise of biopsychiatry, this concept got scrambled, the “talk” aspect of therapy disappeared—and today, much of America, including lower level workers in the psychiatric system itself, firmly believes that psych drugs “cure” emotional or mental problems, in precisely the same way that penicillin cures strep throat. 

That—to misquote the venerable Sam Goldwyn—is, in two words, Im Possible. 

Dangers of chemical therapy have come to public attention within the last decade, but occasional TV news stories about the Ritalin scandals in elementary schools or isolated individuals who became homicidal on Prozac only represent the tip of a massively scandalous iceberg. 

Dr. Peter Breggin has fought a lonely battle for years against the contemporary abuses of biopsychiatry and is the foremost authority in the United States on the dangers of psychiatric drugs. He is the author of 20-some books, one of the most recent is Your Drug May Be Your Problem, and updating of his classic work, Toxic Psychiatry. 

The interested reader is urged to check out his website, www.breggin.com, especially the easy-to-use grid giving capsule information on the most commonly used and abused psychiatric drugs.  

Those with strong stomachs might try sites for Kids Who Kill, www.uhuh.com/education/drugskill.htm (virtually all juveniles who committed murder within the last decade, including Eric Harris, were on psych drugs at the time), and the Law Project for Psychiatric Rights (http://psychrights.org/index.htm).  

The biggest and best-known of the growing number of underground websites for anti-mainstream psychiatry activism is MindFreedom.com. (Endorsement of chemical therapy by the federal MH/MR system is emphatically not an example of the United States government, or any public official being “out to get us.” Not at all. It is a perfect example of gross ignorance—often, well-meaning ignorance and laziness—on the part of the federal funding agencies and politicians who are primarily interested in getting re-elected.)  

The stigma surrounding “mental illness” together with the mystique surrounding psychiatry and psychology remains a formidable obstacles to any layperson, including journalists, politicians and who might seek to investigate it.  

The contemporary version of biopsychiatry is dangerous quackery. It is a cashcow for the big drug manufacturers as well the psychiatric establishment. It helps virtually no one, and it harms thousands of American annually. 

To those seeking therapy or already involved in it, an informed choice is yours for the asking. The choice made by Maria King cost her sanity—and in the end, her life. 

Dr. Seth Farber lives in New York City. 

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It’s summer in Berkeley again, and that means that the Shotgun Players are back with their 9th annual production in John Hinkle Park. It’s a double gift—almost any excuse to spend the afternoon in that lovely outdoor theater would do—but Shotgun’s plays have been consistent delights in themselves. 

And it isn’t crass to take pleasure in the fact that they’re financing themselves by passing the hat when the performance is over. You get to decide for yourself what the afternoon seemed worth to you. 

You can’t get a deal any better than that. 

This year’s production is Edmund Rostand’s classic Cyrano de Bergerac. It’s a tale that’s become so embedded in our folklore that almost everybody knows about the courageous swordsman, brilliant wordsmith, and would-be lover with the absurdly long nose. 

But the play is tricky to produce in most modern theater situations. For one thing, Rostand clung to the old tradition of very long plays indeed. For another, the uncut version has more than 50 characters. You have to admit that that’s a whole lot of play. 

Shotgun has demonstrated much creativity and perhaps more than their share of drive (witness their progress up from makeshift, temporary theater venues to this year’s acquisition of the Ashby Theatre). But marshaling 50 actors into one production would be a bit much, even for them. (For this year, at least. Who can predict what these people will take on by this time next year?) 

Director Joanie McBrien became so caught up with the play’s challenge to life that she pursued a number of translations, finally coming on the one by the multitalented American playwright, Charles Marowitz. 

“I knew I’d found the perfect match,” she said. 

The language is beautiful, but it was up to McBrien to bring the play into a version that could be presented in John Hinkle Park. She speaks of “editing and confabulating characters.”  

In this production, the 50 original roles are encompassed by ten actors, four of whom, Fontana Butterfield, Erin Carter, Jared Dager and Dave Maier, all play three or four supporting roles of startling variety, several even playing both sexes.  

In the title role, Clive Wesley does a great job as Cyrano, handling the long speeches about his love for Roxane with the same skill that he displays with his sword. And Gwen Larson is most persuasive as the beautiful and intelligent Roxane. All in all, it’s a strong cast. Andy Alabran, Eric Burns, Matthew Purdon and Gabe Weiss have the opportunity to focus on just one character each, and do good work.  

The structure of the play as it is in this production is unusual. The second act is shorter, and has a significantly darker tone. But it’s a beautiful presentation in a beautiful setting and well worth seeing. 

Pauline Kael (1919-2001) was the nation’s preeminent critic of motion pictures for almost 40 years. The London Times Literary Supplement described her writings as “a body of criticism which can be compared with George Bernard Shaw’s criticism of music and theater.”  

She was not the first talented writer to take movies as a subject. They attracted critics from their earliest days—anonymous reviewers in newspapers at the beginning of the 20th century; up and coming writers like Robert Sherwood in the ‘20s and James Agee in the ‘40s. However, these distinguished writers treated movie criticism as a sideline. For Pauline Kael, it was the main event. She believed movies are our national theater and deserve serious grownup attention. Through the force of her writing, she made movie reviews important.  

The essay was her medium. Her style was conversational and aphoristic. Hundreds of her phrases stick in the memory, such as her dismissal of The Sound of Music as “The Sound of Money.” She had a sharp wit, a tough mind, and an endless fund of information about movies. (Who else writing about Some Like It Hot would have known that “in one of the earlier versions of this material, a German musical film, the orchestra girls were called The Alpine Violets”?) She inhabited a spacious world of sophisticated ideas, dealing comfortably with such unfamiliar (to most of us) topics as American experimental film and European theories on the nature of cinema. 

Her background 

It is surprising to discover that this seemingly urban woman had strong roots in Northern California ranch country. In Movies on Television, she wrote, 

“A few years ago, a jet on which I was returning to California after a trip to New York was instructed to delay landing for a half-hour. The plane circled above the San Francisco area, and spread out under me were the farm where I was born, the little town where my grandparents were buried, the city where I had gone to school, the cemetery where my parents were, the homes of my brothers and sisters, Berkeley, where I had gone to college, and the house where at that moment, while I hovered high above, my little daughter and my dogs were awaiting my return.” 

She was a child in Petaluma long before it became a bedroom community for San Francisco. In her review of Hud, she described Petaluma as a rough idyll: “The summer nights are very long on a western ranch. As a child, I could stretch out on a hammock on the porch and read an Oz book from cover to cover, while my grandparents and uncles and aunts and parent’s didn’t stir from their card game. The young men get tired of playing cards. They either think about sex or try to do something about it.” But she had also seen “the same boys ... enter a blazing building to save the lives of panic-stricken horses, and emerge charred but at peace with the world and themselves.”  

During the great depression her father lost his property and the family moved to San Francisco, where she attended Girls High School, graduating in 1936. 

Student days in Berkeley 

She enrolled at Cal, majoring in philosophy. The philosophical training shows in her writing—especially in her deflation of the cliches that pass for ideas in the movie world. She was an inveterate reader of fiction and poetry, as well as a moviegoer, and a lot of her undergraduate friends were English majors. 

She gravitated to Berkeley’s bohemian artistic circles. Her reading and her friendships contributed to the singular breadth of literary reference she brought to her film criticism. Among our leading film critics, she has shown the most respect for writers, always identifying the authors of plays and novels on which pictures were based, and the screenwriters who did adaptations or wrote original material. 

Non-student days 

From 1940 to 1952 the public record of her activities is meager. In various places she mentioned writing plays, screenplays, and essays, living in New York and Hollywood, and involvement in making experimental films. She married and divorced more than once, and was a single mother. When she found it difficult to make ends meet, she scraped by with day jobs as a seamstress, cook, or clerk. 

In the 1950s she emerged on the Berkeley scene as a fully formed personality—publishing in magazines devoted to cinema, broadcasting reviews of current films, and managing the Berkeley Cinema Guild. She was in her thirties, intense, and physically energetic. She was small, about the same height as Dorothy Parker and, when the mood was on her, just as acidic.  

In 1953 her first published review appeared, almost by happenstance. Peter Martin, the editor of City Lights, overheard her in a coffee house arguing with a friend about Charlie Chaplin’s Limelight. He invited them both to review it, but only she produced any copy. Then she started writing for such publications as Sight and Sound, Moviegoer, and Film Quarterly. None of them paid much. In an interview in 1966 she said, “In 10 years I made under $2,000 from film criticism.”  

But her published reviews led to a program at KPFA, where she gave her opinion of films playing in theaters around the Bay Area. Her reviews were vivid and usually at odds with what was printed in the Examiner and the Chronicle. 

In 1953, through marriage, she became involved in the Cinema Guild Theaters at 2436 Telegraph Ave. (between Haste and Dwight), a venture which lasted into the 1960s. The two theaters, the Guild and the Studio, each running a double bill, were dowdy little places, but her programming was brilliant.  

The Cinema Guild astonished me when I arrived in Berkeley. For the cost of tickets a student could afford, within the space of a year or two, regular communicants (I became one) could see almost every significant film ever made. At that time even in Hollywood there was no place for people to see the old masterpieces on a regular basis. Young film makers and actors I knew faced their calling as bereft of opportunities to learn from their predecessors as an aspiring poet would be if there were no anthologies of poetry. The Cinema Guild was a wonder.  

Stephen Kresge, a Cinema Guild employee in those days, believed Pauline Kael was trying to forge a whole new cultural attitude: that film as an art was as good or better than the novel or the theater. “She previewed many more films for the Cinema Guild than she actually ran,” he told me. “She was deeply involved in films, but not as an escapist. She was not immersed in fantasies to escape herself, but she was immersed like an artist in her medium. She was an absolute genius in selecting background music for silent pictures and for intermissions.” 

Kresge also believed composing monthly program notes helped her enormously as a writer. The programs limited the number of words she could write about any film. It was always, he said, “a matter of fighting the size of the program to say what she wanted to say and to entice the audience to see films about which it knew nothing.”  

Her connection with the Cinema Guild ended after her divorce. For some time afterward, Kresge recalled, “Pauline lived hand to mouth.” At first she considered opening her own theaters; if she had made that decision, he believed “Money would have been forthcoming.” Instead, she decided to write a book. 

I Lost It At the Movies 

She applied for and got a Guggenheim Fellowship, pulled together a decade’s worth of published reviews and essays, transcribed some of her KPFA broadcasts, and wrote new material to go with them. This became, of course, I Lost It At The Movies, and was a nationwide success in 1965. 

The book is a collection of essays grouped thematically, and unified by her ideas and her personality. It begins by viewing the current state of movies with alarm: “Movies are going to pieces.” 

She argued that academic interest in movies was a bad sign: “Our academic bureaucracy needs something alive to nourish it and movies still have a little blood which the academics can drain away.” 

Next came “Broadsides,” essays aimed at the art-house audience and other favorite targets. In “Movies Remembered with Pleasure,” she reviewed some pictures representing her own touchstones of movie quality. “Broadcasts and Reviews” consists of a selection of her reviews broadcast and printed between 1961 and 1963, and is notable for the KPFA broadcast, “Replying to Listeners.” In it she dismembers female listeners who want her to be more “womanly,” men who objected to her brains, and listeners whose agreement she found embarrassing. The book concludes with “Polemics”—criticism of Siegfried Kracauer’s Theory of Film; Andrew Sarris’s “auteur theory;” and cold war politics in Night People and Salt of the Earth. 

Much of I Lost It At the Movies was intensely local in reference. Looking back, we can read it as documenting the intellectual and emotional tensions of life in left-wing Berkeley between, roughly, the end of World War II and the murder of President Kennedy.  

New York 

After I Lost It At the Movies, Pauline Kael moved to New York and worked for Life, Vogue, McCall’s, and the New Republic. None of these jobs lasted very long, and she was still extremely poor. “I quit [the New Republic] in some despair,” she told Hollis Alpert, “and had no idea what to do. I had come to the conclusion that it was just about impossible making a living as a movie critic. I was lying in bed with the flu, I was busted, when a telephone call came from William Shawn of the New Yorker.” He offered her the job as a reviewer which she kept for 24 years (1967-1991).  

I Lost It At the Movies was followed three years later by Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Then came a cascade of collections of essays and reviews—Going Steady, Deeper Into Movies, The Citizen Kane Book, and many others, ending with Movie Love. When she left the New Yorker, she retired, covered with glory, to Massachusetts, where she lived for the rest of her life. 

In an interview in 1994, she said, “My pieces belong to the breakneck era before people could rent videos of old movies and before distributors began to supply reviewers with videos of new movies ... I wrote at first sight and, when referring to earlier work, from memory. This had an advantage: urgency, excitement. But it also led to my worst flaw as a writer: reckless excess, in both praise and damnation.”  

Back in 1915, at the dawn of the movie era, a reporter for the New York Dramatic Mirror wrote, “It is always rather difficult to make a sweeping statement about the film field, for no one person may ever see it all.” Many have tried. Pauline Kael came close. A less passionate writer could not have done so much, and her opinions will matter to us for a long time to come. 

m

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, “A Murder is Announced” by Agatha Christie at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck at Berryman. Runs Fri. and Sat. through Aug. 13. Tickets are $10. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Berkeley Rep “The Ugly American” Created and performed by Mike Daisey at Berkeley Rep’s Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St., through Aug. 13. Tickets are $30-$35. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

California Shakespeare Theater, “Nicholas Nickleby” Parts 1 and 2 at 8 p.m. at Bruns Amphitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., Orinda, through Sept. 16. Tickets are $10-$55. 548-9666. www.calshakes.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theatre “Anything Goes” Cole Porter’s musical, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. through Aug. 13 at 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

“Livin’ Fat” a comedy about an African American family struggling over a financial blessing, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 6 p.m. at Black Repertory Theater, 3201 Adeline St. Tickets are $25. 332-7125. 

Woodminster Summer Musicals “Hello Dolly!” at 8 p.m. at Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Rd., Oakland, Aug. 5-6 and 11-14. Tickets are $20-33. 531-9597. www.woodminster.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

Tanaka Ryohei, Japanese Master of Etching. Works on exhibit at Scriptum-Schurman Fine Art Gallery, 1659 San Pablo Ave. to Aug 31. Gallery hours are Wed.-Sat. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 524-0623. www.scriptum.com 

“Dream Life” Works by Alexandra Blum and Mariana Garibay R. Reception for the artists at 7 p.m. at Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 5741 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Exhibition runs to Aug. 31. 532-9696. wwww.wcrc.org/gallery.htm 

FILM 

Louis Malle: “Zazie dans le Métro” at 7:30 p.m. and “The Fire Within” at 9:30 p.m. at Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Doing Time, Doing Vipassana” at 7 and 9 p.m. at La Pena Cultural Center. Cost is $6-$8. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Kia Afcari and Mary Osborne on “Sister Surfer: A Woman’s Guide to Bliss and Courage” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

New Works in the ‘Nabe’ Local artists debut new material at 8 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Cost is $5-$10. 527-0450. www.hillsideclub.org 

Tanaora Brazil! at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ.  

Beth Custer Ensemble, Will Bernard & Motherbug, rock, jam, fusion at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$12. 525-5054.  

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

Patrick Landeza, Hawaiian slack key guitar and vocals, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

20 Minute Loop, Farma, Jeffrey Luck Lucas at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. 

Roz Corral Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Teri Falini, singer-songwriter, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Shawn Baltazor and The Used Music Ensemble at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373.  

Spragga Benz and the Red Square Family, reggae, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low. Cost is $20. 548-1159.  

Richard Linley at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Pak-Ten at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Toys That Kill, Bananas, R’N’R Adventure Kids at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Gonzalo Rubalcaba Quartet, Cuban pianist, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $15-$20. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 

CHILDREN  

Origami with Margo Weckslerat 2 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

THEATER 

Shotgun Players, “Cyrano de Bergerac” at 4 p.m., Sat. and Sun. through Sept. 11, at John Hinkle Park. Free, donations accepted. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Teen Playreaders “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” in commemoration of Peace Day at 3 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library North Branch, 1170 The Alameda. 981-6250. 

FILM 

Louis Malle: “Murmer of the Heart” at 6:30 p.m. and “Lacombe, Lucien” at 8:50 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

Jewish Film Festival from noon to 9 p.m. at Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theater. 925-275-9490. www.sfjff.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Bay Area Poets Coalition holds an open reading, 3 to 5 p.m., on the front lawn at 1527 Virginia St. Cross street is Sacramento, one block walk from North Berkeley BART. Free. 527-9905. poetalk@aol.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

UC Berkeley Summer Symphony, in an all-Russian program, at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $3-$10. 642-4864. www.ucbsummersymphony.com  

Edmund Wells “Agrippa’s 3 Books,” a band of four bass clarinets, at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Rhoda Benin & Soulful Strut at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ.  

The Moodswing Orchestra at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Swing dance leson with Nick & Shanna at 8 p.m. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Montclair Woman’s Big Band at 8:30 p.m.at La Peña. Conversation with the artists at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $14-$16. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Braziu at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10-$12. 548-1159.  

Samantha Raven and Friends at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Great Night of Rumi at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

Guru Garage at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

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

Maya Kronfeld Trio at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

New West Guitar Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

The Junes, acoustic folk, at 7 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

Odori Simcha and Neal Cronin, acoustic guitar and vocals at 8 p.m. at A Cuppa Tea, 3200 College Ave.  

Three Piece Rabbit, Nuclear Rabbit at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Introspect, Midnight Laserbeam, Loiter Cognition at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7 

CHILDREN 

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

FILM 

Harold Lloyd: “For Heaven’s Sake” at 3 p.m. and Pre-Code Hollywood: “Girls About Town” at 5:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jazz Spoken Word Sponsored by The Jazz House at 6 p.m. at Kimball’s Carnival, 522 Second St., Oakland. Cost is $5. 415-846-9432. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Lenny Williams at 3 p.m. at Music in the Park at Arroyo Viejo Park, 7701 Krause St., Oakland. Sponsored by Councilperson Desley Brooks. 

Josh Workman World Music Group at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Hal Sinsratz at 10 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

The Men of the Basement at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373.  

Chuchumbe, from Veracruz, at 7 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

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

King of Kings, reggae, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$7. 548-1159.  

