Although former Berkeley Police Sgt. Cary Kent, who pleaded guilty to felony charges of grand theft and possession of heroin and methamphetamine was sentenced Friday to one year in county jail, he’ll do no time behind bars. Friday, Judge Don Clay offered the now-retired officer an “alternative” to jail.  

Kent and his attorney, former Berkeley Police officer Harry Stern, will be back before the judge on June 27 to propose alternative sentencing, such as wearing an electronic ankle bracelet or doing work furlough. Kent, who stole heroin, meth and pills from the police department evidence locker that he supervised, compromised at least one criminal drug case, Clay said.

Zoning Adjustments Board members ruled on three controversial projects Thursday night, approving the environmental impact report and the permit that will enable construction of a new Berkeley Bowl at 920 Heinz Ave., denying a permit for a new Quizno’s sandwich shop and approving installation of a new odor-control system for Pacific Steel Casting, 1421 Second St. 

In a marathon session that lasted until 2:14 a.m., members devoted most of the meeting to the Berkeley Bowl, hearing public comments and devoting much of their own discussion to the store’s impacts on already congested West Berkeley streets. 

In the end, the board voted 6-3 to approve the project, with David Blake, Dean Metzger and Andy Katz voting against the project, citing concerns that the document failed to give enough attention to the major increase in traffic on thoroughfares and neighborhood streets. 

On a 5-4 vote, the board approved the use permit enabling construction, with the additional condition that the city should impose the proposed Transportation Services Fee if that measure is enacted by the city council, up to a maximum amount of $1.8 million. 

The fee would be appealable to the City Council. 

Voting against the permit as amended were Allen, Jesse Anthony, Raudel Wilson and Metzger, with the first three voting their disapproval of the fee addition. 

Quizno’s 

Parking was the decisive issue in the case of the proposed Quizno’s, whose owners had sought a reduction of two of the five parking spaces required by ordinance. 

Project neighbors turned out to oppose the reduction, citing existing congestion in the neighborhood cause by Summit Alta Bates Medical Center, Whole Foods and medical offices in the immediate area. 

A move to deny the project carried on a 5-4 vote, with Allen, Anthony, Katz and Rick Judd voting against the measure. 

Pacific Steel 

The proposal to install a $2 million carbon air filtering system as Pacific Steel Casting was opposed by most of the facility's neighbors who managed to persevere until the board took up the item at 1:15 a.m. 

Union workers and company officials came out in support, as did representatives of the San Francisco Bay Area Air Quality Management District. 

The board approved the project on a unanimous voice vote at 2:12 a.m. 

The board also gave their OK to a permit that will create a new tattoo and body piercing salon at 2599 Telegraph Ave. 

Allen and Metzger voted against the project.

A string of arson and suspicious fires has plagued a normally quiet South Berkeley neighborhood since Monday, causing jitters among residents in the area around Shattuck Avenue and the Ashby BART Station. 

At about 11:30 p.m. Monday night a fire blackened a controversial and blighted building, known as the “flying cottage,” under remodeling at the corner of Essex Street and Shattuck Avenue, causing $350,000 in damage. 

Around the same time, a small fire at the Ashby BART station was quickly extinguished. At first, firefighters thought it might have been caused by a spark from the Shattuck Avenue fire, but, given the other recent fires, the department will be looking at this one as possibly suspicious, said Deputy Fire Chief David Orth. 

Firefighters are also looking at a couch set on fire Monday evening around 10 p.m. near the “Here/There” sculpture on the Berkeley-Oakland border near where Martin Luther King, Jr. Way intersects with Adeline Street. 

Then at around 12:30 a.m. Thursday morning another int entionally set fire at 1912 Essex Street sent its four residents running to the safety of the street. The house where tenant Kathy Zitani and her family had lived for 18 years suffered $100,000 in damages and a loss of about $30,000 in contents, Orth sai d. 

And at around the same time, a cut-down pine tree on the Ashby BART’s east parking lot was set ablaze. “It was intentionally set,” Orth said. 

Monday’s two-alarm blaze at 3054 Shattuck Ave., reported at 11:28 p.m., burned for about an hour and requir e d 30 fire personnel, five engines and two trucks. 

The mostly boarded-up building, owned by Christina Sun, who resides in Berkeley and Pasadena, had been raised from almost two to three stories several years ago and renamed the “flying cottage” by detra cto rs, who prefer the original cottage-like version of the house that now sits atop the boxlike unfinished structure beneath it. 

“The building had fire damage to all three levels,” Orth said, noting that firefighters took the roof apart when they put th e fi re out. “Actually, the structure itself is in a pretty good state.” 

Orth explained that the boarded-up partly-finished structure was listed with the city as a “problem property.” 

He said he thought it was inspected regularly by the city. However, M ic hael Kaplan of the city’s Neighborhood Services Division said the property hadn’t been looked at for a year by the Problem Property Team. 

The remodeling project was halted in June 2003 after some neighbors objected, claiming that Sun intended to h ouse mo re than a single family in the structure in violation of the permit. The house has remained boarded up since then. 

Calling the timing of the fire “interesting,” Mark Rhoades, land-use planning manager with the city, said a building permit was approve d on Fr iday. 

However, due to the fire, the permit will not be issued until the extent of the damage is determined. “It will continue to be an eyesore,” he said. 

On Tuesday, after looking at her damaged house a second time that day, Sun met with a repor ter on t he porch of neighbor Denise Brown. They were soon joined by another neighbor, Ava Jourdain, who has been adamantly opposed to Sun’s renovation. 

Brown said she does not count herself among the die-hard opponents of Sun’s project. She was gr ateful tha t Sun had come by early that morning to make sure the fire hadn’t damaged her home. Brown says she understands many of the neighborhood concerns, yet she communicates well with Sun.  

With the blackened building as a backdrop, Sun wanted to spe ak mor e abo ut the project than about the fire. 

“Most of the neighbors instantly feel like the project will change the neighborhood,” Sun said. “Even though the plans were legal, (neighbors) got very unhappy.” 

Sun said that Berkeley zoning allowed raising th e buil ding on Shattuck, a commercial corridor, despite the fact that it bordered on two residences. She said that’s why there were no mandatory public hearings. 

“I’ve not really talked to people,” Sun said, explaining that she had her architect and engi neers d o the talking for her. “People have prejudged the idea. Their goal was to stop the development. It doesn’t matter who I am. I am the enemy.” 

She said she is in the process of complying with requirements the city imposed so that she can f inish the project, inc luding professional landscaping and re-engineering to comply with new earthquake safety standards. “The requirements are a lot stricter,” she said. 

Sun was visibly frustrated. “I’ve lost so much money. I could walk away from it,” s he said. “If I kn ew thi s much earlier, I wouldn’t have done it.” 

Jourdain responded, “Please walk away from it.” 

Directing her anger at the Planning Department and zoning laws, Jourdain said, “The process should not have excluded us. There are lessons learned for every one. Ju st because commercial is so close to residences, they shouldn’t dismiss the neighbors—that’s what the Planning Department did.” 

“Maybe the neighbors will pay my costs,” Sun said, challenging Jourdain. “You’ve got to respect my rights. E veryone ha s different views. This is a democracy.” 

“But democracy includes everyone having a voice,” Jourdain said. 

In an earlier interview, Brown talked about being awakened by someone at the door Monday night. She believed someone was breaking into the house, but soon realized the corner house was ablaze. 

Brown has had ongoing concerns about the property. 

“People had been staying in the house,” she said, adding that she had talked to Sun about the squatters and Sun said she asked police to patrol the house. Also, Br own said, grass had grown tall around the house, but Sun had it cut down on Sunday.  

“I knew it was going to happen,” Brown said of the fire, noting there had been “a little grass fire” the previous summer. 

The owner fenced off the h ouse after that, she said. 

House Fire on Essex 

Thursday morning, Kathy Zitani looked at the badly burned house she and her family had lived in for 18 years. She had been awakened in the early-morning hours by someone screaming from the street, “Fire! fi re!” “I could have died,” she said.  

“We were all safe in the house. My daughter was on the computer. My husband was asleep,” she said. “I want my home back. I have no place to live.” 

Ì

In 1956 Pat and Fred Cody borrowed $5,000 and gave birth to the original Cody’s Books in an 18-by-29-foot shop on Euclid Ave.  

But there might be no golden anniversary celebrations this year. Cody’s flagship store, on Telegraph Avenue since the sixties, will close its doors for the last time July 10. 

Owner and president Andy Ross, who bought the company in 1977, announced the closure in a press release Tuesday. Ross, who also runs Cody’s on Fourth Street and opened Cody’s on Stockton Street in San Fran cisco in September, cited competition from Internet sales and giant chains, as well as inadequate support from city officials as reasons the Telegraph Avenue business was losing money.  

At the Telegraph store, “business is down 66 percent from 1990,” sai d Ross in a brief interview among the tables and shelves of new books on the lower level of the Telegraph store. On the other hand he said, “Fourth Street [Cody’s] is doing well and San Francisco is growing.” 

Ross added that “the Telegraph store has been more academic and scholarly. The other stores are less academic and more literary.” 

People now tend to buy these books on line, he said. 

Moreover, Ross added, the city has played a negative role, having ignored Telegraph Avenue. 

“The city has decided to treat downtown as an economic opportunity and to treat Telegraph as a crime problem and not as an economic opportunity,” Ross said. 

City of Berkeley Community Development Project Coordinator Dave Fogarty said that retail sales, with the exception of restaurants, have been down in Berkeley since 2001. Downtown and Telegraph business districts are not doing well. “Adjusted for inflation, Telegraph Avenue sales are down 30 percent since 1990,” Fogarty said.  

Telegraph Avenue Business Improvement Distri ct Executive Director Roland Peterson said that on May 1, there were 23 vacant stores in the Telegraph Avenue area, 11 percent of the total area businesses. 

North Shattuck, Elmwood and Solano districts have been stable, while Fourth Street is the only ar ea where sales have increased, Fogarty said. He agreed that the city has put a lot of money into the downtown—retrofitting the library, the civic center building and the public safety building, plus amenities. 

“There has been nothing comparable on Telegr aph,” he said. 

And in the Telegraph shopping area, parking is inconvenient and social problems visible. 

“There are migratory youth and drug dealing,” Fogarty said, noting that people “are acting out obnoxiously,” shouting and sitting on the sidewalk with their feet sticking out. “People find it unpleasant.” 

Councilmember Kriss Worthington, whose district includes the Telegraph Avenue area, agrees that the city needs to do more. That includes restoring the two bicycle police positions cut two years ago—there are still two bike cops on Telegraph—and restoring the team of social workers that used to work on Telegraph Avenue. Worthington said he is making that proposal to the City Council as part of the budget process. 

John McBride, a former bookseller at Moe’s Books on Telegraph, calls the scene on Telegraph Avenue “Berkeley’s zoo,” but does not think shoppers there are intimidated by homeless or disoriented people. 

Pat Cody identifies another problem: the poor mix of businesses that fail to address the needs of faculty and older residents. “Now there’s mostly fast food, geared toward students,” she said. 

Fogarty would like to see something like a nightclub open up on Telegraph, but that creates other problems and the police don’t want it, he said.  

Worthington pointed out that zoning laws hurt the business community. If a clothing store replaces a video rental store, there’s a lot of red tape because a retail business is replacing a service business, he noted. 

Pat Cody also blamed book stores’ prob lems on the publishing industry, which, she said, can market books directly on line.  

McBride, who worked at Moe’s between 1986 and 1997, said building personal relations between the booksellers and the customers is key. “(Moe) did not want anyone on sta ff low-balling the customers. He engaged the customers in building the store,” he said. 

Iwithout doubt Cody’s on Telegraph will be missed, both by other businesses which profit because it draws customers and from book-lovers that flock to the shelves. 

A lan Cheng was looking at titles on one of the shelves on Wednesday, picking up one or another to examine at his leisure. A New York high school teacher, Cheng said he visits Cody’s on Telegraph whenever he comes to the Bay Area. 

“It’s a great place to re lax and browse,” he said. He wouldn’t go to the nearby Barnes and Noble. “It definitely seems more personal here.” 

Over in the abundant magazine and book section, news of the closing surprised Laura Cunningham, who lives in a small city in Nevada. 

“Oh C ody’s is closing,” she said. “I grew up in Berkeley and moved away. I miss good book stores. Too bad.” 

Just outside, Gwynne Coffee was busy arranging flowers at the stand in front of the store. Ross had just told her that the stand would be able to conti nue leasing its site from him. 

A fourth generation Berkeleyan, Coffee wasn’t thinking about the vacancy rate among the businesses or economic development on the avenue. She was more interested in preserving the avenue’s individuality. 

“I’ll be really pissed off if another big chain comes in, especially a stinking Starbucks,” Coffee said. 

›

On Wednesday afternoon a sea lion at the Berkeley Marina did more than just catch a ball on its nose and clap.  

After lunging at a crew member’s leg on a the New El Dorado III boat docked on the Marina pier, it grabbed at a kid’s backpack on the pier, a nd later that afternoon went on to bite a sizable chunk out of the calf of one of the crew members on the California Dawn boat. 

“I was standing there on the dock, watching the men clean the fish they had just brought in when the sea lion just jumped up f rom the water and caught me on the outside of my left calf,” said Tawny Huston, the crew member who was bitten. “It took me completely by surprise,” 

Huston was taken to the Kaiser emergency center in Vallejo after the incident occurred and was given anti biotics to sustain the injury. The bite left a 2 1/2 inch gash; the doctors were unable to stitch a portion of the flesh that was missing from the calf, Huston said. 

Standing on the deck of the California Dawn yesterday afternoon while rescue workers fr om the Marine Mammal Center tried to capture the 600-pound male sea lion, Huston said she only hoped that the seal lion would be captured safely and relocated to a place where it could live peacefully. 

“We will do our best to use orthodox methods to trap it,” said Shelbi Stoudt, the Marine Mammal Center officer who was co-ordinating the rescue operations yesterday afternoon. “But we also have to keep in mind the size of the animal and his behavior and act accordingly. We want to make it extremely clear t o the public that we are dealing with an aggressive animal here.” 

Also present at the Marina for the rescue mission was Norm Simmons, special agent with the NOAA office of enforcement of the Marine Manual Protection Act. 

“The sea lions are usually fed fish by the fishermen who dock their boats here after coming in from a fishing trip every day,” he said. “According to the Marine Mammal Protection Act it is illegal to tease, harrass, feed, or even come close to a marine mammal. But the fishermen violate this law all the time. As a result the sea lions have got used to getting a regular supply of food everyday. Somehow this particular sea lion turned aggressive and attacked.” 

Simmons added that after being trapped, the sea lion would be taken to the Mari ne Mammal Center which specializes in sick, injured or aggressive marine animals and it would be located to a less populated environment after that.  

Rescue operations went on for more than three hours Thursday afternoon. At one point the rescue team coaxed the large mammal with a chunk of salmon out of the water and onto the pier, where hiding behind protective shields, they tried to get it into a cage, but the sea lion jumped back into the water. Around 6 p.m., rescue workers decided to call it a day.  

Ann Hardinger, harbor master at the Berkeley Marina told the Planet that this was the first time something like this had happened at the Berkeley Marina. 

“We have always had sea lions hanging around here and they are some of the friendliest creatures I have ever seen,” she said. “This particular sea lion kept coming back for the last three years and we’ve never had any kind of trouble from it. It had actually grown quite comfortable with its surroundings—given the fact that it was being fed everyday an d that it has never been threatened by anything so far.” 

According to Simmons, although there have been stray cases of sea lions biting or attacking people on beaches in California, the mammals usually don’t eat human flesh. 

As a fishing crew brought in the day’s catch, the sea lion could be seen swimming around the boat for handouts. 

“He gets there before we do,” said one of the crew members smiling. “It’s for the fish you see.””

It finally happened. 

Those of you who have visited my home probably saw the unfinished three-story monstrosity next door. It has been protested by neighbors, lost its permits, and has not been worked on since we moved in here three years ago. 

In the pa st couple of years, it has become a favored resting place for the weary homeless. About two hours ago it went up in flames.  

At about 11:30 Monday night Alexander, Rowan and I were awakened by someone pounding on our door yelling that we had to get out o f the house. We moved quickly and I put on some pants, but only wore a t-shirt, and no shoes. Rowan had on only a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. Zander was the only one of us with shoes. I did grab my camera, though.  

But before I used my camera, I grabbe d the hose, and sprayed the side of our house facing the flames. I even sprayed the flames as they burst through the open window next door, and managed to subdue them a bit in that one spot. But the entire house was involved, all exposed plywood and rafte rs, a giant tinderbox awaiting a match.  

Then a fireman told me to stop because they had the exclusive arrangement for fire-dousing, so I retreated and picked up my camera instead. It still took about five more minutes for the fire fighters to commence t heir watery operations, during which time the fire spread from inside to the whole rooftop, as can be seen in the first picture. A large crowd gathered to watch the spectacle. We stood across the street and gawked along with the rest. 

Eventually they rai sed a ladder to spray water from above, to douse the most stubborn part of the fire. They sprayed using Dawn detergent, generating foam several inches deep in our yard and in the street. This acts to reduce surface tension on the water so that it penetrat es the wood better. One of our neighbors, Claudia, crept into her house and retrieved us some coats to wear to keep us warm. Fortunately it was a warm, windless night. 

It took them another hour to put out all the hotspots, and they are still next door at 1:30 a.m. as I write this, chopping and making sure things won't ignite again. The boys and I are doing our best to let the adrenalin subside, as the noise gradually diminishes, and perhaps we will get a few hours of sleep tonight. 

I am hoping there was not much damage to our home. Fortunately it does not smell too bad, since only wood was burning. There may be a bit of scorching of the paint on the side, but otherwise I think we are OK. 

Most of the neighbors seem happy at this turn of events, because they hated this structure, and had fought hard to block it. I do not know what will happen now. Ironically, the boys and I have been packing and moving our belongings to our new home, eight miles away in Oakland. We will only have about three more nights here. What a send-off! 

n

The 91,060-square-foot project that promises to supply residents of West Berkeley with fresh, organic food won a victory Wednesday. 

Members of the Planning Commission voted 6-2, with Commissioner Mike Sheen abstaining, to recommend City Council approval of planning and zoning law amendments that would clear the way for development of West Berkeley Bowl. The commission also accepted a series of overriding considerations that point up the project’s benefits, certified a final environmental report and appr oved other motions.  

The action represents a major development in a multi-year saga to bring fresh fruits, vegetables and other food to a neighborhood with a high concentration of poverty where the closest grocery store is a liquor shop. 

If the City Cou ncil agrees with commissioners’ recommendations, the city’s General Plan, zoning maps and the West Berkeley Plan will be modified to allow for commercial use at a 1.9-acre portion of the proposed site at 920 Heinz Ave. The area is currently zoned for mixe d use/light industrial buildings. 

Opponents of rezoning the site argue that it would open the floodgates for additional commercial buildings, which could devastate light industry in West Berkeley.  

“Approval of this project means that the future of West Berkeley is non-stop gentrification,” said Zelda Bronstein, a candidate for mayor and former planning commissioner. 

Planning staff insists that would not be the case because the new zoning proposal is limited to the proposed supermarket. 

The second run ning point of contention is traffic. West Berkeley Bowl would generate about 600 additional trips a day and would exacerbate traffic at the intersection of Ashby and San Pablo avenues. 

The environmental impact report concludes that additional traffic can be mitigated; however, many residents and businesspeople insist that congestion will increase. This is of particular concern to the French-American School, which stands adjacent to the proposed project and serves several hundred students between 3 and 11 years of age whose safety may be called into question with additional vehicles circulating the area. 

Planning commissioners approved a motion urging the Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB), which heard the project Thursday after press time, to examine traffi c detriment. 

The commission also expressed concern over allegations that Berkeley Bowl owners would refuse to recognize union representation at the new store. The existing Berkeley Bowl is located on Oregon Street. 

A motion passed urging future decision-making bodies to take up the issue. Six commissioners voted in favor and three abstained because they felt they did not know enough about the allegations to make a decision. 

Wednesday’s approval at the Planning Commission does not mean the fight over We st Berkeley Bowl is finished. 

ZAB considered certifying the environmental impact report and granting use permits last night after press time. If those actions were taken, West Berkeley Bowl moves forward to the City Council May 23, and final approval could be granted as early as June 13. 

However, any stalls along the way could defer a verdict until the fall, when councilmembers return from summer recess. 

Planning Commissioners voted to recommend changes to the city’s contentious Creeks Ordinance on Wednesday as devised by the ad-hoc Creeks Task Force. Or did they? 

The commission agreed to support the work of the task force, which spent more than a year toiling over how to amend the 1989 legislation that regulates development on and near Berkeley’s waterways, but with several caveats. 

Among them, property owners should be allowed to rebuild their homes in the original footprint by right (currently a use permit is required of all homes), standards for environmental review should be relaxed and the use permit process for changing or adding on to existing structures should be “less onerous.” 

Many of these issues, particularly by-right rebuilding, were hotly debated but never resolved among Creeks Task Force members. Mayor Tom Bates, in conjunction with three city councilmembers, announced on Tuesday a proposal to allow by-right rebuilding after a disaster. The recommendation will go before the City Council May 16. 

A handful of members from the homeowners’ advocacy group Neighbors on Urban Creeks said they were pleased with Wednesday’s Planning Commission verdict, but they’re unclear as to exactly what the commission stands for. 

Commissioners Gene Poschman and Mike Sheen voted against the recommendations. Commission Chair Helen Burke abstained. 

The Creeks Ordinance was developed to protect the city’s natural waterways, but has come under fire because it forbids homeowners from rebuilding within 30 feet of a creek, whether open or interred. Many were not aware they owned creekside property until 2004, when the city released maps of Berkeley’s watercourses and sent notices to creekside homeowners informing them that they fall under the jurisdiction of the ordinance.  

The Creeks Ordinance has pitted creeks advocates, who encourage a stronger ordinance, against homeowners, who prefer fewer restrictions on development near natural waterways.  

An additional motion was passed Wednesday instructing staff to submit the opinion of Neighbors on Urban Creeks in addition to commissioner comments to the City Council. City councilmembers are expected to take up the issue for final approval before summer recess..

“While some mothers will be receiving flowers on Mother’s Day, there will be those who will be in tears.” 

With these words began the Mother’s Day Hour of Mourning and Reflection, observed 

in prayerful solidarity with all mothers impacted by the war in Iraq on the San Francisco City Hall Steps on Wednesday. 

The rally was led by students from Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union (GTU) and the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness from City Hall to the War Memorial Veterans Building garden in San Francisco. 

The rally featured 13 giant saint and prophet puppets. Created by seminarians at Berkeley's Graduate Theological Union, the project was part of the GTU class, “Liberation Art: Saints and Prophets in the World.”  

According to Sally Hindman, associate faculty member, “The class looked at how liberation theology might enter into the arts—inspiring faith-based art for social justice in solidarity with those on the margins. It culminated in the decision of class participants to work with formerly homeless seniors from St. Mary’s Center in Oakland and Latino immigrant workers in making giant puppets of saints and prophets who would want to speak up in mourning for all the mothers directly and indirectly impacted by the war in Iraq.” 

The specific saints and prophets the class picked included: Miriam, Rabbi Hillel, St. Francis, a transgender Spirit, St. Martin de Porres, the Virgin of Guadalupe, Rosa Parks, Queen Esther, Job, Nelson Mandela, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the Virgin de Rosio, and St. Jude. 

“We are here because we think that the billions that is going into the war in Iraq could be used to do away with problems at home, problems like homelessness, poverty and deprivation,” said Sarah Vecci, a volunteer from St. Mary’s Senior Center in Alameda. “It’s rather unfortunate, that while some mothers have the best of everything, there are those who don’t even have roofs over their heads, whose children are dying in wars being fought thousands of miles away.””

High school seniors who have not passed the exit exam could score a reprieve today. 

Alameda Superior Court judge Robert Freedman tentatively ruled in favor of a temporary injunction Monday. Today (Friday) he could finalize that ruling, paving the way for general education students in the class of 2006, who have met all other graduation requirements but have not passed the exit exam, to earn a high school diploma.  

The decision would come just over a week after the California Department of Education (CDE) announced results that 46,768 seniors statewide still had not passed the test, including more than 180 students in the Berkeley Unified School District.  

This is the first year the CDE is holding general education students to the requirement. (Special education students were granted a one-year exemption in January.) The test assesses 6th- to 8th-grade math, and 9th- and 10th-grade English language arts. A writing section is included. 

“I’m glad,” said Alternative High School student Guillermo Ronquillo Tuesday, when he learned of the tentative ruling. “But I still want to take the test to prove that I can do it.” 