Americana Unplugged with The Stairwell Sisters at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

MONDAY, AUGUST 8 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Under the Influence” sculptures by artists with disabilities opens at NIAD Art Center, 551 23rd St. Richmond. To Sept. 16. 620-0290. www.niadart.org 

FILM 

Les Blank Music Film Fest at 7:30 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Films include “Marc and Ann,” “Sprout Wings and Fly,” and “The Blues Accordin’ to Lightnin’ Hopkins.” Cost is $5. Wheelchair accessible. 527-0450.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Express with Paula Farkas at 7 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

West Coast Songwriters Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50-$16.50. 548-1761  

Shelly Berg Trio at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $7-$14. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 9 

CHILDREN 

Just Kidding performs traditional American music using song, instruments and movement, at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

The Whole Note Poetry Series with Selene Steese and Raymond Nat Turner at 7 p.m. at The Beanery, 2925 College Ave., near Ashby. 549-9093. 

FILM 

Eyeing Nature: “The Forest for the Trees: Judi Bari vs the FBI” with Bernadine Mellis in person at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

EMAM, world beat, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054.  

Singers’ Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. 

Larry Vuckovich, piano, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Bob Kenmotsu, tenor sax, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Emeline Michel at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

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

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Yosemite in Time” Re-photographs of the work of landscape photographers, by Mark Klett and Byron Wolfe, opens at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. www.bampfa.edu 

FILM 

For Your Eyes Only: “Our Man in Havana” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

John Irving introduces his new novel, “Until I Find You” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

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

Café Poetry hosted by Kira Allen at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Donation $2. 849-2568.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

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

Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart, roots country originals, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50- $18.50. 548-1761. 

Realistic Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Mark Little Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Yosvany Terry Quintet at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11 

FILM 

Louis Malle: “Calcutta” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Word Beat Reading Series with Zara Raab & H. D. Moe at 7 p.m. at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 526-5985. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Hauk at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10.  

Fourtet Jazz Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ.  

Damond Moodie, Chris Marsol at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082  

Pete Madsen, acoustic guitar, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Jennifer Clevinger/Dennis Geaney Duo at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Terrence Blanchard Sextet at 8 and 10 p.m. through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $12-$22. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 12 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, “A Murder is Announced” by Agatha Christie at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck at Berryman. Runs Fri. and Sat. through Aug. 13. Tickets are $10. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Berkeley Rep, “The Ugly American” Created and performed by Mike Daisey at Berkeley Rep’s Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St., through Aug. 13. Tickets are $30-$35. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

California Shakespeare Theater, “Nicholas Nickleby” Parts 1 and 2 at 8 p.m. at Bruns Amphitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., between Berkeley and Orinda, through Sept. 16. Tickets are $10-$55. 548-9666. www.calshakes.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theatre “Anything Goes” Cole Porter’s musical, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. through Aug. 13 at 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Everyday Theater “ Invisible Cities” with performers from Stomp, The Bright River and Hybrid Project at 8 p.m. at Oakland Metro, 201 Broadway at 2nd, through Aug. 13. Tickets are $14-$25. www.epicarts.org/invisible cities 

The Marsh Berkeley “When God Winked” by Ron Jones. Thurs.-Sat. at 7 p.m. at the Gaia Building, 2120 Allston Way, through Sept. 16. Tickets are $10-$22. 800-838-3006.  

“Livin’ Fat” Fri. at 8 p.m., Sat. at 2 and 8 p.m., Sun. at 4 p.m. at Malonga Casquelord Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Oakland, through Aug. 26. Tickets are $15-$25. 332-7125. 

Woodminster Summer Musicals “Hello Dolly!” at 8 p.m. at Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Rd., Oakland, through Sun. Tickets are $20-33. 531-9597.  

EXHIBITIONS 

“Luminance” Works by ten women artists opens at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave.  

Mike Woolson, ”Just Desserts: Images From Black Rock City” opening reception at 7 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. 

FILM 

Cinema in Occupied France: “Children of Paradise” at 7:30 p.m. at Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Wendy DeWitt, The Fez Tones at 5:30 p.m. at Baltic Square, behind 121 Park Place, Point Richmond. 223- 3882. www.pointrichmond.com/prmusic 

Irina Rivkin & Emily Shore at 8 p.m. at Rose Street House of Music, 1839 Rose St. RSVP to 594-4000 ext. 687.  

Bobby Matos, percussionist, at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12-$15. 849-2568.  

Cosmo, Razorblade, reggae, at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054.  

Quijerema Latin Jazz at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ.  

Tamika, R & B vocalist, at 8 p.m. at Maxwell’s 341 13th St., Oakland. 839-6169.  

Diamante, latin fusion, at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Bluegrass Intentions at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $24.50-$25.50. 548-1761.  

Catholic Comb, Foma at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. All ages. Cost is $6. 841-2082.  

George Kahn Trio at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

DJ & Brook, jazz trio, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Vaughn Johnson Group at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373.  

Brown Baggin’, oaktown funk, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5. 548-1159.  

Cornpone at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Go It Alone, Life-Long Tragedy, Crime in Stereo at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

Terrence Blanchard Sextet at 8 and 10 p.m. through Sun. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $12-$22. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com?

The 2005 Trails Challenge sponsored by the East Bay Regional Park District has reached the halfway point. It’s time to crunch some numbers. Assuming you’re with me, we’ve taken three hikes for a total of 9.1 miles. A total of five hikes need to be completed to qualify for the 2005 pin and four months remain for this task. To qualify for marathon mileage, we need 26 miles. Already signed up for the program are 1,700 enthusiasts; are you one of them? If not you can still call (636-1684) and get with the program. 

To walk with nature is to marvel at her bounty, both flora and fauna. Unfortunately, not all the plants we encounter are meant to be there or even wanted. Some plants will leave a lasting impression if they come in contact with our skin. Others are ecological nuisances; their presence takes habitat from native plants and wildlife. 

“Leaves of three let it be.” From the pale green of spring to autumn red, poison oak (Rhus radicans) flourishes as shrub and vine, often climbing high into conifers. Stems and leaves contain caustic oil that reacts with skin and will produce a rash. The oil lingers on clothing, shoes and pets, an unpleasant reminder of your hike even months later. The rash, however, cannot be passed to others. Be aware of poison oak; try to avoid narrow trails, and wash immediately with soap if it reaches out to touch you. 

More common along the Pacific Coast, but also found in moist redwood forests is stinging nettle (Utrica dioica). This perennial of the nettle family has opposite heart shaped leaves with large teeth. The culprits here are tiny hollow hairs that coat the leaves and stems. When the plant touches human skin, the hairs break off, releasing formic acid, a skin irritant that causes white, itchy spots. The reaction can last from one to 24 hours and is best neutralized with a mild base. A paste of baking soda and water will soothe the rash; in a pinch, use saliva, which is also a base. 

Picture the weeds in your backyard multiplied by thousands of acres of open parkland and you’ll get a picture of the results of this spring’s rainfall. One method used by the park district for the last 40 years to address this is grazing. Cattle, sheep and goats are used in about half the parks to control poison oak, coyote bush, thistle and other invasive species that use up resources. Clearing grassland provides more habitats for wildflowers and wildlife like ground squirrels, tiger salamanders, kit fox and burrowing owls. 

Botanically informed and warned, we’re ready for the next hike. 

Trails Challenge No. 4: Briones Regional Park 

4.3-mile loop, rated moderate, dogs permitted off-leash in undeveloped areas. 

Nestled in the hills north of Lafayette, Briones Regional is a treasure awaiting discovery. Cows can often be seen grazing the rolling hillsides in this 6,000-acre spread of oak forests. Once part of Rancho San Felipe, the park features shaded canyons, hidden lagoons and eye-pleasing views. 

East Contra Costa is hot during the summer. For one who performs a fog-dance whenever the temperature rises above 75 degrees, this is not ideal hiking. My solution was to arrive at the park very early, when the air was cool, with a lingering touch of moisture, and the hills just catching the sun. 

Taking me past several different habitats, this hike was a good introduction to the park. Spring greenery had turned tawny, the air was still and bird song was the only sound I heard. Mature bays and giant octopus-like coast oaks formed tree tunnels over the wide, graveled trail as I climbed a secluded canyon. Lingering ocher monkey flowers and violet clarkias provided spots of color among the forest tones. 

Grassy meadows and sensuous, rippled hillsides of green and tan next met my eye. Looking closely I realized the pale green belonged to thick beds of yellow star thistle intermixed with native grasses, the two carpeting all open space. Though cows openly graze in Briones they weren’t present during my hike, but clues to their past digestion were. 

I later spoke with Park Supervisor Denise de Freese about some fenced areas I had passed. She explained that nine plots are being used to study methods of controlling yellow star thistle (Centaurea solstitialis) an invasive weed covering over eighteen million acres in western United States. Combinations of burning, grazing and spraying of a broad-leaf herbicide are being tested. Citing the heavy rains she went on to say that invasive species, like poison hemlock, milk thistle and yellow star thistle were five times greater than normal this year and that areas had been mown twice attempting to prevent their spread. 

Suddenly the early morning quiet was shattered by voices and laughter. As I came upon an environmental campsite, I was met by a large, boisterous group of young campers and their counselors from Roughing It Day Camp. Separated into small groups, they sang as they walked. One young man in counselor-yellow T-shirt sang out, “There she was just a walking down the street” and his male camper chorus replied, “Singing do wha ditty ditty dum ditty do.” Initially annoyed, I smiled realizing what a special event I was witnessing. Around 50 youngsters had spent the night under primitive conditions and were now happily singing. What better way to pass on a love of open spaces to the next generation? 

From here the trail climbed steeply past Mott Peak, affording additional treats. Vistas spread out before me for miles all around past endless undulations of hills and ravines of greenery. An unexpected color up here was the blue of two lagoons. The slight breeze had reeds swaying and water rippling, while mud hens hooted and foraged in characteristic “tail feathers skyward” pose. What I thought was a metal post morphed into a magnificent Great Blue Heron surveying his domain. It is these unexpected moments that make a hike memorable. 

Perhaps my morning hike began too early, but halfway through I realized I was following directions backwards. This shouldn’t matter on a loop trail, but here it did, because I ended the hike at the complete opposite end of the park, the second time I’d taken the wrong trail. At this point I’d probably hiked at least seven miles, it was hot and I was tired. Two shining knights and their dog came to my rescue. Daniel Carothers, Paul Brown and Joplin graciously drove me twenty minutes to my car, and restored my faith in human kindness. Refusing payment, they only hoped someone would extend the kindness to them should the need arise. 

This hike was well described and trails were marked, but mainly at junctions. As a new hiker to this park I would have liked to see more markers on the trails themselves and faded ones repaired. One trail “Old Briones Road” heads off in various directions from the top, which is where I made my mistake. Using directional names, such as east or west, or destination names, “to Bear Creek Staging Area”, would have saved me. This could be a good “adopt-a-park” project for volunteer groups or high school community service classes.  

My mistake also served to reinforce the subject of hiking prepared. Always carry more water than you think you need, a snack, a hat, and leave information behind about your plans. 

In spite of the extra miles, my morning hike was lovely, introducing me to new terrain, alien invaders, and future preservationists. You can find specific trail directions in your Challenge booklet. If you haven’t yet signed up, do so, and you’ll be 1,701!  

Getting there: From Hwy 24, take Orinda exit. Turn north on Camino Pablo, which becomes San Pablo Dam Rd. Turn right on Bear Creek Road. (You can also take Wildcat Canyon all the way through Tilden Park to where it crosses San Pablo Dam Road and becomes Bear Creek Rd.) Continue 5 miles on Bear Creek Road to park entrance on right (Bear Creek Staging Area). 

Open 5 a.m.-10 p.m. Fees: $5/car, $2/dog. 

There are shaded full-facility picnic areas along Bear Creek.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5 

Migrant Trail Walk for Life A video and reports on the trail taken by undocumented workers crossing the border in Arizona, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. 342-2519, ext. 6215. 

Red Cross Blood Drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 2480 Bancroft Way. Sponsored by the Community of South Berkeley. to make an appointment call 1-800-448-3543. www.BeADonor.com 

Berkeley Chess Club at 8 p.m. at the East Bay Chess Club, 1940 Virginia St. Players at all levels are welcome. 845-1041. 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 548-6310, 845-1143. 

Meditation, Peace Vigil and Dialogue, gather at noon on the grass close to the West Entrance to UC Berkeley, on Oxford St. near University Ave. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 

Peace Lantern Ceremony August 6th is the 60th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bombing. Gather to float lanterns in remembrance of the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and all victims of war. Decorate lantern shades, hear Japanese flute and drum performances, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Aquatic Park, at the west end of Addison Street, two blocks west of Sixth St. and a block south of University Ave. 595-4626. Lanterns2005@progressiveportal.org  

Richmond Centennial Festival from 11 a.m. at Marina Bay Park, Richmond. Vendors, live music, children’s activities and fireworks in the evening. 

Fruitvale Transit Village Family Day Celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Transit Village Plaza, with live music and performances, human scale chess game, and other activities. www.bayennale.com 

Sick Plant Clinic UC plant pathologist 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 UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. 643-2755.  

Summer Bird Walk with Dennis Wolff and Chris Carmichael at 9 a.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. Cost is $8-$12. Registration required. 643-2755. 

Kids Garden Club For children 7-12 years old to explore the world of gardening. We plant, harvest, build, make crafts, cook and get dirty! From 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $5-$7, registration required. 525-2233. 

The Bat Detective Learn about the only mammal that flies, on a hike into the evening. Meet at 7 p.m. at the Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $5-$7, registration required. 636-1684. 

“A Traveler’s Guide to the Solar System” A lecture by William K. Hartmann, winner of the first Carl Sagan medal at 7 p.m. at Chabot Space and Science Center. Cost is $6-$7. 336-7373. www.chabotspace.org 

“G8 Protests in Scotland and San Francisco” A reportback and video screening at 7:30 p.m. at AK Press, 674-A 23rd St., Oakland. Donation $5-$10. 208-1700. 

Oakland Heritage Alliance Walking Tour of Uptown Art Deco. Cost is $5-$10. For details call 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org 

Progressive Democrats of the East Bay Potluck picnic and general meeting on the special election, at 12:30 p.m. at Cordonices Park, Euclid and Eunice across from the Rose Garden. We'll bring the drinks and charcoal. 526-4632. 

Walking Tour of Jack London Waterfront Meet at 10 a.m. at the corner of Broadway and Embarcadero. Tour lasts 90 minutes. For reservations call 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com 

Free Help with Computers at the El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito. Registration required. 526-7512. 

“Spiritual Forces of the Universe” with Vovo Anomalia at 3 p.m. at Studio Rasa, 933 Parker St. at 8th. Cost is $15. 415-435-2255. 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7 

Social Action Forum with Eric Mills, coordinator for Action for Animals, at 9:30 a.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Circle of Concern “What Should Be Done About Nuclear Weapons?” Vigil from 1 to 2 p.m. on the West Lawn of the UC Campus, University Ave at Oxford. 763-9326. 843-3661. 

Strawberry Creek Work Party to help weed himalayan blackberry, cape ivy and other non-natives from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Strawberry Creek Lodge, 1320 Addison St. Please RSVP to kateholum@yahoo.com  

Richmond Centennial Festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Point Richmond with an old fashioned parade and picnic. Party at 5 p.m. at the Richmond Memorial Convention Center to celebrate “Richmond Through the Decades,” a media production. Party tickets are $50. For reservations call 234-3514. 

Stay Cool on the Trail enjoy a hike through a riparian canyon and learn about the lives of dragon flies, snakes and secretive packrats. Meet at 1 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Music in the Park at Arroyo Viejo Park with Lenny Williams at 3 p.m. at 7701 Krause St., Oakland. Sponsored by Councilperson Desley Brooks. 

Senior Shoreline Hike along the Martin Luther King Shoreline from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Bring a hat, jacket and binoculars. 636-1684. 

Campfire and Singalong from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. uphill from Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Bring your hot dogs, buns, marshmallows and long sticks. Dress for fog. Call for disabled assistance. 525-2233. 

Hands-on Bike Maintenance Learn how to prevent and repair flats on your bike at 10 a.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Bring your bike and tools. 527-4140. 

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

Chimpanzee Discovery Day at 10 a.m. at the Oakland Zoo, 9777 Golf Links Rd. 632-9525. www.oaklandzoo.org 

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

MONDAY, AUGUST 8 

Spanish Book Club, led by Ricardo Antonio Navarette meets at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books, Telegraph Ave. For title of book to be discussed see www.codysbooks.com 

“The Spirit of Gratitude” A workshop with Sterling Newberry at 6 p.m. at Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy, 1744 Solano Ave. 527-8929. 

Jewish Community Federation’s Young Leadership Division meets at 7 p.m. at Cuvae, 5299 College Ave., Oakland. Cost is $10. 839-2900 ext. 208. www.jfed.org/yld 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 9 

Tomato Tasting from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Derby St. at MLK, Jr. Way. 548-3333. 

Mountain Biking Basics with Bobette Burdick and James Lanham at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Bring your bike and tools. 527-4140. 

Tilden Tortoises Walking Group to discover the history of Tilden Nature Area. Meet at 9:30 a.m. For ages 55 and over. 525-2233. 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. Today we will join Ranger Dave Zuckerman to learn the history of the park and nature observations. 524-9992. 

Mini-Rangers at Tilden Park Join us for an afternoon of nature study, conservation and rambling through the woods and water. Dress to get dirty, and bring a healthy snack to share. For children age 8-12, unaccompanied by their partents. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Family Story Time at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Branch Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Free, all ages welcome. 524-3043. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your digital images, slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 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. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10 

“Tracking Your Medicine” How to Keep it Safe and Simple at 10:30 a.m. at Alta Bates Summit Merritt Pavilion Cafeteria Annex B & C, 350 Hawthorne Ave., Oakland. Cost is $5 for non-members. Reservations required. 869-6737. 

Walking Tour of Oakland City Center Meet at 10 a.m. in front Oakland City Hall at Frank Ogawa Plaza. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. 

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

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

Young Readers Group meets at 4 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 2352 Shattuck Ave., to discuss “The Day My Butt Went Psycho.” For ages 8-12. 644-3635. 

Sing your Way Home A free sing-a-long at 4:30 p.m. every Wed. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

Artify Ashby Muralist Group meets every Wed. from 5 to 8 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, to plan a new mural. New artists are welcome. Call Bonnie at 704-0803. 

Stitch ‘n Bitch Bring your knitting, crocheting and other handcrafts from 6 to 9 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at 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, AUGUST 11 

How a Flower Grows Learn how seeds turn into flowers, why they smell and what makes them interesting to bees and butterflies. A program for 8 to 12 year olds. Cost is $5-$7. Registration required. 525-2233. 