Ronquillo emigrated from El Salvador to the United States five years ago and learned English from scratch. He has failed the English portion each of the four times he has tested, mostly because when he writes, he thinks and formulates sentences in Spanish. His grades are good, he has completed all the credits he needs to graduate, but the exit exam is holding him back, he said. 

“I come from another country,” he said. “Why should I be discriminated against because English isn’t my first language?” 

The lawsuit’s primary claim is that the test is unfair because many low-income and minority students, particularly English language learners, lack the necessary resources to pass the exam. 

Data show that English language learners, economically disadvantaged students, and African American and Latino students are passing at a lower rate than the statewide average.  

According to February test results, 71.2 percent of the state’s English language learners had passed the test, compared with 96.5 percent of white students and 89.3 percent of all students. 

At Berkeley High School, about 15 of 44 students in the English Language Learner department have not passed the English portion of the exam. 

“To me, it just seems unfair that this exit exam would prevent kids who are doing really well from graduating,” said Berkeley High homeschool liaison Raul Hernandez, who regularly fields inquiries from students desperate to find out whether or not they’ve passed. Results from a March administration of the exam are expected later this month. 

Original legislation dictated that students from the class of 2004 pass the test to earn diplomas, but because of disappointing scores, the state Board of Education agreed to postpone the requirement. 

A study conducted by the Center on Education Policy in 2003 found that 19 states have mandatory exit exams and another five—including California—were expected to implement tests by 2008. However, many of those states offer testing alternatives, whereas California does not, prompting some to question the fairness of the exam. 

“I understand we need some national standards, but a racially, ethnically, class-biased test—to put everyone to that standard means we’re not really doing justice to the students,” said Alternative High School teacher Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi. 

Nonetheless, almost three-quarters of Californians believe that students should pass a statewide test to graduate from high school, according to a survey published by the Public Policy Institute of California in April. 

Victor Diaz, principal of the Alternative High School, agrees. On Wednesday, he called the tentative ruling “tragic,” insisting that high-stake test taking is an indispensable skill, particularly for low-income and minority students. 

“Most white kids grow up in an environment where testing is a common occurrence,” he said. “A lot of curriculum that kids of color face is just not designed like that. That, along with low expectations [means] our kids leave high school without the necessary tools [to succeed] ... To say you’re not going to have standardized testing until schools are equitable ... it seems like that would never happen.” 

In the fall, more than half the alternative school’s 30 seniors had not passed either portion of the exam. Teachers and administrators pushed students to ramp up on test preparation with one-on-one tutors, Saturday classes and extra math courses.  

At Berkeley High School, many English Language Learners have been attending a seventh-period exit exam tutorial since the beginning of the year. 

Alternative High School student Trina, who asked the Daily Planet not to use her last name, struggled relentlessly with the math portion of the test, and finally passed on her fifth try. It was an uphill battle, she said, ruing the many Saturdays she spent attending extra preparation sessions, instead of sleeping in. 

“Do you know how hard I worked?” she said. “I think the exit exam is good. It challenges your mind. It shows what you know and what you don’t know. If students need it to graduate, they’ll try.””

Oakland teachers approved a tentative contract agreement Wednesday, but union officials aren’t celebrating.  

Ending a divisive two-year battle for fair contracts, teachers, counselors and other members of the 3,200-member union, the Oakland Education Association (OEA), voted 931-639 in favor of a tentative agreement that union President Ben Visnick is calling “the best we could get.” 

State Administrator Randolph Ward, who was appointed to run the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) in 2003, sang a different tune Thursday, lauding the agreement as a “turning point and a new beginning” for Oakland. 

“This contract keeps Oakland Unified School District on the road to fiscal stability,” Ward said, citing declining enrollment, budgetary uncertainties and contract negotiations as the primary challenges the district has faced in the past few years. 

The contract, retroactive to last year, raises salaries 6.25 percent over three years, increases substitute teacher pay, ends free health care, and increases the mandatory student-counselor ratio from 500:1 to 700:1. 

On Thursday, Visnick commended the contract for preserving family health care, restoring a previous 4 percent pay cut and other features, but said salaries still aren’t competitive enough to keep teachers working in Oakland.  

“We’re going to lose a lot of teachers to other districts,” he said. 

Additional concerns include school consolidations and the involuntary transfer of teachers to other schools, funding for counselors and the ongoing approval of charter schools, he said. 

Both sides agreed to work collaboratively to improve conditions in the school district. 

“I think the community, the teachers and everyone who’s been involved only wanted one thing and that’s the best schools with the best teachers,” Ward said.  

Visnick is looking forward to the next round of contract negotiations in 2008.  

“Now is not the time to relax,” he said. “Together we will build on this contract so that in 2008, we can make teacher turnover an exception to the rule.””

Political luminaries are refusing to cross a picket line at UC Berkeley graduation ceremonies this week. 

State Assemblymember Fabian Nunez (D-Los Angeles) was a no-show at the campuswide convocation Wednesday, where he was scheduled to give the keynote address. 

Howard Dean won’t attend the commencement he signed up to front Saturday for the Boalt Hall School of Law, according to UC Berkeley spokesperson Marie Felde. She said State Senator Liz Figueroa (D-Fremont) is also planning to back out on her scheduled appearance at a UC Berkeley graduation ceremony.  

Richard Stapler, a spokesperson for Nunez, said Thursday, “He of course was planning to attend, but he does not cross picket lines.” 

That announcement at Wednesday’s commencement inspired graduating students to cheer. UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau stepped in for the assemblymember to give an impromptu speech.  

Nunez, Dean and Figueroa are refusing to break the picket line staged by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 (AFSCME), the union representing about 400 UC Berkeley custodians who have been battling university administration over compensation since November. Workers still have about two years left on a three-year contract. 

AFSCME is demanding that the university offer competitive rates, said union organizer Debra Grabelle. According to a study conducted in November, a five-year veteran custodian at UC Berkeley earns about $12 an hour, compared with $18.30 an hour for a similar employee at the Peralta Community College District, she said. 

“The university is dedicated to offering competitive wages at all levels of the university,” countered UC Spokesperson Noel Van Nyhuis, pointing out that wage comparisons aren’t necessarily fair because they fail to account for total compensation perks like health care and retirement benefits. 

UC Berkeley spokesperson Felde said Assemblymember Nunez promised to appropriate additional funds for all the UC’s lowest-paid employees, but union leaders rejected that offer.  

Grabelle would not confirm or deny that. Instead, she said, “We’re OK with the money coming from the state, but we can’t stop our campaign until the workers see the money.” 

Maricouz Manzanita, a single mother with three children, has worked as a custodian for UC Berkeley for seven years. She takes home $1,600 a month, just enough to cover rent. The rest comes from child support or she racks up credit card bills.  

“It’s a lot of stress for us and our families,” she said. “I can’t even take my kids to the movies.”  

Manzanita hopes the politicians’ refusal to cross the picket line will mount pressure on the UC to increase service worker pay. 

“That was wonderful” what Nunez did, she said. “That means he respects us, he cares about what’s going on.””

Gay ice skaters Alan Lessik and John Manzon-Santos praised Wednesday’s mediated settlement of a lawsuit in which they charged a Berkeley Iceland employee with discrimination. 

“I think it went really well. At the end we all agreed on the terms,” said Lessik, Western Regional Director for the American Friends Service Committee. “They apologized for any perception of discrimination.” 

In the complaint, filed in March with the Alameda County Superior Court, Lessik and Lessik’s ice-skating partner Manzon-Santos, executive director of the Asian Pacific Island Wellness Center, claimed that an Iceland employee booted them off the ice for no reason other than they were gay. 

Iceland Manager Jay Wescott said he feels good about the agreement. “I have a greater awareness of how sensitive the issue can be,” he said. 

“Berkeley Iceland will do everything it can to be more inclusive,” said Helen Carroll, sports project director with the National Coalition of Lesbian Rights, the organization that filed the lawsuit along with the law firm of Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati. “It’s a model for other ice rinks,” she said. 

Among the terms of the agreement, brokered with the help of the National Coalition for Lesbian Rights, are requirements for Iceland employees to undergo diversity training, for the rink to display placards stating it “undertakes continual efforts to open the world of skating to individuals in an environment free from intimidation, harassment, or bias,” to issue a public apology and to host a monthly gay-straight skate night.  

Lessik said he was particularly happy with the promise of gay-straight alliance nights. 

“The issue is that LGBT persons feel safe with allies,” he said. 

And he said the diversity training is key. “It’s important to understand that there are lots of different ways to look at people,” he said..

The Alameda County Medical Center moved this week to stop the budget bleeding at the county’s financially troubled hospital system, with trustees voting unanimously to approve more than $23 million in immediate budget reductions. 

The savings, recommended by the center’s Chief Executive Officer Wright Lassiter, will be made in part by staff reductions, but the bulk of the reductions are in efficiency savings. No service cuts or department shutdowns are part of the budget reduction plan passed by the board this week. 

The medical center operates several public medical facilities in Alameda County, including Highland Hospital in Oakland, Fairmont Hospital and John George Psychiatric Pavilion in San Leandro, and several clinics. 

Only $5.9 million of the ACMC cuts will come through staff reductions, trustees and medical center staff were told on Tuesday. Those will result in the loss of between 68 and 84 full-time-equivalent employees at ACMC, out of a total workforce of more than 2,000. Those staff reductions will begin taking place within 60 days. 

“You almost never want to make recommendations on staff reductions,” Lassiter said. “The process is never a pleasant one.” 

In addition, he added, “The medical center needs to recognize its role as employers.” 

At the same time, Lassiter assured trustees and and staff members at a crowded Fairmont Hospital cafeteria meeting on Tuesday that the budget reductions will result in no loss of services, but will come from implementing efficiency and cost-savings recommendations made during the system’s recently completed “margin audit” process. 

That “margin audit” process, carried out internally by the medical center, involved an extensive series of staff meetings and cost-saving investigations and collection and evaluation of staff suggestions over a 14-week period. 

One of those cost-saving measures was highlighted at Tuesday’s trustee meeting by ACMC Chief Operating Officer Bill Manns, who held up two nearly-identical kits for drawing blood from the umbilical cords of newborns. One of them, which Manns said was presently being used by the medical center, cost $96.50 apiece. The second, which the center is now switching to, costs 29 cents. 

Calling this the “poster child” for past inefficiency at the medical center, Manns said that switch alone will result in $322,000 a year in savings to the center. 

ACMC is currently running at a deficit of more than a million dollars a month, with a projected operating deficit of $11.5 million for the current fiscal year, expected to rise to a $28.7 million deficit in the fiscal year beginning July 1. The $23 million in budget cuts would leave ACMC $6.2 million short of breaking even next year. 

“I don’t want a break even budget,” Lassiter said. 

Noting that he wanted a $1.6 million surplus for FY 2006-07, he said that the center was still $7.8 million short of its goal. That could mean more layoffs, as well as service and program cuts, including ACMC’s operation of the medical facilities at the Alameda County Juvenile Hall. Lassiter said his office is currently doing a six-month evaluation on that program, with a report scheduled to come back to the board in January. 

“Although we’re not recommending reductions in any services at this time,” Lassiter said, “I want to caution the board there is still work to be done.” 

Included in Lassiter’s and Manns’ presentation to the trustee meeting was a not-so-subtle dig at Cambio Health Solutions, the Tennessee-based management consultants that managed the medical center from early 2004 until Wright was hired as CEO last September. Included in a PowerPoint show and printout handed out by Wright and was a chart comparing the staff cutbacks recommended by Cambio before they left (266 FTEs) with the cutbacks now recommended by the current management team (68). The largest difference was in acute care, with Cambio recommending 128 FTE cutbacks and the current management recommending 8. 

While the budget reduction plan sailed through the nine member trustee board with no dissent, it met with mixed reaction from ACMC union representatives and local public health advocates. 

In a letter released to trustees at Tuesday’s meeting, Vote Health organization Chair Kay Eisenhower said that the solution for the medical center’s lies with Alameda County government, not with the medical center. 

Vote Health is a Bay Area health activist organization that regularly monitors the medical center. 

“Vote Health is well aware that Alameda County has been underfunding its CMSP [County Medical Services Program] contract with ACMC and the Juvenile Hall clinic for some time,” Eisenhower wrote. “A significant portion of next year’s projected ACMC deficit of $30 million is attributable to this failure. … Vote Health urges your Board to request full funding from Alameda for the CMSP contract and the Juvenile Hall clinic.” 

Service Employees International Union Local 616 representative Brad Cleveland explained in a telephone interview that Alameda County is required by state law to provide indigent medical care, and does so through the medical center under the CMSP. 

But Cleveland said that, while the medical center is projecting indigent care costs of $117 million this fiscal year rising to $130 million next year, Alameda County only provides $67 million to the medical center, $34 million of which he called “pass-through money” that actually comes from the state and not out of county-generated revenue. 

Cleveland said that the medical center is forced to come up with the remainder of the indigent care costs from its own budget, even though the state mandate for that service puts the responsibility on the county. 

“That puts the medical center in an untenable position,” Cleveland said. 

SEIU Local 616 represents 1,300 registered nurses, hospital clerical staff, and allied health care professionals at the medical center. 

While calling any talk of layoffs “discouraging,” Cleveland praised ACMC management for “focusing on new revenues and cuts in expenses rather than layoffs. We just don’t want to see people go out the door. We appreciate their move to make the medical center more efficient.” 

Cleveland said that the union would work with medical center administrative officials to “minimize any layoffs” by identifying vacant positions where staff members slated for layoffs can be transferred. 

Cleveland was not present at Tuesday’s trustee meeting and said he had not yet seen details of the proposed staff cuts. 

Another union official, SEIU United Healthcare Workers Assistant Director Charlie Ridgell, used the budget reduction meeting to take a blast at former ACMC managers Cambio. 

“Where is Cambio now?” Ridgell told trustees. “You paid them $5 million to turn around the finances at the medical center, and now Lassiter has to come in and do it.” 

Ridgell said that medical center trustees “should have the courage to sue Cambio” for the contracted services the organization failed to provide. 

The Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees has joined the list of educational organizations calling for a change in the accreditation process for California community colleges. 

At Tuesday night’s board meeting, trustees unanimously voted to support resolutions passed earlier this year by the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) and the California Community College Academic Senate requesting the change as well as an investigation into the activities of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC).  

ACCJC is the accrediting commission for the Peralta Community Colleges, which just got off the organization’s “warning” list last January. 

Included in the Peralta trustee vote on Tuesday was a request, authored by Trustee Cy Gulassa, that the CFT and the state academic senate add a clause to their resolution which criticizes “ACCJC officials who have refused to recuse themselves from evaluation of institutions even though they have been previous employees of that institution.” 

The clause was a reference to ACCJC President Barbara Beno and Vice President Deborah Blue who were earlier employed by the Peralta district but left under unfavorable circumstances. 

In offering the request to trustees, Gulassa said that the accreditation process for state community colleges “has become way too punitive.” 

The CFT and academic senate resolutions were sparked by ACCJC’s pulling of the accreditation of Compton Community College. That action is currently under appeal by the college. 

CFT representatives had earlier said the organization was calling for an investigation of ACCJC by the state Legislature. 

Editor’s Note: This is a first-person account, written at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, of the fire that broke out Monday night at 3045 Shattuck Ave. The structure has been known by the nickname “the Flying Cottage” ever since the owner raised a one-story house above two additional stories nearly three years ago. The city shut down the project mid-construction because the owner had not received the necessary permits for such a project and the property has sat vacant and boarded up since. 

First Person: Flying Cottage Inferno 

By Anthony Cody 

It finally happened. 

Those of you who have visited my home probably saw the unfinished three-story monstrosity next door. It has been protested by neighbors, lost its permits, and has not been worked on since we moved in here three years ago. 

In the past couple of years, it has become a favored resting place for the weary homeless. About two hours ago it went up in flames.  

At about 11:30 Monday night Alexander, Rowan and I were awakened by someone pounding on our door yelling that we had to get out of the house. We moved quickly and I put on some pants, but only wore a t-shirt, and no shoes. Rowan had on only a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. Zander was the only one of us with shoes. I did grab my camera, though.  

But before I used my camera, I grabbed the hose, and sprayed the side of our house facing the flames. I even sprayed the flames as they burst through the open window next door, and managed to subdue them a bit in that one spot. But the entire house was involved, all exposed plywood and rafters, a giant tinderbox awaiting a match.  

Then a fireman told me to stop because they had the exclusive arrangement for fire-dousing, so I retreated and picked up my 

camera instead. It still took about five more minutes for the fire fighters to commence their watery operations, during which time the fire spread from inside to the whole rooftop, as can be seen in the first picture. A large crowd gathered to watch the spectacle. We stood across the street and gawked along with the rest. 

Eventually they raised a ladder to spray water from above, to douse the most stubborn part of the fire. They sprayed using Dawn detergent, generating foam several inches deep in our yard and in the street. This acts to reduce surface tension on the water so that it penetrates the wood better. One of our neighbors, Claudia, crept into her house and retrieved us some coats to wear to keep us warm. Fortunately it was a warm, windless night. 

It took them another hour to put out all the hotspots, and they are still nextdoor at 1:30 a.m. as I write this, chopping and making sure things won't ignite again. The boys and I are doing our best to let the adrenalin subside, as the noise gradually diminishes, and perhaps we will get a few hours of sleep tonight. 

I am hoping there was not much damage to our home. Fortunately it does not smell too bad, since only wood was burning. There may be a bit of scorching of the paint on the side, but otherwise I think we are OK. 

Most of the neighbors seem happy at this turn of events, because they hated this structure, and had fought hard to block it. I do not know what will happen now. Ironically, the boys and I have been packing and moving our belongings to our new home, eight miles away in Oakland. We will only have about three more nights here. What a send-off! 

t

Blaming big chain and Internet booksellers, as well as a lack of help from the city, Andy Ross, owner and president of Cody’s Books, Inc., has announced he’s shutting down Cody’s oldest store on Telegraph Avenue in July. 

The following is a statement, rel eased Tuesday, from the store announcing the closing. For more on the story, see Friday’s print issue of the Daily Planet. 

May 10, 2006 –  

Andy Ross, owner and president of Cody’s Books, Inc., has announced that Cody’s oldest store, on Telegraph Avenue near the University of California in Berkeley, will close its doors on July 10, 2006.  

Cody’s Books on Fourth Street i n Berkeley and Cody’s Stockton Street in San Francisco, as well as Cody’s School and Book Fair division, remain open, healthy, and intent upon continuing to provide the best of independent bookselling.  

Ross noted the fifteen-year sales decline in the south-of-campus area, resulting in Cody’s Telegraph Avenue doing only one-third of the business it did in 1990. The company’s attempt to keep this store open has caused a loss of over $1,000,000.  

“It is with a heavy heart that I must announce that Cody’s will be closing our doors at the Telegraph Avenue store for the last time on July 10. We will continue to operate our stores on Fourth Stree t in Berkeley and on Stockton Street in San Francisco.  

The Telegraph store has been declining in sales for more t han 15 years. We are now doing only 1/3 of the business that we did here in 1990. We have lost over $1,000,000 attempting to keep the store open. As a family business, we cannot continue to afford these ruinous losses.  

The book business has changed over this period. Many of our customers have found other sources for their books. In particular, the Internet has taken quite a bite out of sal es, particularly the scholarly and academic titles that have always been our specialty.  

This is Cody’s 50th year i n business and our 43rd year at this location. During this period, Cody’s has been engaged in the great issues of our time. As America inc reasingly turned to huge mass merchants and disembodied Internet retailers in their buying habits, Cody’s always urge d people to support stores in their communities.  

During the 60’s, Cody’s was part of the great anti-war movement that began in Berkeley. In 1989, we were the first victim of international terrorism in the United States. We were bombed during the Rushdie Affair. After the bombing, Cody’s staff voted unanimously to continue carrying The Satanic Verses, even in the face of threats to our li ves. This was a great and heroic act of commitment to humanistic values by simple booksellers. It was truly our finest hour. 

Throughout this period, we spoke of the dangers of economic concentration in bookselling on the part of chain stores. Sadly our w arnings have come to pass. Stores like Cody’s have become truly rare. The few that remain are cherished by their commu nities.  

Cody’s is an idea, not a building. That idea will endure in our other stores on Fourth Street and in San Francisco.  

We leave Telegraph with great sadness, but with a sense of honor that we have served our customers and our community with such distinction; and that in our own way, we have changed the world for the better and will continue to do so.  

Thank you, dear customers, for giving us that opportunity.” – Andy Ross  

aross@codysbooks.com 

510-845-9096 

melissa@codysbooks.com 

510-845-0837 



Neighbors of a new building on Telegraph Avenue will be raising concerns about a proposed 44-seat Quiznos restaurant at 3095 Telegraph Ave. at the Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) meeting on Thursday. 

Some of the immediate issues residents seek to address are parking, litter, aesthetics of a fast-food restaurant, hours of operation, quality of life, and increased traffic in their neighborhood. 

According to the neighbors, by creating a 44-seat restaurant, Sam Sorokin, the developer for Quiznos, is requesting a waiver from ZAB’s parking requirements for quick-service restaurants. 

“They should have five spots for Quiznos, based on square footage; they are asking for three because he does not have enough spots to go around,” said Henry Sobel, a homeowner on Prince Street. 

“The few fast-food restaurants that exist within a few blocks of the project (all on the other side of the border in Oakland) have quite a lot of dedicated parking to support the establishment. Jack in the Box has 8, Taco Bell has 8, an d The Smokehouse, because of its corner location has a total of 3 street parking spaces that border the property. One of the original plans for 3075 was for the commercial parking spots to revert to the residents in the evening for overflow. If the resta u rant is kept open at night, these spots will be used. I can’t see how there is enough parking to support this kind of an establishment. As it is, the neighborhood is heavily impacted when it comes to parking because of Alta Bates staff and patients. Fi n di ng daytime parking during a work week is almost impossible.” 

In a letter to ZAB, Howard Lunche, a neighbor wrote:  

“It would be nice to think that Quiznos and its customers would be sensitive to our concerns and the courtesy norms of the neighborho od but having lived in the neighborhood for 10 years and witnessing the behavior and attitude of Alta Bates employees and others coming for medical appointments, it is highly unlikely (truly impossible) that they will be. I can't imagine how the Zoning B oa rd could approve 3 parking spaces for a maximum capacity of 44 people when the psychotherapy office on my street has many more parking spaces at its site.” 

The 3075 Telegraph project has met with considerable neighborhood opposition from the very begi nning because of perceived detrimental impact on “quality of life.”  

Residents are concerned that the height of the building will tower over the small Craftsman homes in the neighborhood.  

“The design of the building is far from being consistent with th at of the neighborhood. The neighbors should at least be able to get behind and support the businesses that move in. A mass market food chain is just another unpleasant chapter in this project, it will negatively impact the rich architectural and small ne igh bor hood character we all love,” said Sobel.  

In the past, ZAB meetings involving the Mokka Cafe at 3075 Telegraph had raised concerns about a “quick service” establishment which were cleared when the neighbors met the owners. 

Vince Abeyta, a reside nt o f Pr ince St., told The Planet, “we realized that Mokka was a ‘mom and pop’ type operation which served organic coffee and pastries. One of the reasons why we love living in Berkeley is because of its eclectic mix of businesses, it’s not because of i ts fa st fo od chains. We cannot understand that even after hearing our concerns about a fast-food restaurant, the developer would again attempt to put up the same thing,” he said. 

Sobel also told The Planet that there were lessons to be learned from the vacan cies l eft behind by mass market chains such as Eddie Bauer and Gateway computer. “A lot of expense went into modifying a historical building, and then they just packed up and left. Studies suggest that national chains lack the commitment to ‘hang in the re’ through a rough patch where as independent stores have more of a personal stake in the business. As our city sees more stores getting empty everyday I think it is important to make sensible choices about what type of business comes in,” he sai d. 

Frank Daar, a homeowner on Prince St., said that apart from the issue of parking, he was concerned that the zoning notice did not indicate any staff recommendation for limits on hours nor any condition on the operator to be responsible for policing the waste left be hind by fast food. 

“I was on the zoning board in the 1970s and there was a continual source of complaints about the trash left behind by fast food chains. This is like a historical pattern. Even today you have cars circling the block way past mid night fo r late night snacks at the Jack in the Box, which adds to not only garbage problems but also traffic,” he told The Planet. 

The Halcyon Neighborhood Association voted this month to oppose the Quiznos parking waiver request. At the Willar d Neighbo rhood Ass ociation monthly meeting last Thursday night, the WNA Steering Committee decided to oppose that parking variance requested by Quiznos and also for a delay of the parking in side and rear yards discussion slated for the May 16 City Council Meetin g. 

Thomas O’ Connell has been living in the neighborhood for the last thirty five years and is a former president of the Bateman Neighborhood Association. He told The Planet that he “constantly picks up fast food wrappers, ketchup packets and other trash” from both Jack in the Box and The Smokehouse. “Soronkin told us that the project would possibly have one coffee house and the rest would all be retail. We are absolutely against another fast food chain.”ˆÛ

The half-billion-dollar set of projects planned around California Memorial Stadium carry “unavoidable significant impacts” in at least 14 areas, according to a draft environmental impact report (EIR) released Monday. 

The document outlines the impact of the demolition of existing landmarks, the construction of 451,000 square feet of new buildings, and such factors as the project’s impacts on views, traffic aesthetics and noise. 

Seismic impacts are also addressed—an essential, considering that at least t hree of the principal structures sit atop or are immediately adjacent to the Hayward Fault, which federal geologists have identified as the most likely site of the Bay Area’s next major earthquake. 

Berkeley Planning Manager Mark Rhoades said the universi ty gave the city “a couple of hard copies of the two-volume report” Monday, and said the planning department has begun working with the city manager’s office on a city-wide review. 

“It’s a very large project in a very sensitive part of the city and we will be playing very close attention,” Rhoades said. 

The combined projects include: 

• A seismic retrofit and refurbishing of California Memorial Stadium. 

• A 158,000-square-foot Student Athlete High Performance Center along the stadium’s’ western wall.  

• A 911-space semi-underground parking lot just north of the stadium, and  

• A “Law and Business Connection Building” just across Gayley Road from the stadium. 

Together, the projects would add 386 new employees to the university’s payroll, and account for 20.2 percent of the university project’s square footage growth through the year 2020. 

The net gain of 300 new parking spaces accounts for 24 percent of the projected growth in that area through the end of the century’s second decade. 

Unavoidable im pacts 

Among the unavoidable adverse impacts listed in the report—issues that would remain significant despite proposed mitigations—are: 

• “The risk of loss, injury or death resulting from rupture of a known earthquake fault” and “strong seismic ground s haking” resulting from an earthquake on the fault, even without a significant rupture. 

• Creation of the new buildings could lead to “increased demand on wastewater collection systems and construction of new or altered collection facilities, with temporary, potentially significant unavoidable construction-related impacts.”  

• Addition of up to seven more day- and nighttime events at the stadium could “result in substantial periodic ambient noise increase in the project vicinity,” as will demolition and construction activity while the project is being built. 

• The project “would contribute to the future, cumulative projected unacceptable delay at the all-ways stop-controlled” intersections of Durant and Piedmont avenues and Piedmont Avenue and Bancroft Way, with an eight percent projected increase in peak morning traffic. 

• The first phase of seismic retrofit and improvements at Memorial Stadium “would cause a significant adverse change in the historic significance of the CMS” as would the later phases, in which changes in seating would be made within the stadium and an elevated structure would be constructed along the stadium’s western edge adding a press box and luxury sky boxes for deep-pocket donors and corporations. 

• Construction of the additions to the stadium “could substantially adversely affect limited scenic vistas from the Panoramic Hill neighborhood,” which was recently declared a national historic district, a move undertaken by residents worried about impacts of the stadium projects. 

• Demolition of the Calvin Laboratory and two landmarked homes on College Avenue to make way for the Law and Business Connection Building “would constitute a significant adverse effect to three historical resources” and their landscape features. 

• Landscap e changes to Piedmont Avenue itself—a city landmark laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of Central Park and the preeminent name in American landscape architecture—and the change in the surrounding landscape would cause a substantial adverse changes to the landscape of two historic homes on Piedmont used by the university for classes and offices. 

• Construction of the parking facility at the site of Maxwell Family Field would lead to ”significant adverse change” to the Gayley Road streetscape and to a unique concrete grid form restroom at the site. 

The report also provides a 15-page table listing these and other impacts, along with proposed mitigation measures.  

Comments sought 

The university is now taking comments on the massive two-volume document through July 7, for inclusion in the final version of the report.  

City Planning Director Dan Marks was on vacation and unavailable for comment Monday but, on Jan 2, he had issued a scathing 19-page critique of the project that was approved by the city council and sent out under the signature of City Manager Phil Kamlarz. 

Marks specifically charged that university officials had failed to offer meaningful specifics that would allow the city to prepare detailed, meaningful comments for consideration during preparation of the EIR. 

His concerns included traffic impacts (both during and after construction), the university’s plans to rely on the broad traffic, air quality and other analyses in the LRDP rather than site-specific project examinations, th e wisdom of building directly over the Hayward Fault, and impacts on officially recognized landmarks (including the two College Avenue buildings slated for demolition). 

Marks also argued that the EIR should be expanded to include Bowles Hall, a landmarked residential hall immediately north of Maxwell Family Field which is one of two possible sites the business school is considering to house a non-credit program for business executives. 

Planning Manager Rhoades said his department’s staff and others in the city will be looking at the draft EIR “in the context of Dan’s letter and with a fresh set of eyes.” 

Rhoades said the report will be referred to at least three city commissions—Planning, Transportation and Landmarks Preservation—for comment. 

The ent ire document is posted at the UC Berkeley website at ww.cp.berkeley.edu/SCIP/DEIR/SCIP_DEIR.html and is available for review at the Main and Claremont branches of the Berkeley Public Library and on campus at the Environmental Design Library, 210 Wurster Hall, and at the Office of Physical and Environmental Planning in Room 1 of the A & E Building. 

Comments for consideration in the final EIR may be addressed to Principal Planner Jennifer McDougall, Capital Projects—Facilities Services, 3900 A& E Building, UC Berkeley 94720-1382..››

Aurelia River has worked six years at the Shattuck Cinema in downtown Berkeley, with a 50-cent increase in salary during that time, going from $6.75 to $7.25 an hour for almost full-time work. She earns no benefits. 

Demanding decent wages and working conditions, River and 22 of her 28 co-workers filled out cards Monday morning, beginning the process of petitioning the National Labor Relations Board for a union. 

The Shattuck Cinema is owned by Landmark Theatres, which did not return Daily Planet calls. 

“We’re really asking for dignity and respect, the respect that comes with fair treatment,” said Harjit Singh Gill, branch organizer with the Industrial Workers of the World. Among the demands are fair wages and a grievance procedure, Gill said. 

The workers would like management to count the workers’ petition as votes and institute a union, Gill said, explaining that going through the NLRB is often an arduous process. Management often delays the process, including firing union supporters and diluting the effort to unionize, he said. 

Just one other Landmarks Theater in Kendall Square in Cambridge, MA, is unionized, Gill said. 

“We’re only asking for work conditions that are reasonable and humane,” said cinema employee Lauren Grady in a press statement. “Management needs to start listening to our concerns and valuing its workers.” 

Gill said the union is not calling for a boycott of the theater, but “if the company were to actually fight the union campaign, we’d have an issue,” he said.›

On the heels of multiple protests—some clothing-optional—UC has agreed to revise its sweatshop policy, UC Berkeley student activists announced Tuesday. 

UC Berkeley joined with 18 other universities in adopting the Designated Suppliers Program, an anti-sweatshop plan that requires UC licensees to purchase an increasing percentage of university apparel from designated factories. All 10 UC campuses will be held to the new standard. 

Implementation will occur over time, a UC spokesperson said. In the first year, the UC will require licensees to purchase 25 percent of their apparel from factories where employees earn a living wage, are fairly represented and sell the majority of their products to university buyers or others who meet the same standards. The nonprofit Workers Rights Consortium will ensure licensee compliance. If the program is successful, a larger percentage of apparel will derive from sweat-free factories the next year.  

“The collective action of students doing this really pushed this through,” said UC Berkeley junior Lexa Grayner, a member of the group Students Organizing for Justice in the Americas.  

Activists at UC Berkeley mounted pressure on the UC this year by staging a series of naked protests and sit-ins, including a rally last month where 18 students were arrested. Students at other UC campuses also held protests. 

UC Spokesperson Noel Van Nyhuis said the university’s decision to adopt the program was not in response to student opposition. 

“It had more to do with the university having the same ultimate desire—making sure workers have working conditions that meet the university’s code of conduct,” he said.  

The program applies only to UC gear; the production of university uniforms is under the umbrella of UC purchasing, not licensing, said UC President Robert Dynes, and will be dealt with separately. 

A network of student labor activists drafted the Designated Suppliers Program, which has earned the support of Duke University, Georgetown University, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Cornell University, Columbia University and others.

A meeting last week on development in downtown Berkeley was closed to the public. 

Members of the Downtown Area Plan Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), a subset of the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee (DAPAC)—the task force charged with revisioning downtown Berkeley—met behind glass doors on the second floor of the city’s Planning Department building Friday. Those who attempted to listen in, including this Daily Planet reporter, were told the meeting was private. 

Director of Planning and Development Dan Marks referenced Friday’s meeting, the committee’s first, in an April 14 communication to DAPAC. The correspondence outlines the scope, membership and tentative schedule for the committee, including the announcement that the technical team would gather May 5. It does not offer further details, such as time of day and location, nor does it expressly state whether meetings are for public consumption.  

The congregation of unpaid experts, billed as technical advisors to DAPAC, is stipulated in the same City Council resolution that approves the formation of DAPAC. The resolution does not specify whether those conferences are to be held privately. 

At the last DAPAC meeting, members were told they were not allowed to attend technical committee meetings, a provision that smacks of secrecy, said DAPAC member Jesse Arreguin. 

“If a central part of the planning process is at the Technical Advisory Committee level, why can’t the public or the DAPAC attend?” he said. 

Downtown Area Plan Principal Planner Matt Taecker replied that committee members need space to meet without the glare of public scrutiny. 

“It’s a safe environment for them to just blurt stuff out,” he said, adding that such an occurrence is common in other cities.  

Resident and EBMUD staff member Steve Wollmer agreed that public entities often meet in private to bandy ideas about. But he’s not sure whether Friday’s meeting, which he happened upon by chance (he was subsequently asked to leave) should have been open. 

“As an employee of an agency, I know there are times you need to be frank, but is that serving the public? I don’t know,” he said.  

John English, a retired city of Oakland planner and a member of the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association who attended the last DAPAC meeting, was less ambivalent. 

“You have an important public process, preparing a new plan for downtown. The [TAC] meeting involves a lot of people, so a meeting like that is not at all like an internal staff meeting,” he said. “I think they should make them public meetings, just like DAPAC meetings are public.”  

Committee members are all professionals with “a personal or professional interest in the city” who are willing to offer expert advice at no charge on matters related to the downtown planning process, Marks wrote to DAPAC in April. 

Among them: well-known urban planner and architect Peter Calthorpe; former San Francisco Planning Director and current UC Berkeley professor emeritus Allan Jacobs; additional UC Berkeley professors including DAPAC ex officio member Linda Jewell (who was invited to participate on the committee before she joined the DAPAC in March, Taecker said); architectural historians Sally Woodbridge and Michael Corbett; Fourth Street developer Denny Abrams; ELS Architecture founding principal Barry Elbasani; commercial real estate broker John Gordon; Alameda County Planning Manager for BART Val Menotti; Design Review Committee members Burton Edwards and Charles McCulloch; AC Transit representatives, more architecture firm principals and others.  

A total of 26 members were invited to join the committee; all but two attended Friday’s meeting, Taecker said.  

Those in attendance touched on several issues during the short time the Planet reporter was present, including the advantages of high-density buildings and streets with indivdual “personalities.” (Kittredge should be “urban and hard-edged”, said one unidentified speaker.) The possible impact of Bus Rapid Transit, an expedited AC Transit bus line now under consideration for implementation from San Leandro through Oakland to Berkeley, was discussed. The general focus was on how to make Shattuck a well-designed, beautiful boulevard, Taecker said later. 

Planning staff is supposed to present points from Friday’s meeting to DAPAC by May 31. 

DAPAC is the product of a settlement agreement reached between the city of Berkeley and the University of California in May of 2005 over UC’s plans to expand further into downtown and other parts of Berkeley.

The dense, five-story project at University Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Way that Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) member Bob Allen dubbed “the Trader Joe’s Building” is back on ZAB’s agenda Thursday night. 

Developers Chris Hudson and Evan McDonald want to build 156 apartments above a ground-floor level that includes commercial space they say has been leased to the popular German-owned grocery chain—provided the building gets built by 2009. 

The project would replace a small strip mall that currently houses a Kragen Auto Parts shop. 

The building drew a large turnout when ZAB looked at plans two weeks ago, with supporters who were ecstatic about the prospect of having a TJ’s closer at hand than the existing ones in Emeryville and El Cerrito, and project neighbors who complained that the building overshadowed their homes on Berkeley Way on the northern edge of the project. 

Two ZAB members compared the plans to the notorious public housing “projects” now being demolished on the East Coast, while the developers—backed by city staff—said they could build an even bigger project using plans ZAB member Allen said reminded him of a prison. 

Both sets of plans were the creations of Kirk Peterson, architect of record for the Gaia and Bachenheimer buildings as well as other projects the principals in Hudson McDonald, LLC, built for developer Patrick Kennedy. 

The project is on the agenda for more comments. 

Another item recommended for approval would allow a Quizno’s sandwich shop to open in the new Southside Lofts project at 3095 Telegraph Ave. 

Other items on the agenda include: 

• Approval of a modified use permit to allow installation of a carbon-based air filtration system at Pacific Steel Casting Co., the result of the settlement between the company and neighbors who have complained for years over odors emanating from the plant, 

• Approval of a use permit to open a new tattoo and piercing studio at 2599 Telegraph Ave. The applicants are Mark Freitas and Howard Flavey of Dark Sun Tattoo Company in Vacaville. 

• An application by Kofo Domingo of Losia, Inc., of Richmond to open a new 3.387-square-foot restaurant with alcohol service at 1719-1725 University Ave. 

• An application by Mary Bull-Ransom of Oakland to issue a use permit to build a 525-square-foot accessory building at a home at 1617 Seventh St. 

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers in the Maudelle Shirek Building (Old City Hall) at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way..

There are two days to go before the Zoning Adjustments Board is scheduled to render a verdict on use permits for the West Berkeley Bowl project, but at a special meeting late last week, board members indicated they still have a number of concerns. 

On Thursday, board members had not yet received copies of a final environmental impact report (EIR), the study that forms the basis for whether they will issue use permits for the development of West Berkeley Bowl. (The report is now available online.) 

The proposed project is slated for development at 920 Heinz Ave. It comprises 91,060-square-feet of grocery store space, storage, offices, a food service building, a community room and 211 parking spaces. The surrounding community hosts a variety of structures, including light manufacturing warehouses, professional offices, retail shops, live/work spaces and a French-American school that serves about 400 students between the ages of 3 and 11. 

Traffic has been a persistent bone of contention in the debate over West Berkeley Bowl.  

“I think 99 percent of the people are for this project, many 100 percent,” said Sarah Klise, who lives half a block from the proposed site. “But with a huge asterisk, and that is traffic.” 

The project would generate about 600 vehicle trips a day during peak hours and would spawn additional traffic at multiple intersections. Most of that gridlock can be mitigated, the EIR claims. However, the intersection of San Pablo Avenue and Ashby Avenue would suffer significant and unavoidable congestion. 

Some residents say impacts will be felt beyond what’s laid out in the environmental report. 

Members of the Potter Creek Neighborhood Association, comprised of nearby neighbors, submitted their own traffic mitigation plan to board members Thursday. Features of the residents’ proposal include removable bollards near the French-American School at Ninth Street and Heinz Avenue (kitty corner to the proposed development) to ensure the safety of the school’s students. Dozens of residents, the French-American school and the Berkeley Bowl support the plan. 

Associate traffic engineer Peter Eakland said transportation staff could submit comments on the mitigation proposal, but he does not foresee formally trying it into the project. 

Others suggested shrinking the development to mitigate traffic. Traffic consultant Kerrie Nicholson said the project would have to be significantly smaller to effectively relieve congestion. 

An alternative project proposal—similar to what developers initially put forward in 2002—would comprise a 37,005-square-foot grocery store, a 28,810-square-foot warehouse and 111 parking spaces. This would not allow for a full-service supermarket, however. An additional alternative would reduce the project to 72,758 square feet, but would not eliminate the traffic impact at San Pablo and Ashby.  

ZAB member Andy Katz offered a different solution to the traffic problem: charge developers an impact fee. 

Fellow ZAB member Rick Judd seconded the idea. 

“That there are obviously a lot of effects of this project, that, while not significant, are nonetheless real, supports an impact fee,” he said. 

They did not specify what the fee would offset, nor how much it would be. 

Outstanding traffic issues are not cause for concern for everyone. Marvin Lipofsky, an artist who lives in the area, wants the city to hurry up and approve the project.  

“Please put Berkeley Bowl on the site before I kick off, which could be soon,” he said. “I think [the project] is great.” 

ZAB members have asked staff for clarity on a number of traffic issues and others that they hope to get resolved Thursday. The board may decide to issue use permits then. If granted, the Berkeley City Council could certify ZAB’s action May 23 and would subsequently set a public hearing for the project June 13. The public hearing would include consideration of zoning adjustments recommended by the Planning Commission..

A statewide education revolt is growing against the agency that accredits California community colleges in part because of recent actions the agency has taken against the Peralta and the Compton Community College Districts.  

Linda Handy, the president of the Peralta Board of Trustees, said that ACCJC operates “without a lot of oversight,” and said that the accrediting organization backed off of its warning to pull the Peralta colleges’ accreditation only under the threat of a discrimination lawsuit by Peralta. 

And Michael Mills, the president of the Peralta Federation of Teachers union, says that the leading administrators of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) have a vendetta against the Peralta college district, and that the ACCJC is “operating like a star chamber” with a “process that is out of control.” 

The top two staff members of the ACCJC are former Peralta staff members who reportedly left under less than amicable circumstances. ACCJC President Dr. Barbara Beno is a former president of Vista College in Berkeley (now Berkeley City College). The ACCJC Vice President, Dr. Deborah G. Blue, is a former president of Laney College in Oakland. 

The ACCJC is a 19-member state commission that evaluates community colleges every five years in California, Hawaii, and several Pacific Island territories under the authority of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Because schools cannot receive federal or state funding without ACCJC accreditation, the organization’s power over community colleges is enormous. 

But the ACCJC commission is largely a self-appointed body, with the commission chair holding the power to appoint three of the seven-member body that selects commission members. 

Last March, that led the California Federation of Teachers to pass a resolution at its annual convention calling the ACCJC “a private organization that is accountable to no one it serves” and charging that the organization “often causes colleges to implement changes that reflect the current biases of the accrediatation team.” The CFT resolution called on the California Community College System Office and “other appropriate bodies” to “investigate the operations of AACJC-WASC and consider possible alternatives for evaluating and accrediting the state’s community colleges.” 

A spokesperson for the CFT said by telephone that the “other appropriate bodies” was meant to refer to the state legislature. 

Late last month, the California Community College Academic Senate passed a resolution “in support of the [CFT] and other . . . bodies who have expressed their unhappiness with the ACCJC,” and joined the call for an investigation into alternatives to the organization. 

Representatives of the ACCJC could not be reached in connection with this article. 

The two state education organizations’ resolutions were sparked by the ACCJC’s actions pulling accreditation from the 6,600-student Compton Community College in Southern California. That action is currently under appeal by Compton, and the college is currently being administered by a trustee appointed by California Community College Chancellor Mark Drummond.  

After failing to get Southern California community college districts to intervene, Drummond asked the Peralta district to take over as administrative manager for Compton College, and last March the Peralta trustees authorized Peralta Chancellor Elihu Harris to investigate that possibility. 

But Peralta Trustee President Handy said that since Peralta announced that action, three Southern California districts are considering assisting in the administrative takeover of Compton, and the issue “is now moot” for Peralta. “We shamed them,” Handy said, adding that publicity from the Peralta trustee vote “caused WASC to back off” from their accreditation threats against Compton. 

PFT President Mills said that Compton “had real problems” related to their trustee board and administration. “So the state chancellor came in and suspended the board, and put a trustee in charge,” he said. “You would have thought that would have been enough to satisfy the accreditation team, but instead they went ahead with pulling Compton’s accreditation anyway.” 

Mills said that “there was no warning by ACCJC against the Compton faculty or its instructional program,” adding that the accrediting team had moved “far afield” from its original purpose of “assisting community colleges in improving their education programs.” 

Mills said that was the same criticism Peralta officials and representatives had when ACCJC issued warnings against the four Peralta colleges early last year. The warnings would have led to a loss of accreditation if they were not corrected within two years. 

Mills said that the four Peralta colleges were put on warning because of unfunded medical liabilities by the district, for “micromanaging” by the district board, and for not having a strategic plan. 

“None of these were accreditation standards,” Mills said. “In addition, [Peralta Chief Financial Officer] Tom Smith was already working on a plan with the federation of teachers and other groups to fund the district medical liabilities. That plan was put in place, but the warning was not taken off. And even though almost every community college and public school in the state had the same issue with unfunded medical liabilities, Peralta was the only one to have unfunded liability used as a judgment standard.” 

Mills also criticized the fact that the official warning against the Peralta board continued even after a majority of the board was replaced in elections. 

In a separate interview, trustee President Handy said that the ACCJC warnings against Peralta “had nothing to do with what was going on inside the colleges themselves. The process needs to be looked at.” 

Handy said that ACCJC President Barbara Beno and Vice President Deborah Blue “should have recused themselves” from the accreditation process because of their past association with Peralta. “Barbara Beno has an axe to grind,” Handy said. 

Mills said that Beno was fired from her position at Vista and that when Blue left Laney “there was not a great deal of admirers wringing their hands.” He called Blue “a nice person, but during her tenure, Laney was not considered to be soundly led.” 

Mills said that while he does not know the extent of Beno and Blue’s involvement in the Peralta accreditation warnings, “any involvement by those two individuals would be suspect,” and said that adds fuel to the drive that the ACCJC be investigated and alternatives considered.  

In January of this year, the four Peralta colleges were removed from the ACCJC warning list. 

But Peralta insiders say that only occurred after a fierce political struggle led by Chancellor Elihu Harris, a veteran of Sacramento political wars from his years as Assembly representative from Oakland. Included in the struggle was a threat by Peralta to sue the ACCJC..

A former Berkeley resident alleges in a lawsuit filed in federal court two weeks ago that a Union City police detective chased him, tackled him, then punched him repeatedly after he broke the mirror of the officer’s personal vehicle, while dodging the vehicle that was about to hit him. 

The suit also charges that Berkeley Police Officers Sgt. Michael Dougherty and Samantha Speelman helped the Union City officer, Detective Michael Ward, accomplish what the complaint calls “false arrest, false imprisonment (and) assault and battery.” 

A police report written by Dougherty of the Nov. 1, 2004, incident summarizes the incident thus: “Off-duty Union City Police Detective Ward is a victim of malicious damage to his personal vehicle by suspect Michael Salisbury, arrested via citizens’ arrest by Det. Ward.”  

In December, a judge threw out a misdemeanor charge of vandalism against Salisbury, who now lives in Oakland, arising from the incident. 

Salisbury’s attorney Katya Komisaruk, says witnesses’ depositions tell a story of an out-of-control police detective and a pair of Berkeley officers that sided with him, rather than listening to witnesses. 

Witnesses said that Michael Salisbury, then a 25-year-old community college student, was crossing San Pablo Ave. in the crosswalk going west. Ward was driving his SUV and, with his head turned, was talking to his wife in the front passenger seat. Berkeley resident Rita Duarte, a retired business executive, said in her deposition that she was driving down San Pablo directly behind Ward, and that Ward was not watching the road. “The SUV almost hit Salisbury, but at the last minute he jumped out of the way to avoid being struck. Salisbury reeled around and put his hands up, fending off the SUV as it went by. I heard the sound of shattering glass,” she said. 

Other witnesses reported that at that point, the detective became enraged and yelled at Salisbury, saying he’d broken the SUV mirror. They said he made an illegal U-turn on San Pablo, driving recklessly in his pursuit of the young man by going east on Oregon Street and then south on Wallace Street. 

Ward caught up to Salisbury, exited his vehicle, chased and tackled the young man, according to the testimony of witness Stephen Gagnon, a radiologist at Alta Bates Hospital. He said Salisbury was lying face down mostly on the grassy median between the sidewalk and the street with Ward straddling him. Ward was “gripping Salisbury’s left hand with his own left hand, forcing Salisbury’s arm up behind his back,” Gagnon said. “Ward began punching the side of Salisbury’s head with his right fist, landing extremely focused, forceful blows. Salisbury cried out, ‘Stop! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!’” 