East Bay Mac User Group Sal Soghoian,product manager for Apple, will introduce Automator, at 6 p.m. at Expression College for Digital Arts, 6601 Shellmound St., Emeryville. ebmug.org 

World of Plants Tours Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $5. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

Chimpanzee Discovery A lecture with Linda Koebner of Chimp Haven, a retirement home for chimpanzees, at 7 p.m. at the Oakland Zoo, 9777 Golf Links Rd. Cost is $20. 632-9525. www.oaklandzoo.org  

“No Pain, Great Gain” A workshop on pain management with Ed Bauman at 5:30 p.m. at Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy, 1744 Solano Ave. 527-8929.s

Berkeley Iceland faces possible closure this month after city officials gave the rink until Aug. 22 to remove more than 4,000 pounds of potentially toxic ammonia used to cool the ice surface. 

The city contends that the 65-year-old rink’s antiquated ammonia cooling system poses a public health threat. Deputy Fire Chief David Orth said the city would only let Iceland continue operating after the deadline if the rink installed a temporary cooling system while upgrading the current ammonia system. 

Iceland General Manager Jay Wescott said installing a temporary system by the Aug. 22 deadline didn’t seem feasible and that Iceland was considering a legal challenge to keep the rink in business past the deadline. 

“We’re going to look at all of our options to stay open,” he said. “We are not a health and safety risk. There is no reason for us to close.” 

Wescott declined to speculate about the rink’s future in Berkeley if it were forced to close its doors while completing upgrades to the cooling system. 

Earlier this year it appeared Iceland had taken steps to avoid a shutdown. Under an agreement with the city, the rink was to upgrade its ammonia-based system by November. However, Orth said Iceland pushed back scheduled completion of the repair work to next April and in May the rink alerted city officials that the cooling system holds 4,283 pounds of ammonia rather than 750 pounds, as city officials said they were previously led to believe. 

“It’s not an acceptable hazard at this point,” Orth said. “We’re just afraid the ammonia will get out of the system as it has in the past and we won’t be able to keep people safe.” 

He added that Berkeley might have allowed the rink to continue operating the system if upgrades were on schedule, but the combination of construction delays and additional ammonia volume had forced the city’s hand. 

Last month Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff sent the rink a letter warning of a joint city-county enforcement action against the rink. 

“It is apparent that you knew that you had substantially more than 750 pounds well before your recent disclosure,” Orloff wrote. “We have serious concerns about the danger your business presents to your local community.” 

Orth said the presence of roughly six times more ammonia in the cooling system than previously assumed means that in the case of a major accident, the gas could travel up to a mile downwind of the South Berkeley rink, which is located at Milvia and Ward streets.  

Ammonia, a common refrigerant for skating rinks, is a toxic gas that can be lethal, and turn highly combustible when mixed with oil. Common ailments associated with ammonia exposure are nose and throat irritation, convulsive coughing, severe eye irritation and respiratory spasms. 

Iceland’s system only poses a public health risk in the event of an accidental release. There have been two leaks at the rink since 1998. The larger leak, according to Orth, required firefighters to hose down a cloud of ammonia released into the air. There were no reported injuries in either leak. 

Wescott said that the rink had not suffered any catastrophic ammonia leaks since opening in 1940 and that recent tests showed the system could withstand a major earthquake. 

He added that the city should have known two years ago that the cooling system held far more than 750 pounds of ammonia. He pointed to a 2003 incident report following an ammonia leak at the rink indicating that the system’s ammonia tanks didn’t have the capacity to hold all of the system’s ammonia. Wescott said city officials knew the tanks could hold around 2,500 pounds of ammonia. 

“I don’t think the city is being fair with us,” he said. “I really sense they want to shut us down. Why, I don’t know.” 

City Toxics Division Manager Nabil Al-Hadithy replied that it was not the city’s job to perform ammonia calculations and that Iceland has repeatedly certified having 750 pounds of ammonia on site, the most recent instance coming this past February in the rink’s Hazardous Business Materials Plan. 

Wescott said Iceland only needs about 750 pounds of ammonia to cool the rink, but that the chiller, installed in 1940, is oversized for the rink and requires additional ammonia to operate. He said system upgrades would include reducing the amount of ammonia needed to operate the system to between 500 and 750 pounds. 

Wescott said he couldn’t estimate the cost of installing a temporary cooling system that meets city specifications. 

“It’s going to be very expensive,” he said. “And I don’t see how we can get it done in three weeks.” 

Earlier this year Iceland opted to upgrade the ammonia system rather than install a more expensive Freon-based system, which it uses at its other locations in Dublin and Belmont. 

To meet city codes, the rink must install a discharge tank to neutralize escaped ammonia by dumping it into water, a water spray system to treat ammonia contaminated air and a remote control system to allow firefighters to move ammonia away from the source of a leak.  

Under the present conditions, Orth said a firefighter trying to redirect the ammonia would have to climb a ladder in the rink’s control room while wearing a moon suit.?

Now entering its seventh year, the struggle over the fate of the historic Blood House centers these days on a complex game of what might be called “musical properties.” 

When members of Berkeley’s Zoning Adjustments Board got their first “preview” of the process Thursday night, the encounter left many feeling somewhat bemused. 

How, for example, is the board to go about approving permits for the five-story project that is planned for the 2526 Durant Ave. site of the Blood House when the developer won’t be able to build until the fate of the historic home is resolved? 

Consider, too, that the Blood House’s fate is linked to another nearby landmark on UC Berkeley-owned property as well as to a third location, a pair of adjacent vacant lots located in the shadows of yet more historic resources. 

“We need to see the plan for what’s going to happen to these houses; without it, we can’t move forward,” said ZAB member Dean Metzger. “There’s no way we can support it without it.” 

The first “it” in need of support is the proposal to build a five-story mixed-use project—ground floor commercial space and four floors of containing 44 apartments—on the site where the Ellen Blood House stands. 

The second “it” is the need for a vetted and endorsed plan for the site owned by John Gordon where developers hope to move both the Blood House and the landmarked 1876 John Woolley House, which stand in way of yet another development project on property further to the south.  

The second project, another stalled mixed-use proposal, is Rasputin Music owner Ken Sarachan’s plan to build on a pair of weed-and-concrete filled vacant lots at the northeast corner of Telegraph Avenue and Haste Street. 

Sarachan’s plans, in turn, hinge on buying the fourth piece of property in the shuffle, a currently occupied lot to the east of the two he already owns. That property, owned by UC Berkeley, houses the Woolley House. 

The city has a half-million-dollar stake in Sarachan’s project in the form of property liens that Berkeley officials have agreed to waive if Sarachan’s project moves forward.  

City Community Development Project Coordinator Dave Fogarty told ZAB members that “it is vitally important that John Gordon go forward because there is no other site available for the house.” 

The city had filed the liens against the previous owners for failing to repair or demolish the fire-ravaged hulk of a transient hotel that once stood on the lots Sarachan already owns. The city agreed to waive the liens in exchange for a promise to build a mixed-use housing project on the site, with a strong recommendation that the UC lot be included as well. 

Sarachan filed preliminary plans on a truncated version of his project last September, the deadline imposed by the city. 

The city is eager to fill the now-vacant lot on a major corner in the heart of Telegraph Avenue business district, and Blood House project manager Brendan Heafey of Ruegg & Ellsworth, the development firm on the site, told ZAB members Sarachan and the university are close to deal. 

Gordon, Sarachan and Ruegg & Ellsworth reached a deal last month in which Gordon would buy both the Woolley House and the Blood House for a dollar apiece and then move both to a pair of neighboring lots he owns at the southwest corner of the Regent Street/Dwight Way intersection across from the southern side of People’s Park. 

The property is located immediately adjacent to a cluster of other historic structures, and the whole proposal has raised questions among members of Berkeley’s always-vocal preservationist community. 

The moves offer the potential not only of harming the two transported landmarks, but could also “adversely affect three additional historic buildings,” wrote Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association President Wendy Markel in a letter to ZAB members. 

The affected properties are the non-landmarked “Bonnet Box” that occupies a corner of one of Gordon’s lots, the King Building at 2502 Dwight Way, and the Arctic Soda Works Building at 2509 Telegraph Ave. 

Because the California Environmental Quality Act classifies moving a designated historic resource as a demolition, Markel wrote that the Blood House move would require a full environmental impact report, a process that could add yet another set of twists and turns and delays to the game of musical properties. 

The Landmarks Preservation Commission will be involved in all aspects of the three proposals. 

Landmarks Commissioner Leslie Emmington tried to speak at the meeting, but since the hearing had already closed and she hadn’t turned in a speaker’s card, acting Chair David Blake refused her request. 

ZAB member Bob Allen said he had reservations about what would happen to the two houses once installed on Gordon’s lots. He asked if both would both front on the street. It was a fair question since the dimensions of the two structures are too large to fit on the lots, according to a reporter’s measurements. 

The hearing began as it ended, with lots of questions and few, if any, decisive answers. 

In other business, ZAB members: 

• Approved demolition of a single-story home at 1638 Carleton St. and its replacement by a larger, two-story home. 

• Approved a second story addition to a home at 1323 Kains Ave. 

• Approved a permit to open a fast food eatery with outdoor seating at 81 Shattuck Square. 

• Denied an appeal by neighbors of their approval of an addition to a home at 2750 Buena Vista Way. 

• Approved a permit allowing a greenhouse supplies manufacturing company with a retail sales counter to move into a building at 801 Virginia St. 

• Authorized installation of ATMs at four locations on Durant and Euclid avenues.?

The union representing the Peralta College District’s support workers has charged that Peralta administrators are setting up a permanent category of “second class workers” throughout the four-college district. 

At issue is a long-standing dispute between the union and the Peralta Community College District over the hiring of temporary support workers, and a possible change in district policy to reduce the weekly hours temporary staff may work from 40 hours to 19 hours, below the half-time (20-hours per week) threshold to qualify for health benefits. 

Members of Service Employees International Union Local 790 protested at last week’s Peralta College Board of Trustees meeting over the district’s employment practices, with promises of more action if suggested changes are not made. 

Wearing purple SEIU T-shirts, Local 790 members packed the board meeting room to listen to union leaders blast the district’s pending change to the 19-hour limit for support workers. Afterwards, they walked out in the middle of the meeting with chants of “We’ll be back!” 

Referring to the new 19-hour worker policy, SEIU Local 790 Field Representative Ben Holgate said in a telephone interview, “We felt this is simply another way for the district to get around doing the right thing by its temporary workers.” 

The purpose of the board meeting demonstration last Tuesday, he said, “was to put pressure on Chancellor Elihu Harris to sit down with us before any of the new 19-hour-a-week positions are filled. We also want the board to ban the practice of hiring 19-hour-a-week employees.” 

The 19-hour issue was not on the board’s agenda last Tuesday night, so board members could not take any action on the union request at that meeting. 

Representatives of the Peralta District did not return telephone calls in connection with this article. 

Peralta Federation of Teachers President Michael Mills said, “While PFT is not directly involved in this dispute and we are not going to interfere, we hope that it will work its way out. It’s not in our interest to have a continual turnover in support personnel for our teachers. Because of this practice, new support workers continue to have to be retrained, and that sometimes leads to a disruption in the delivery of our program to the students.” 

According to Holgate, the California Education Code requires that all school workers hired for more than 184 days in a calendar year must be given health and dental benefits. The 184 days are not actual working days, but are calendar days from the date of hire to the date of termination, including weekends and holidays. 

Holgate said that to get around providing employee benefits, the Peralta district regularly hires large numbers of temporary workers to work 40 hour weeks but for less than the 184 day period. He says that the number of Peralta workers under such conditions “is at least 300 over the course of the year.” 

At its June 28 meeting, for example, the Peralta Board of Trustees authorized the hiring of 153 such employees through Sept. 1, with hiring periods from one week to two months. That number included 64 instructional assistants, 33 clerical assistants, and 31 interpreters. 

Two years ago, the union sued the college district in California Superior Court over the practice. 

“We found that the district was using people more than 184 days in a calendar year, but still not paying them benefits,” Holgate said. “We sued to stop them.” That lawsuit is currently in settlement talks between the union and the district. 

In the meantime, according to Holgate, the district has begun advertising for 25 positions for 19 hours a week or less. These positions would be year-round.  

“We have heard it through the grapevine that the district intends to use these positions to replace the 40-hour-a-week part-time positions,” Holgate said. “The problem is that this would replace one second-class employee status with another one.” 

Workers in the 19-hour-a-week positions would not be eligible for district health and dental benefits, he said. At 960 hours a year, they would fall 40 hours shy of the 1,000 hour cutoff to qualify for the state retirement system (CalPERS). 

Holgate said that under the state education code the district was required to meet and confer with SEIU 790 union leaders before implementing the new 19-hour system. 

“At the point they began advertising, that was implementation,” he said. “We have asked to meet and confer, but the district hasn’t yet done it.” 

Holgate said the union doesn’t know yet what the effect will be on the district. 

“It appears that it would be a cut in service, however, to replace 40-hour-a-week employees with 19-hour-a-week employees,” he said. “We’re not sure how the work would get done. But it doesn’t look like this is being driven by the education needs of the institution, but by budgetary needs.”Ñ

Casino San Pablo began its latest incarnation Monday as a gambling Mecca where bettors can try their luck against fast-playing machines. 

Though they’re not the 5,000 full-scale slot machines originally proposed in a never-ratified agreement between the Lytton Band of Pomos and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the 500 electronic bingo machines are just as noisy. 

“People are here playing, and it’s not overcrowded,” said Doug Elmets, the tribe’s Sacramento-based consultant who was on hand for the first day of machine play. 

The bingo machines that greeted gamblers Monday require no authorization, although critics claim that the relatively fast-paced play compared to conventional cross-out-the-numbers-on-a-card play make them more like standard slots. The machines are rated as Class II. 

Las Vegas style slots, including the popular poker machines, are rated as Class III gambling machines and require state authorization to install. 

On the same day the machines opened for play at the casino, Contra Costa County officials unveiled a study focusing on the potential negative impacts of a casino with 2,200 regulation slot machines in San Pablo (see related story), a move denounced by Elmets. 

“It’s ironic that they would issue it on the same day they expected us to open with 500 bingo machines,” said Elmets. 

Assemblymember Loni Hancock (D-East Bay) said Friday that the Class II and Class III machines are functionally identical. 

“The experience is the same, they look the same, they have the same lights and whistles, each pull of the handle is a gamble, and they have the same results in terms of crime, blight, traffic congestion, domestic violence and bankruptcies,” she said.  

Armando Viramontes, her casino affairs specialist, said Friday, “We understand there will be 500 machines to begin with, but it could go as high as 1,000, 2,000 or even higher.” 

The installation of 500 machines in what was once a traditional card room is perceived by some as an interim measure, pending a final decision on the tribe’s plans to install a full-scale slot machine and card game casino.  

The Lyttons, who own the East Bay’s largest gambling hall, had signed a pact with Gov. Schwarzenegger that would have given them rights to run a super-casino, offering more slots than any gambling palace on the Las Vegas Strip or Glitter Gulch in exchange for a quarter of the machines’ profits. 

Legislative opposition killed that plan, and the tribe pulled a second proposal for half that number when legislative opposition hardened. The tribe has not, however, renounced slots, and could refloat the proposal later. 

Legislation moving forward in both houses of Congress could torpedo those plans and force the removal of Lytton’s bingo slots, said Viramontes.  

A bill by Sen. Diane Feinstein now on the Senate floor to revoke a special amendment that backdated the Lyttons acquisition of the San Pablo casino stands a good chance of passing, said Viramontes. 

If signed into law, the measure would force the Lyttons to undergo a more rigorous approval process and would strip them of their right to operate gambling machines of any sort in the interim. 

Elmets said that the backdated grant to the Lyttons was an effort “to address wrongs done the tribe decades ago,” adding that passage of the bill to reverse it “would be an unjust taking of tribal rights without just compensation,” something the tribe would certainly appeal. 

Another measure introduced in the House Monday by Rep. Charlie Dent (D-PA) would restrict casinos to lands immediately adjacent to existing reservations and limit acquisition of new sites to land formally acknowledged as tribal habitat after it became part of the United States.  

The addition of machines is expected to result in increased play, and the casino has ended its policy of allowing employees of the adjacent Doctor’s Hospital to park in their lot. 

Tribal publicist Elmets acknowledged that the lot had been closed to hospital employees last week “because the casino plans to use the lot for its patrons.” 

The hospital has responded by restriping their lots, adding 40 more spaces, and by calling for workers to carpool. 

“This could just be the beginning of the negative impacts on the hospital and people who need to reach the only emergency room within 25 miles,” Hancock said.

Should Casino San Pablo eventually win approval to expand to a full-scale casino with 2,200 regulation slot machines, the result would cost Contra Costa County medical services a minimum of $3.6 million annually, according to a study released Monday. 

The report comes on the day that the casino opened for play with 500 electronic bingo game machines, an interim measure installed after the Lytton Band of Pomos shelved an application to install 2,500 regulation slot machines at the site. 

That proposals could be reactivated at any time. The county commissioned the study earlier this year when the larger casino proposal was still pending before the state legislature. 

Doug Elmets, the Sacramento-based publicist for the tribe, ridiculed the study. 

“Government, academic and industry studies have repeatedly refuted tired and inaccurate studies like this that are always trotted out when casino proposals are made,” he said. “This is just one more ‘the sky is falling’ scam. It isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. There aren’t 2,200 slots. There are 500 electronic bingo games.”  

Bad location 

“We are very concerned about the public health impacts of an urban casino,” said county Public Health Director Wendel Brunner in a prepared statement. “This is especially troublesome because the negative impacts would be concentrated in San Pablo, Richmond and North Richmond, communities that already have severe community health problems.” 

Commissioned by the Contra Costa County Health Services agency, the report was prepared by the Abaris Group, a Walnut Creek consulting firm that specializes in issues relating to the provision of emergency medical services. The 24-page document was unveiled at a Monday afternoon press conference held at Hilltop Mall. 

“The negative affects from casinos would conflict with our Environmental Justice Policy,” said County Supervisor John Gioia. “We don’t want to increase the environmental burden low-income communities already face. This would be a step in the wrong direction.” 

The report cited studies showing that so-called problem and pathological gambling rates are highest among the poorest, least-educated and among ethnic minorities, especially the African American communities who are concentrated in the county’s western edge. 

Of the county’s three current and pending casino projects, all are in economically blighted cities desperate for jobs and the promise of more money for starved city and public agency coffers: one in San Pablo, the county’s poorest community; one in the county’s second-poorest community at Point Molate in Richmond and the third, the Sugar Bowl, in unincorporated North Richmond. 