Ward’s attorney, Kim Colwell, who will file a motion to dismiss the case Friday in federal court, does not deny that her client hit Salisbury. Colwell said her client administered a “distraction blow,” which she said is appropriate when a suspect is uncooperative. 

Colwell further argued that it was appropriate for Ward to take it upon himself to arrest Salisbury. “A police officer is charged with different responsibilities by law,” she said. “They are sworn by the State of California to protect the laws of the State of California.” That includes the time they are off duty, she said, arguing that Salisbury might have gotten away had Ward called local police rather than intervening personally.  

Komisaruk said if Salisbury were indeed a fleeing criminal, it might be appropriate for an off-duty police officer to get involved. If he had committed a felony, it might be appropriate to execute the illegal U-turn and violate traffic laws. “But there is a faulty premise,” she said: no crime had been committed. 

Witnesses said that while straddling Salisbury, Ward identified himself as a Union City police officer and asked them to call 911, which they did. 

Soon thereafter, according to witnesses, Berkeley officers Speelman and Dougherty arrived on the scene. Ward reached into his back pocket and produced identification showing he was a Union City police officer, according to Gagnon’s testimony. “Then Dougherty opened a case on his belt, withdrew a pair of handcuffs, and handed them to Ward. Ward handcuffed Salisbury,” he went on. 

Ward’s testimony says Dougherty handcuffed the suspect, but Colwell said it doesn’t matter who handcuffed the suspect. It would have been appropriate for either of them to do so, she said. 

Gagnon’s testimony goes on to say that while Salisbury was being cuffed, witness Duarte “kept insisting that Ward was at fault. Speaking to Dougherty, she indicated Salisbury and said, ‘Why are you arresting him? If you’re going to arrest him, you should arrest both of them.’” 

Komisaruk said that while the Berkeley police officers took Ward’s statements at the scene, they did not take Duarte’s statement, although she asked to make one. (She was able to make one the next day.) The attorney added that the police report ignored witness testimony that alleged Ward was at fault in the incident. The police report “was beyond negligent. It was biased,” she charged. 

Further, the complaint alleges, Ward’s Union City supervisor refused to take Duarte’s complaint against Ward. 

Berkeley City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque declined to comment on the allegations against the Berkeley police officers. “Department policy is not to comment on pending litigation,” said Barbara Myers, assistant to Albuquerque..

A 12-member board will outline the plans for a major development at the Ashby BART parking lot, according to an announcement released late Friday. 

Jesse Anthony, chair of the South Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corporation (SBNDC), announced the selection in an email. 

Ed Church, the consultant picked by the board to ramrod the development of a major housing and commercial complex at the BART parking lot, had refused to say how many would be picked. 

The project would feature up to 300 units of housing, presumably condos, built above commercial space. 

The selections surprised Frank Davis Jr., a long time South Berkeley resident and activist in the Black Property Owners Association. 

“I am very concerned,” he said. “This seems to be a selection of those who will be supportive of whatever is proposed there.” 

Anthony said the task force will be formally announced at a May 15 meeting at 7 p.m. in the South Berkeley Community Center. 

“Our intent will be to set the basic parameters and operational procedures for the task force, while encouraging significant creativity and latitude in the process,” Anthony wrote. 

Anthony referred all questions to Church. 

The group will hold its first meeting May 22 at the center, featuring a presentation by Church and Jeff Ordway from BART. 

Those named to the task force include: 

• Dmitri Belser, president of the board of the Ed Roberts Center, which is building its own major project on the Ashby BART eastern parking lot. 

• Dan Cloak, an environmental consultant. 

• Andy DiGiovanni, who works at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and who has written skeptically of the project.  

• Jiane Du, an architect. 

• Frankie Lee Fraser, a West Berkeley resident and member of the San Pablo Park Neighborhood Council. 

• Mike Friedrich, a member of the board of the Livable Berkeley lobbying organization, who was active in the campaign which defeated Measure P, an attempt to set a height limit for Berkeley buildings. 

• Marcy Greenhut, a city transportation commissioner. 

• Toya Groves. 

• Mansour Id-Deen, the executive director of the Inner-City Services job training program and the tenant of an SBNDC-owned building. 

• Jeffrey Jensen, a North Oakland resident and BART employee. 

• Maryann Sargent, film production manager. 

• Berkeley Unified School District board member John Selawsky. 

Davis said he was particularly concerned because the list didn’t include Robin Wright of the Lorin Neighborhood Association, a prominent area activist who has expressed her concerns about the project. 

“It would have been much better if they had included her,” Davis said..

The American Kennel Club is howling about a law some members of the Citizens Humane Commission are proposing that would mandate the spaying and neutering of most Berkeley pit bulls, a breed overrepresented in the city’s animal shelter. 

The draft ordinance, which continues to be tweaked by the Citizens’ Humane Commission, proposes mandatory spaying and neutering of pit bulls, except when the animal is younger than eight weeks old, when it is a show dog and the owner has obtained a breeding permit, or when the animal has been in Berkeley fewer than 30 days. Violators would be guilty of a misdemeanor and fined $500 for the first infraction and, for the second offense, may be fined up to $1,000 and sentenced to six months in the county jail. 

“Pit bulls and other breeds like Rotweilers have been bred to be aggressive,” said Councilmember Dona Spring, the council representative to the Humane Commission. “There are some very well-behaved, well-trained pit bulls, but there is an uncertainty about them,” Spring said, noting that if the breed were not overrepresented—if their reproduction were curtailed—then there would be fewer euthanized in the city shelter. (Dogs stay seven days in the shelter before they are killed or “rescued” by local non-profit organizations.)  

“We don’t have a problem with too many poodles at the animal shelter,” Spring said. 

The American Kennel Club, however, has called on its membership to flood the City Council and Humane Commission in opposition to the measure, which, they say, unfairly targets pit bulls. 

“The American Kennel Club feels that measures that target any responsible dog owners is not fair,” said Lisa Peterson, AKC spokesperson. Laws should instead target irresponsible dog owners, “those who breed the dogs to be vicious,” she said. 

AKC’s position is to target “the deed, not the breed,” Peterson said. 

However, pit bulls are targeted because they are hard to adopt out, said Kate O’Connor, Berkeley’s Animal Care Services manager. About 30 percent of the animals that come in to the Berkeley shelter are pit bulls, she said; however, about 80 percent of the shelter population is made up of pit bulls because they are so difficult to adopt out. Last month 19 pit bulls came into the shelter, compared to eight Rotweilers and eight Shepherd mixes. 

Peterson further challenged the proposed ordinance, noting the difficulty of recognizing a pit bull mix, but O’Connor said that she and other Animal Care Services staff have many years experience in recognizing these dogs. The proposed ordinance includes the right to appeal to the Animal Care Services manager or her designee. 

The commission will next discuss the proposed ordinance at its May 17 meeting, 7 p.m., North Berkeley Senior Center, Hearst Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Way..

Landmarks Preservation Commissioners looked at the latest draft of Mayor Tom Bates’ revision of the city’s landmarks ordinance and scheduled a special May 25 meeting to address their concerns. 

With the strong support of developers, the mayor is pushing for revisions that could significantly weaken the law that developers see as a major stumbling block. 

The vote to hold the special session was the first thing the commission considered before launching into their discussion of the ordinance. 

The reason for the meeting? The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) has until June 8 to submit comments to be included in the initial environmental study city staff is preparing on the proposed revisions. 

The City Council is slated to adopt the ordinance in July, replacing the city’s existing Landmarks Preservation Ordinance (LPO). 

City planning staff presented the commission with a notice of intent to adopt a negative declaration, an action which, if approved by the council, would hold that the new LPO would cause no significant environmental impacts as spelled out in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). 

In addition to the declaration, commissioners received a five-page memorandum on the revisions from Planning Director Dan Marks, who attended the meeting to answer questions. 

City staff revised some of the proposals originally made by Mayor Bates and City Councilmember Laurie Capitelli, a Realtor, in order to derail issues in the original proposal that might have triggered the need for a full environmental impact report—a more exhaustive process than the negative declaration staff now proposes. 

One of the key revisions is to eliminate a proposal that would allow the controversial Structure of Merit designation only within officially designated historic districts or in a block with an existing landmark—changes Marks’s memo said “would make a negative declaration more difficult to sustain.” 

After consulting with Bates and Capitelli, Marks composed less restrictive language that doesn’t mandate that the building be in a district or the same block with a landmark. 

Another key change would impact the process when an application for a demolition is proposed. Under the current law, the LPC weighs demolition proposals against the private economic interest of the project applicant and feasibility, while the revision would allow the deciding body—ultimately the city council when appeals are made—to weigh a landmark against the “overall public benefits of a project,” which would bring the proposal a step closer to the statement of overriding consideration required by CEQA before demolition of a historic resource.  

This provision concerned Commissioner Patti Dacey. 

“To pretend this doesn’t leave the door open to demolitions is dreaming,” she said. 

Commissioner Lesley Emmington said she was concerned in part because none of the justifications cited for the changes were valid, particularly the allegation that the existing ordinance was in conflict with the state Permit Streamlining Act (PSA) that governs building and use permit applications. 

“Our ordinance is in compliance with CEQA and the PSA,” said Emmington, citing the state Office of Historic Preservation’s certification of the city’s current ordinance. 

Commissioner Carrie Olson said she dreaded the impacts of a law that would refer all discretionary permits to the commission, placing an even greater burden on the commission and requiring applications to fill out paperwork—which she said was almost certain to provoke public animosity towards the LPC and could “submarine” the commission’s support. 

As for the structure of merit, “There are powerful forces that want to get rid of it,” she said. “The developers don’t want it, so the rest of us get it taken away from us.” 

While the commission and ultimately the City Council struggle with the revision, some preservationists are taking another tack—gathering the signatures to submit the existing ordinance, plus a few minor revisions, to the voters, a process that would block any council changes. 

“One of the things the mayor doesn’t want is to preserve a level playing field,” said Roger Marquis, an activist who belongs to the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association. 

If approved by the voters, the measure would become law in a form that could only be altered by another initiative. 

Bevatron delayed 

Commissioners heard from proponents and opponents of a proposal to landmark the Bevatron at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), but continued the hearing until their June 1 meeting. 

The hearing began with pleas from two LBNL researchers to deny the landmark application so a new building can be constructed to house experiments in cutting edge science, which they said would be the most appropriate memorial to the Bevatron. 

A particle accelerator, the Bevatron provided the technology to enable experiments that led to the Nobel Prize-winning discoveries of several subatomic particles. 

Physicist Owen Chamberlain, a Nobel Laureate who died Feb. 28, was a leading proponent of preservation of the Bevatron and its building as a national monument to the “Big Science” of the Cold War Era. 

But Ben Feinberg, an LBNL physicist since 1976 and head of the lab’s Advanced Light Source, was joined by Allen Smith, who worked at the Bevatron from its inception to its closure in 1993, saying demolition and a new facility would be the best tributes—along with a memorial accessible to the public. 

Because the lab and its facilities have been off-limits to the general public since Sept. 11, 2001, the pair suggested a memorial at the Lawrence Hall of Science, plus a second commemoration in whatever new facility was built. 

While some of the landmarking proponents talked about the unique and monumental scale of the Bevatron and its building, most said they feared the potential exposure to asbestos, lead and radioactive waste that might come from demolition and trucking the resulting waste through the city—concerns outside the LPC’s purview. 

Demolition 

Commissioners also voted to continue a hearing on the unauthorized demolition of a landmarked structure in the West Berkeley, the Clara Ballard House at 2104 Sixth St. A complicated provision of city law defines demolition as removal of more than 50 percent of a structure. Under Berkeley’s Landmark Preservation Ordinance the Landmarks Commission is supposed to rule on whether or not a demolition of a historic resource is allowable under the California Environmental Quality Act, but the Zoning Adjustments Board has already acted to retroactively bless the demolition. 

A contractor demolished the roof of the structure, one of the landmarked Victorian cottages in the Sisterna Tract Historic District. The home is one of two that is being converted into a duplex by developer Gary Feiner. Timothy Rempel, Feiner’s architect, spoke for the developer at the meeting, as did attorney John Gutierrez. 

Commissioner Carrie Olson said the issue was important, because the landmark’s demolition was the first she’d encountered during her long tenure on the LPC. 

City staff offered the commission a mitigated negative declaration under CEQA, with the mitigations being the specified final construction details. However the LPC declined to act unless Rempel presented samples of the actual materials to be used in replacing key architectural details and siding removed from the home.  

Rempel said he was given to believe that the commissioners would approve the demolition, as had members of the Zoning Adjustments Board a week earlier. Olson said the full commission has always looked at materials before issuing approvals, a step which gives the public an opportunity to comment. 

In voting with the majority to continue the hearing until June 1, a reluctant Steven Winkel said the only reason he did so was to let the commission get on with the rest of the items on their agenda, since only seven members were present and five votes are needed to take action. 

“We need to make sure the public is adequately noticed,” Winkel added. 

Neighbors of the projects have had a testy relationship with Feiner, and the creation of the historic district was spurred in large part because of their objections to an even larger earlier version of his project. 

Because of the illegal demolition—a misdemeanor under city ordinance—city officials issued a stop-work order halting further construction on the house, That order didn’t stop work on the adjacent conversion at 2108 Sixth St., which has been proceding. 

Commissioners also said they would be looking at the issue of the fence at 2104, after neighbor Jano Bogg said his existing fence had been demolished and replaced with one he didn’t like. 

No plans for the fence replacement had been submitted to the commission, though the panel has oversight of any replacements.ª

LOS ANGELES — Immigrant rights leaders have repeatedly and with great pride compared the movement for humane immigration reform to the great civil rights battles of the 1960s. They have cited the Poor Peoples March in 1968, the high esteem that Cesar Chavez held for Dr. Martin Luther King, and the unequivocal support that top civil rights leaders and the Congressional Black Caucus has given to immigrant rights as solid models of black and brown cooperation. Yet, despite these public pronouncements, there has been no sustained movement to build any real coalitions with blacks on the immigration issue. 

That has led to confusion and even anger. California Legislative Black Caucus Chair Assemblyman Mervyn M. Dymally came out in support of humane immigration reform. Dymally, who is was born in Trinidad and became the first foreign-born black member of Congress, in a statement on his Web site said that, “While I have not participated in any of the demonstrations because I was never invited by the organizers to do so, Assemblymember Joe Coto, vice-chair of the California Legislative Latino Caucus knows of my support for the demonstrations.” 

While a Field Poll in California found that blacks—by a bigger percentage than whites and even American-born Latinos—back ed liberal immigration reform measures, little has been done on the side of immigrant rights groups to work with blacks on issues that both groups have in common. 

Immigrant rights leaders have been MIA at rallies and gatherings on issues that blacks find important, including renewal of certain parts of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that are due to expire in 2007, police misconduct, improving failing inner city public schools, and most important the astronomical crisis of black joblessness among young blacks. That’s particularly important because most blacks perceive that illegal immigrants take jobs away from blacks. 

The NAACP’s mission statement reads: “The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the politica l, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.” But unlike the NAACP, the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA), which has been a major backer of the immigrant rights protests, has not spoken out continually and relentlessly for black rights issues. Its mission statement reads: “The Mexican American Political Association, founded in Fresno, California in 1960, has been, and is, dedicated to the constitutional and demo cratic principle of political freedom and representation for the Mexican and Hispanic people of the United States of America.” There is no mention of blacks, poor whites or even other immigrant groups, just Latinos. 

This lack of an interracial message in the fight for civil rights has been heard loud and clear by blacks in America. 

When black members of the Minutemen Project held a protest in a predominantly black neighborhood in Los Angeles, immigrant activist and MAPA president Nativo Lopez said that he believes they are out of step with most black leaders and that both blacks and Hispanics face the same problems. 

While many blacks denounce the Minutemen, blacks, especially in Los Angeles, are not completely supportive of illegal immigrants. 

With the exception of a few black leaders, blacks in general have not come out in support of illegal immigrant rights, but many have gathered opposing illegal immigration. 

While the Spanish language continues to be a huge divide in communication between blacks and Latinos, black-brown relations will continue to be strained as long as blacks are the only ones reaching out to Latinos to build coalitions. 

Latinos who want to change the mindset of blacks on illegal immigrants’ rights must make a visible and concer ted effort to reach out to blacks—not just on immigrant rights issues, but on issues that are important to blacks as well. Just as they vigorously pound on Congress, the Bush administration, employers and the American people to make jobs and justice the w atchwords for dispossessed immigrants, they must make jobs and justice the watchwords for dispossessed poor blacks too. That is the right and indeed the only way to build a firm and lasting relationship between blacks and immigrant rights groups. 

Jasmyne A. Cannick writes political and social commentary and is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is the author of The Crisis in Black and Black (Middle Passage Press). The Hutchinson Report blog is now online at E arlOfari Hutchinson.com.›

At a birthday party for a 4-year-old recently, a youngish mother of my acquaintance, in between bouts of chasing her very active baby who was just learning to walk, wondered why no one had ever tried to figure out some good way for parents to work part-time at interesting and responsible jobs with future promise. Of course, I told her, we did try. But it didn’t work as easily as we might have hoped. Why? she asked. 

She’s somewhere in age between my second and third daughters, born probably in the late ’60s, raised in the ’70s at a time when girls were being strongly encouraged to believe they could have it all, all at the same time. I applied for law school for the first time in 1970, and was personally rejected by an assistant dean of admissions who told me candidly to my face that the University of Michigan Law School had never admitted a mother of small children and wasn’t about to start.  

Soon thereafter deans learned not to say that to female applicants, but the assumptions that underlie his statement are not completely illegitimate. There is an inherent conflict between the demands of kids and the demands of schools and employers. It hasn’t been solved, even by the privileged classes who can afford the help of legions of undocumented immigrants. The New York Times Magazine has been dining out on the dilemma for 10 years or more, chronicling touching sagas of female Princeton graduates who have decided that there’s more to life than making partner in Manhattan. Berkeley’s own Caitlin Flanagan, the self-satisfied daughter of a stereotypically over-qualified earthmother/facultywife/nurse and a professor in the English Department, who is raising twins as a stay-at-home mother, is on her book tour right now. 

In law school with me in the mid-’70s (I finally did get in) were a number of women who were trying to raise their children before taking up demanding careers. I recently asked a friend, the graduate of a higher-prestige school than mine, qualified for the best jobs on the career ladder, why she, like so many women in our law-school cohort, had elected not to practice law after all. “Because it’s soul-deadening,” she said. “If you want the truth, it’s because I couldn’t figure out how to do it and not drink too much.” Beginning lawyers (and physicians and other well-paid professionals) are still expected to put in 80-hour weeks. Parents who care about how they carry out their parental role, not just women, don’t want to do that any more.  

And those parents, both men and women, who opt for the interesting jobs which pay less can’t even afford servants like Flanagan’s to help them out. Parents who are stuck in the dull poorly-paid jobs with no future are just desperately trying to figure out who’s taking care of the kids while they’re at work. 

My youngish mother friend is a faculty wife—her husband is on the lowest rung of a competitive tenure track ladder. She has an interesting three-and-a-half-day-a-week job, seemingly perfect, but she still worries about how they as parents can do justice to both jobs and their one child. The self-sacrificing faculty wives, who were putting gourmet meals on the table in Berkeley when Alice Waters was still in graduate school and editing their husbands’ books in their spare time, are just about extinct. 

Is there a middle ground? About the time I finished law school there were earnest meetings in Berkeley progressive circles about concepts like job-sharing and on-site day care. I remember then-Councilmember Loni Hancock as a leader in such discussions, which never came to much. Loni found some good part-time jobs over the years. I skipped practicing law and my husband left academia. Instead we raised our kids in our own mom-and-pop software company where they could do their homework on the conference table of our Telegraph Avenue office. Loni’s kids and our kids and other people’s kids grew up while we were struggling to figure out how to raise them and keep our own sanity. Many of them turned out well despite us.  

Many young people are putting off having children or deciding not to have any because they see that it’s not easy to balance kids and jobs. The world is crowded—there’s no reason to have kids if you don’t do it for fun. I’ve had a variety of interesting jobs which I might have spent more time on and gotten farther at if I’d been able put my full energy into them, but for me the kids were the fun part, and the rest was just work.  

One salutary difference between now and the ’70s is that many fathers as well as mothers are now concerned about doing their best for their kids. It’s not assumed by everyone any more that Mom will do it all without help. Since we took over at the Planet two men in the office have become parents, and both of them are taking their kids very seriously—one quit to stay at home with his baby. We aren’t big enough to have a day care center, but we’re always pleased to see kids, including our own grandkids, in the office. Not all workplaces can as easily be child-friendly, however.  

For most parents doing both jobs well—parent and breadwinner—will always be a constant struggle, even in families where there are two parents both doing their best. That’s just how it is. 

Parents, mothers and fathers both, will have to continue to balance costs and benefits in their own lives. They’ll set priorities as best they can, and the kids will probably be fine. Those of us who are able, not just official grandparents but everyone, should try to give parents of young children a bit of help from time to time. In case you haven’t figured it out by this time, this is our Mother’s Day message.  

c

West Berkeley Bowl, Creeks at Planning Commission 

The Planning Commission is expected to make strides on two hot-button issues Wednesday: the Creeks Ordinance and the proposed West Berkeley Bowl project. 

Commissioners will hold a public hearing on adjustments to zoning and city plans that would allow for the development of the 91,060-square-foot supermarket at 920 Heinz Ave. in West Berkeley. The Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) will consider the same project the following night, but in a different capacity. (See related story.) 

West Berkeley Bowl would require modifications to the city’s General Plan, the West Berkeley Plan and zoning maps to accommodate commercial occupancy at a 1.9-acre portion of the site. Additionally, zoning allowances would have to occur for the site to include an accessible food storage facility. The area is currently zoned for mixed use/light industrial buildings. 

Some community members have voiced opposition to changing the zoning, insisting it violates guidelines laid out in the West Berkeley Plan and the General Plan and will set a precedent for commercial development in West Berkeley.  

“Really, this is not a stand-alone project,” said John Curl at a ZAB meeting Thursday. Curl has operated a woodworking business in the area since 1973. “It’s an anchor. The proposal is to . . . make West Berkeley a commercial area.” 

Though the West Berkeley Plan points up residents’ desire for a food store—the area is currently without one—the city’s General Plan stipulates that decision-makers must protect industrial uses in West Berkeley. The two major incentives for maintaining mixed use/light industrial land are to protect jobs and space for manufacturers, according to the city’s municipal code. 

In a report to the Planning Commission, staff argues that the proposed project represents only about 0.8 percent of the total mixed use/light industrial space available in Berkeley and will usher in about 100 new jobs—albeit retail positions. Staff further insists the rezoning and General Plan amendments will not affect other manufacturing and industrial facilities because “approval of any single General Plan or zoning amendment does not imply any further changes will occur.” 

Additional features of the General Plan and West Berkeley Plan that planning commissioners must consider include customer access and convenience, pedestrian-friendly design, bicycle accessibility and support of regional retail. 

Staff is recommending that the Planning Commission adopt the aforementioned legislative amendments, in addition to a statement of overriding considerations—not yet released at press time—that details project benefits. 

If commissioners fail to render a decision Wednesday, the West Berkeley Bowl proposal will not go before the City Council by summer recess, staff says. City Council has final say over the project. 

The commission will also consider suggested changes to the Creeks Ordinance, the long-debated legislation that limits development on and near Berkeley’s open and culverted waterways. The ordinance has pitted homeowners who want the unqualified right to expand and rebuild their homes, against environmentalists who want to protect Berkeley’s creeks from harmful development. 

Commissioners are building on suggestions put forth by the Creeks Task Force, an ad hoc group that formed more than a year ago to help revise the ordinance. 

“My guess is there may be a consensus on the Planning Commission to basically support the task force recommendations, but I think commissioners do have questions,” said Commission Chair Helen Burke.  

Matters that remain unresolved, according to Commissioner Gene Poschman, include homeowners’ right to rebuild into a setback following a disaster, the definition of an open creek, how to handle culverted creeks and how to administer the ordinance. 

On Wednesday, commissioners are scheduled to make final comments on the ordinance. Recommendations are expected to go to the City Council before summer recess..

A headline in Tuesday’s paper mistakenly said that Berkeley police officers have been sued for battery. Although the Berkeley officers are defendants in a lawsuit filed on behalf of pedestrian Michael Salisbury, the complaint specifically alleges only false arrest against them. 

The actual battery charge was made only about an off-duty officer from another city who participated in the incident.–

GREEN BERKELEY 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I’m confused. Berkeley touts itself as “green” with its 25 years of curbside recycling and its clean-burning garbage trucks, yet the City Council wants to make it easier to pave paradise and put up a parking lot. There are so many reasons to retain green space—the biggest one being oxygen. Has everyone forgotten that trees and plants provide the oxygen we need to breathe? What the council is proposing will reduce oxygen production and increase toxic fumes right beside your bedroom or living room. Other reasons to retain restrictions on backyard/lawn/side yard parking: 

• Noise. If you park your car there, you can also repair your car there. Loud car radios blasting as cars are driven in and out of yards. Fumes and noise from vehicles warming up before driving pouring into my home is not something I relish. Motorcycles and classic cars with loud engines no smog control. Will of course aggravate the problems. 

• Drainage/flood control. Anytime you mess with the substructure of the earth, you weaken the chain that holds it all together. Each weakened link in the chain of root systems and soil structure increases the likelihood of earthquake damage and flooding. Privacy will be drastically decreased. If you don’t want to wake up and find that your backyard haven is now next to a parking lot, please contact the Berkeley City Council before May 16, and let them know you’d like to keep Berkeley green. 

Diana Sewell 

• 

PIT BULLS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As the humane commissioner who is proposing the mandatory spay/neuter code for pitbulls, related breeds and some pitbull mixes, I’d rather not have a fight with a dog advocacy organization, but Judith Scherr’s article about the proposed spay/neuter law sheds light on the scare tactics employed by a powerful lobbying group like the American Kennel Club. 

When the spokeswoman states that the AKC position is to target “the deed, not the breed” she and I are in agreement. Our code seeks to ban the breeding, not the breed. Breed bans do not work. Spay/neuter does. I support responsible dog breeding, and any code would include exemptions to the law and permits for breeding. 

But perhaps she doesn’t live in the world the rest of us do, where homeowner’s insurance has been denied to owners of bully breeds, where rental units or condo regulations specify no pitbulls, where parents refuse to let their children play near or around a pitbull or cross breed. These dogs cannot find homes—they are bred and discarded. What part of that doesn’t the AKC understand? Or is it that to protect their monopoly over dog breed standards and championship shows, and the profitable interests that flow from that, the plain realities of life for most dogs is unimportant? 

Seventy-five percent of dogs killed in shelters in the Bay Area are pit bulls or pit mixes. You don’t hear the AKC crying foul over that. Killing’ em is OK, but trying to stop the breeding generates outrage. 

Jill Posener 

• 

BUSD MAINTENANCE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thanks for Suzanne La Barre’s May 5 article on the disarray in the Berkeley Unified School District Maintenance Department. If the meltdown in maintenance came as a shock to the administration, it can only be because they were not paying attention to the employees, their union, community members involved in oversight and the school community that relies on their services. The warning signs had been obvious to anyone looking for some time. The recently departed maintenance director lacked the experience, training and ability to oversee the department and its budget. That she was hired in the first place was astonishing. That she was allowed to mismanage the department into disarray must be laid squarely at the door on the BUSD administration.  

While we remain optimistic about a change in direction in maintenance and stand ready to work with the BUSD to improve matters, we remain concerned about another looming disaster that the administration is bringing about. In the new BSEP measure, the superintendent has eliminated all funding for facilities enhancement and improvement. In the current measure, BSEP only provides seven cents out of every dollar for facilities, a very small amount. However, those monies allowed the district to upgrade all its playgrounds to replace worn-out and unsafe equipment as well as meet new mandatory state and federal safety regulations. That project costs hundreds of thousands of dollars that weren’t available anywhere else, certainly not from the overburdened general fund. Certainly such a sum wasn’t available from Measure BB that just covers the cost of employees, equipment, vehicles and outside contracts in the maintenance department. And remember, such playground upgrades are not discretionary. Either the district meets federal and state safety regulations or students cannot use the playgrounds. Without the BSEP funds, many school would not have been able to use their playgrounds. There are many other facilities’ improvements that BSEP provides. That seven cents has gone a long way over the years and to eliminate it is not only short-sighted but leaves the district’s general fund financially vulnerable. It is another indication of the administration’s inability or unwillingness to plan properly for critical, essential facilities and maintenance needs. We can only hope that the community and the School Board corrects this defect in the new BSEP measure and restores the minimal amount from the current measure for facilities maintenance. 

Stephanie Allan 

Business Representative 

Stationary Engineers, Local 39  

• 

DONA SPRING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It’s odd how a three-year resident of Berkeley and District 4 wonders about the whereabouts of District 4 Councilmember Dona Spring, one of two or three of the most accessible and responsive councilmembers in the city. Dona Spring has served District 4 with distinction since 1992, and has faced many challengers over that span of time. She has handily won re-election each time because the residents and voters of District 4 recognize her commitment to their needs and to the needs of the city as a whole. She has been and will continue to be a tireless representative who truly encourages and promotes public process and community input, and has been a leader in the areas of open government, full disclosure, and fair campaigns and campaign funding. 

Developers and business interests have for years tried to unseat Ms. Spring, because it has always been clear who Dona represents: the residents of District 4. I believe the voters of District 4 will see this new challenge as yet another example of moneyed interests attempting to wrest control of the city, and will once again re-elect Dona Spring to the City Council. 

John T. Selawsky 

• 

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

A “secret design charette”? I was surprised to learn that the culminating event of greatest public interest of the “Downtown Design Process” was held behind closed doors. I hope it was at least videotaped as these customarily are. The valuable time donated by eminent designers was a gift to the people of Berkeley but, alas, consumed only by city insiders. What an opportunity lost. The city officials’ “safe environment” assertion is silly. These professional designers are accustomed to public glare; it exhilarates them to best performance. What does our city think of us? Here is disdain for the “genius of Berkeley” seen in other venues. (Never mind for now the “contrary orneriness” of Berkeley!) I don’t want to consider other possible motives for the city’s secrecy. 

I hope to see a full and fair sharing of all—debate, dissent, proposal. The populace must “own” any resolution of downtown in order it to succeed. Hence we must have a voice in fashioning it. There are more people tuned in, and far more with a great personal stake, than those who have time to attend “DAPAC” meetings. 

Bruce Wicinas 

• 

PRIVATE MEETING 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The May 9 front page article on the press and public being locked out of the TAC meeting on Friday, May 5, reminded me of the tactics of Vice President Dick Cheney. We all remember his energy policy formulation meetings of 2001 attended by oil company representatives. These too were closed to the public. The arguments used by Cheney and Principal Planner Matt Taecker come from the same playbook. According to Taecker: Committee members need space to meet without the glare of public scrutiny. “It’s a safe environment for them to just blurt stuff out.” Change Taecker’s name to Cheney and the same comments are appropriate. If Cheney had said these things, the Berkeley community, mayor and City Council would be rightly outraged. 

Will there be any such expressions by our public elected officials regarding the public having no say about how downtown Berkeley will be developed? Will this be like the agreement between the university and the City of Berkeley where no public debate was permitted before the City Council votes? Is this type of meeting, having nothing to do with privacy regarding personnel matters, covered by the Brown Act that bars many secret meetings by California governments? Speak up Mr. Mayor and councilmembers and get the doors opened to the public and the press. 

Don McKay 

• 

STORY OR OP-ED? 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I just finished reading your story entitled “Neighborhood Corporation Chooses Panel to Plan Ashby BART Village.” 

I couldn’t see anything on the page to denote this as an op-ed piece, so I can only assume that it was intended to be a news story. It concerns me that you’d publish a story with such a strong directional bias. Richard Brenneman wrote: “Ed Church, the consultant picked by the board to ramrod the development of a major housing and commercial complex at the BART parking lot, had refused to say how many would be picked.” 

When one writes a sentence using the word “ramrod” it implies negative judgment to the action taken by Mr. Church. He could have easily said “the consultant picked by the board to manage/supervise/lead/etc.” I doubt that the board would agree that they selected anyone to ramrod anything, and I didn’t see any evidence in the story to support this claim by Berkeley Daily Planet. Is your reporter saying that he’s identified that the City Council and the redevelopment team are doing something illegal or unscrupulous?  

The next statement also makes some leaps of faith. “The project would feature up to 300 units of housing, presumably condos, built above commercial space.” 

As far as I can tell by reviewing the facts available, there isn’t enough information to “presume” that condos will be built. Maybe they will build condos, maybe they’ll build a hotel, who knows? Again, if there’s fact to back up the assumption, I didn’t see any in the story. 

I also saw an interview with only one person in the story, who was not in support of the development, however no attempt was made to contact those in support of it. There was however an attempt to make it seem as though your reporter did do so: “Anthony referred all questions to Church.” 

Written in this way, it makes it appear that the Daily Planet/Richard Brenneman contacted Mr. Anthony and was referred to Mr. Church. However, earlier on, we see that he’s just referring to an e-mail. Where’s the journalism? I can read e-mails just as well as anyone else. Why didn’t you guys just make a phone call? Is it really that difficult? 

I really feel that you are doing your readership a great disservice by having op-ed pieces published as real stories. Doing so unfortunately puts you in the same league as Fox News. I genuinely hope that this was oversight rather than a new Daily Planet policy. 

Tony Bautts 

• 

CORRECTIONS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Your May 9 article “Neighborhood Corporation Chooses Panel to Plan Ashby BART Village” characterizes Ed Church as “the consultant picked by the [South Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corporation] board to ramrod the development of a major housing and commercial complex at the BART parking lot.” You’ve got that backwards: Church picked the SBNDC. 

Ed Church came up with the vision of a Fruitvale-style transit village at Ashby BART on his own, and spent several years quietly refining his plan and discreetly shopping it around before getting the support of District 3 City Council representative Max Anderson and Mayor Tom Bates. To apply for a Caltrans grant, Church needed a tax-exempt 501(c)3 nonprofit as a front, so he and Anderson enlisted the SBNDC. 

The SBNDC has been remarkably cooperative, even going so far as to allow Church to pick new board members. Given the conclusion of Church’s 2004 feasibility study (available on nabart.com) that the kind of for-profit project he’s promoting could not subsidize any below-market-rate housing, it’s hard to understand why Jesse Anthony and the other longtime SBNDC board members have been going along with this. 

Robert Lauriston 

• 

IMMIGRANT RIGHTS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Where do blacks stand on immigrant rights? Your juxtaposition of two contrasting views in the May 9 issue could not have been more poignant. For Van Jones the immigrant movement is a bandwagon that resurrects from the grave the spirit, the hope, the excitement, the expectation and the determination of the black struggle of decades ago. Jones bases his view on participation in the march. He “walked that walk” with the Latinos in the street. 

On the other hand, the article by Jasmine A. Cannick and Earl Ofari Hutchinson represents much that is wrong with some professional political pundits. They cite a poll and compare the publicity releases of black and brown leaders on the immigrant issue, and they conclude that black and brown are not communicating. They chastise Latinos declaring that they “must make a visible and concerted effort to reach out to blacks.” But where are the big black marches for Latinos to join? Jones laments that they seem a thing of the past, so, he marches with the immigrants. He mentions songs during the march. He was probably humming along, “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.” 

Ted Vincent 

• 

STAR SPANGLED BANNER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

A footnote to Becky O’Malley’s editorial on the Star Spangled Banner and my piece on the (checkered?) artistic career of Margot Schevill. Margot reports that at the 1961 Democratic Convention that nominated John F. Kennedy, she sang the Star Spangled Banner with the Rat Pack. She noted (no big surprise) that “I was the only one who could hit the high F on ‘land of the FREEEEE!’” 

Dorothy Bryant 

• 

CRYING OVER CODY’S 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I burst into tears when a young student at UC told me that Cody’s was closing, and I’ve kept on crying whenever I think about it. Also, I’m in a rage. The first words to come out my mouth about the closing were: “That’s the death knell for Berkeley.” Theatrical, I admit, but let’s face it, there are people in Berkeley who haven’t walked on Telegraph Avenue in 30 to 40 years since the last riots. They’re up in the hills or down in the flats; I’m not. I’m in the neighborhood. 

During the riots—against the university, against the Vietnam War—Cody’s was the only store on Telegraph Avenue that didn’t get a brick through the windows; the late Fred Cody was that respected. Cody’s was a haven and, for me, at any rate, it still is. Even though on the evenings when I want to hear an author speak there, I feel obliged to run for my life to my car afterwards. Cody’s, I should add, is within walking distance to my house, but not after dark. 

Now, let me tell you about my rage. If you’ve ever gone to Stanford, you’ll notice that its gateway is named, not surprisingly, University Avenue. We’ve got one, too. And it doesn’t look that great to me, either, but we’re talking Telegraph here, and Telegraph is not inviting, to say the least. It looks OK in daylight, mainly because people thronging it cover up the decrepitude of it, but come the night, it’s a different story. It is frightening to gentle souls and enraging to the civic minded (me, for one). The street lighting is yellowish—a gesture to environmentalists—and casts a gloomy spell over the street, and people you wouldn’t notice during daylight are present—maybe they’re innocent, maybe not, but as I race to the car I don’t care to interrogate them. 

Telegraph Avenue is a blighted area. It is the gateway to the University of California at Berkeley, which I’ve noticed through the years, does little to contribute to the support of our city without a big fight. It is our neighbor and it is not our friend. (According to the newspapers lately, it looks like UC is no stranger to corruption—we, the citizens of Berkeley might find this a good time to ask for some of that under-the-table money that seems to be available.) 

But I digress.  

Take a look, say, at the City Council of Berkeley: When it comes to dealing with the university, it has been in a holding pattern with it ever since the riots. There’s been an apres vous, monsieur routine between city and state. Nobody budges without a lot of baloney slicing, and then the slice is scarcely visible. Surely, after so many years, the city and the university could have found a way to make the gateway—Telegraph Avenue—attractive to investors, to shopkeepers, to consumers, to strollers. But, no, the stalemate continues. 

I applaud Andy Ross, the owner of Cody’s and the very decent spiritual heir to Fred Cody, for sticking it out for years, and I don’t blame him for giving up. This is a heartbreaking chapter in Berkeley’s life. I do blame the city. I do blame the university. And I do blame myself, my neighbors and fellow residents up on the hills and down to the shore for letting an important part of our town go to hell. 

Heidi Seney 

• 

DOWNTOWN 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

A few readers have written saying that the BART plaza redesign is not needed, that the current design works well. These people apparently have never tried to cross Shattuck Avenue while walking on the north side of University Avenue. 

Because Shattuck splits into two branches at the BART plaza, northbound through-traffic passes through this crosswalk at the same time as pedestrians are crossing. With two lanes of through traffic turning right through the crosswalk to continue north, this is a very dangerous crossing for pedestrians. I myself know two people who were hit while crossing here, one of whom was permanently disabled.  

This dangerous crossing is partly responsible for the poor business conditions on the northeast corner of University and Shattuck, where there have been vacant storefronts for many years. People have told me that they tend not to cross to this corner because of the danger. In addition, parking has been removed on the north side of Shattuck between the two branches of university to accommodate the northbound through traffic, and it is not pleasant for pedestrians to have that heavy traffic right next to the sidewalk.  

Two of the alternatives for the BART plaza redesign, options 2 and 3, would solve these problems by making the west branch of Shattuck two-way. This would make Shattuck and University work like a normal intersection. North-bound through traffic would not have to be routed through the crosswalk while pedestrians are crossing.  

To the people who say the BART plaza redesign is “a solution in search of a problem,” I recommend that you try starting at McDonalds and walking eastward across Shattuck, so you can see the two lanes of through traffic bear down on you when you cross. I do not recommend turning around and crossing again walking westward; if you do this, the through traffic bears down on you from behind your back, which is an even worse safety hazard.  

Once you try crossing here, you will realize that the current situation is a very real safety problem and that the BART plaza redesign offers a solution. 

Charles Siegel 

• 

INACCURACIES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

There were some inaccuracies in the letter of mine that you printed last Tuesday. 

After the UC police officer’s completely unwarranted harassment of Mr. McMullan (for having his son move a traffic barricade placed across the driveway of People’s Park so that he could pull his wheelchair into the park), Mr. McMullan refused to surrender his ID, at which point the police officer placed his hand on Mr. McMullan. Mr. McMullan asked the police officer repeatedly to remove his hand, at least three, if not four times, at which point the other officer placed his hand upon Mr. McMullan’s wrist, in what turns out to be a pain compliance hold, at which point Mr. McMullan got out of his wheelchair and started resisting arrest, including “spitting” upon officer Uranus. A plainclothes cop ran up when the two officers were not able to cuff Mr. McMullan and jabbed his knee very hard into Mr. McMullan’s kidneys at which point our three brave police officers were able to get the cuffs on Mr. McMullan in front of his two young sons. 

Arthur Fonseca 



EDITOR’S NOTE: The Daily Planet has invited all the mayoral candidates to write a regular commentaries. Previous editions included contributions from Zelda Bronstein and Zachary RunningWolf. Of the officially declared candidates, only Richard Berkeley has yet to respond. 

Four years ago I entered the race for mayor with a simple promise—that we would turn a new page in Berkeley’s political history by setting aside the old political divisions and working together to make Berkeley the very best it can be. I pledged that we would take decisive action to help our kids and schools, make Berkeley an environmental leader again, create more affordable housing, and build a new partnership with the university. 

We have made great progress. Our city is working together and solving problems like never before. But there’s a lot we still need to do—and that’s why I have decided to seek re-election as mayor of Berkeley this November. 

In 2002, I promised to be a champion for our kids. We have made remarkable strides. Working in partnership with our schools and community agencies, we created a wonderful new program—Project BUILD—that is providing nearly 1,000 low-income Berkeley children with UC student tutors and mentors to help with their reading, exercise, and nutrition. We are funding the entire $360,000 price tag of this program with private donations and federal funds provided through UC Berkeley’s Cal Corps program.  

We created Berkeley Champions for Kids, a program that promotes, coordinates, and recruits volunteers and resources for local youth programs. And recently, we announced new grants to place city public health nurses in our elementary schools and begin a groundbreaking new joint effort to bring city mental health and other social service programs to children and families at the schools. 

Of course, we have much still to do. My goal is to ensure that every Berkeley child has access to quality pre-school and after-school programs and to find new and innovative ways to combat violence among our youth. 

Working together as a community, we have truly made Berkeley an environmental leader again. Since 2002, Berkeley reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 14 percent—double the requirement of the Kyoto Protocol and more than any other city has documented. We created a novel new program to share part of our fleet of hybrid cars with the community as part of the City CarShare program—saving the city budget $450,000 and reducing the number of cars on our streets.  

In fact, two recent national studies ranked Berkeley among the 10 greenest cities in the country. But we are just getting started. I am working with community partners to achieve an ambitious new goal—reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions to zero and lead the country away from a climate-change nightmare.  

I promised to bring new development of affordable and workforce housing to our downtown and transit corridors. With skyrocketing rents and home prices, Berkeley is quickly becoming unaffordable to all but the wealthiest among us. To begin to address this crisis, we have approved more than 1,400 units of new housing, including more than 500 units of permanently affordable apartments and condominiums, in the last three years. This housing is bringing vitality to our downtown and providing working people with a real chance to live in Berkeley rather than just commute here. This new housing is located on major thoroughfares and downtown in order to maintain and protect our existing neighborhoods. 

Again, there is more we can do. While more than 200 of the new affordable housing units have been set aside for very low income people and families, we need to focus more effort on affordable housing that reaches those who most need it, including housing with support services for homeless people and “emancipated” foster children trying to stabilize their lives. 

In 2002, I pledged to restore the broken relationship between the city and UC Berkeley. After a serious dispute over the university’s Long Range Development Plan, we reached an agreement that increases total contributions to the city from the $7.5 million in the previous agreement to more than $22 million, reduces new parking by 45 percent, and allows our community a real voice in future university development. In particular, the university is now required to work collaboratively with the city on new development in the downtown rather than simply use its Constitutional exemption from all local laws and regulations to build whatever it wants. The San Francisco Chronicle editorialized that the agreement “could serve as a model for many other California communities that have similar symbiotic relationships with a public university.” 

When I ran for office, I did not know that the city was on the brink of the worst budget crisis in its history. We worked through some extraordinarily tough choices, cutting more than $20 million from the city’s budget and reducing the city’s workforce by more than 10 percent. I am proud to report that our budget is balanced. Now, we must continue investing in crucial infrastructure and social services to meet our pressing needs. 

If we had not set aside our old divisions and worked together—as City Council and as a community—none of this could have been accomplished. There certainly have been disagreements, as well there should be when we face difficult decisions. But the council has worked together with respect and civility. We have an opportunity in November’s election to reinforce our commitment to civil and inclusive involvement in Berkeley’s political life.  

Because of our shared vision for what Berkeley can be, a broad cross section of more than 300 of Berkeley’s elected and community leaders have stepped forward to endorse my re-election—including Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Supervisor Keith Carson, a majority of both the City Council and the School Board, and 10 former city councilmembers from across the political spectrum. 

I have been truly honored to serve as your mayor and look forward to continuing our work together. 

Tom Bates is the mayor of Berkeley and a former state assemblymember. 

›

The fact that the Berkeley Unified School District’s maintenance department is in disarray and lacks accountability is not new. BUSD’s maintenance department has been functioning poorly state for over two decades. And more money isn’t the cure. And a new department organizational structure isn’t the cure. The problem is the continuing lack of a qualified, skilled head of maintenance, a continuing lack of a competent plan of action, and the continuing lack of a system of accountability to evaluate whether BUSD is getting the job done. 

From 1999-2001, a Maintenance Oversight Committee (MAC), formed by then Superintendent Jack McLaughlin, spent 18 months working with consultants hired by the school district to develop clear specific plans and agreed-upon priorities on how to rectify maintenance’s disarray. The School Board adopted and approved these plans. However, once the parcel tax, Measure BB, which gives BUSD $4 million a year for maintenance, was passed, the School Board then reneged on its agreements and threw out the agreed-upon plans and priorities. So now, five years and 20 million dollars later, the department is still a mess.  

In 1999, I was asked by then Superintendent Jack McLaughlin to join an oversight committee on maintenance. We were a representative group including those in the union, parents, contractors working in construction, administrators and staff. Together we came to the conclusion that there were four basic problems: lack of money, lack of leadership, poor quality construction and poor coordination between the extensive construction BUSD had undertaken and the maintenance department, and most importantly, the lack of an accountability system. 

The lack of money resulted from the school district’s practice in the 1980s and ’90s of raiding the maintenance budget, to the point where the department only had $120,000 for supplies to keep up all the buildings. As a result, things became so broken that they became irreparable. And part of the sales job to taxpayers for the $275 million in construction bonds, was the need to replace what could not be repaired. However, between 1992, when the construction program began, and 1999, there still had been no maintenance. For example, brand new boilers installed in brand new buildings, which should’ve lasted for 50 years, had to be replaced after five because of the lack of routine maintenance. Citizens were appalled. To rectify this, the Oversight Committee proposed a new parcel tax, Measure BB, which was passed by voters in November 2000 with members of the Oversight Committee walking precincts to get this measure passed. 

The next issue, lack of leadership, was an extremely critical component. The current mess with BUSD’s maintenance department reflects this continuing problem. With the new high tech buildings we were constructing, the head of maintenance needs to be someone savvy on electronics as all new systems were electronically controlled (think fire alarm, security alarm, lighting heating and cooling systems), and savvy about the intricacies of plumbing, roofs, floors, as well as be able to coordinate and schedule so all maintenance is well done and completed in good time. For example, at LeConte school, when the new remodeling was completed, a new fire alarm system was installed that was not connected to the old fire alarm system. If a fire broke out in one part of the building, the alarm would not sound in the other part. Correcting these problems required expertise in both electrical systems and fire codes.  

To fix this problem, hiring a highly qualified, competent person was at the top of the Oversight Committee’s list. Members of the Oversight Committee helped convince the head of maintenance for Kaiser Hospital in Marin to become the director of maintenance for BUSD. His reputation was of someone extremely technically knowledgeable. And he proved so in his short tenure. He was able to provide the necessary guidance and supervision so that staff could get the job done. Staff morale improved. One of BUSD’s money wasters is hiring of outside contractors to do work because BUSD staff lacked the expertise to do it themselves. With Gene LeFevre, we knew, we had someone who could save us the money on outside contractors.  

The next problem we took upon ourselves was the burden on maintenance created by poor quality construction. We saw that unless BUSD built high quality buildings, and the construction took into consideration the future maintenance needs of the construction, all the construction mistakes became maintenance burdens. Some of the examples we faced when the Oversight Committee started was that Rosa Parks, then a brand new school, developed dry rot three years after the building was finished because of poorly installed gutters, and the sinks in the student bathrooms were falling off the wall because BUSD had failed to require that they be bolted to the walls. Improving construction bid specifications and requiring that Maintenance, specifically our newly hired and highly qualified director of Maintenance, Gene LeFevre be given the opportunity to review design drawings for maintenance issues, was the Oversight Committee’s recommendations. 