Poverty links 

According to the 2000 Census, nearly half of San Pablo residents—42.8 percent—lived in poverty, followed by Richmond with 36.3 percent, compared to a county-wide average of 18.45 percent. 

The newest county study noted that while strong correlations existed between poverty, ethnicity and gambling problems, evidence was less clear on the impact of opening a new casino—though one study noted that problem gambling rates were much higher for those living within 10 miles of a casino (7.2 percent) versus those who don’t (3.1 percent). 

As a means to minimize impacts on recipients of child welfare payments, the Abaris report recommends that the county reach an agreement with casino that cashiers will not cash welfare checks either for customers or employees. 

While noting that unemployment rates in casino cities would probably decline modestly and city tax revenues would make a similar increase, the report said they would not compensate for the variety of other negative impacts a casino brings. 

Tobacco road? 

According to a study by two economists at California State University at Sacramento, casinos account for increases in two main tax categories, tobacco taxes and room occupancy taxes. Casinos also bring increases in aggravated assaults and violent crimes and modestly increase personal bankruptcy rates. 

The issue of smoking was of special concern to the health agency because tribal lands are exempt from state anti-smoking laws. 

Workers at Casino San Pablo who have developed respiratory problems since they began working there have brought smoking-related health complaints to the county Tobacco Prevention Project, where they also reported that they fear they will be fired for taking sick days, according to the report. 

“Smoky casinos contain up to 50 times more cancer-causing airborne particles than highways and city streets clogged with diesel trucks at rush hour,” the report states. “Regular exposure at work to second-hand smoke can cause a 91 percent increase in coronary heart disease.” 

Air pollution rates in the three proposed casino communities are already ranked as significantly greater than for most cities in the county. 

Visitor impacts 

Abaris calculated that the San Pablo Casino expansion proposal, if implemented, would bring an estimated 11,000 visitors daily, accounting for four million visits annually. 

A survey of other communities with casinos and a review of published reports led the study’s authors to conclude that the increased visits would lead to 3,968 new annual visits to the emergency departments and three new ambulance runs daily. 

The study also predicts one additional injury accident daily directly attributable to an expanded casino.  

Readers can find the report online at the county website, www.cchealth.org/groups/public_health/pdf/casino_ph_ems_impact_study_2005_08.pdf. 

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The UC Berkeley point man for campus development and planning projects in Berkeley will be leaving the university within a month. 

Tom Lollini, assistant vice chancellor for physical and environmental planning, has accepted the position of associate vice chancellor of design and construction at UC Merced. That college, scheduled to open its doors this fall, is the tenth and latest UC campus to open, and is expected to grow to a 25,000 student enrollment by 2030. 

Lollini was out of town and unavailable for comment Monday. 

Mayor Tom Bates was on vacation this week, but Councilmember Linda Maio said that while she did not want to comment on Lollini personally “because I really did not have that much dealing with him,” she believed that because Lollini has been so identified with the university’s development projects, his departure may prove to be a good thing. 

“There’s always so much tension inside the city about the university’s intentions,” she said. “Whoever will be replacing him will be able to start with a clean slate.” 

In recent years, Lollini has been involved in a number of controversial UC Berkeley development and planning projects in Berkeley, including the university’s 2020 Long Range Development Plan and the Memorial Stadium renovation. 

Earlier this month, when a packed house of Berkeley residents at the Berkeley Planning Commission—including members of the School Board, Zoning Adjustments Board, the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the Housing Advisory Commission—sharply questioned UC Berkeley’s role in the downtown Berkeley planning process, Lollini deflected the criticism by calling himself a “collaborator; there’s clearly a spirit of cooperation [between the university and the city].” 

Lollini told the Daily Californian that the university’s development projects will not lose step because of his departure. “I have some terrific staff that’s capable of taking this process forward,” he said. 

Lollini will be replaced on an interim basis by Emily Marthinsen, associate director of physical and environmental planning.

When Berkeley arborist Joe Lamb first traveled to the South East Asian island of Borneo in 1990, his worst fears of what environmental disaster could look like were realized. 

More than a decade of indiscriminate logging had clear cut a quarter of the island’s lowland ancient rain forest. The people who depended on the forests for survival were losing their land and their way of life. 

From the air, Lamb said the island looked like a dog with mange. The rivers he navigated had taken on the color of chocolate milk from top soil run-off. 

“There were big patches of trees missing everywhere,” he said. “You’d see scarred hill sides everywhere and tug boats pulling rafts filled with logs.” 

Upon his return to Berkeley, Lamb didn’t just spread the word about what was happening in Borneo, he set out to stop it. In 1991, he founded the Borneo Project to help communities on the world’s third largest island fight logging companies for their land.  

The weapon of choice? Geographic information system (GIS) mapping equipment.  

The project sends volunteer geographers and engineers, mostly from the East Bay, to teach communities of subsistence farmers and nomadic gatherers 21st century mapping techniques. 

The strategy is to map ancestral lands to convince state courts to recognize the clans’ traditional territory and spare it from logging companies. Currently there are more than 100 indigenous communities trained by Borneo Project volunteers with land rights cases pending in the state of Sarawak, located on the northern part of the island, which is part Malaysia. 

Project in jeopardy 

After a string of legal victories, last month the project suffered a setback that could undermine the mapping enterprise. The Sarawak State Court of Appeals overturned a 2001 landmark decision that gave control of nearly four square miles of land to the Rumah Nor, a community of 200 that have traditionally raised crops and hunted and gathered in the forest. Lawyers for the Rumah Nor plan to appeal to federal court in Malaysia. 

Malaysian law recognizes native land claims if the community can document that it controlled territories prior to the formation of the country in 1959. 

In court cases, the communities submitted detailed maps, which included satellite pictures of their territorial claim. They buffered their claim with oral histories documenting a knowledge of resources, sacred sites, graveyards and geographic features of the land. 

Several communities have won compensation in court for land already clear-cut by logging interests. But the biggest victory was won by the Rumah Nor when a Sarawak judge excluded its land from the license area granted to the Borneo Pulp Plantation, a logging company.  

It was the strongest precedent for protecting communal lands from logging, Lawrence said. But in July, the state court of appeals overturned the decision, as argued for by the state. The three-judge panel ruled unanimously that the oral histories were insufficient evidence. The court determined that native land claims must be backed by government documents or aerial photography showing the communities on the disputed lands prior to 1959. 

Confronting the logging menace 

Borneo is home to rain forests and bio-diversity on par with the Amazon. In Sarawak alone, there are 20,000 flowering plant species, 200 mammal species and 100 types of fruit trees. But a June report by the World Wildlife Fund warned that if logging continued at the current rate, Borneo could lose nearly all of its lowland forests by 2020, resulting in a “major loss of species ... and subsistence for local communities.” 

The northern portion of the island is part of Malaysia, except for the tiny coastal nation of Brunei. Indonesia rules the southern portion of the island.  

Both powers have promoted logging, but the Borneo Project has focused on Malaysia because authorities there have been more hostile to outside activists. 

“There were already a lot of groups working in Indonesia, so we have tried to focus where there is a greater need,” said Jessica Lawrence, the project’s executive director and only salaried employee. She is helped by a team of about 35 volunteers and funded through grants and donations from about 800 members, most of whom live in Berkeley, Lawrence said. 

The Borneo Project is currently working with seven communities battling logging interests over territory. Lawrence said the project specifically chooses to work in communities that stand a strong legal chance of keeping their land and are open to foreign assistance. 

“We don’t want to impose our views on anyone else,” she said. “Our goal is not to convert people to any one environmental vision, it is to help communities stay on their land.”  

Communities that have lost communal lands to logging are commonly transferred to relocation camps or left to work on palm oil plantations that often replace the forests, Lawrence said. 

The rush to log Borneo’s ancient forests was spurred by a breakthrough in Japanese bulldozer technology nearly 30 years ago that allowed logging companies to build roads in Borneo’s steep terrain. Today, two-thirds of Bornean timber is sold as plywood to Japan and China, Lawrence said. 

Beginning in the late 1970s the logging companies, many of which have ties to state politicians, staked claim to hundreds of miles of virgin forest. From 1975 through 1990, logging in Sarawak expanded from 3.3 million to 23.1 million cubic yards.  

By the late 1980s several communities were blockading logging roads in an effort to gain international support and stop the destruction of their homes and way of life. 

The blockades made headlines across the globe and caught the attention of Lamb, a local environmentalist. He set off Borneo in 1990 on a mission to establish a sister city relationship between Berkeley and the Uma Bawang/Keluan, a community of 100 that lived in a single wooden longhouse along the banks of the Baram River. 

“It seemed Borneo was an empty niche in the environmental movement where people could make a difference,” said Lamb, who lived for several weeks with the Uma Bawang. His hosts, he said, subsisted on growing rice, catching river crabs and gathering wild ferns, snails, and other foods from the forest. 

In 1991 the Berkeley City Council approved sister city status for the Uma Bawang Longhouse. That victory was just the start for Lamb. He was soon introduced to local geographers and engineers, several from UC, and together they devised the mapping venture to fight logging companies from confiscating communal land. 

In 1995, the Borneo Project held its first GIS mapping project where it trained locals how to use technology to win recognition of their ancestral lands. Malaysian law prohibits maps made by foreigners from being used as evidence at trials.  

Possible focus to sustainable agriculture 

The stricter standard of evidence, as imposed in the July Rumah Nor court decision, would likely nullify the claims of the 100 other communities with pending lawsuits, Lawrence said. If the ruling holds, she said, “Many communities won’t be able to prevent themselves from being evicted.” 

Lawrence said the Borneo Project could shift its focus from the courts to sustainable agriculture and resource management as a way to help keep the communities on their land. She mentioned projects like fish ponds and clean energy projects as possibilities to obtain recognition from the Sarawak government that the communities can remain for the good of the land. 

But the mapping projects will continue no matter the Malaysian high court’s ruling. 

“We will still work with communities because it is something the Malaysian constitution says they have a right to,” she said. “We think Malaysia is still a good place to do this kind of work.”

At a time when the daily headlines are all about North Korea and Iran trying to get nuclear weapons, it is a good thing to return to Hiroshima. 

With its broad boulevards, tree-lined rivers and low-slung mountains, Hiroshima today is one of Japan’s most attractive cities, a spacious contrast to densely packed Tokyo, 400 miles to the north.  

But even these assets are a reminder of the event 60 years ago that instantly made this city known throughout the world. The wide streets are the result of firebreaks, open spaces created by city authorities in World War II to halt the spread of fires caused by B-29 bombing raids that were leveling Japan’s cities. 

Hundreds of Hiroshima residents were outside helping to demolish buildings and clear debris for the firebreaks when a single bomb exploded above the city at 8:15 a.m. on Aug. 15, 1945. Those within a half-mile of the center of the blast—the hypocenter—were killed instantly, among them uniformed girls recruited from local schools for firebreak work. 

The mountains surrounding the city acted to concentrate the shock wave, helping to instantly demolish all but the sturdiest of Hiroshima’s buildings. Fires soon raged out of control, consuming the shattered houses and many of their trapped residents who survived the bomb’s blast. 

Thousands of survivors crowded the riverbanks seeking refuge from the fires. But many of them were too weakened from radiation exposure to escape when the tide raised the water levels. Rather than providing refuge, the city’s rivers instead claimed more lives. 

Six decades have now passed since the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, making it an international symbol and rallying point for the movement to abolish nuclear weapons.  

Long since rebuilt, Hiroshima today is a bustling city of 1.4 million residents, a major manufacturing center whose factories turn out the latest models of Mazda sports cars. For the young people crowding its nightclubs and busy shopping malls, the bombing belongs to history, not a part of their daily lives.  

In the Peace Park, though, time stands still.  

Occupying a large piece of central Hiroshima, the Peace Park is lush and green, sandwiched between two rivers. Even though tour buses bring a steady stream of visitors, especially schoolchildren, there is a hush here that befits the resting place of more than 70,000 souls. An unobtrusive mound surrounded by trees holds the ashes of many of those killed by the bomb. 

In the center of the park, the Cenotaph contains the names of victims of the bomb, with new names added each year. This is where a ceremony is held each Aug. 6 to commemorate the tragedy, bringing dignitaries from around the world. Nearby are individual monuments to others killed in the atomic blast: Koreans, post office workers, middle school children.  

Almost hidden in a quiet area of the park is the Peace Memorial Hall, which contains the Hall of Remembrance. A circular room with a small fountain, its walls are made up of 140,000 tiles, one for each person believed to have died from the bombing by the end of 1945.  

In another room, names and photographs of Hiroshima’s dead are flashed on monitors. Nearby, computers can be used to search for the names of victims. In the library, visitors can read memoirs and testimonies of survivors. 

Just outside the hall, a visitor can see some of the “Phoenix Trees” that survived the bombing. Despite predictions that nothing would grow in Hiroshima for 75 years, these trees began sprouting new leaves by the end of the year. 

But it is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum that ultimately brings home the reality of the bombing. In its matter-of-fact displays and descriptions, the true horror of that day is made clear to any visitor. 

Look upon a singed wristwatch stopped at 8:15, a shredded uniform of a 12-year old girl caught outside, or a glass bottle melted into an unrecognizable shape, and atomic war suddenly is no longer an abstract concept. 

Alongside photographs of the mushroom cloud and the devastated landscape, the artifacts collected by the museum tell the story better than any words ever can. A customer sitting on steps waiting for a bank to open had his shadow permanently engraved into the concrete by the flash of the bomb. A tricycle sits in a display case, its metal scorched and peeling. A small doll stares out at a visitor, one side of its face burned. 

A wall taken from the inside of a home has long black streaks, the result of the “black rain” that fell when the mushroom cloud rose high into the sky. The radioactive rain was able to streak the inside of the house because its roof had been blown off by the initial blast.  

It was that radiation that made this weapon different from any used before. Many pregnant women exposed to the bomb later miscarried, or gave birth to severely handicapped children. For the first time in history, a generation was harmed by a weapon used before it was even born. 

For years after the bomb was dropped, the people of Hiroshima developed illnesses from radiation exposure. One of them was Sadako Sasaki, an infant on Aug. 6, 1945 who grew up normally but eventually developed radiation-related leukemia. 

The Children’s Monument in Peace Park is dedicated to all young people caught in the Hiroshima bomb. It was erected in 1958 when school children throughout Japan were inspired to raise funds to create a memorial to Sadako, who died in 1955, aged 12. 

Beside the memorial is a glass enclosure with thousands of paper cranes contributed by young people from around the world. It was inspired by the old Japanese belief that a crane can live a thousand years, and that if you fold a thousand paper cranes they will protect you from illness. Sadako spent her last days in the hospital folding paper cranes, but she died just before reaching her goal of a thousand. 

For years, the museum was criticized for not placing the atomic bombing in the context of the war, seeming to portray Hiroshima only as a victim of United States attack. 

In response, the east wing of the museum was opened in 1994. In a country still accused of failing to fully face up to its wartime aggression, the museum now frankly describes the chain of events that led up to Hiroshima, from the Japanese invasion of China to the attack on Pearl Harbor. The museum now makes clear that the atomic bomb was a weapon of war, a war Japan was responsible for starting. 

It also notes that Hiroshima was the headquarters of a major Japanese army, located a short distance from the center of the blast. The scattered remains of those headquarters can still be seen near Hiroshima Castle, which was completely rebuilt after the war. 

On the northern edge of Peace Park stands the Atomic Dome. The former Industry Promotion Hall was close to the hypocenter, but its outside walls of brick and stone managed to survive. The metal columns that once supported the roof arch over an empty, broken shell. 

For years, a debate raged about the Atomic Dome. Some in the city wanted it demolished so that Hiroshima could move away from its past, but ultimately it was decided to preserve the ruins. Today, it’s become a symbol known throughout the world, an icon for the anti-nuclear movement. 

Standing next to these ghostly remains on a warm summer’s day, a visitor can almost imagine what it was like the day the bomb dropped, when a busy, modern city was reduced to ashes in a blink of an eye. 

Three days after Hiroshima was destroyed, the second—and last—atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, ending the war. The sufferings of those two cities have helped prevent the use of nuclear weapons by any country in the last six decades. 

And yet, nuclear disarmament seems more distant than ever. If North Korea and Iran manage to enter the nuclear club, they will join Pakistan and India, those old enemies, who have both tested atomic bombs in recent years. Israel is believed to have a large arsenal of nuclear weapons. And despite the end of the Cold War, the United States and Russia still have thousands of nuclear-tipped missiles in silos and submarines, each one hundreds of times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb. 

There are even voices in Japan advocating that their country also develop atomic weapons, if North Korea manages to become a nuclear threat. 

For those reasons, Hiroshima today may be the most important city in the world. Its mere existence reminds us of the madness that men can do.  

Berkeley’s Peace Lantern Ceremony  

Gather to float lanterns in remembrance of the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and all victims of war. Decorate lantern shades, hear Japanese flute and drum performances, on Sat., Aug. 6, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Aquatic Park, at the west end of Addison Street, two blocks west of Sixth St. and a block south of University Ave. 595-4626. Lanterns2005@progressiveportal.org. 

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About a dozen Berkeley police officers raided a Vallejo home Saturday in search of Christopher Hollis, the man police say shot the 19-year-old Berkeley woman who was also his friend. 

The raid, executed in conjunction with Vallejo police, failed to locate Hollis, who remains at large, said Berkeley Police Public Information Officer Joe Okies. 

Okies declined to comment on leads that led police to the Vallejo residence and Vallejo police did not return phone calls Monday. 

Vallejo Police Lt. Jim O’Connell told the Vallejo Times-Herald that a car associated with Hollis was at the residence earlier on Saturday, but Hollis was not inside. 

Four people believed to be friends of Hollis were inside the residence when police arrived, O’Connell told the Times-Herald. No arrests were made. 

According to the newspaper’s account, Berkeley police contacted Vallejo police early Saturday afternoon when they learned Hollis might be associated with the Vallejo home. Police entered the house with guns drawn wearing protective helmets and shields. 

Hollis, 21 of Hayward, is wanted in the murder of Meleia Willis-Starbuck, a Berkeley High graduate shot to death last month in front of the College Avenue apartment she was subletting for the summer. 

Berkeley police have said that Hollis got out of a car and fired into a crowd of people, striking only Willis-Starbuck, who had returned to Berkeley from Dartmouth College for a summer internship. 

Okies told the Daily Planet Monday that an eyewitness at the scene said Willis-Starbuck called Hollis to the scene, telling him to “bring the heat,” after she and several friends got into an argument with a group of men. 

M

Two city panels have meetings this week to address the complexities of the city’s application of the state density bonus laws. 

A Zoning Adjustments Board panel will consider Wednesday alternative ways of calculating maximum allowable building size and increases in mass granted to developers who include reduced-rate housing rentals and condos in new multi-unit buildings. 

The city staff’s current application of the law also allows developers to count tenant-usable roof space areas as part of a project’s open space requirements under the zoning code, and to count every parking space in a garage which uses multi-level auto lifts as a full parking space. 

The ZAB panel will study possible outcomes if the roof area couldn’t be counted as open space or if only surface parking spaces were counted toward a building’s quota. 

The meeting is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the second floor conference room at the City Permit Services Center, 2120 Milvia St. 

The Planning Commission, which appointed its own task force on the issue after ZAB set the ball rolling, is playing catch-up from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday. Principal Planner Debra Sanderson will give the task force an introduction to the city’s current calculation process. 

The two subcommittees had been formed before the City Council’s July 19 vote to create an expanded panel containing members of both groups plus chair Jesse Arreguin of the Berkeley Housing Advisory Commission. 

Arreguin’s appointment was later deemed invalid because of lack of public notice, and in a controversial session last week, the council voted to go ahead without him for the moment. Another vote on his membership has been set for Sept. 13. 

Sanderson said Monday that as yet no meeting of the council-created joint panel has been scheduled.e

The story “Alleged Berkeley Gang Members Arrested in Richmond Slayings,” (July 29-Aug. 1) listed a Berkeley address for Joseph James Carroll, Jr., one of the men sought in connection with the murder, according to information provided by Richmond Police Department. Residents of that address, however, said that Carroll does not live there.

http://www.jfdefreitas.com/index.php?path=/00_Latest%20Workì

PEACE AND JUSTICE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I read last week’s stories about the Peace and Justice Commission with a great deal of interest, since I served for four years on the commission—until March of this year—as the appointment of the late Margaret Breland. During that time, even after a flurry of conservative appointments following our resolution on Rachel Corrie a few years ago, there was always a progressive outlook on the commission and a willingness to take on all issues of importance and relevance—local, national, and international—that were brought to us by Berkeley citizens. 

Now things have changed for the worse, in my opinion, and one of the people who have helped that along is Darryl Moore. After four years on the commission I needed to turn my attention to other obligations, and upon Mr. Moore’s election, I met with him to discuss replacing me on the commission. I suggested a couple of names; other commissioners who were aware of my intentions suggested names as well. All of them were progressive voices in the community. Much to our surprise and disappointment, Councilmember Moore chose instead to take one of the members already on the commission, Betty Olds’ appointee, and make him his own, thereby freeing up Councilmember Olds to make another even more conservative appointment. If this is indicative of how Mr. Moore intends to ally himself on Berkeley politics during his tenure on the City Council, then we progressives are in for more disappointments.  

In the meantime, we are left with a Peace and Justice Commission where more than half the appointees are unwilling to vote for peace. 

John Lavine 

• 

VIOLENT CRIME 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Regarding P. Wooten’s July 29 letter: It’s possible. It is possible for 50 percent of a population to commit more than 50 percent of violent crimes. Disregard sex for a moment. I know it’s hard.  

Imagine an individual commits more than one violent crime; a repeat offender. Now imagine a different individual never commits any violent crime. 

The U.S. Department of Justice has grappled with the “impression” that men appear to be more prone to violence than women. DOJ looked at other factors as contributors. They found that men are reluctant to report women as their attackers. They also found that in many immigrant households, reporting is not done at all... women against men nor men against men. 

We are making some progress because while some men protect their egos by failing to report to police when they are attacked by women, other men find it disturbing that so many more of their kind are committing violent crimes. 

Let’s leave Impressionism to artists. 

Gabrielle Wilson 

• 

BERKELEY SKATEPARK 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The basic problem with the Berkeley Skatepark is that it represents a culture and activity that is antithetical to the very nature of risk-adverse government officials.  

We can readily dispel the notion that city staff are undertaking this enforcement activity because of their concern for the safety of the skaters. First, half the lights at the skatepark are not operating despite months of complaints to get them fixed. Light levels and safety go hand in hand. Second, despite what city officials would like to have happen, the enforcement of the helmet laws is not forcing kids to wear helmets. That is self evident by the fact that the skatepark, once a place of pulsing multiethnic and multiage energy, is now often nothing more than a dimly lit abandoned urban relic. Worse, the enforcement of the helmet laws just pushes the kids onto the streets and sidewalks where not only won’t they be wearing helmets but they will be dodging cars and pedestrians.  

If you have ever been to the skatepark you would cringe at the slips and falls onto the unforgiving concrete and steel and wonder why anyone would ever be crazy enough to do what these kids do absent full body armor and a safety harness. But if you are there long enough you can see some pretty amazing stuff and you are struck by how these skaters, black, white, Asian, Latino, boys, girls, young and old (well not that old) have developed this truly admirable community where there is respect for elders, race is irrelevant, and youngsters are encouraged and taught by those who know more. We would all be served by following their example.  

No, this enforcement is all about the fear that the city will be sued by someone. And this assessment is made by the city’s attorney whose job it is to warn city officials of possible future dangers. The skatepark has moved from green to red alert. The city has decided it can reduce its potential liability by having police give $100 tickets to kids. It’s a little extreme as the same message could be accomplished for far less money. So the kids respond to this persecution, not surprisingly, with outrage and defiance which will come as no surprise to anyone who is a parent. And who would blame kids for developing a resentment of police and city government for issuing tickets that are on par with a cop pulling you over for not wearing a seatbelt and giving you a $2000 ticket.  

We all accept different levels of risk in our lives and governments are no different. However, Berkeley is one of the most risk-adverse cities in California. Vendors who have no problem doing business with other cities often find their contracts held up for months while they try and get liability insurance coverage that is acceptable to this city. With regard to skateparks in particular there have been NO lawsuits (that I have been able to find) in Northern California.  

But there is a cost when the City of Berkeley transfers their potential risk to somebody else. In the case of the skatepark it is the child who gets hit by a car while skateboarding in the street who pays the bill.  

The community would be better served and the city would have less of a liability if they pulled city staff from supervising the park and let the kids use the place the way they want (which is what they did 90 percent of the time before the city took this new course of enforcement action). The money that the city saves from not staffing the skatepark for the few hours a day that they do could be redirected toward increasing or maintaining other youth recreation services.  

Doug Fielding 

• 

LANDMARKS ORDINANCE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Steven Donaldson’s rant on the Landmarks Ordinance is correct in only one respect: He doesn’t know anything about historic preservation. He might be surprised to learn that there are at least three, count them, three landmark buildings currently under a demolition review by the city, the Blood House on Durant Avenue, the Woolley house on Haste Street and the Copra Warehouse on Heinz Avenue in West Berkeley, All three landmarked years ago and all owned by developers who want to demolish them. To be fair the two houses are being proposed for moving to another site, but still the removal of a landmark building from its original site is a demolition under the zoning code and has impacts on not only the buildings being removed but on many other landmarks in the area. The Copra Warehouse the last four story brick structure of its age and type left in all of Berkeley (maybe in the entire Bay area) is being proposed for actual demolition to make way for a speculative, for lease, biotech lab by Wareham Properties.  

It might be of interest to Mr. Donaldson to know that the LPC under the current ordinance has no power to prevent the demolition of these landmarks . Only the California Environmental Quality Act that requires a developer to do an EIR if he wants to demolish a Landmark, protects Berkeley’s Landmarks. People that snivel about our Commission and our Ordinance should get their facts straight. 

Allen Tobey’s astonishing recount of the process that the LPC went through to come up with the LPO revisions that are now before the Council makes one wonder what planet he has been on all these many months. For one thing all the important policy changes that were suggested to be part of the commission’s rewrite were proposed by the staff and the Assistant City Attorney Zack Cowen. When the LPC wanted to bring in an outside consultant paid for by the State Office of Historic Preservation the staff nixed the deal by insisting that the commission first adopt the staff changes and agree not to study any alternatives. It’s no wonder that the new commissioners on the LPC balked at this power grab by the staff. 

The truth is in fact that developers started this fight years ago when Patrick Kennedy helped form a pro growth development group called ADAPT. ADAPT’s stated goal was to reduce the LPC to an advisory role and remove the LPC from the permit process entirely. This was followed up by a non-elected task force headed by developer Laurie Capitelli who is now on the City Council and is leading the charge to plow under 30 years of effort by neighborhoods to protect important pieces of the city’s heritage.  

What we have before the City Council now is two versions of changes to an ordinance that needs no major revision, the LPC version promoted and written by the staff who couldn’t care less about historic preservation and a Planning Commission version promoted and written largely by two Planning commissioners who were annoyed that the LPC dared to express an opinion on a project that they both had more than a passing interest in. A project that incidentally demolished a landmark site. This is payback pure and simple. It is never politic to tell the ugly truth about how decisions are made in this so called progressive administration, but there it is. 

Laurie Bright 

President, Council Of Neighborhood Associations 

Former Chair, Landmarks Preservation Commission 

• 

GALLO WINE AIN’T SO FINE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Gallo Wine Ain’t So Fine  

Shame on Gallo! The United Farm Workers (UFW) recently launched a boycott against Gallo Winery. There is a mountain of evidence that Gallo has tormented, disappointed, and abused the rights of workers and forced this new boycott. For 30 years, the Gallo Wine Company has been mistreating its farmworkers. Gallo refuses to give benefits to three-fourths of their farmworkers, despite the fact that Gallo’s yearly sales average over $1.5 billion. Gallo has provided many farmworkers with little to no benefits, job protections, nor grievance rights. As a result, workers’ families have been forced to live in poor housing conditions and suffer without health coverage, paid holidays and vacations. This type of exploitation should not be tolerated. Gallo must be forced to take serious actions to treat their farm workers reasonably by giving them a fair contract.  

In 1973, when the contract expired, Gallo tried to get rid of the UFW. In the 1970s, millions of Americans nationwide supported the UFW boycotts of lettuce, grapes and Gallo wine. The people of the Bay Area gave full support to Cesar Chavez and UFW and the protest was immensely successful. In recent years, Gallo has again tried to get rid of the UFW. In early 2003, Gallo supervisors illegally circulated petitions in the workplace to oust the UFW. On Nov. 5, 2004, in a unanimous ruling the state Agricultural Labor Relations Board found that, “the company was illegally behind the effort to oust the UFW.” 

You can help! Join the unanimous vote of the Berkeley City Council, the AFL-CIO, and the United Farm Workers’ boycott and say “No Gallo!” Please sign the online petition at www.unionvoice.org/campaign/nogallo. For more information on the boycott of Gallo Wine, please visit www.gallounfair.com or www.ufw.org. The 1970s boycott succeeded at gaining union recognition and contracts. Let’s support the UFW and make the boycott succeed again!  

Kriss Worthington 

• 

RFID 

David Coolidge’s July 29 letter criticizing commentary in the July 26 Daily Planet about RFID at the Berkeley Public Library was disappointing. I kept hoping he would offer “accurate, unbiased, information” about RFID to supplement or replace the “hypothetical problems” that concern the rest of us. If he had more informed and better commentary about RFID, why didn’t he let us have it? 

Shirley Stuart 

• 

PUBLIC ART 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Robbin Henderson, in her July 29 commentary, seems to suggest that public art should be immune to criticism. She depicts those who dare challenge the aesthetics or disagree on the merits of the Brower memorial or the “Here/There” sculpture as humorless and ignorant of postmodernism.  

And then, a few paragraphs down, she cites an editorial cartoon of mine, dismissing it because...she doesn’t agree with it. Should we then assume that Ms. Henderson is humorless and ignorant of satire? Her commentary in fact only confirms the point made by the cartoon—that there is a certain patronizing tone to thin-skinned arts supporters who cannot bear the thought of anything less than unanimous praise.  

The larger point that Ms. Henderson misses is that the debate over these pieces of art is exactly what makes them valuable. Though I’m not a fan of either and believe the Brower memorial to be patently absurd and grossly at odds with its stated purpose, I’ll concede that the “Here/There” sculpture is admirably whimsical. But its condescension, directed at Berkeley’s southern neighbor, and its placement in a neighborhood—my neighborhood—where violence is all too present, where gang wars are waged across the border, and where the searchlights of police helicopters probe the streets all too often, makes the sculpture seems insensitive, naive, and oblivious. 

But works of art, whether sculptures or cartoons, are meant to be provocative. They are not submitted for approval; they are intended to provoke, to entertain and to challenge. The debate is part of the process.  

Ms. Henderson’s closing threat that public art will be forced to go elsewhere if the Daily Planet does not express greater support is likewise absurd. The fact that this community cares enough to debate these works is proof positive of the vibrancy of art in Berkeley, and the Planet provides a public service in airing that debate.  

Public art begets public criticism. And if Ms. Henderson doesn’t like it, she can go to There.  

Justin DeFreitas 

• 

MAKING SENSE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

J. Douglas Allen-Taylor’s argument in “Making Some Sense Out of East Bay Violence” (July 29) is as full of nonsensical holes as a bullet-riddled road sign! The car-full of three young African-American men, one of whom fired a gun in the street and mistakenly killed his friend Meleia while “protecting” her, are THE CAUSE of the fatal violence, and the shooter cannot be exonerated or “forgiven” because he may have been reacting to someone else’s original anger or stupid behavior. 

Anyone who makes the decision to carry a gun on the street needs their head tested and must take full individual responsibility for the repercussions of their actions should they use it. These guys, who I understand do not come from particularly underprivileged backgrounds, should have had the intelligence and sense not to be sucked into the stupidity in which they are now tragically enmeshed. They have nobody to blame but themselves. Another sad aspect of this idiotic affair is the role of the cell phone, which facilitated the quick arrival of a second group of stupid people on the scene, prepared to fire on the first group of stupid people. What idiots!! 

Come on, Allen-Taylor, Berkeley is a place where people have the chance to grow up educated, intelligent and sophisticated. But some just don’t want to learn, and you should stop making excuses for them.  

John Brocket 

El Cerrito 

• 

TERRORISM EDITORIAL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

While Becky O’Malley deserves credit for condemning the murder of terrorist victims in London, Egypt, Bosnia, Uganda and Darfur, she neglects to mention the country which has suffered most severely from homicide bombers: Israel. Projected on a U.S. population scale, Israel has lost 43,000 innocents to the savagery of suicidal Palestinian thugs. Given the Israelis’ extraordinary high lose of life to these Islamofascist barbarians (what else would you call them?), it is more than a little curious and disturbing that Ms. O’Malley should somehow omit Israel’s suffering. 

In trying to comprehend why Ms. O’Malley ignored the impact of terrorism on Israel, one rationale may lie in her contention that Palestinian “terror was used as a tactic with a political goal.” As if that would excuse it! O’Malley does mention Hamas, whose oft expressed “political goal” is the full destruction of Israel. Does that afford them justification for their acts of unconscionable brutality? 

Ms. O’Malley intimates that the recent acts of terrorism in London and Egypt are simply “killing for its own sake” and that supporters of Al Qaeda have no political rationale. She must be blind and/or deaf as Al Qaeda has regularly and emphatically stated that their goal is a worldwide realm of people living under Sharia, Islamic Law. And to this end, the killing of any infidel is sanctioned. 

While we have watched past Peace and Justice Commission resolutions brought to the City Council to condemn Israel, the commission has never condemned the wanton slaying of innocents by Palestinian terrorists. As John Gertz’s op-ed so eloquently put it, this form of discrimination has got to stop. And no future Berkeley mayoral candidate who aids and abets this bias will garner the political support of the Jewish community and other fair-minded members of Berkeley citizenry. As e.e. cummings said: “There is some shit/we will not eat.” 

Finally, to return to Ms. O’Malley’s omission, I say: “Becky, here’s your opportunity to condemn Palestinian acts of terrorism. Would you kindly do so, albeit without qualification? Show us where you really stand on the issue of terrorism.” 

Dan Spitzer 

Kensington 

• 

DISHONEST 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

At last Zorro has been unmasked! He is really Don Diego Von Gertz of the Berkeley Democratic Party. 

Funniest looking yarmulke I ever saw.  

I have never seen anything quite as thoroughly dishonest as Gertz’s latest. First he denies being the prime mover behind “getting” the various people who voted for Rachel Corrie, but then he brags and threatens about mobilizing the 25 percent of the Berkeley voting population that he says will approve the murder of Rachel Corrie because she burned a flag. 

Also, I see no one else writing in to justify the murder of Rachel Corrie for burning the flag. Not even Antonin Scalia.  

Then he denies lobbying the School Board, just the City Council, as if the one did not connect to the other. 

Then he denies trying to foist pro-Israel views on the School Board or council. 

Well, of course not. He is intelligent enough to know that, except for him and a few other imperialist fanatics, no one will openly support the murder of Rachel Corrie. Not even among the 25 percent he claims agree with him.  

All he can realistically aim for is to have everyone stop talking about this, and other Israeli crimes against humanity. 

He has apparently been successful in using his flashing sword to intimidate the Peace and Justice Commission into silence, with a Z soon to be carved into the flesh of Maio and perhaps the other fellow, who for some reason is left out of this recent rant.  

I wonder where the Pro-Palestinian Paladinettes of MECA are in the midst of this Zionist power play going on in their own city? Are they silent because Gertz the Fox is a fellow Democrat, or because Foxgertz is a fellow Jew, or is it both? 

Hopefully, Gertzfox will appear in his mask and cape at the next Cinco de Mayo festival to explain to the Latino community how he is using the wealth derived from exploitation of a Californio legend. 

Mark Richey 

• 

INARTICULATE GROPING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Becky O’Malley’s editorial in the July 29 edition of the Daily Planet inarticulately gropes at the root causes of global terrorism. According to O’Malley, terrorism has nothing to do with Islam, despite the fact that Islam is the only religion founded by a military general and spread by an army, and is a religion that teaches that it has superseded all others. Instead, she believes that today’s terrorists are nihilists, who have no goals. Wahabism and its leading exponent, Osama Bin Laden, does have a very clear stated goal, the establishment of a worldwide caliphate, based upon the superiority not of their race, but of their religion. O’Malley believes that not much works in stopping today’s terrorists. For example, she derides Britain’s surveillance cameras as useless, but no doubt wrote that before the would be bombers were captured last week, largely because they were caught on camera. Instead, she puts her hopes in communication between religious groups. After a long, rambling editorial on terrorism, and after giving special dispensation to Muslims, dedicated readers of the Daily Planet will have no problem in guessing at whom O’Malley points her finger: Israel. But, Mrs. O’Malley, Israel is not sending suicide bombers out into the world. O’Malley insists that the Peace and Justice Commission must not give Israel a pass. The old commission in no way fostered communication between Jews and Muslims, or Israel and the Arabs, as O’Malley wants. It would have been nice if it had. Instead, it busied itself with passing mindless anti-Israel resolutions. In doing so, it modeled itself on the U.N. General Assembly. Last year, as in previous years, with its automatic Islamic/Third World majority the U.N General Assembly passed 92 condemnatory resolutions, 88 of which were directed against Israel. Only four were reserved for any other world situation. Let’s make sure that this is not the communication skill O’Malley has in mind, and let’s make sure that it is not the type of communication skill the Peace and Justice Commission or Linda Maio’s wing of the City Council ever practices again. 