And lastly, the maintenance oversight committee then developed a detailed plan with clear specific priorities. The first priority was to fix all the fire and safety code violations. Then, all things broken would be fixed. While these corrective repairs were made, a schedule would be implemented so that routine preventative maintenance, tune-ups, would occur for all the new construction. And to accomplish this, accountability was the top priority. The Oversight Committee stated that there had to be a system to track all repair requests (work orders) so the department could tell what was broken, how quickly things were repaired, and what still needed attention. 

The Maintenance Oversight Committee told the board that BUSD needed all the components of this plan. The board agreed and unanimously adopted the Maintenance Oversight Committee’s plan. 

But the Boar’s decision was vacated shortly afterwards by the Board. After Gene LeFevre was hired, and the parcel tax adopted, Jack McLaughlin resigned as superintendent. Our current superintendent, Michele Lawrence, was hired in the summer of 2001, just when the new parcel tax monies started flowing into BUSD’s coffers. Superintendent Lawrence decided to dump the Oversight Committee’s plans, and to install her own. At that time, the Oversight Committee vociferously objected. However, the School Board chose to support the Superintendent. Gene LeFevre quickly resigned. The accountability system was ditched. The Superintendent implemented her plan. A new head of maintenance was hired, whose primary background was as a painter, not a strong technical or systems background. Over the last three years examples of the impact of this hiring includes the repeated flooding of Malcolm X. BUSD staff was not competent to deal with these problems, so outside had to be hired, creating delays and additional expenses. 

The coordination between construction and maintenance never happened. One easily visible example are the newly installed “security grates” at Willard Middle School visible along Stuart Street. Instead of increasing security, these grates reduce security because the grates are designed like a ladder, making it easier to climb into the school.  

We as a community have invested over $275 million in new construction for the school district. It is vital that the school board members to honor our generosity by properly maintaining this investment. It is vital that the next head of maintenance be a technical expert and a management expert. It is also vital that BUSD have an accountability system which evaluates how efficiently and effectively BUSD. This is why I have advocated for over five years, for “performance auditing”. Performance auditing could be seen, not as a threat to the administration, but as the periodic check-up portion of good administrative health. Given the $20 million maintenance debacle, perhaps BUSD could welcome performance auditing and accountability as important parts of good stewardship for an important public institution.  

Yolanda Huang is a Berkeley resident and community gardener.?

CAN’T DO THAT HERE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I was one of the plaintiffs in the recent lawsuit. Regarding Dan McMullan’s race baiting and subsequent backpedalling: It has been such a struggle to be heard through the many voices available here in Berkeley hoping to speak as the “better angels of our nature.” 

I probably don’t have very good activist credentials. I was schooled in civics by the African-American founder of a 25-year-old neighborhood watch group, who, like Dan, was confined to a wheelchair. I wasn’t led by any politician, I was led by conscience and my late friend. My “civics” work included almost any activity that could stop 8- to 12-year-olds from being recruited into the drug trade. The straw that broke the camel’s back and prompted the neighbors to sue was a drug/weapons bust that included three generations of the family, including minors. 

My experience is first-hand and extensive. Regarding “terror” in particular, there was one incident that might be applicable: “Terrorist Threat” was one of the charges filed when I was attacked in (repeat: in) my home.  

No, we aren’t racists, political tools or terrorists. Who we are is representative of a diverse community simply trying to say “You can’t do that here” to a sub-culture that routinely exploits children and uses violence as a means of persuasion.  

Kevin Combs 

• 

MAINTENANCE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It was an educational experience reading the article on Berkeley Unified School District’s Maintenance Department. As co-chair of John Muir’s PTA, I have wondered why the many maintenance issues at our school were not being addressed and now I know why. The end of the article gives the impression that every thing is hunky-dory with maintenance issues at the schools and I have to beg to differ.  

At John Muir, for example, the door to the PTA’s exterior storage space has been eaten away by rats and a whole bottom section is now missing. (What fun cleaning up rat poop.) In addition, some one has used a section of the campus as a dumping ground with waste and debris piling up (including a refrigerator!). Needless to say, the neighbors are as unhappy about this as we are. We know that people in maintenance work their tails off and are doing the best they can under difficult circumstances, but the many problems in this department have impacted schools in the district negatively.  

Diana Yovino-Young 

• 

SHATTUCK AVENUE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I am in full agreement with Mr. Wolfgang Homburger’s letter with regard to the possible reconfiguration of Shattuck-Center Street and North Shattuck areas. Who invented the perceived problems and who asked for any such studies to be undertaken? Clearly someone has too much free time on their hands to have to go out searching for such projects, when all we really need is to have our infrastructure maintained. We don’t need a new look or a new transit center downtown, unless of course the new look would include getting some of the panhandlers (I refuse to grace them with the salutation “homeless”) off our streets. 

To repeat Mr. Homburger’s question: Who exactly is it that’s not happy with what we have now, and who precisely was surveyed? Is this a consultant-driven project? The Shattuck corridor may not be the best it could be, but it ain’t broke, so don’t mess with it. Perhaps we should reallocate budget from city planning to the street maintenance department to help them repair the potholes. 

We don’t need another pork project, even if grant funding equals free money, for such should be available. It is still taxpayers’ money; let’s not squander it on unnecessary projects such as that infamous bridge in Alaska. 

Peter Klatt 

• 

STEPHEN COLBERT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Becky O’Malley’s editorial about the Stephen Colbert performance at the White House Correspondents Association annual dinner is the most insightful and wide-ranging comment I have read. I saw the video clip on Salon.com. Rude? I don’t think so. Colbert was far more vulnerable than anyone else at that affair, and he is a brave man. To break through Bush’s insulation: an impressive accomplishment. If only it could sink in and make a difference. 

Joan Strand 

• 

BOYCOTT  

SENSENBRENNER 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I’d like to urge everyone to boycott products of the Sensenbrenner family. Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisconsin) is the author/sponsor of HR 4437, which would turn 11 million undocumented immigrants into felons, punish anyone guilty of providing them assistance, and construct an iron wall between the United States and Mexico. Rep. Sensenbrenner is heir to the family fortune of Kimberly Clark, so purchasing Kleenex, Poise, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex, Viva, Cottonelle, and Depend puts money in Sensenbrenner’s bank account. Now it’s our turn to build a wall around Sensenbrenner. We need to tell everyone here and everywhere in Latin America to boycott Kimberly Clark products. Support the Grand Boycott!! 

Estelle Jelinek 

• 

DERBY STREET PLAN 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Closing Derby Street is unfair and irresponsible to the Berkeley community as a whole. As an alumnus of the Berkeley Alternative School, Berkeley High School, and currently a parent of two children that attend Berkeley public schools, I am strongly opposed to this street closure.  

Though the issue of the funding for this project is an immediate concern, the message it sends to all of our youth is an irresponsible one. The students at the Alternative High School deserve our recognition, as our community’s lack of attention is what leads most of these students there in the first place. Closing this street for a fancy baseball field or your high “fences” and huge “lights” is a waste of time, money, and space. This proposal should be rejected for the greater good of all of Berkeley’s youth.  

Rachel Hart 

• 

ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Another take on the Berkeley Alternative School: In 1998, my daughter, who was a sophomore at Berkeley High, convinced us to allow her to go to the Alternative School for her junior year. Why? She explained that she was bored in her classes and very tired of the teachers having to spend so much of their time in class making kids be quiet and pay attention! 

We were very hesitant, but she argued that it was worth a try. So she want to see teachers for about one hour each week at the Alternative School; she did her assignments every day, which took her about an hour. She decided to get a part-time job at McKevitt Volvo in the office; she graduated and, with money she had saved from working, took herself to Europe for two months. She traveled all over, mostly by train. She’s now attending Evergreen College in Washington and working full-time. 

The point is, Alternative School can be great for smart kids, kids who need more attention, kids who could work part-time, kids who are already parents. It’s almost like private school, but way cheaper!  

Colleen McGrath 

• 

BART PLAZA 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Thank you, Wolfgang Homburger (Letters, May 5) regarding the BART Plaza proposals. 

Which “people aren’t happy with what’s there”? 

Is the goal to make Berkeley a destination? Or to make it easier to pass through? 

What’s the benefit of these plans? What’s the cost in time, effort and money? 

How better could Berkeley spend this? Repairing our sewers, filling our potholes. 

Judy Nakadegawa 

• 

GAS PRICES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In the face of high gas prices, we should discuss the simple fact that if every driver stays off the road 10 percent of his or her time, others will get to their destination faster and therefore save money in gas. Few things are more wasteful than sitting in traffic. 

Hank Chapot 

• 

LIBRARY TRUSTEES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Judith Scherr’s May 5 article on the deputy director’s departure from the Berkeley Public Library does an excellent job of depicting the relationship between the Board of Library Trustees (BOLT) and our City Council. 

However, it states that the BOLT is “self-appointing.” To be technically correct, it should describe the BOLT as “self-nominating” since the city council bears the responsibility for confirming (or denying) those nominations. Because the Council has tended to rubber stamp the BOLT’s decisions, the net effect is much as the article indicates, with the Council’s degree of involvement aptly characterized as “practically none.” 

This distinction is important because it points out the conscious decision of at least a majority of the Council to back away from the Library and its problems. 

Are these the same people who will want to raise your Library Tax in June? Very likely. 

Jim Fisher 

• 

DARFUR 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I have relentlessly derided the old Peace and Justice Commission and Councilmembers Maio, Worthington, and Spring, and the Daily Planet for bringing a radical anti-Israel agenda to Berkeley. Daily Planet Executive Editor Becky O’Malley, has called me boring for harping on this one theme (some of my detractors have called me much worse in these pages). I confess that O’Malley may, in part, be right. There may be more important issues in this world. Take Darfur. While I, and lots of other contributors to the Daily Planet, focus on the Israel/Palestine conflict, the Jewish community has achieved remarkable internal consensus (get out of Gaza and the West Bank unilaterally, and leave the Palestinians to fend for themselves) and moved on to Darfur. You see, Jews have this thing about genocide. They hate it, even when it is Arab Muslims slaughtering black Muslims. That is, even when it might otherwise be none of their business, they just hate it. Open any issue of the Bay Area Jewish newspaper, “The J,” and it is filled with articles about Darfur. Last week’s issue, typically, had four articles published under the following headlines: 

Darfur and Auschwitz 

Day of Consciousness for Darfur Rallies Bay Area Jews 

Lantos Arrested at Darfur Protest 

Sudanese [i.e., Darur] Refugees in Israel Face Uncertain Fate 

So how does Darfur stack up to the Palestine/Israel conflict? Israel has killed close to 4,000 Palestinians since the start of the second intifada in 2000, in a war they initiated, perpetuated, and could stop anytime they choose. The vast majority of these were combatants (during the same period, Palestinians have killed more than 1,000 Israelis, the vast majority of whom were civilians). In Darfur, about 50 times more blacks than this have been slaughtered, and almost all of them were helpless civilians. That’s right, 50 times as many blacks have been killed in Darfur as all of the deaths resulting from the second intifada. Think about that. Although, I have not rigorously counted the numbers, I think it would be fair to say that the Daily Planet has published at least 50 times more articles about Israel/Palestine than about Darfur, including, admittedly, a number of pieces by me.  

As a city, where are our priorities? Perhaps this city and this newspaper should unite behind a cause that all, but the hardest of heart among us, can support. Maybe Berkeley’s passionate supporters of Palestine and equally passionate supporters of Israel could even break bread on this one. 

John Gertz 

• 

EUSTON MANIFESTO 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Everyone tracking issues regularly raised in the letters and opinion pieces of this paper should read and consider becoming a signatory to the Euston Manifesto: www.eustonmanifesto.org. 

It begins: 

A. Preamble 

We are democrats and progressives. We propose here a fresh political alignment. Many of us belong to the Left, but the principles that we set out are not exclusive. We reach out, rather, beyond the socialist Left towards egalitarian liberals and others of unambiguous democratic commitment. Indeed, the reconfiguration of progressive opinion that we aim for involves drawing a line between the forces of the Left that remain true to its authentic values, and currents that have lately shown themselves rather too flexible about these values. It involves making common cause with genuine democrats, whether socialist or not.  

Thomas Lord 

• 

A READER’S  

RECOMMENDATION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

It’s that time of year once again. Sample ballots and absentee ballots for the June 6 election are appearing in mailboxes throughout Berkeley. One of the more mysterious races is unique in that no one but registered Democrats have a say. It’s the vote for the 14th Assembly District members of Alameda County’s Democratic Central Committee. Though it may sound like some offshoot of the old Soviet Union, in reality the County Central Committee is a coordinating body that is supposed to advance the Democratic Party’s cause, bring out the vote for Democrats, find candidates for higher office, and inform the state party leadership of opinions held by the grassroots in Alameda County. 

At present, the committee could use some new energy. One candidate, Karen Weinstein, is running to provide that. Karen has been voted in as co-chair of the United Democratic Campaign in Berkeley. She is a tireless and committed worker at these entirely unpaid, volunteer positions. She advocates year-round precinct organizing, so that ordinary citizens have ways to consider the issues and convey their views to elected officials. She will strive for a year-round campaign to register new voters. She also will press the county committee to seek out and encourage new people to run for office. 

Karen is a firm believer in bottom–up democracy, which is what she thinks energizes politics and makes government responsive. She is an active SEIU member, a NWPC member and a member of the local, progressive Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club. That posture informs her eagerness to get the Committee to express the views of county residents to higher ups and elected officials in the Democratic Party. That includes opposing the Iraq war, advancing health care for all through single-payer, battling for advances in workers’ pay and rights, as well as protecting women’s right to choose. 

Be sure to vote for Karen Weinstein! You’ll be glad you did. 

Michael H. Goldhaber

SAN FRANCISCO—At this week’s “Dia Sin Inmigrantes/Day Without Immigrants” march in San Francisco, I saw a beautiful, exciting and hopeful vision of the future of this country.  

I also caught a glimpse of a familiar past, fading away. And I shed a few tea rs for both.  

From the moment I climbed aboard the BART subway cars Monday morning, I knew this May Day march and rally would differ from the Bay Area’s usual protest fare. The trains headed into downtown San Francisco were filled with working-class Latinos, all wearing white; most had kids in tow.  

There were few protest signs or banners. But the stars and stripes were everywhere. One tyke on my train kept trying to poke his cousin with a little American flag.  

The children were all well-scrubbed and happy . . . and very proud. So were their parents. They knew they were part of something new, and big, and promising.  

The bright mood contrasted starkly with the dreary atmosphere that chokes most protests nowadays. On this march, I saw no resigned shuf fling of already-defeated feet. No sea of scowls. No pierced tongues, screaming. Nor could I spy a single person dragging behind her the weighty conviction that resistance—though obligatory—was futile.  

To the contrary. Beaming, brown-skinned families wa lked off those trains with their heads held high. They may have been poor, but they stepped like they were marching into a future of limitless promise. 

Their optimism brought tears to my eyes. And not only for the obvious reasons. 

Deep inside, I was gri eving for my own people. I wished that my beloved African-American community had managed—somehow—to retain our own sparkling sense of faith in a magnificent future. There was once a time when we, too, marched forward together. There was a time when we, to o, believed that America’s tomorrow held something bright for us . . . and for our children.  

But those dreams have been eaten away by the AIDS virus, laid off by down-sizers, locked out by smiling bigots, shot up by gang-bangers and buried in a corporat e-run prison yard. Now we cling to Black History Month for validation or inspiration. That’s because Black Present Moment is so depressing—with worse, almost certainly, on the way.  

When Katrina’s floodwaters washed our problems back onto the front pages, the once-mighty Black Freedom Movement could not rise even to THAT occasion. Our legendary “movement” is now a hollowed-out shell—with our “spokespersons,” both young and old, trying somehow to live off our past glories.  

Meanwhile, the white-shirted f uture was pouring itself down Market Street, chanting “Si, Se Puede!”  

My feelings of solidarity quickly trumped my sorrows. Thousands of people were standing up, here and across the United States, for their right to live and work in dignity in this country. Deep in my bones, I felt their pain, knew their hopes and affirmed their dreams. And just as non-Blacks had supported our freedom movement in the last century, I was determined—as a non-immigrant—to give my passionate support to this righteous cause.  

So I joined the crowds in the street, trying to add my voice to the thunderous chants. But I quickly discovered that—all my good intentions notwithstanding—political solidarity is sometimes more easily felt than expressed.  

My fellow marchers started roaring out: “Zapata! Vive! La lucha! Sigue!”  

I was like, Huh? What?  

“Zapata! Vive! La lucha! Sigue!”  

Then louder, faster: “LaLuchaSigueSigue! ZapataViveVive! LaLuchaSigueSigue! ZapataViveVive!”  

Whoa, there! What the . . . ?  

Bewildered but undeterred, I got myself a “chant sheet.” Sure enough, the handy leaflet spelled everything out very clearly—in Spanish.  

“Las Calles Son Del Pueblo! El Pueblo Donde Esta? El Pueblo Esta En Las Calles, Exigiendo Libertad!”  

I found myself desperately trying to remember back to 11th grade, wondering what sound an “x” makes in Spanish.  

Finally, I had to face a sad truth about myself: I had B.S.-ed my way through all my high school and college language requirements. Now, I had to admit that Mrs. Savage (from fourth period Espanol) had been right: I really HADN’T cheated anyone—but myself.  

I decided instead to just walk cheerfully along, clapping in time with the drummers. But even some of the Latin rhythms were unfamiliar, strangely syncopated. I couldn’t a lways find the beat. Suddenly, I was filled with sympathy for all those a-rhythmic white folks whom I used to make fun of at Black rallies, parties and churches. (I am so sorry, y’all!) 

Eventually I found a solution: I would simply listen for any chant t hat had the word “VIVA!” in it. Whenever appropriate, I would just raise my fist and shout “VIVA!” along with the crowd, as loud as I could.  

In the end, despite feeling somewhat out of place, I was absolutely thrilled to see my sisters and brothers taking the future into their own hands.  

Activist Latinos today are pulling the nation to a higher level of fairness and inclusion. They are posing a simple and devastating question: Should U.S. society continue to profit from the labor of 11 million people—many of whom pick our fruit, nurse our children, clean our workplaces—without embracing them fully, without honoring their work, without extending to them the same rights and respect we would want for ourselves?  

Can we countenance or tolerate a Jim Crow system—in brown-face—with a shunned tier of second-class workers, enriching society but lacking legal status and protections?  

Or are we willing to change our laws—and change our hearts—to embrace those upon whom our economy has come to rest? This is a simple moral challenge. The right answers are not easy, but they are obvious.  

I know that there will be a backlash (there always is when people push for fairness), even coming from some Black folks. But I also know that the Latino-led struggle for justi ce and inclusion offers hope to all of us. A national conversation about the true meaning of dignity, equality, opportunity and fair play in the modern economy can ultimately benefit every American community.  

During the two prior centuries, it was the African-American community that performed this service for the country. And we paid a high and awful cost in blood and martyrs. Unfortunately, we did not achieve all of our aims. But we did tear apartheid from pages of U.S. law books. And in the course of that struggle, we did improve the lot of all Americans—expanding social programs, democratic rights and social tolerance for all people.  

Of course, I cannot help but mourn the loss of a Black community strong enough to put this nation on its back, and c arry it forward, step by step, toward justice . . . as we once did. But my pain only amplifies and underscores my joy that this marvelous new force HAS arisen, one that is capable—in this tough, new era—of deepening and extending the struggle for transfor mation and redemption.  

Strong brown hands have grabbed hold of the U.S. flag. And they are pulling it away from those who have monopolized it, from bullies who have abused the nation’s symbols for their violent and illegitimate ends.  

If history is any guide, as Latinos and other immigrant communities raise core questions about their children’s access to education, health care, jobs and safety, every American community will benefit hugely from their efforts. Including my own.  

›c

Absent for over 15 years, Pacific Steel Casting (PSC) has finally made a return to the Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board. The steel mill is requesting modification of their use permit No. 8957 for operating one of their three facilities on Second Street. A privately owned West Berkeley company, PSC has the distinction of being the city’s biggest stationary air polluter. This fact is also reflected in its long history of neighborhood conflicts, odor nuisance complaints, and abatement orders.  

Specifically, the mill has petitioned for changes to Facility No. 3, an open-air pour foundry permitted by ZAB in 1979. The last modification to this use permit was made in 1991. At the same time, an out-of-court settlement forced PSC to address its odor nuisance. Th e settlement required the foundry to “determine and alleviate the odor problem within 18 to 22 months.” In retrospect, ZAB should have waited to approve the changes to Facility No. 3 until the court-linked evaluations were complete. 

Although the 1991 per mit modification created real confusion for ZAB, from the foundry’s perspective, pushing the use permit forward made good sense. In this regulatory fog, the foundry managed to maneuver changes to its operations and postpone any real verification of the impacts. The folly of ZAB’s permit approval was obscured by PSC’s half-hearted attempt to comply with the settlement agreement. This left the evaluations for both the use permit and the settlement agreement incomplete, as they remain today.  

Pacific Steel wants permission to install a carbon filtration system for emissions control at Facility No. 3. Why hasn’t anyone questioned the logic of spending two million dollars to upgrade this residentially bound steel mill? PSC should be encouraged to move this sm allest and dirtiest portion of its operations to a less urban area. Instead, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), which issues PSC’s air discharge permits, has only praise for the foundry’s financial commitment to the proposed system. 

P erhaps PSC now recognizes the political benefits connected to this investment, a lesson gleaned from the two existing absorption units in Facilities No. 1 and No. 2. Although these two units have been only moderately effective in suppressing odors, over t he long haul, they have been absolutely effective in deflecting public criticism of PSC’s emissions. Besides, how could anything possibly be wrong since the steel company claims it spent nearly two and a half million dollars to install both carbon systems in 1985 and 1991!  

Objecting to the installation of another carbon absorption unit at the foundry might seem a bit wacky since PSC is one of the largest steel mills of its kind in the country. However, even with the use of both carbon absorption beds at Facilities No. 1 and No. 2, odor complaints continue to be identified with both buildings to this day. Indeed, these absorption units may be linked to some of PSC’s unsolved odor events.  

The best available technology 

The community has been told repeate dly that PSC’s carbon absorption system is the best available technology. This has never been at the center of the debate over the proposed carbon beds. Instead, the discussion has been about how well the technology actually works at PSC. The history of t his pollution control system might come as a surprise to many, especially its proprietary connection to the foundry.  

At a 1999 BAAQMD hearing about the foundry’s odors, a spokesperson for PSC said, “We started this whole thing. We were the first ones wi th a carbon absorption unit.” When asked by the hearing board who else employs PSC’s system, it was revealed that while one company in Arizona was considering it, the foundry’s 15-year-old technology was not being used anywhere else in the country.  

When the foundry’s abatement scheme was first introduced in the mid 1980s, the board labeled it “fundamentally speculative” and suggested it to be an “overly optimistic process.” The BAAQMD board was not convinced that the proposed carbon system would elimina te the odor problems plaguing nearby homes and businesses. There were strong doubts as to whether the proposed system was really the best technology, much less the best odor control measure. 

Some have asked, “Why not look at the recycled carbon to unders tand what the absorption system is really doing?” Unfortunately, PSC’s used carbon is handled by a private contractor, which apparently distances the foundry from any reporting requirements. The recycler, who handles the dirty carbon for PSC, hauls it off to somewhere like Modesto, or, even out of state, to be incinerated.  

It is logical to assume that the ash from PSC’s recycled carbon is hazardous due to heavy metals that would inevitably be embedded in it. What toxic pollutants in PSC’s chemical inven tory are captured on the carbon beds? Which ones are not captured? Monitoring and evaluation of the carbon system’s effectiveness, by an independent expert, are desperately needed.  

The air board’s assumption that another carbon absorption system is goin g to improve the impact of emissions and odors at PSC is truly wishful thinking. For all that is known about the absorption system’s efficiency, it may, at times, actually exacerbate some of PSC’s toxic emissions. Moreover, the existing absorption systems have never been able to adequately control the foundry’s odors. No technology can ever protect nearby residents without an adequate buffer zone. This is why other Berkeley foundries have relocated.  

The health risk: how bad can it get? 