John Gertz 

• 

SUGGESTED BAN 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Given your weekend cover story of the SUV smashing into Solano Avenue Berkeley Starbucks, my immediate tongue-in-cheek solution: Ban them  

both in Berkeley! 

Sylvia Scherzer 

Albany 

• 

GUN CONTROL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Whenever there is a call for gun control, it is inevitably followed by letters to the effect that “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” My father always responds “That may be true. But people without guns kill a lot fewer people.”  

Eric Weaver 

• 

ANTI-SEMITISM 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Ronald Branch’s letter about pollution at the Albany bulb shows more about the writer’s anti-Semitic hatred than it does about his so-called caring about the pollution of the bay. Henry J. Kaiser was neither a Jew nor a committed Zionist. Yet Branch immediately refers to him as a zionazi, a term which is not only deeply hurtful to the millions of people who suffered at the hands of the true Nazis, but is reflective of extreme ignorance as to the meaning of Zionism—a movement to return the Jewish people to their homeland after years of persecution. Branch shows his true colors when he says about the cause of the pollution: “This is a good indicator of the character of the people who drafted over 10 million men to do their dirty work in Europe...” Well, I have news for you, Mr. Branch—the Americans and the Allies fought the Nazis not to protect Jews but to protect the integrity of their own borders and way of life. Your right to spew your anti-Semitic hatred is protected by all those men who went to war against Nazi Germany and Japan. Henry I. Kaiser’s reputation stands on its own. He built ships and industries which not only helped the Allies in World War II, but provides all of us with the modern conveniences we have come to rely on such as roads, tunnels, houses, cars, bicycles, and more. Yes, pollution should be cleaned up. I suggest that Mr. Ronald Branch begin the cleanup by his own contribution of time and effort.  

Gail Taback 

• 

BROWER CENTER COST 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

So the Brower Center is already $8.5 million over budget without even breaking ground, and they want the city to put in $2 million more. 

The city is already giving them the land, valued at $5.7 million, for one dollar. 

And without building any replacement parking (an additional $6 million), the city will lose an estimated $600,000 per year in parking revenue. 

This all seems very wasteful and excessive for something that is supposed to be “green.” 

Lucille Berg 

• 

FIELD STATION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The misinformation consistently represented in Daily Planet articles about UC Berkeley’s remediation and restoration at the Richmond Field Station (RFS) is frustrating. In the paper’s July 29 edition, Richard Brenneman inaccurately reports—again—on UC Berkeley’s Richmond Field Station restoration project. 

Some important corrections for your readership: 

• The $20-million estimated cost to complete the project is not due to the change in agency oversight as Mr. Brenneman states. This budget is for the remaining phases of upland and marsh cleanup and restoration that need to occur regardless of which regulatory agency oversees this work. 

• University officials have never argued against Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) oversight of the RFS site. As we stated publicly to the Richmond City Council and in other meetings, the University would be happy to work with either DTSC or the Regional Water Quality Control Board, and we are now working well with DTSC. 

It would be helpful to the University and to Daily Planet readers if Mr. Brenneman gathered factual information for his articles before submission. We are always available for consultation or queries regarding this matter, and could have provided accurate information for this and other articles regarding the Richmond Field Station. 

Anyone with questions about UC Berkeley’s work at the RFS is welcome to learn more by visiting www.cp.berkeley.edu/rfs_marshrr.html, or by contacting our office at 642-3073. 

Greg Haet 

Manager, Environmental Protection 

Office of Environment, Health & Safety 

University of California, Berkeley 

This week the City Council, the Planning Commission and the Zoning Adjustments Board all go on their long summer breaks, and not a moment too soon. Legislatively and judicially speaking, the past year has been an annus horribilis. To know that these bodies will be on vacation for the next month and a half is something of a relief.  

It would be even more reassuring to know that our elected officials and their appointees intend to use some of their time off to bone up on laws and policies that will (or should) inform major decisions they’re slated to make in 2005-06. The need for edification was all too evident in their deliberations of the last twelve months. 

To be sure, their regular schedules scarcely leave enough time to deal conscientiously with immediate issues, much less to delve into the legal and policy background of each item. Witness the huge packet of documents that go out for a single council meeting. Planning Commission and ZAB agendas are less formidable but still plenty demanding.  

Here then, is a modest, late summer curriculum for independent study focused on three major issues that will be on city agendas this fall and beyond.  

1. UC Settlement and Downtown  

Without a doubt, the worst action taken by the council in the past year was the settlement with the University of California, secretly approved in May. And the worst thing about this very bad agreement is that it effectively hands control of all development in downtown Berkeley to the UC Regents.  

The settlement is a short if painful read (www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/manager/lrdp/ucblrdpagreement.pdf). Anne Wagley’s “Mayor Bates Drops the Ball” offers a comprehensive and insightful critique (Daily Planet online archives for June 24, 2005.) 

The secret vote might have gone the other way if the council had consulted the Berkeley Municipal Code, which assigns the Planning Commission (unmentioned in the settlement and bypassed in its preparation) primary authority for—what else?—the city’s land use planning (Section 3.28.100) and for amending the city’s General Plan (Section 22.04.020).  

Also instructive is the Citizen Participation Element of the General Plan itself. Whereas the settlement describes an exclusively staff-driven process, the GP calls for extensive public involvement. According to Section 22.04.010 of the Municipal Code, the General Plan sets policy for the City of Berkeley.  

The Municipal Code can be accessed at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us. The General Plan, online at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/planning/landuse/plans/generalplan/nitce.htm, can also be purchased from the Planning Department.  

2. Historic Preservation  

Five years ago the council directed the Landmarks Preservation Commission to bring the city’s Landmarks Preservation Ordinance into line with Berkeley’s Permit Streamlining Act. Thanks to the intervention of city staff and a majority of the Planning Commission, what should have been a minor refinement has ballooned into a major assault on the legal foundations of historic preservation in Berkeley.  

Before delving into the voluminous and obfuscatory official documentation of this affair (www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/planning/landuse/LPO/default.htm), it pays to peruse the introduction to “CEQA [California Environmental Quality Act] and Historical Resources,” a readable guide published by the State Office of Planning and Research (www.ceres/ca.gov/ 

topic/env_law/ceqa/more/tas/page1.html#introduction). See, too, the website of the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (www.berkeley.heritage.com).  

3. The Future of Berkeley Industry and Arts 

West Berkeley is the only part of town zoned for industry and working artists and artisans. Most of the area’s many manufacturers, artists and artisans are tenants. What keeps West Berkeley affordable for them is zoning that either restricts or simply forbids high-end uses (retail, offices).  

Two big upcoming projects involve the conversion of a substantial amount of industrially zoned land to retail: the 91,000-square-foot West Berkeley Bowl and the commercialization of Gilman and Ashby Avenues west of San Pablo.  

Last winter city staff were poised to fast-track the new Bowl without an Environmental Impact Report, despite the fact that the facility (25 percent larger than the existing Bowl) would generate 50,000 new vehicle trips a week in an area already choked with traffic. A coalition of nearby businesses and residents hired an independent traffic engineer who strongly critiqued the initial traffic study. 

Discerning the likelihood of a successful lawsuit, staff directed the developer to do an EIR. In September the EIR and proposed zoning and General Plan amendments will come before the Planning Commission; the project itself will be vetted by the ZAB. The planning process so far is officially documented on the city’s website (www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/planning/landuse/Heinz/default.htm; to access individual files, scroll all the way over to the right side of the screen).  

To date, there’s no official documentation worth consulting with respect to the proposed commercialization of west Gilman and Ashby which has yet to begin. That’s because this very ambitious project, a brainchild of Mayor Bates, was endorsed by the council last spring without the slightest preliminary market research, policy analysis or community input. Its initiation awaits the hiring of a new planner. 

Both these projects need to be evaluated by the goals and standards set forth in the West Berkeley Plan (www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/planning/landuse/adopted.html1#west; hard copy $10 at the Planning Department). Unanimously adopted by the council in 1993, the Plan is often misquoted to support the de-industrialization of West Berkeley. In fact it lays out the city’s official strategy for retaining its industrial base and arts sector.  

That strategy’s continuing validity and its conflicts with the proposed West Berkeley Bowl are lucidly outlined in a Feb. 7, 2005 letter to the city from Neil Mayer, the founder and former director of the city’s Office of Economic Development (available from Allan Gatzke, Agatzke@ci.berkeley.ca.us, 981-7413). John Curl’s “Drayage Artisans Were Protected Until 1998” (Daily Planet online archives for July 5, 2005) recounts the city’s surreptitious elimination of legal protection for Berkeley’s artists and artisans.  

Mayor Bates and other advocates of commercializing west Gilman and Ashby argue that more retail inevitably yields ample sales tax revenue for a city. This conventional wisdom is challenged by California Cities and the Local Sales Tax, a meticulously researched 1999 study done for the Public Policy Institute of California by Paul G. Lewis and Elisa Barbour (www.ppic.org).  

That’s enough. It’s summer, after all. When the Council, the ZAB and the Planning Commission reconvene in September, we’ll find out who’s done his or her homework. 

›

It’s hard to believe that summer is more than half way over but the signs are everywhere: winter clothes on display in department stores, back to school ads in the newspaper. I’m just getting acclimated to the warm, sunny weather here in the East Bay when it’s once again time to return for classes at chilly, fog-shrouded San Francisco State. 

But registering for courses and figuring out how to dress for the climate on campus have turned out to be the most difficult aspects of getting an M.F.A at SFSU. It’s often impossible to predict the weather conditions on the other side of the bay, or to find space in the classes one needs in order to graduate. 

I’m entering the fifth semester of a three-year program and I’m waitlisted for a required workshop. But at least I get to take another seminar with Michelle Carter, an energetic, award-winning playwright and fiction writer who knows how to teach one hell of a course. I’m enrolled in her upcoming Cross Genre class. Last spring I took her Writing in the Public Context workshop and learned a great deal about craft, but more importantly, I was encouraged to go places I hadn’t been before and to look deeply into worlds I knew nothing about. Michelle took my fellow classmates and me to the brink of truth and reality. For 15 weeks we were forced to question fact and fiction. What is real and what is not real? What is perceived and therefore real? It was stimulating, challenging, and sometimes disturbing. 

One place Michelle took us was to the California Federal Prison System. We didn’t physically go there, but a “lifer” came to our classroom in the person of Buddy Nickerson, a man exonerated in March 2003 after spending 18 years of a life-without-parole sentence for double murder. To prepare for Buddy’s visit we read several plays: The Exonerated by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen, Our Country’s Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker, Frozen by Bryony Lavery, and I Am My Own Wife by Doug Wright. These dramas examine truth and reality, fact and fiction in unique, multi-layered ways. 

Buddy, who has a penchant for motorcycles, tattoos, and profanity, is a complex, guru-like individual with a checkered past and a hard-earned attitude. Articulate, opinionated, surly, crude, and yet likable in his honesty and bluntness, it was impossible to imagine the nightmare he endured sitting in a tiny cell day after day, year after year, serving time for crimes he didn’t commit. For almost two decades he was forced to live as someone he was not, a murderer. He told us about the trumped-up charges that convinced a jury he was guilty; about the surreal world of prison, where the rules on the inside are nothing like the rules on the outside, where reality and truth are stretched and altered, a hazy, gray existence that is, at the same time, black and white, raging with fury, frustration, and resentment. 

He told us about returning home to Foster City, where his family and friends waited for him; where, absolved from crimes he did not commit, he still can’t find a job. 

I’ve had over three months to think about Buddy’s visit and the lessons he taught us, and yet I haven’t come to terms with the magnitude of the injustice and pain he endures, or the terrible fact that innocent people wind up in places they shouldn’t be, such as inside jail cells, on hospital gurneys, within wheelchairs, war zones, and coffins. 

Maybe stories like Buddy’s aren’t meant to be digested and understood. Maybe they just need to be told over and over, to remind us that life isn’t fair, that individuals and juries can make horrible mistakes, that accidents happen, that we live in a world that is gray and cloudy, and that when the sun shines in the East Bay, it doesn’t necessarily shine elsewhere. 

?

Burglary tools 

A call for police to investigate a pair reportedly acting suspicious near a public storage facility shortly before 8 a.m. Friday led to the arrest of one of the pair for possession of burglary tools, said Berkeley police spokesperson Officer Joe Okies. 

Botched robbery 

Police arrested a 17-year-old on suspicion of attempted robbery after a 32-year-old man reported that he’d been the would-be victim of a botched strong-arm heist near the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Oregon Street about 4 a.m. Saturday. 

Stabbing 

A knife-wielding woman stabbed a patron of the Shattuck Cinema in the facility’s bathroom about 4:45 p.m. Saturday, said Officer Okies. 

The victim, a woman in her late 20s, was rushed to the Highland Hospital emergency room and is expected to recover, Okies said. 

The attacker, who remains at large, was described as an African American woman in her late 20s, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans and had blonde extensions woven into her hair. 

Okies said investigators haven’t determined a motive for the attack. 

Deliverer robbed 

A gang of three or four youths mugged a pizza man for his cash as he was making a delivery to a residence near the corner of Haskell and Mabel streets about 12:37 a.m. Sunday. 

Odd circumstances 

Police released four suspects arrested after an alleged Sunday morning robbery near the corner of Dwight Way and Dana Street when the man who reported the crime refused to press charges. 

The purported victim called police at 8:36 a.m. Sunday to report he’d been robbed of lottery tickets by four suspects, one of whom he said he brandished a knife and another of whom had struck him. 

The man did recover his lottery tickets, Okies said. 

Switchblade bust 

Berkeley police arrested a 29-year-old man on one count of possession of a switchblade after an investigation of a suspected drug violation turned up the weapon. 

Attack 

Police are seeking the man who took a baseball bat or heavy stick to a 47-year-old pedestrian in the 2700 block of College Avenue minutes before 4 p.m. Sunday. The crime is listed as an assault with a deadly weapon. 

The victim was transported to Alta Bates Hospital for treatment of his injuries, said Office Okies. 

Thwarted heist 

A 45-year-old man walking with his children along Buena Avenue near the corner of California Street thwarted a pair of strong-arm robbers who demanded his money just after 5 p.m. Sunday. 

Instead of complying with the demands of the two teenage robbers, the father fled with his children and the bandits gave up rather than abandon their wheels and make a foot pursuit, said Officer Okies. 

Robbed at intersection 

A Berkeley woman told police that she was robbed of her purse when she stopped in her car at the Ashby Avenue-Adeline Street intersection about 6 p.m. Sunday. 

The suspects, who were apparently associated with a car that had stopped behind her at the intersection, fled after they’d acquired their loot.

Spontaneous ignition 

An alert homeowner averted a potential disaster last Tuesday when he caught a whiff of smoke and headed to his basement. 

Berkeley firefighters received the alarm at 9:83 p.m. and rushed a full assignment of firefighters and equipment to a home at 3225 Idaho St. 

By the time they arrived the homeowner had extinguished the blaze with a garden hose. 

The blaze began beneath a canvas tarp a contractor had used to cover paint, stains, varnishes and brushes, as well as a collection of paint- and stain-soaked rags wrapped in canvas, the results of a day of fence maintenance. 

The official cause of the fire is listed as spontaneous ignition of the improperly stored rags, something firefighters are constantly warning residents against. 

The fire was contained to the work supplies, causing no structural damage and only light smoke damage to the basement. 

Spoilt dinner 

Firefighters responding to a 9:33 p.m. fire in an apartment at 2441 Haste St. found that damage was limited to the dinner left cooking too long on the range.›

Sometimes when I have ranted too long about Israel/Palestine, my husband tries to shut me down by saying, “Do you know how most Americans feel about this subject? They don’t know and they don’t care!” There is a reason for this, of course, which is part of my frustration. What I have come to think of as Mordor—the eye that never sleeps—is always looking everywhere, making sure that no one ever does learn, or know, or think about this urgent issue. Three recent examples from three different locales. 

(1) Alaska. The premiere performance of a cantata in memory of Rachel Corrie and Tom Hurndall was canceled after both composer and soloist received threats. 

(2) Houston. The curator who assembled “Made in Palestine,” a show of pieces by contemporary artists, has so far found only two galleries in the entire U.S. willing to display it (in San Francisco and Mt. Pelier, Vermont). 

(3) Berkeley. The Peace and Justice Commission was infiltrated and neutralized by John Gertz following two resolutions on Israel proffered by the commission (Daily Planet, July 22-25). 

What do these three items have in common? One element, probably not immediately apparent, is that each of them describes the disappearance of something which no one is missing. Can there really be anyone in Alaska saying, “I’d love to hear a cantata about Rachel Corrie, why hasn’t somebody written one?” In Los Angeles or New York or Atlanta saying, “Gosh, I’d love to go to a show of Palestinian art this weekend, how come you can’t you ever find one?” Or in Berkeley saying, “Have you noticed that the Peace and Justice Commission has stopped presenting resolutions about the Israel/Palestine conflict?” 

On this last one, I can attest that I, a person who pays a great deal of attention to this very issue, was completely unaware that behind-the-scenes maneuvering had taken the Peace and Justice Commission out of the picture, nor was I thinking about the absence of any recent action on the subject. So how about that “ordinary American” who, according to my husband, “doesn’t know and doesn’t care”? How could she or he do so when any possible pathway into the issue—whether a piece of music or art, a commission resolution, or a book or a film or a conference—has been deliberately blocked and all traces of its one-time existence made to vanish? This disappearance of an urgent topic from our public discourse is what John Gertz means by “peace,” (as in “they want peace to return to Berkeley on this issue,” Daily Planet, July 29-Aug. 1), and it is his function and the function of others like him to strong-arm the composers, the curators, the commissions, the candidates, and me, and you into silence. 