Of all the egreg ious acts of use permit abuse recorded in Berkeley, none is greater than ZAB’s acceptance of the Bendix report as a qualified health risk assessment. The scope of the health risk evaluation, as stipulated by the 1991 use permit, was to determine “if there is a potential for adverse health effects of chemicals stored and used at Facility No. 3. Bendix Environmental Research, which was hired as the contractor, chose instead to refocus the scope of the work to the evaluation of odors. This was an area in whi ch Bendix had no formal training or expertise.  

From the beginning, this report was off the mark. The health risk data, limited to information previously gathered by others, was presented without any qualification of its validity. ZAB further contributed to the distortion of this evaluation by allowing Bendix to refocus away from the use permit for Facility No. 3 and to broaden the scope of the report to include all three facilities.  

The real twist to the Bendix report is that the steel mill became its greatest supporter. In the last decade, each time the health risks from its operations have come up for discussion, the foundry points to the Bendix report to silence the public. PSC is quick to remind critics that it paid for this report and that ZAB en dorsed it. Recently, PSC has agreed to undertake another health risk assessment for all of its Berkeley operations. Neighbors have already objected to the proposed protocol as woefully inadequate. ZAB should demand more. 

Changes to the operations of Faci lity No. 3 in 1991 included a review under the guidelines of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The foundry’s request for flexible hours was deemed to have insignificant impacts. Since that time, however, PSC has changed substantially. In fa ct, Facility No. 3 has grown from 80 employees to a three-shift operation of 180 workers!  

PSC has tried to shrug off the huge growth of employees and production by arguing the foundry was underutilized in the last decade. This is a grossly misleading ex planation for the steady rise in plant activity and the near doubling of the steel tonnage in production over the last two years alone. This increase has already generated significantly adverse impacts that will only grow as PSC is allowed to expand its o perations.  

The use permit now demands a full environmental review. This review must include the proposed carbon absorption unit and its effectiveness as an emissions control. If ZAB moves for approval, it should require installation of continuous emissi on monitors. These CEMs can be connected electronically to BAAQMD, making the regulatory reporting of PSC’s stack emissions more transparent to ZAB and our Berkeley community.  

The 1991 use permit debacle is at the core of the current community conflicts with the steel mill, BAAQMD and the city. The injustice of this outdated permit, more than a decade of unanswered questions about emissions and health risks, and this shoddy regulatory oversight must stop. Pacific Steels Castings should be made to confor m. ZAB ‘em! 

L A Wood is a Berkeley resident. 

At the recent community workshop on the Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza redesign plan, an anonymous leaflet was distributed that is full of factual errors and misinformation about Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service, which AC Transit is planning for Telegraph Avenue, the Southside and Downtown Berkeley. 

The author of this anonymous leaflet tries to suggest that we don’t need to improve transit service on the Telegraph corridor by implementing BRT because existing bus service is adequate. The anonymous leaflet states that buses that currently use Telegraph are “almost empty.” This is simply false.  

Anonymous must never ride the bus. Anyone who does ride the 40 bus from Berkeley to Oakland and back on Telegraph will note that people are getting on and off the bus all along the route. How full the bus is varies, not surprisingly, by time of day. 

AC Transit gathers statistics about how many people ride their buses, which is not hard to do since everyone must pay, or have a pass or transfer, to ride. According to AC, the Telegraph Avenue portion of the approved BRT corridor currently draws about 8,000 bus riders a day. 

A billion dollars for BRT? 

Anonymous says AC is getting “a billion or more taxpayer dollars” for BRT, which anonymous describes as a “grand scheme to compete with BART.” This is simply false. 

The total cost of BRT construction is estimated at between $190 million and $340 million.  

Is BRT meant to compete with BART? Hardly. It will, as the current 40 bus does, serve areas that are not well served by BART.  

BART is good for longer distance travel. If you are going from the center of downtown Berkeley to the center of downtown Oakland, BART is obviously the best choice; the same holds true if you are going from downtown Berkeley to Market Street in San Francisco.  

But BART stations are spaced much further apart than both current bus stops and planned BRT stations (which will be one-third to one-half mile apart). For many people living near Telegraph or International Blvd, there is no BART station close by.  

Why BRT is needed 

BRT is expected to increase transit ridership by 30-40 percent on the corridor it serves. Most of these new transit riders will be people who currently drive. In addition, for people who don’t own cars and are dependent on transit for commute and other trips, including those in low-income and minority neighborhoods along the route, it will substantially improve the quality of service. 

How does BRT improve service? First, of all BRT buses will run in their own dedicated lanes in the street and will have traffic signal priority at intersections. BRT stations will be spaced further apart than current bus stops, so the bus will spend less time stopping. 

The combined impact of these changes will be a substantial improvement in travel time. Trips will take one-third less time and will be much more competitive with automobile trip travel time to the same destinations along the corridor. For someone boarding in the area south of the UC campus, the travel time to downtown Oakland will be reduced by about ten minutes, a substantial improvement. 

A survey of commuters conducted a few years ago found that the top reason given for NOT taking transit to work was that it “takes too much time.” BRT will attract more riders to transit because it will reduce travel time.  

Also in the top five reasons for not riding transit is concern about transit’s reliability. People who ride buses regularly know that buses are not always on schedule. Dedicated lanes will make it easier to stay on schedule since it is often traffic congestion that knocks buses off their schedules. 

Why does it matter if bus service is improved and more people choose to ride transit as a result? Berkeley’s population is increasing as more housing is being built. UC plans to expand as well.  

Both Berkeley’s General Plan EIR and UC’s Long Range Development Plan recognize that the volume of traffic will increase. If more trips are made as a result of growth and there is no change in the percentage of those trips made by transit and other alternatives to driving, then the net result will be more traffic. There will also be more demand for on-street parking in neighborhoods and commercial areas. 

BRT will reduce traffic overall and will benefit neighborhoods adjacent to its route by doing so. Anyone in these neighborhoods who opposes BRT forfeits their right to complain about traffic and competition for neighborhood parking spaces. Without BRT and similar efforts to improve transit service and to encourage transit use, more traffic is inevitable. 

Reducing emissions 

Since BRT will reduce traffic and eliminate an estimated 9,000 to 11,000 daily auto trips, it will also reduce emissions that contribute to global climate change and that pollute the air. It will help Berkeley implement the Urban Environmental Accords, which include an action which calls for implementing “a policy to reduce the percentage of commute trips by single occupancy vehicles by ten percent in seven years.” 

AC Transit has introduced “clean diesel” buses that have sharply reduced emissions of nitrogen dioxide and particulates to levels far below those set by the California Air Resources Board. AC is also trying out zero-emissions hydrogen fuel cell buses and gasoline hybrids. 

There is no question that the emissions from BRT buses will be far below the emissions that would be generated if all the car-owners who decide to ride BRT buses were to drive instead. 

The anonymous anti-BRT leaflet suggests that BRT’s “polluting diesel buses” could emit more harmful particulate pollution into our city’s air and add to greenhouse gases. Had anonymous talked to anyone at AC, this mistaken impression could have been avoided. 

Impact on pedestrians and business 

Anonymous says that BRT’s raised concrete platforms and bus shelters will “impede pedestrian movement and block views of businesses on the street.” First of all the raised platforms will only be 8-13 inches high. They will make things easier for pedestrians because they will allow for “level boarding” which will make it much easier for people with wheelchairs, people with strollers, and people with mobility problems to board the bus. 

People will board buses in the median, so sidewalks will not be obstructed by BRT shelters. Given all the rain we had this winter and spring, bus shelters are an obvious necessity. AC is working on a design that will be attractive with a transparent canopy. AC plans to seek public input on the specific design. 

Next steps 

The BRT EIR should be released to the public in a few months. The EIR will look at BRT’s impact on traffic among other things and will provide data on the route alternatives being considered. 

The Berkeley City Council endorsed BRT and dedicated lanes in a general way when it approved the current General Plan. But many specific decisions remain to be made.  

What should the specific route be through Berkeley’s Southside and Downtown? Should buses run both ways on all of Telegraph and on Bancroft and Shattuck? Or should buses use couplets of streets: Telegraph/Dana (north of Dwight); Bancroft/Durant; and Shattuck/Oxford? 

What mitigations will AC propose for the removal of some on-street parking spaces near their new BRT stations? How many stations should there be in Berkeley and where should they be located. Should there be a station between Dwight and Ashby on Telegraph or is the distance between those stations about right? 

What’s a good design for stations and shelters and what’s the best design for the streets where BRT buses will run? Clearly we can work with AC to come up with an optimal design that will give a boost to Downtown and the Telegraph area while meeting AC’s and our need for improved more rapid bus service. 

AC has welcomed public input in the planning process leading up to the EIR. They have hosted public meetings and have made presentations and heard input at meetings and hearings before the Planning and Transportation commissions.  

There will be more opportunities for public input in the post-EIR phase of the planning process. Hopefully that input will be informed by accurate information and not by misinformation coming from people who long ago made up their minds that BRT is a bad idea.  

Rob Wrenn is a member of the Transportation Commission and the Downtown Area Plan Committee.›

The Planning Commission and City Council will soon be considering recommendations regarding revisions to the Creeks Ordinance. When property owners affected by the Creeks Ordinance were informed that it would be virtually impossible to rebuild their homes if they were destroyed, more than 600 attended the City Council meeting to express their outrage. It turns out that this is core issue for those directly affected by the Creeks Ordinance but also for almost everyone else in Berkeley.  

It is fair to say that I have had a more than usual involvement in the workings of our government. Even with that deep involvement, I was shocked to learn that almost every homeowner in Berkeley cannot rebuild without going through a public hearing and use permit process when their property is destroyed 50 percent or more. 

This means that homeowners have to pay $6,000 just for starters and wait a minimum of six months before you can get a hearing date. Six months is very optimistic. All of you know from your experience with zoning matters that the process often takes a year or more. Yet our city requires all of this just to rebuild what probably existed for 50 years or more. At the public hearing anyone in the city can object to your request to rebuild even if you are replacing the same structure that originally existed! 

This is especially a problem for properties with open creeks. In examining such properties, the city’s consultant found that around 60 percent of properties sampled in the hills and 80 percent of properties sampled in the flats do not conform to the 30-foot creek setback, 60 feet if measured on both sides of the creek. It seems reasonable that those percentages can be applied to all 1,000-plus properties with open creeks. Can anyone state that objections about being too near the creek will not be the central issue raised during a public hearing to rebuild a destroyed property? Can anyone guarantee that the city will give permission to rebuild the same home in the face of such objections? I sincerely doubt it. 

Imagine the agony for both the homeowner and the city if the city’s currently clogged zoning process had to deal with any number of properties destroyed in an earthquake or a wildfire. Let’s face it, even one destroyed home is a nightmare of red tape, requirements, and back-breaking effort. One homeowner said it all when he told the Creeks Task Force that the requirement for a use permit public hearing process in order to rebuild would be to add “horror upon horror” for the homeowner. 

What property owners want is very simple: first, to be able to rebuild a destroyed structure that is on the same footprint, to the same height and size as what formerly existed, as a matter of right, with no public hearing. The only requirement should be to meet current building and engineering codes. These provisions should apply to everyone in Berkeley, including properties with open creeks, and they don’t mean that a homeowner would have to build the exact same interior layout.  

Second, if the person wants to rebuild something that is bigger or higher than what formerly existed, that proposal should undergo full zoning review. The Creeks Task Force has suggested granting increases to the height or moving the structure into the front and side yard setbacks as an incentive to move a home away from a creek. Neighbors on Urban Creeks objects to this because of the likely significant impact on neighboring properties. If an incentive is to be given to encourage owners to build away from the creek, the fee for zoning review of a structure that is different from what existed should be waived. 

How does Neighbors on Urban Creeks know what owners want? We asked them. We mailed a survey out to over 2,000 owners affected by the ordinance. With a 17.5 percent return, 94 percent felt that the use permit requirement to rebuild destroyed properties was wrong. 

The right to rebuild is a property value issue that affects mortgages, insurance and resale when there is no guarantee that you can replace what you worked so hard to own. I urge the Planning Commission and City Council to begin the process to amend the Zoning Ordinance as described above.  

Shirley Dean is the former mayor of Berkeley. 

›

The current alignment of Strawberry Creek is well known, and its future location is up to the community. Frank Greenspan’s April 25 letter to the editor suggests that there is some public confusion regarding the current status of the Strawberry Creek and proposals to daylight it. The creek presently enters a five-by-six-foot arched box culvert as it leaves campus at Oxford Street. The culvert jogs diagonally under buildings to Allston Way, runs down Allston Way to near the post office, cuts diagonally under the YMCA to the Center Street side of City Hall, and diagonally crosses the northwest corner of Civic Center Park to Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The culvert runs in perfectly straight segments, whereas the natural channel did not. Thus, the existing culvert is already a “realignment” of the creek.  

The currently preferred design concept is to create an open channel reach of Strawberry Creek along Center Street between Oxford and Shattuck that would convey low to medium flows only. The flows would be returned to the existing culvert just above the point where it crosses BART at Allston Way. An existing storm drain culvert along the east side of Shattuck Avenue would need to be enlarged for this purpose. High flows would remain in the existing culvert for the time being, but the new channel would be large enough to convey a 100-year flood flow, the full flow of the creek. Also, its gradient would be aimed to pass over the BART station and continue down Center Street if complete rerouting of the creek becomes desirable at some future date.  

The objectives of this concept design are to restore some of the creek’s biological, aesthetic, and flood management functions by creating an open reach. The open channel would not need to be huge to convey the 100-year flood flow. A stepped or V-shaped channel eight feet deep and 25 feet wide would suffice, which is approximately the size of the channel at the lower end of campus. This could easily fit within the 80 feet of total width available for a pedestrian plaza along Center Street, while still allowing for sidewalks and other plaza amenities. Previous studies implied that a wider corridor would be needed for complete “restoration” of the creek. Those studies assumed that the objective was to restore all of the natural functions of the creek, including geomorphic processes such as meandering. While a meandering streambed would be a great option if additional space were available, this is not a requirement for the design discussed above, since it is clear that there are obvious constraints associated with being in a highly developed urban environment. Obviously, meandering streams are not compatible in the context of a highly confined and developed urban setting. The present objectives are to restore some of the creek’s biological, aesthetic and flood management functions by creating this open reach. 

There are a range of options for the appearance of the open channel through the plaza. At the “wild” extreme, it could be densely vegetated with native, bank-anchoring shrubs such as willows, and have a natural look featuring spider webs and earth banks blanketed with leaf litter. At the “park” extreme, it could look quite manicured with terraced lawn banks, flagstone walkways and a few high-canopy shade trees. As a whole, the aim would be to maximize the potential ecological services provided by this open space area, while at the same time providing a real amenity to the downtown core. Cities such as San Luis Obispo have done this to great economic and aesthetic benefit, and we see a real opportunity here in Berkeley as well. 

Deciding whether to daylight Strawberry Creek through the Center Street plaza and selecting the appearance of the channel are decisions that should be made by the citizens of Berkeley. An upcoming opportunity to participate in that discussion is the public “visioning” event being hosted on June 17 by the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee.  

Berkeley resident Gus Yates is a professional hydrologist..

How un-Berkeley can you be? Mayor Tom Bates and City Councilmembers Darryl Moore, Laurie Capitelli and Gordon Wozniak offered one possible answer to that question last Tuesday when they indicated support for a proposal to allow developers to convert landscaped rear yards into parking lots with no public notice, no public hearing, and no possibility of appeal by neighbors. 

Up for a vote were two contending proposals, a bad one from the Planning Commission and an even worse one from Planning Department staff, to amend the Zoning Ordinance to relax or eliminate the current general prohibition (to which there are numerous exceptions) on locating parking spaces in required rear and side yards. On most lots, that’s 15 feet across the back and four feet along each side. (You can park anywhere you like in the non-required portion of a yard.) 

The Zoning Ordinance currently defines a yard as being “unoccupied and unobstructed from the ground upward by any portion of a building or structure, or by the presence of a parking space. . . .” Both proposals would strike the phrase “or by the presence of a parking space,” thereby eliminating the prohibition on parking in required yards which has been in effect for decades. 

The Planning Commission’s proposal would add language requiring an administrative use permit (AUP) to locate any required parking space in a required yard in a residential district. An AUP can be approved by planning staff, but public notice is required and unhappy neighbors can appeal it to the Zoning Adjustments Board. 

Planning staff’s alternative proposal would require an AUP only for front-yard parking, allowing parking in rear and side yards “by right,” that is, with no public notice, as if a developer converting a yard into a parking lot were as innocuous and private a matter as a homeowner converting a closet into a bathroom. 

Enacting either proposal would effectively eliminate the 15-foot rear-yard requirement in the South Area Commercial district (Shattuck Avenue south of Durant, MLK from Ashby south, Sacramento from Oregon south, and all of Adeline Street), and the 10-foot rear-yard requirement for commercial lots adjacent to residential lots. 

We don’t have to guess what effects those changes would have. In 2002, planning staff mistakenly approved a by-right conversion of 3045 Shattuck (aka the “flying bungalow”) from a 1,250-square-foot single-family home into a 4,999-square-foot, three-unit building, and conversion of its rear yard into a three-space parking lot (see Figure 1). If the council passes either proposal, we’ll see similar projects on corner lots all over south and west Berkeley. 

In mid-2003, while justifying the approval of the 3045 Shattuck project, planner Mark Rhoades told the City Council that it was staff’s practice to allow parking in required rear yards, and that off the top of his head he could name 20 examples of similar projects. (Contrary to that claim, staff has yet to come up with an example of a project prior to 3045 Shattuck that located new parking spaces in a required yard, except after a public hearing by the ZAB and as allowed by one of the aforementioned exceptions.) For the next two years, staff ignored the law and allowed parking in required yards; in May 2005, staff returned to enforcing the law. 

Figure 2 shows plans my next-door neighbor had drawn up during that period. His goal was to bring the uninhabited ground-floor second unit flat up to code. Planning staff told him that to get a permit he would have to add a second off-street parking space, and that the only place he could put it was in the rear yard. Note carefully: this was staff's recommendation; my neighbor thought turning the rear yard into a parking lot was a horrible idea. (Staff eventually tracked down some old documents showing that the building was legally two units, so the parking situation was grandfathered in, and he was able to keep his yard.) 

If the City Council approves staff’s proposal, we’ll see projects like that “by right” all over Berkeley. The Planning Commission’s version would allow them by right for residences in commercial districts; in residential districts an AUP would be required. No sound policy argument is offered for eliminating the current prohibition; staff dismisses concerns with the fiction that such parking was always allowed by right. 

The council deadlocked 4-4 (Max Anderson was absent) on Moore’s motion to approve staff’s proposal, so the matter will be back on the May 16 agenda. Spring and Worthington opposed both proposals, Olds seemed to be leaning that way, Maio favored the Planning Commission’s version, and Bates, Capitelli, and Wozniak sided with Moore, though toward the end of the discussion the mayor seemed to be leaning toward changing his mind. If you’d like to see the yard-parking prohibition maintained, please let Bates, Maio, and your district’s City Council representative know right away. For their phone numbers and e-mail addresses, visit www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Elected or call 981-CITY. 

Robert Lauriston is a South Berkeley  

pro-democracy activist.?

Jerry Brown is running for attorney general for the same reason he ran for mayor of Oakland in 1998: “I don’t know what to do with myself when I am not running for office.” Soon after he became mayor, he looked for the next office to run for without an incumbent. He had his eye on Barbara Boxer’s Senate seat until she decided not to step down. So then he focused on the attorney general’s office. 

He loves running for office but he is rather like the dog that loves chasing cars and finally when he catches one doesn’t know what to do with it.  

Some people voted for him initially believing he would put a monkey wrench in the machine that has had a choke hold on Oakland for so long. But no, he bonded with the machine and became a protégé of Don Perata. From him he learned that to succeed in politics, The People to court were The People with Money. 

Even with his pushing for anything any developer (or at least any developer who added to his coffers) proposed, Oakland’s Main Street, Broadway, is as dreary as when he first became mayor. The dot-com boom brought a lot of construction, but most of the “downtown” housing is too scattered and too far from Broadway to stimulate retail. Construction on the largest site near Broadway has just broken ground because, instead of parceling it out to local developers years ago, he insisted it be given to one big Cleveland developer at a subsidy of almost $100,000 per unit. 

Every city needs development but a city only benefits if it is the right development in the right place. Due to his indiscriminate support for developers,  

• He is for urban casinos: Kept pushing for casinos in Oakland in spite of strong citizen and city council opposition. 

• Had no objection to a Wal-Mart. 

• Has no respect for public lands: Tried to hand over a park parcel to the Catholic Church and another to a housing developer. In both cases the public reaction was so strong that the public prevailed. Presently pushing a development on the estuary that would place dense housing on public land designated as open space in the General Plan. (Recently he told an audience in Los Angeles that the Tidelands Trust has outlived its usefulness.) 

• Wants to eliminate or, at least, weaken CEQA. 

• Thinks of historic preservation as just an impediment to development. 

His legal positions and understanding of the law make him a scary candidate for attorney general. For instance: 

• In favor of draconian, lock-them-up-and-throw-away-the-key law enforcement. Energetically campaigned to preserve the current 3-strikes law. 

• Does not understand the concept of protecting health, safety and welfare of citizens. He once said to me that he didn’t think architects needed to be licensed. 

• Lost one good project in Oakland because the architect followed his erroneous legal advice—that his project on a historic site did not need review by the Landmarks Board. 

• Has little respect for sexual harassment laws. He gave his long-time right- hand man, Jacques Barzaghi, a city job, and young women soon learned it was not safe to get on an elevator alone with him. But even after a woman finally filed a complaint, he supported him and kept him on as his aid until July 2004. 

Lockyer recently filed two lawsuits against the construction of a toll road through San Onofre State Beach in Orange County favored by developers. From Jerry’s record in Oakland, it is hard to believe that he would have filed any such lawsuit. 

With his views, he belongs on the Libertarian ticket. But you never can tell. Before running for mayor, he had an afternoon talk show titled “We the People” on KPFA whose main theme was that all corporations and developers were evil. (He has had those programs sealed!) After he became mayor, corporations and developers could do no wrong. I asked him about this change and he said the radio show was “his pre-mayoral persona.” 

So, who knows what “his post-mayoral persona” will be. We in Oakland found that Jerry had no there there. 

Joyce Roy is a semi-retired architect and an Oakland activist. 

The image of China in the Western press is less the dragon of the Celestial Kingdom than J.R. Tolkin’s Smaug, a beast of enormous strength and cunning, ravaging oil markets in Africa, copper ore in South America, and uranium deposits in Australia. “The world begins to feel the dragon’s breath on its back,” intones the Financial Times. 

Even dismissing the media’s hyperbole, the creature is impressive. Since 1990, its exports have climbed 1,200 percent. Each year it turns out twice as many engineers as the United States. Its central bank has $710 billion in currency reserves. Its growth rate was 10.2 percent last quarter and has averaged 9.8 percent for the past 12 years. It has the biggest mall in the world. 

The capitalist dragon has created great wealth and lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty. But the Chinese leadership is discovering a downside to this narrative, one that is generating a growing social crisis for a huge section of the population. 

For all its vaunted power, the dragon is troubled.  

According to the China Poverty-Relief Fund, some 30 million of its people live in absolute poverty, defined as not having enough money for food or clothes. Another 60 million make under 28 cents a day. Income for rural Chinese—where 800 million of China’s 1.3 billion people live—is one-third of those in urban areas, a gap, according to government studies, that threatens to widen over the next half decade.  

The official Xinhua News reports that the top fifth of China’s population corners 50 percent of the country’s total income, while the bottom fifth takes home just 4.7 percent. In 25 years, China has gone from a nation with one of the smallest income disparities in the world to a country with one of the greatest. 

“The income gap, which has exceeded reasonable limits, exhibits a further widening trend,” Xinhua News wrote in an editorial last fall. “If it continues this way for a long time, the phenomenon may give rise to various sorts of social instability.”  

That “instability” is already a reality. Whipsawed by a collapsing social security net, a vanishing health care system and, until recently, a market-focused, tone-deaf government, millions of Chinese have taken to the streets. In 2004, there were 74,000 such “incidents” involving almost four million people, a seven-fold increase in less than a decade.  

The growing disparity between rural and urban income was a major focus of last month’s National People’s Congress, where Prime Minister Wen Jinbao committed the country to closing the gap and creating a “new socialist countryside.” 

But while the new five-year plan is long on rhetoric, its spending goals are modest, to say the least. The government will pump $42.3 billion into the countryside. But as a percentage of total spending, that is only an increase of .1 percent over last year, and less than the government spent in 2004. It also represents only 8.9 percent of total government spending, in spite of the fact that tax revenues rose 20 percent in 2005.  