It is worth asking: To what country does John Gertz owe his loyalty? Eric Alterman once addressed this issue head on in the Nation. He said that American Jews feel comfortable being loyal to both the United States and Israel because they assume that the interests of the two countries will always coincide. He pointed out that the time might come when they do not coincide and said that, for himself, if and when such a day arrives, he will side with Israel! 

I, a Jewish-American who is in no way a Limbaugh-listening flag-waver, was taken aback by this declaration. What does it mean in practice? Would he spy for Israel? (It’s been done.) Would he perjure himself for Israel? (That’s been done too.) Would he threaten a political candidate with slush funds and slur campaigns? (Threats like Mr. Gertz’s are not idle. They’ve been carried out successfully many times.) Would he protect Israel when it had deliberately killed American citizens? (Sadly, this too has been done.) Would he carry a bomb onto the New York subway or BART, if Israel deemed it necessary? How far would Eric Alterman go? How far would John Gertz go? 

There is second troubling issue raised for me as a Jew by Mr. Gertz’s diatribe. In the Aug. 1 New Yorker, Jonathan Rosen argues that the novelist Henry Roth, who felt powerless to “be a man” and experienced life-long “Jewish self-loathing,” suddenly rediscovered his Jewish faith during the Six Day War, when he “saw Jews as fighters who were as tough as the Irish kids” who had beaten him up as a child. Although Roth’s life experience was unique, his epiphany was not, for 1967 is demonstrably the year in which American Jews en masse converted to Zionism as the central tenet of their faith. And no wonder. As my sister has put it so clearly, it feels good to be the people hurting other people for a change. In letters like Mr. Gertz’s I always hear the crowing of someone who has finally made it onto the kicking side of history, safe at last to indulge his pent-up need to bully, because watching his back is our very own Jewish cossack/storm trooper, our blue-eyed IDF commando, jackbooted, Uzi-armed. 

Jews have controlled the discourse about Israel/Palestine for many decades. Any small group of people with money, influence, expertise, organizational skill, and a single-minded focus on one narrow issue could accomplish this. But imagine a Bhutanese-American (for example) announcing in the paper that henceforward any official statements made about Bhutan must meet his approval—or else. Or a Danish-American regarding Denmark, and so on. I am quite certain we, citizens and officials alike, would ignore such a declaration and go on speaking our minds. Why do we not do so, then, when the country in question is a permanent crisis zone, armed to the teeth by our tax dollars and under our protection at ever increasing danger to us, smack dab in the middle of the volatile, oil-rich Middle East, where we ourselves are now engaged in war?  

Every intimidator needs intimidatees. And they’re ever so much easier to intimidate when they’re isolated and picked off one by one (Linda Maio this time, maybe Kriss Worthington next). I hereby propose that the Berkeley City Council and the Berkeley School Board make amends for having handed the Peace and Justice Commission to persons with an agenda to dismantle it by unanimously declaring 2006 the Year of Talking about Israel and Palestine. Book groups in the libraries and book stores. Expert panels in various venues. Movies! Classes at Cal! Discussion groups in churches. A school curriculum appropriate for each grade level. (Do not think that Zionists have not been active here: The first two of the approximately eight books my son read in high school were about the Holocaust!) And at the end of the year? I don’t know, because unlike Mr. Gertz, I do not presume to control what my fellow citizens think, feel, say, or do. But at least the spell will have been broken. 

Joanna Graham is a Berkeley resident. 

›

As a member of the Peace and Justice Commission, I would like to make a few comments about Matthew Artz’s article of July 22: 

1. Three of the members of the commission—Kashner, Weddle, and Winkelman—are only very recently appointed and have attended one or two meetings at most. I think it is premature, at best, for them to be accused of being part of a “hostile takeover.” Most of their votes have been abstentions, likely due to the fact they are so newly appointed. I am pained that citizens who want to be part of their city government are welcomed with accusations. Let’s give them a chance and see how they actually vote before characterizing their positions, as “bucking the commission’s traditionally internationalist agenda” or “being interested in destroying” other commissioners, or “not believing in the mission” of the commission. 

2. The commission is appointed by elected officials of Berkeley. My sense is that the members of the commission range from Kerry Democrats to Nader Independents. I like Chairman Freedkin, and think he is doing a great job as chair, but with all due respect, this spectrum is not “to the right of mainstream Berkeley.” Though I disagree with virtually every policy of the Bush administration, it is even conceivable to me that a Berkeley Republican might in good faith value peace and justice and desire to sit on the commission. If such a person is appointed by a councilmember or School Board member, I think he or she should also be welcomed in good faith. 

3. Due to procedural rules, the commission needs a majority of all commissioners, not merely those voting or even those in attendance, to pass a resolution. Summer absences along with new members’ abstention votes have made achieving this threshold a bit difficult. I think it is important for Commissioners Cohen, Sorgen, and Sherman not to overreact to this situation. I expect that the commission will be able to regain a consensus on international peace and justice issues when it reconvenes in September. 

4. I am deeply troubled by Dona Spring’s accusation of a takeover related to commissioner stands on Israel and Palestine. What evidence does she have for this accusation? It seems to me the officials who made recent appointments say this was not a factor. Though the commission has not taken up an Israel-Palestine resolution lately, we did discuss the Feinstein resolution supporting the Geneva Accords and listened to a great deal of citizen testimony on the issue. The discussion was quite cordial, and I believe there was more or less consensus among commissioners. There was no resolution because the events of the day moved ahead of the commission, but there was no political pressure to ignore the issue. The current issues of concern to some commissioners (the controversies over establishing a Department of Peace and recalling state Guardsman from Iraq) have nothing to do with Palestine or Israel. What is Spring trying to insinuate with her reference to Israel and Palestine?  

5. I’m very fond of my friend John Gertz. He is intelligent, witty, courageous, and energetic—not unlike Zorro himself—of whom John’s company holds the trademark. However John is not a member of the Peace and Justice Commission, nor of Berkeley city government, nor does he speak for the Jewish community. He is an individual citizen. Though he is entitled to his provocative and controversial views, I wonder about their relevance to the actual situation at hand. 

6. Lastly, one of the great privileges of sitting on the Peace and Justice Commission has been working with the Berkeley students who are among its members. These young leaders are thoughtful and idealistic, and for them the Peace and Justice is a step toward a career in international relations or government. I was disappointed that neither Councilmember Worthington’s appointee, Jamie Wright, or Mayor Bate’s appointee, Leslieanne Cachola, was quoted in the article. They are both amazing young women who have contributed much to the commission. I am under the impression that having graduated, they are both leaving to pursue their careers. I wish them every success, and I will miss them very much. I have to wonder if a Daily Planet feature on them might have created a more interesting and productive picture of the work of the commission than the irresponsible and negative accusations of a takeover. 

Temple Beth El Rabbi Jane Litman is a member of the Peace and Justice Commission.  

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2 

FILM 

Eyeing Nature: “Storm and Stress” with Janis Crystal Lipzin in person at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Jewish Film Festival from 1 to 8:45 p.m. at Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theater. Tickets are available from 925-275-9490. www.sfjff.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee will read from “At Knit’s End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much” at 2 p.m. at Stash Yarns on 1820 Solano Ave. Proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to Doctors Without Borders. RSVP to 558- YARN. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Alice Templeton and JoAnne Henry, old favorites and originals, at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Bayennale Performance Benefit with Beth Custer, Mobius Operandi, Nguyen Dance Company, at 8 p.m. at LoBot Gallery, 1800 Campbell St., West Oakland. Cost is $5-$25. www.lobotgallery.com 

Brass Menagerie at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Balkan dance leson at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Clockwork, a cappella jazz dinner show at 6 p.m. at Downtown. Cost is $50. 649-3810. 

Tessa Loehwing, jazz, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Singers’ Open Mic, with Ellen Hoffman, piano, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Issa Bagayogo, from Mali, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3 

EXHIBTIONS 

“Tsunami Relief: The Ongoing Effort” Photographs from the tsunami disaster and NOAA models at Addison Street Windows Gallery through Sept. 18. 981-7546. 

FILM 

For Your Eyes Only: “The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Doing Time, Doing Vipassana” at 7:30 p.m. at La Pena Cultural Center. Cost is $6-$8. 849-2568. www.lapena.org  

Jewish Film Festival from noon to 9 p.m. at Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theater. Tickets are available from 925-275-9490. www.sfjff.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

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

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Ned Boynton Trio with Jules Broussard on sax, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

Mark Little Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

I Grade St. Croix Reggae Showcase, featuring Army, Abja, Niyorah, Ancient King and Tuff Lion at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

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

Whiskey Brothers, Old Time and Bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

The Jenna Mammina Quartet at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$14. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4 

FILM 

Louis Malle: “And the Pursuit of Happiness” at 5:30 p.m. and “Place de la République” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. 642-0808.  

“Doing Time, Doing Vipassana” at 7:30 p.m. at La Pena Cultural Center. Cost is $6-$8. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Jewish Film Festival from 12:30 to 9:45 p.m. at Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theater. Tickets are available from 925-275-9490.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Carol Costello introduces “The Soul of Selling” at 7:30 p.m. at Barnes & Noble, 2352 Shattuck Ave. 644-3635. 

Elizabeth Rosner reads from her poetry at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

Word Beat Reading Series with Barbara Minton and Medeline Lacques-Aranda at 7 p.m. at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 526-5985. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

“Eye Sea: Passages” a performance by the students of the Ailey Camp at 3 and 7 p.m. at Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Campus. Admission is free. 642-9988. www.calperfs.berkeley.edu 

Jon Wilcox, Larry Hanks, folk musicians, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Sarah Manning Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Robbie Fulks, The Famous at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082.  

www.starryploughpub.com 

Will Bernard/Paul Mehling Duo at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Gonzalo Rubalcaba Quartet, Cuban pianist, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $15-$20. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5 

THEATER 

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, “A Murder is Announced” by Agatha Christie at 8 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck at Berryman. Runs Fri. and Sat. through Aug. 13. Tickets are $10. 649-5999. www.aeofberkeley.org 

Berkeley Rep “The Ugly American” Created and performed by Mike Daisey at Berkeley Rep’s Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St., through Aug. 13. Tickets are $30-$35. 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org 

California Shakespeare Theater, “Nicholas Nickleby” Parts 1 and 2 at 8 p.m. at Bruns Amphitheater, 100 Gateway Blvd., between Berkeley and Orinda, through Sept. 16. Tickets are $10-$55. 548-9666. www.calshakes.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theatre “Anything Goes” Cole Porter’s musical, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. through Aug. 13 at 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

“Livin’ Fat” a comedy about an African American family struggling over a financial blessing, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 6 p.m. at Black Repertory Theater, 3201 Adeline St. Tickets are $25. 332-7125. 

Woodminster Summer Musicals “Hello Dolly!” at 8 p.m. at Woodminster Amphitheater in Joaquin Miller Park, 3300 Joaquin Miller Rd., Oakland, Aug. 5-6 and 11-14. Tickets are $20-33. 531-9597. www.woodminster.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

Tanaka Ryohei, Japanese Master of Etching. Works on exhibit at Scriptum-Schurman Fine Art Gallery, 1659 San Pablo Ave. to Aug 31. Gallery hours are Wed.-Sat. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 524-0623. www.scriptum.com 

“Dream Life” Works by Alexandra Blum and Mariana Garibay R. Reception for the artists at 7 p.m. at Women’s Cancer Resource Center, 5741 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Exhibition runs to Aug. 31. 532-9696. wwww.wcrc.org/gallery.htm 

FILM 

Louis Malle: “Zazie dans le Métro” at 7:30 p.m. and “The Fire Within” at 9:30 p.m. at Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Doing Time, Doing Vipassana” at 7 and 9 p.m. at La Pena Cultural Center. Cost is $6-$8. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Kia Afcari and Mary Osborne on “Sister Surfer: A Woman’s Guide to Bliss and Courage” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

New Works in the ‘Nabe’ Local artists debut new material at 8 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. Cost is $5-$10. 527-0450. www.hillsideclub.org 

Tanaora Brazil! at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ.  

Beth Custer Ensemble, Will Bernard & Motherbug, rock, jam, fusion at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$12. 525-5054.  

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

Patrick Landeza, Hawaiian slack key guitar and vocals, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761.  

20 Minute Loop, Farma, Jeffrey Luck Lucas at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. 

Roz Corral Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Teri Falini, singer-songwriter, at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

Shawn Baltazor and The Used Music Ensemble at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373.  

Spragga Benz and the Red Square Family, reggae, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $20. 548-1159.  

Toys That Kill, Bananas, R’N’R Adventure Kids at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Gonzalo Rubalcaba Quartet, Cuban pianist, at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $15-$20. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 

CHILDREN  

Origami with Margo Weckslerat 2 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

THEATER 

Shotgun Players, “Cyrano de Bergerac” at 4 p.m., Sat. and Sun. through Sept. 11, at John Hinkle Park, labor day perf. Sept. 5. Free with pass the hat donation after the show. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Teen Playreaders “Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes” in commemoration of Peace Day at 3 p.m. at the Berkeley Public Library North Branch, 1170 The Alameda. 981-6250. 

FILM 

Louis Malle: “Murmer of the Heart” at 6:30 p.m. and “Lacombe, Lucien” at 8:50 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

Jewish Film Festival from noon to 9 p.m. at Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theater. Tickets are available from 925-275-9490. www.sfjff.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Bay Area Poets Coalition holds an open reading, 3 to 5 p.m., on the front lawn at 1527 Virginia St. Cross street is Sacramento, one block walk from North Berkeley BART. Free. 527-9905. poetalk@aol.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

UC Berkeley Summer Symphony, in an all-Russian program, at 8 p.m. at Hertz Hall, UC Campus. Tickets are $3-$10. 642-4864. www.ucbsummersymphony.com  

Rhoda Benin & Soulful Strut at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

The Moodswing Orchestra at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Swing dance leson with Nick & Shanna at 8 p.m. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Montclair Woman’s Big Band at 8:30 p.m.at La Peña. Conversation with the artists at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $14-$16. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Braziu at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10-$12. 548-1159. www.shattuckdownlow.com 

Samantha Raven and Friends at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Great Night of Rumi at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

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

Maya Kronfeld Trio at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

New West Guitar Quartet at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

The Junes, acoustic folk, at 7 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

Odori Simcha and Neal Cronin, acoustic guitar and vocals at 8 p.m. at A Cuppa Tea, 3200 College Ave.  

Three Piece Rabbit, Nuclear Rabbit at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $6. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Introspect, Midnight Laserbeam, Loiter Cognition at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $7. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7 

CHILDREN 

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

FILM 

Harold Lloyd: “For Heaven’s Sake” at 3 p.m. and Pre-Code Hollywood: “Girls About Town” at 5:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jazz Spoken Word Sponsored by The Jazz House at 6 p.m. at Kimball’s Carnival, 522 Second St., Oakland. Cost is $5. 415-846-9432. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Lenny Williams at 3 p.m. at Music in the Park at Arroyo Viejo Park, 7701 Krause St., Oakland. Sponsored by Councilperson Desley Brooks. 

Josh Workman World Music Group at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Hal Sinsratz at 10 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

The Men of the Basement at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $10. 845-5373.  

Chuchumbe, from Veracruz, at 7 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

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

King of Kings, reggae, at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$7. 548-1159.  

MONDAY, AUGUST 8 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Under the Influence” sculptures by artists with disabilities opens at NIAD Art Center, 551 23rd St. Richmond. To Sept. 16. 620-0290. www.niadart.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Express with Paula Farkas at 7 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

West Coast Songwriters Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $15.50-$16.50. 548-1761 www.freightandsalvage.org 

Shelly Berg Trio at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $7-$14. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, AUGUST 9 

CHILDREN 

Just Kidding performs traditional American music using song, instruments and movement, at 7 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., Albany. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

The Whole Note Poetry Series with Selene Steese and Raymond Nat Turner at 7 p.m. at The Beanery, 2925 College Ave., near Ashby. 549-9093. 

FILM 

Eyeing Nature: “The Forest for the Trees: Judi Bari vs the FBI” with Bernadine Mellis in person at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

EMAM and friends, world beat, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Singers’ Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Larry Vuckovich, piano, at 8 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Bob Kenmotsu, tenor sax, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Emeline Michel at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Yosemite in Time” Re-photographs of the work of landscape photographers, by Mark Klett and Byron Wolfe, opens at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2625 Durant Ave. www.bampfa.edu 

FILM 

For Your Eyes Only: “Our Man in Havana” at 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $4-$8. 642-0808.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

John Irving introduces his new novel, “Until I Find You” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

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

Café Poetry hosted by Kira Allen at 7:30 p.m. at La Peña. Donation $2. 849-2568.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

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

Brown Baggin, oaktown funk, at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5. 548-1159.  

Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart, roots country originals, at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50- $18.50. 548-1761. 

Mark Little Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Yosvany Terry Quintet at 8 and 10 p.m. Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$16. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Now that they’re bare of fruit, it’s safe to talk about the handful of loquat trees, Eriobotrya japonica, on the streets of Berkeley. I’ll admit I’m a bit paranoid on this matter. I used to live with a pair of them, planted by the landlord in the curb strip where we rented on Derby Street for years. One of them had bad bark scarring when we moved there and subsequently died when a strong wind snapped it in two.  

The unfortunate tree had been loved, or at least lusted after, to death. Over the years it had been the habit of passing children to snatch fruit from the tree—sometimes even climbing the poor spindly thing to do so—and they weren’t particularly careful or kind when doing so. Usually they grabbed a whole cluster and ripped it off. This tore the bark off the branch the fruit hung from, and, repeated over some years, gave the tree some proportionately huge bark injuries. 

A tree wears its vital organs just under its skin. Bark injuries in a tree are not much like skin injuries in an animal; they’re more like gut wounds. They can screw up the flow of water, minerals and nutrients between roots and leaves, and admit insects and disease organisms. The tree weakens, the wood rots, and one day a random breeze finishes it off. Crash! 

That’s what happened on Derby Street. When the loquat blew over, it revealed that it had been struggling along for years on less than half of its rightful vital systems. There was nothing at all in its center, a hollow where support wood should have been (imagine living without half your bones.) There was a huge band of dead cambium around half of the trunk’s circumference. It was a mark of valor that the tree had stood for as long as it had. 

In a fit of arboristic anger and grief for the tree, whom I’d liked, I sawed off the stump to about three feet off the ground to display the results of its careless treatment. I’m sure that was a quixotic gesture, though I bored some few passers-by with explications. Eventually I took the whole thing out and planted an olive, which was still standing the last time I looked. It wasn’t authorized, but that stretch of Derby is weirdly tree-poor, and I’m not apologizing. 

The other pity about this story is that loquats are rare, not so much on the streets as in the store, at least in the United States. (I hear they’re easier to find in the Mediterranean, Central America, and of course Asia, where the tree originated.) I rarely see them, even at the Farmers’ Market or the Berkeley Bowl, and that’s too bad; they’re tasty and different.  

The fruit most resembles apricots but is less mealy, with a bit of tang and a slight flower scent. The seeds take up more space within the fruit than the average apricot’s: three to five of them, brown and tucked together like puzzle pieces. The skin is very slightly fuzzy; orange, yellow, or white, depending on the cultivar.  

One great thing about it is that it appears so early in the year—March to June, about the time when we’re thinking with longing of summer stone fruits, and well ahead of local ripe peaches, plums, and apricots. 

It doesn’t travel well, though; it bruises easily, which is why it’s so scarce commercially. But the individual trees are generous, and you can have lots of fruit with very little effort—I never did feed that tree, and what water it got was to roots it had under my garden, on the other side of the sidewalk. Otherwise, like most street trees, its roots were completely covered by pavement.  

If by good luck you have a surfeit of loquats, try poaching them lightly and putting them up in syrup or freezing them. Just plunking them in the fridge erases some of the subtle flavor notes. But I think I’d just eat them out of hand. Or trade with neighbors for some of their produce—so early in summer, you’re in little danger of being avalanched with zucchini in return.?

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2 

“National Night Out” Public safety awareness forum focusing on alcohol and drug fueled crime and violence in Berkeley from a faith-based perspective. From 6 to 9 p.m. at McGee Avenue Baptist Church, 1640 Stuart St. at McGee Ave. 658-2467. www.berkeleyboca.org 

“At Knit’s End : Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much” with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee at 2 p.m. at Stash Yarns on 1820 Solano Ave. Proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to Doctors Without Borders. RSVP to 558- YARN. 

Exploring Baja California Hiking, kayaking, mountain biking and more with Trudi Angell at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140.  

Family Story Time at 7 p.m. at the Kensington Branch Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. Free, all ages welcome. 524-3043. 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. 215-7672, 524-9992. 

Berkeley Salon Discussion Group meets to discuss “The Coarseness of Culture” 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.  

Healthy Eating Habits and Hypnosis A free seminar at 6:30 p.m. in Oakland. Registration required. 465-2524. 

Brainstormer Weekly Pub Quiz from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Pyramid Alehouse Brewery, 901 Gilman St. 528-9880. 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your digital images, slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. 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. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3 

Berkeley Path Wanderers’ Tour of WWII Ship Building History Explore the Exhibits of the Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park on a level three-mile walk on the Bay Trail. Meet at 10 a.m. at Shimada Park, Richmond. 235-2835. For a map see www.ci.richmond.ca.us/trac/ 

“Falluja April 2004” a documentary of the invasion by Toshikuni Doi, at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Free, but $5 donations accepted. 

Walking Tour of Old Oakland around Preservation Park to see Victorian architecture. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of Preservation Park at 13th St. and MLK, Jr. Way. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

Berkeley Communicators Toastmasters welcomes curious guests & new members. Meets at 7:15 a.m. at Au Coquelet Cafe, 2000 University Ave. at Milvia. 435-5863.  

Bicycle Maintenance 101 Learn how to identify and fix your bike’s simple mechanical problems at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140.  

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

Sing your Way Home A free sing-a-long at 4:30 p.m. every Wed. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Orientation at 10 a.m. at 6230 Claremont Ave., Oakland. Advance sign-up needed 594-5165. 

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

Entrepreneurs Networking at 8 a.m. at A’Cuppa Tea, 3202 College Ave. at Alcatraz. Cost is $5. For more information contact JB, 562-9431. 

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

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4 

Baby Massage for new and expecting parents at 10 a.m. at Bananas, 5232 Claremont Ave., Oakland. To register 658-7353. 

“Statue of Liberty: Enlightening the World” A History Channel video at 1:30 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720. 

“Globalization, Natural Resource Protection, and the Effects of War” with Silas Siakor, recipient of the Whitley: Sting & Trudie Styler Award for Human Rights & the Environment, at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

Nepalese Culture Shekwa Night at 5 p.m. at Taste of the Himalayas, 1700 Shattuck Ave., Suite # A. Free. 849-4983. www.tasteofthehimalayas.com 

Home Buyer Assistance Information Session at 6 p.m. at 1504 Franklin St., Oakland. Sponsored by the Home Buyer Assistance Center. Free, but reservations required. 832-6925, ext. 100. www.hbac.org 

World of Plants Tours Thurs.-Sun. at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $1-$5. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden. 

berkeley.edu 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5 

Migrant Trail Walk for Life A video and reports on the trail taken by undocumented workers crossing the border in Arizona, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. 342-2519, ext. 6215. 

Red Cross Blood Drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 2480 Bancroft Way. Sponsored by the Community of South Berkeley. to make an appointment call 1-800-448-3543. www.BeADonor.com 

Berkeley Chess Club at 8 p.m. at the East Bay Chess Club, 1940 Virginia St. Players at all levels are welcome. 845-1041. 

Women in Black Vigil, from noon to 1 p.m. at UC Berkeley, Bancroft at Telegraph. wibberkeley@yahoo.com 548-6310, 845-1143. 

Meditation, Peace Vigil and Dialogue, gather at noon on the grass close to the West Entrance to UC Berkeley, on Oxford St. near University Ave. 655-6169. www.bpf.org 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 

Peace Lantern Ceremony August 6th is the 60th anniversary of the world’s first atomic bombing. Gather to float lanterns in remembrance of the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and all victims of war. Decorate lantern shades, hear Japanese flute and drum performances, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Aquatic Park, at the west end of Addison Street, two blocks west of Sixth St. and a block south of University Ave. 595-4626. Lanterns2005@progressiveportal.org  

Richmond Centennial Festival from 11 a.m. at Marina Bay Park, Richmond. Vendors, live music, children’s activities and fireworks in the evening. 

Fruitvale Transit Village Family Day Celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Transit Village Plaza, with live music and performances, human scale chess game, and other activities. www.bayennale.com 

Sick Plant Clinic UC plant pathologist 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 UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. 643-2755.  

Summer Bird Walk with Dennis Wolff and Chris Carmichael at 9 a.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Dr. Cost is $8-$12. Registration required. 643-2755. 

Kids Garden Club For children 7-12 years old to explore the world of gardening. We plant, harvest, build, make crafts, cook and get dirty! From 2 to 4 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $5-$7, registration required. 525-2233. 

The Bat Detective Learn about the only mammal that flies, on a hike into the evening. Meet at 7 p.m. at the Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $5-$7, registration required. 636-1684. 

“A Traveler’s Guide to the Solar System” A lecture by William K. Hartmann, winner of the first Carl Sagan medal at 7 p.m. at Chabot Space and Science Center. Cost is $6-$7. 336-7373. www.chabotspace.org 

Oakland Heritage Alliance Walking Tour of Uptown Art Deco. Cost is $5-$10. For details call 763-9218. www.oaklandheritage.org 

Progressive Democrats of the East Bay Potluck picnic and general meeting on the special election, at 12:30 p.m. at Cordonices Park, Euclid and Eunice across from the Rose Garden. We'll bring the drinks and charcoal. 526-4632. 

Walking Tour of Jack London Waterfront Meet at 10 a.m. at the corner of Broadway and Embarcadero. Tour lasts 90 minutes. For reservations call 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com 

Free Help with Computers at the El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito. Registration required. 526-7512. 

“Spiritual Forces of the Universe” with Vovo Anomalia at 3 p.m. at Studio Rasa, 933 Parker St. at 8th. Cost is $15. 415-435-2255. 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7 

Social Action Forum with Eric Mills, coordinator for Action for Animals, at 9:30 a.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Strawberry Creek Work Party to help weed himalayan blackberry, cape ivy and other non-natives from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Strawberry Creek Lodge, 1320 Addison St. Please RSVP to kateholum@yahoo.com  

Richmond Centennial Festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Point Richmond with an old fashioned parade and picnic. Party at 5 p.m. at the Richmond Memorial Convention Center to celebrate “Richmond Through the Decades,” a media production. Party tickets are $50. For reservations call 234-3514. 

Stay Cool on the Trail enjoy a hike through a riparian canyon and learn about the lives of dragon flies, snakes and secretive packrats. Meet at 1 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

Music in the Park at Arroyo Viejo Park with Lenny Williams at 3 p.m. at 7701 Krause St., Oakland. Sponsored by Councilperson Desley Brooks. 

Senior Shoreline Hike along the Martin Luther King Shoreline from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Bring a hat, jacket and binoculars. 636-1684. 

Campfire and Singalong from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. uphill from Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Bring your hot dogs, buns, marshmallows and long sticks. Dress for fog. Call for disabled assistance. 525-2233. 

Hands-on Bike Maintenance Learn how to prevent and repair flats on your bike at 10 a.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Bring your bike and tools. 527-4140. 

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

Chimpanzee Discovery Day at 10 a.m. at the Oakland Zoo, 9777 Golf Links Rd. 632-9525. www.oaklandzoo.org 

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

MONDAY, AUGUST 8 

Spanish Book Club, led by Ricardo Antonio Navarette meets at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books, Telegraph Ave. For title of book to be discussed see www.codysbooks.com 

Jewish Community Federation’s Young Leadership Division meets at 7 p.m. at Cuvae, 5299 College Ave., Oakland. Cost is $10. 839-2900 ext. 208. www.jfed.org/yld 

CITY MEETINGS 

Commission on the Status of Women meets Wed., Aug. 3, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Tasha Tervelon, 981-5190. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ 

commissions/women 

?

He’s a soft-spoken man with a relaxed manner, an open smile and a gentle handshake—the perfect temperament for a developer tackling a landmarked Berkeley building. 

But if he wanted to, he could kick your ass. 

Besides being the 40-year-old builder who is restoring a Telegraph Avenue mainstay, David Clahan is a master of the martial arts. Before tackling the vacant Gorman Furniture Building, his last project was the Ralph Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy at the northeast corner of Ashby Avenue and Sacramento Street. 

For the last 11 years, Clahan has been a student of Brazilian-born Gracie, and he’s now an instructor at the new Berkeley academy and the holder of an impressive collection of titles in his own right. 

Judging by the experience of other builders, one might think a fighter’s skills would be helpful in dealing with all the potential hurdles, but Clahan says folks have been but nothing but helpful at every turn. 

The builder/fighter bought the historic furniture building at the corner of Telegraph Avenue and Parker Street from Ali Kashani, a former affordable housing developer who’s now entered the ranks of for-profit development. 

“He warned me again and again when I was buying the property,” said Clahan, “but the landmarks people have been very helpful.” 

It was Kashani who sold Clahan the building after abandoning his own plans for the structure. 

As work on the venerable wood frame structure at 2599 Telegraph nears completion, Clahan’s already won the praises of Leslie Emmington, the member of the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) who has probably voted “no” on more projects than any of her other fellow commissioners. 

Indeed, as Emmington and fellow LPC member reviewed the latest draft of Clahan’s plans outside the building Monday, she was encouraging him to tackle yet another Berkeley landmark-in-the-making a few blocks away. 

“You’ve really done a wonderful job,” she told the builder. “It’s really been a pleasure.” 

When it’s all done—hopefully in time for the back-to-school housing rush later next month—the J. Gorman & Son Building will be restored to its former glory, though all that remains of the original will be the siding. 

Among the restorations he’d bring is the long-vanished “witch’s cap,” the tipi-shaped roof atop the turret over the building’s main entrance at the corner of Telegraph Avenue and Parker Street. 

That cheerful architectural fillip was lost in a remodeling, and the restoration will give the building a distinctive Victorian touch. 

Also returning will be the long-vanished transom windows over the ground floor windows of the two commercial spaces, adding yet another touch of elegance. 

The J. Gorman & Son Building meets both definitions of a landmark. While the official legal status was bestowed in December 2000, Gorman had been a Berkeley cultural landmark since 1876, when Irish immigrant John Gorman opened his furniture and upholstery business. 

In 1906 the corner store expanded further north on Telegraph Avenue, and the business remained a Berkeley mainstay through three generations of Gormans until Chuck and Andrea Rosenberg bought the business in 1996. 

The Gormans sold the building itself to Kashani and architect Kava Massih in 2001. 

In September 2003, the Rosenbergs moved the furniture business to 3400 Broadway in Oakland, ending a Berkeley run of 127 years. 

Kashani and Massih later abandoned their plans for refurbishing the structure. 

“I got the impression that the scope of work was beyond their intentions, but because I do a lot of the work myself, I thought I could handle it,” Clahan said. He hired Massih’s architectural firm to draw up plans for the project. 

“I loved it from the moment I first saw it. It was like a diamond in the rough, ready to come out. And it really wasn’t so bad, considering some of the projects I’ve handled,” he said. 

Clahan was eager to tackle a new project. He’d recently sold one of his earlier projects, and he needed to plow the profits back into a new building or face a sizable capital gains hit. 

Besides the complications posed by additional levels of review, the building’s landmark status offered one clear advantage: the chance to use the state Historic Building Code, which eases some rules to allow developers to restore officially designated in a more cost-efficient manner.  

Clahan learned the building business from the top down. 

“I started out as a roofer, and worked my way into real estate,” he said. He formed his own company, bought and restored some investment properties, selling the company in 1994. 

“Every year I try to buy a couple of buildings and work on them,” he said. “I like to move up a level when I do.” 

He’s renovated quite a few homes, occupying many of them for a time. He lives in Albany with his spouse and their 12-year-old daughter. Before that he lived in Berkeley. 

He has done commercial projects before, but Gorman’s is the biggest structure he’s ever tackled. “It’s not the most complex, though,” he adds. 

By the time the last paint has dried and the final finishing touches are in place, the old/new furniture building will offer something perhaps unique in Berkeley—the only apartment building around that offers three- and four-bedroom apartments, two of each, ranging in size from 1,100 to 1,500 square feet each. 

And if all goes as planned, they’ll be ready to rent when students and teachers return for the fall semester. 

He’s already signed up one tenant for the northernmost of the two commercial space. Krishna Copy will be moving down from another landmark further up the street, the Mrs. Edmund P. King Building at 2501 Telegraph Ave. 

For the second space, he envisions a cafe or coffee shop—though doing so would require a zoning change. 

Asked just how many projects Clahan has tackled to date, the modest builder says he can only estimate. “This may be number 50,” he said. 

What’s next? 

“I’m going to take some time off,” he said.Ã

The air around these pages has been crackling of late with thunderbolts hurled from the Olympian heights of Berkeley’s arts community. No sooner does artist A praise, for example, the primitive power of the examples of art at the Albany Bulb than artist B ripostes with suggestions that they are untidy and barely accessible. The “Here-There” metal cutouts installed on the Berkeley-Oakland border, to the tune of $50,000, are either witty examples of post-modernism or ludicrous mis-spending of public funds. The only public sculpture, (as far as anyone can remember) which was ratified by a ballot initiative is still, many years later, the target of derision in some circles. In light of all this excitement, it’s hard not to suppress a smile at one writer’s comment that “visual arts coverage in the Planet is infrequent and often inaccurate, a tradition one hopes will be corrected before Berkeley’s vibrant visual arts community dies of neglect or goes elsewhere.”  

We’d be devastated to believe that the visual arts in Berkeley would wither and fade if not covered adequately in the Planet, but we can’t take ourselves quite that seriously. In fact, I’ve recently been having some difficulty taking any kind of art very seriously, since I’ve been reading What Good are the Arts?, a provocative book by British critic (and literature professor) John Carey. His premise, examined at great length and with many side trips into history, philosophy and science, is that the only credible answer to the question “What is a work of art?” is “Anything that anyone has ever considered a work of art, though it may be a work of art for only one person.” 

Further, Carey says, “the absence of any God-given absolutes, together with the impossibility of accessing other people’s consciousness, prevents us—or should prevent us—from pronouncing other people’s aesthetic judgments right or wrong.” So much for art reviews. His arguments in support of this conclusion are too long to reiterate here, but they persuade me, at least while I’m reading them. 

They take on particular importance when the question before the house is whether public funds should be devoted to supporting the arts. The $50,000 which was allocated to the “Here-There” sculpture is a substantial sum, generated by a “percent-for-art” allocation of funds provided for public buildings like Berkeley’s new public safety building.  

When I was in law school I interned for a semester with the Jerry Brown incarnation of the California Arts Council, which dispensed state support for the arts, at the time in generous quantity. It was a lively bunch, including people like Peter Coyote and Gary Snyder, and its most important product was spirited discussions of the role and function of public funding for the arts. I took one major conclusion away from listening to them talk: people—voters, taxpayers, spectators, whoever—absolutely detested large publicly-funded sculptures in public places, or at least the ones they’d been offered until then (the early ‘80s). I have no reason to think anything’s changed as I overhear conversations in Berkeley about recent sculpture installations downtown (slag column No No No, tuning fork Maybe). 

Back to Cary. He finds most value for the arts in participation. He looks at art programs for prisoners as being especially redemptive regardless of content, giving convicts the opportunity to do something they can be proud of for a change. He’s hard on those who support high art over mass art: “The characteristics of popular or mass art that seem most objectionable to its high-art critics—violence, sensationalism, escapism, an obsession with romantic love—minister to human needs inherited from our remote ancestors over hundreds of thousands of years. Activities such as women’s fashion, gardening and football can be shown to meet these needs in ways that high art doesn’t. Consequently when commentators such as Iris Murdoch set out to construct a philosophical proof of the superiority of high art, the result is catastrophic and self-deluding.”  

One might justifiably inquire whether fifty thousand dollars-worth of public pleasure in Berkeley might have been better generated by, for example, sculpture in a park which kids could also climb on. Or, even better, by spending the equivalent amount on protecting opportunities for citizens to create their own artworks. Arts programs in the schools are dying. Space in the East Bay to pursue art projects, especially large dirty ones, is being gobbled up by condominium construction. Free-for-all display environments like the Bulb are giving way to sanitized juried arts centers.  

Let’s give John Carey one last word: 

“If art is to be regarded as a collection of monuments it casts the majority of people in the drab and secondary role of monument-visitors, and negates the possibility of participation in art as a redemptive activity.” Rather than arguing about whether monuments like “Here-There” should be anywhere at all, the Berkeley arts community ought to focus its attention on broadening the possibility of participation in art for more Berkeley citizens. 

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