The Congress did vote to phase out many agricultural taxes, along with school fees and tuition for required schooling, but those will only amount to about $19 a year, which will hardly bridge the gap. The average city dweller earns about $1,000 annually, while his or her rural counterpart makes slightly more than $300. 

The state of China’s once all embracing healthcare system was also a major concern for the Congress. 

The government will beef up health spending, most of it to re-build community health centers in China’s major cities by 2010. Those clinics were largely dismantled in the 1980s, a cost cutting measure that has come back to haunt the government. 

The 2003 SARS epidemic is a case in point. According to Indian journalist P. Sainath, who has reported extensively on health issues in Asia, the virus got out of hand because without clinics there was no early warning system that a health crisis was building. While closing the clinics saved hundreds of millions of dollars, in the end, SARS cost China several billion in damages to the economy and tourism.  

Chinese health care spending is heavily weighted toward expensive hospital care. While the hospitals are non-profit, they still need a revenue stream. According to a study by the British medical journal, The Lancet, up to 75 percent of that revenue comes from selling drugs.  

This system for financing healthcare encourages doctors and hospitals to prescribe drugs, whether they are needed or not. A World Bank study found that in the case of village clinics, less than 1 percent of the drugs prescribed were appropriate.  

Starting with re-building clinics in the cities makes a certain sense, given the pollution problems that most urban dwellers face. Officials estimate that over 400,000 people die prematurely from respiratory aliments, most of them in the cities, and that pollution levels could quadruple in the next 15 years.  

But rural health care is also in crisis, in part because rural dwellers are poorer and thus more likely to consider health care a luxury, and partly because “rural” does not mean “pristine.” One survey in eastern Jiangsu Province found mercury, lead and cadmium present in 41 percent of the local fish. All three heavy metals are associated with birth defects, child development problems, and cancer. 

Because urban land is at such a premium—Shanghai real estate prices have climbed 74 percent in the last four years—many of China’s industries, including coal-fired power plants and cement factories, are located in the countryside. The former produce substantial amounts of sulfur dioxide, a compound associated with asthma and a variety of lung aliments. The latter generate dioxin and furon, among the most carcinogenetic compounds on the planet.  

The government plans to reduce pollution by 10 percent over the next five years, but since local authorities are judged by how much growth they can deliver, it is not clear anyone will pay much attention to decrees. 

The only formal “targets” in the new five-year plan are to double the gross domestic product by 2010 and to reduce energy consumption. Improving the environment is mentioned, but the central theme of the plan, according to the National Development and Reform Commission, is to “give greater play to market forces.” 

There is a division in the Chinese leadership between gung ho free marketers and a growing sector which is clearly worried about the damage China’s run away economy is inflicting on its environment and people. While the split is portrayed in the West as “conservative old guard” vs. “reformers,” that characterization has more to do with the Cold War than the reality in China today. 

The steps on healthcare, fees and taxes, modest though they are, suggest that the leadership is trying to get a handle on the problems. 

Several provinces are also responding to the unrest by raising the minimum wage. Shenzhen, which accounts for one third of China’s exports, is planning to raise wages by 23 percent, and other provinces are considering similar upgrades. As government lawyer Yang Yiping told the Financial Times, “We can’t rely on cheap labor alone to attract investment. Workers won’t tolerate low wages.”  

At least not forever.  

›

Sometime in the late 1970s, I drove with a friend to visit her family home in Gramercy, a small Mississippi River town not far from New Orleans. Fate takes odd turns. I knew less about my own family history at the time, but I later learned that Gramercy is in St. James Parish, the Louisiana county that my father’s people stopped in for a time on their way from Senegambia to Oakland. 

One evening my friend and her uncle and I went to a local bar for beer-and-crawfish, a local favorite, and while we were waiting for our order the uncle pointed out a row of men sitting at the bar. “You’re a stranger in town,” he said, “so they’re talking about you.” Of course, I tried to pick out their conversation. It all seemed like gibberish. I could pick out words and a couple of phrases but all out of order, like a jigsaw puzzle that had been scattered over the floor. Seeing my confusion—which was the whole point of his comment—the uncle broke out laughing. “You can’t understand them, can you?” he said. I shook my head, no. “Ain’t your fault,” he said. “They’re running through three languages, over there. Creole, English, and French. You don’t speak French, do you?” 

I didn’t. The uncle did, as did most people of a certain age, both black and white, in that part of lower Louisiana, the last echo of the long years when the French colonized that part of the country, as the English had done in the rest. The uncle lamented that he was one of the last to grow up learning French. His brother, only a few years younger, had been discouraged from the practice by teachers and community leaders seeking to assimilate children into the English-speaking world. Today, that language has virtually disappeared from Louisiana, except in colorful street names. A shame. 

Creole is still around, because unlike the classical languages, it adapts and morphs into something else, sometimes unrecognizable from its origins. Creole is like the blue notes in jazz, which bended tones between the African and European scales that existed in neither, creating modern music. In acting as a bridge between French-English and the various language spoken by African captives brought to Louisiana, Creole developed into a separate language itself. My cousin, Betty Reid Soskin, who grew up in Oakland but spent many summers visiting St. James Parish in her childhood, says that all of the family elders spoke Creole, and she can still roll off a few phrases, herself, if you give her encouragement. My mother used to say that my grandfather spoke with a mild French accent, though he passed away so long ago that I can scarcely remember how it sounded. 

I wish, now, that I had been old enough to have learned Creole and French from my grandfather and other family members. I wish I could have been able to pass that language down to my own children and grandchildren. I view that sadly, with a great sense of loss. 

Multilingualism among African immigrants to America was not confined to Louisiana, of course, though you’d never know it from present common knowledge. Along the South Carolina coast, they give that English-African bridge language another name, Gullah, and it is seen as something as an abberation. Actually, it wasn’t. If your exposure to the speech of the slaverytime African peoples is limited to the dialogue in the movie Gone With The Wind, you probably think that everyone in the Quarters spoke English only, with a mid-Georgia accent. A better depiction of African-American speech in the 18th and 19th centuries would be Haile Gerima’s Sankofa, which shows a delicious musical blend of language and dialect from various parts of African, Europe, and the Caribbean all going on at one time, mixed together like a good gumbo stew. 

The African effect on American culture was so enormous—in music and speech and style and dress and even how we worship our various gods—that even the African descendants tend to lose sight of its origins, and so sometimes fail to recognize when the same process is happening with other peoples. 

Such as with our Mexican brothers and sisters. And that brings us to part two of today’s discussion, sparked by the recent Mexican pride demonstrations which were in turn sparked by the call to turn illegal immigrants into felons. 

Although it is easy to find reasons, it is difficult to locate reason in the increasing hue and cry in the country over the growing presence of Mexican illegals in our midst. 

In trying to understand the concern over Mexican “illegals,” I find it hard to determine whether my own ancestors were “legal” or “illegal” immigrants to this country. Those who were brought in after the abolishment of the slave trade in the early 19th century were “illegals,” certainly, since the slave trade itself was declared illegal, but those of my family captured on the African continent and enslaved and then brought to America before that time were “legal.” It seems a ghastly perversion of that term, though, as if “legal” somehow equates with “moral,” or even just plain “right.” Enslaved African people were never called “illegals” in this country, regardless of when they came here. They were simply called “slaves” or, if they declined the offer to remain in the service of their enslavers, “runaways.” During the Civil War, when folks bolted from the plantations en masse to follow around the campaigning Union armies, they were called “contraband.” And through it all they—we—retained the term “niggers,” even down to today. 

Referring to Mexican immigrants who come here without the proper clearance and papers as “illegals” seems to be along that same pattern; a not-so-subtle dehumanization of humans by referring to them by some imposed condition, rather than by their actual names. 

So, too, is concern over their speaking of Spanish rather than English as their first language. 

It is interesting that someone speaking English with a deep Spanish accent is often considered crude and backwards, as opposed to someone speaking English with a French accent, who used to be considered “cultured,” at least in the days before the Iraq invasion when so many of our citizens got pissed off with the French (my great-grandmother, Mamá Breaux Allen, who spoke mostly French and Creole in her St. James Parish home, would have found it ironic, I am sure, how the speaking of French went from out of favor to in favor back to out again, seemingly at whim). Whatever the case, speaking English with a deep Spanish accent (or a Tagalog or Vietnamese or Cantonese accent, for that matter) usually means that the speaker is able to speak in two languages rather than one, even if they have not quite mastered the second, a sign that ought to connote ability, rather than disability. Interesting how we seem to have turned that around into making it a sign of ignorance. 

If I were a professional educator, which I am not, I would design an elementary school curriculum in which the kids speaking Spanish or Vietnamese or whatever as a first language would get paired up with kids speaking English as a first language, sort of like you pair up in a science experiment. Each student would help the other student in the pair learn their native language so that rather than ending up with only one language being spoken—English—each student would end up with two. It seems an awful waste of resources, having so many neighbors in our midst speaking another language and urging them to give up the speaking of it rather than encouraging them to teach theirs to us while we teach ours to them. 

Meanwhile, there is tremendous energy and opportunity in this new surge by our Mexican brothers and sisters to assert themselves, an echo of the great Black civil rights and Black Freedom movements in which many of us grew up. And just as those movements transformed this country into a much better place, I expect that this new Mexican movement—whatever it comes to be called—will probably eventually do the same, if we give it help. 

These are just some preliminary thoughts during the course of what should be a long and thoughtful discussion. In the two great bodies of ethnic people that make up so much of Oakland and the East Bay—those who came here from Africa with stops in the Deep South plantations, and those who come from Mexico to a place that only recently stopped being Mexico—I find myself seeing far more similarities than I do differences. 

“Legal” or “illegal,” however we are called, we are immigrants, all. 

?

Ever get that midweek feeling of wanting to escape up the coast? Spend some time near the water in a picturesque town? Walk past quaint cottages and historic buildings? Roam the landscape allowing your eyes and mind to expand across open space? Discover a café, deli or fine restaurant and treat your taste buds to new flavors? Even without the time needed to reach Mendocino, a solution for the midweek blues is close at hand. 

Amazingly located along the border of industry, the compact town of Point Richmond seems a lifetime away. It’s one part small village and one part bayside open space, connected by a tunnel under a large hill dotted with interesting dwellings, historic and contemporary.  

Point Richmond gave Richmond its start. The deep water off Ferry Point drew the Santa Fe Railway creating a short-lived ferry service to San Francisco. Standard Oil Company purchased land and its refinery took off. Both fueled Richmond’s economic engines and drew workers by the hundreds resulting in a boomtown initially heavy on tents and soggy land and low on amenities. 

By 1902, families began arriving and settled in. A hotel, bank, merchant shops, grocery and funeral parlor occupied the flatland while residences and churches advanced up the hill. The town of Point Richmond was up and running. 

Today’s Point Richmond retains the foundations of its past with adjustments befitting the current population. Historic buildings, many lovingly restored, have new occupations, but a wander along the main streets still echoes with that small town feel.  

I felt my pace slow as I explored town central, home to a tiny town museum, the Point Richmond History Association. If you don’t know its location, you might mistake the small tan clapboard for a child’s playhouse. Built in 1903 as the Richmond Supply Company it holds the distinction of being the oldest commercial building in town. Inside artifacts, photographs and newspaper articles bring to life the past. 

Sharing Center Square is The Sentinel, a bronze statue by Kirk St. Maur, honoring the first Indian and the quest for freedom and survival. Below is a circle of dedicated bricks, purchased by supporting residents. A small park, library, community center and fire station stand side by side to complete this community oriented space.  

Bricks play a large part in Point Richmond’s architecture as does the attractive tri-color scheme of painted clapboard. On alert for architectural details I admired awnings of different shapes and colors like eyebrows over windowed eyes. The Old Firehouse’s arched brick windows, the round ventilation portholes on The Masquers Playhouse and lovely iron lamp fixtures furthered my interest. One building, The Point, is just that, constructed to fit the triangular shape of a narrow corner property. A more recent mural colorfully portrays workers in Richmond’s past. 

Putting the past to good use resonates throughout town, especially with restaurants. My meander stimulated my appetite; for a small community, Point Richmond has a high density of places to tempt the taste buds.  

The Pub at Baltic Square has had as many lives as a cat. From the town’s first tavern in 1904, it’s been reinvented as city hall, residence, funeral parlor, speakeasy, House of Prostitution and storage area. Today the back bar and mirror hark back to pre-1906 San Francisco, dark wood covers walls and floor and stained glass lampshades reflect light. This boomtown atmosphere is the perfect setting for lunchtime Pub Burger, Reuben or Shepherd’s Pie. 

The pale mustard walls hung with eye-pleasing paintings and peppers take Rosamaria’s Café a long way from the turn of the century bakery once occupying this space. Authentic Mexican food California style using healthy, fresh ingredients fills the menu. You know Mama’s tostada with citrus cilantro vinaigrette over cabbage, red onions, greens, jicama, black beans and guacamole has to be delicious and good for you. 

Little Louie’s draws quite a crowd for breakfast and lunch. More warm yellow walls, wood wainscoting and eye-catching murals of boats and beaches increase the relaxation factor. This must be everyone’s favorite deli, with choices too numerous to list. Pick from hot, deli or panini sandwiches or a three-egg scrambler, but don’t think the choice will be easy. 

Enter the historic building housing the Hotel Mac and you’ll swear you’ve walked into an established sporting club. With colors of rust, blue and forest green, paintings of waterfowl, sink-into easy chairs, club tables, fringed lampshades and a long wood bar leaving may be difficult. Try Wednesday’s “Steak & Shake” for a true club experience. 

Even the market in this town has character. Santa Fe Market reminded me of an old country store where you knew everything was fresh. Displaying produce in baskets and old woodbins; with old labels like Strength Valencia’s, Rhino and Fontana Girl Grapefruit adorning the walls; and stocked with all manner of groceries and wine, I could have been miles away on a rural lane. 

A little shopping always adds to that vacation feeling. The Art Lounge occupies the old Fire Building and its wares could raise a few temperatures. So much fun in a small space. Rhinestones, beads, jewelry, purses, feather boas, dangling candle holders and beaded lampshades—something for the diva in all of us. 

Hydrangea grabbed my attention with its floral theme in gifts, cards and plants. White wood shelves and flowered wall paintings create buy-me appeal. I eyed a French metal flower bucket brimming with yellow callas and a pot of mini daffodils, and then breathed in the fresh scent of Persian pear soap and lotion, wanting them all. 

Much of Point Richmond’s appeal comes from its setting, where bay views and salt-tinged breezes easily clear the head. A short drive took me through the tunnel to Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline. Also known as A Park For the People, these 300-acres of open space surrounded by chemical plants and oil tanks represent the hard efforts necessary for its creation. 

Once there, eyes drawn across the bay toward the Marin Hills, I felt miles away. Shore-side the open grassland is huge, dotted with eucalyptus and pine trees, saltwater lagoon, picnic facilities, multi-use trail and abundant bird-life. At the north end Keller’s Beach beckons with protected cove and swimming beach awaiting happy paddlers and hopeful fisher-people.  

Across the road, narrow trails wind up into hills thick with wild grasses, coyote bush, scotch broom, spring wildflowers and remnants of long-ago Indian villages. Topside panoramic views are icing on the cake. 

It’s amazing how just a few hours away can feel longer. Slowing down expands time. This may not make sense, science-wise, but perception is what counts. Take the time to visit Point Richmond, to partake of its amenities and relish its hard won Regional Shoreline. You don’t have to travel far; you just need to know where to look.

Dear Matt, 

I read your recent column on heating, and it motivated me to replace the ancient floor heater in my tiny 100-year-old house with central heat, which is being installed as I write. 

After they remove the old floor furnace, they will patch the floor with plywood (the intake hole is being cut elsewhere, in a less visible/central location). My floors are softwood, fir I think, and have a lovely patina of age.  

My question for you is this: Is there any way to patch it so that it'll look decent? Any way to match the old aged look? Or will this area always stick out like a sore thumb? 

Your answer might help me determine if I should get just the hole patched which would show a seam, or take out all the slats around the hole and replace a bigger area, so that there is no seam. 

If it's going to stick out like a sore thumb, then better to just patch the smaller area I think; if it can be made to look good, then I'll patch the bigger area. 

Thanks! 

Karin, Berkeley 

Dear Karin, 

What a great question. As you may recall and for the others reading, I generally favor turning the old floor furnace into a cold air return so that this problem is avoided but if the location isn’t where you want the cold air return to end up and prefer to fix the old floor it’s time for the Over-qualified Contractors of Berkeley, those multi-faceted artists who eschew the corporate culture in favor of the airy life of the general contractor. 

They can be found almost any day sipping cappuccino out in front of Fat Apples or the French Hotel discussing their role in the latest anti-war march or practicing lute with the Society for Creative Anachronism. Some have problems showing up for work on time as they struggle through the last few pages of their dissertation on early Japanese Buddhism or mop oil paint off their elbow as they apply the final brush strokes to their latest painting. 

I’ve been meeting these guys (and gals) over the last 25 years around here and it always amazes and delights me to see that this fraction of society which could have trod the road worn rutty had chosen instead to amble, not run through a series of fortuneless events. 

The Berkeley area seems to specialize in this sort and though most are general contractors or handyfolk, many have specialized as tilers, painter and even plumbers doing extraordinary things in their areas of specialty. Some of the tilers even make their own tile and more than a few painters specialize in a range of faux finishes.  

Among the general contractors I’ve met over the years one will find painters, sculptors and poets who manage to insinuate their talent into the framing of buildings and the casting of concrete. 

The trick for these, mostly underpaid and often underemployed artisans, is to find people who will pay for what they have to offer. People who are willing to incorporate something non-traditional in their “personal space.” 

Many are too fearful to do so and select, instead, for square rooms and neutral colors. Those of you bold enough to let your freak-flag fly can avail yourselves of talents not available in much of the United States and make a part of your home into a work of art. 

Returning to your problem, Karin, the secret is to find an artist, who is willing to find the right materials and take the time to match what you have. 

Here are some tips on how to go about the repair of your floor. The first thing is to match the species, if possible. Your softwood floor is probably 1x4 tongue-in-groove flat-grain fir. It has probably gotten very hard and probably worn and pitted over time. 

There are a number of suppliers of used building materials in town that just might have what you need but you’ll have to do some spelunking amidst the salvage. As you may recall from a recent column, Berkeley has a number of salvage yards. Several have salvaged wood. I’d start with Urban Ore. 

If you can’t find just what you’re looking for, you and your artistic helper can distress some new matching wood. If you can’t find exactly the right size and shape, a good carpenter should be able to mill a few pieces that are just the right size. 

If this is beyond their skill set, you can take a small piece from the edge of the opening (you’re going to need to take a few pieces out anyway before you’re done) and take it to one of our local lumber mills to make some length of matching material. I like Beronio in S.F. but we have a few places in the East Bay that can also do this. Once you have enough board feet of lumber, you can generally beat up on it. This is where the artist comes into play. 

A person with the right vision can come up with a way to abuse it just the right way and get it to come out looking much like your old floor. You want to do this prior to installation. You can then paint with stain, testing on a piece you won’t use, until you have a pretty good match 

Lastly, you want to cut the planks that meet the opening so that there are very few that terminate right at the edge of the opening. If you cut many of the boards back to other joists (the supports your flooring nails onto), you won’t end up with a box of replacement wood and it will be a much more convincing patch. This is sort of like a reweave on a tweed coat. 

The best examples of flooring repairs involve removing as much as 50 percent more wood along the lengths that make up the opening. It’s best if some run longer than others. When you get done with this phase, you’ll be happiest if you put a new finish on the entire floor. 

In fact, if you sand and refinish all of the floor after this “reweave,” you can achieve a near perfect result, but this level of repair isn’t necessary if you’ve been really good about finding or manufacturing a good copy. Your carpenter will need to work carefully with chisels and perhaps a router (a great way to cut out old board if you know the tricks) to fit the new boards in. 

This sort of thing will take time and great care in the tiny details. Try not to rush your artiste and be prepared for it to cost a lesser limb. But if you do it well, you’ll be showing it off at dinner parties for years to come. Bon Chance. 

Matt Cantor owns Cantor Inspections and lives in Berkeley His column runs weekly. 

Copyright 2006 Matt Cantor›

It’s been way too long since I’ve gone to a meeting of California Rare Fruit Growers. There’s one such meeting tomorrow (Saturday May 13) in Walnut Creek that is weirdly tempting because it will feature Dr. Robert Raabe, whose approach to plant diseases is of the gleeful sort, which can be fun but rarely works well as a bedside manner for humans.  

This is typical, in my experience, of CRFG’s approach and gatherings: useful, wonky (one thing I love about them), sociable, and fun. It figures that an organization devoted to pushing the borders of what can be grown where would be that upbeat. They get to expand the frontiers of applied science and then eat the results. 

The current issue of the house magazine, Fruit Gardener, features a close-up of the flowers of pineapple guava, Feijoa sellowiana. It grows well right here, and gets used as a boundary shrub in institutional plantings as well as in home gardens. 

It’s pest-resistant from what I know of it, drought-tolerant, and it you put it in a sunny enough spot it can bear lots of fruit, which is oddly expensive at the market and tastes best fresh with its wonderful scent to enhance it.  

And those flowers are edible: you just pick off the petals and leave the main flower organs to develop into fruit. (You might get less fruit, depending on whether the flower’s been pollinated and what gets attracted to pollinate it despite the absent petals.) The petals are frosty white on one side, deep crimson on the other, thick and succulent for a flower petal, and taste of sweetness and cinnamon. They’re the sort of thing that is best savored one at a time as you walk through the garden.  

That’s the sort of information you get from CRFG. You might get a taste, too, by way of direct teaching. Meetings tend to have somebody’s never-heard-of-it jam or wot-the-heck fruit in slices at the back of the room, for sampling and showing off. 

The atmosphere is half county-fair, half scholarly, and members apparently love questions like, “What’s that??” You learn not only what it is but how to grow your own. 

Part of the fun is growing stuff you thought was strictly airfreight—the friend who introduced me to CRFG has a pair of macadamia trees in his yard, and they bear nuts, as do other members’ trees I’ve met—and pricey to buy. 

Even if you should perchance end up with the equivalent of the $45 tomato, you’ll have priceless fringe benefits: knowledge about growing, a story to tell, and mostly that landscape value of the plant. Those macadamia trees are quite handsome, and so are the guava shrubs. Factor in what you’d pay for shadetrees or fencing that just stood around looking pretty, and the price looks better and better. 

CRFG isn’t only about tropicals. It’s the best source I know of for finding out about apples and peaches and such varieties that have a low enough required “chill” time to let them bear good fruit in Berkeley. If you remember some fruit from way back or far away, here’s the brain trust you need to grow your own. 

Non-members are welcome at meetings. Locally, they’re usually on the second Saturdays of odd-numbered months in various locations. See the website, write, or call for schedules. 

Twelve years ago my husband had an accident that left him a C-4 quadriplegic, paralyzed below the shoulders. After two nights in Highland Hospital he was transferred to the Neurology Department at the Kaiser Permanente in Redwood City. While there, nurses from India, Sumatra and Sunnyvale cared for him. Ten days later he was sent to the Kaiser rehab center in Vallejo. He came under the supervision of a Pakistani doctor. The therapists who moved his arms and legs and taught me how to get him in and out of his new wheelchair were students enrolled in a nearby physical therapy school. They were from Holland, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland. Filipino nurses gave Ralph his pills, took his temperature, and recorded his vital signs. The assistants who bathed Ralph, emptied his urine bag, and shifted him from his left side onto his right were African-Americans. 

Ralph returned home a month later and four friends helped me carry him up our back steps and place him into a hospital bed in our living room. Then we were left alone. 

It didn’t take us long to realize we needed additional help. Teams of people had watched over Ralph in the hospital. It was a full-time, demanding job, and I was in no shape mentally or physically to do it alone. 

The organizations I sought advice from on how to hire live-in attendants had unrealistic goals. They expected me to know what we could afford to pay for tasks that appeared endless. Should anyone from a foreign country apply, I was told to check their immigration status. I should, under no circumstances, hire someone with a criminal record. I could ask applicants for this information, but chances were good they wouldn’t tell me the truth. Finding out if they had been incarcerated was complicated. It would take time and money—luxuries I didn’t have. 

Like other people in our situation, I posted ads for attendant care in a local newspaper. The responses were consistent: people with thick accents called and we struggled to communicate before eventually hanging up on one another; the relatives and friends of potential employees who were “too busy,” or whose English was “a little hard to understand” contacted me on their behalf and requested interviews. Face to face with potential candidates I’d demand to see green cards, student visas, and the likes, but everyone arrived empty-handed. No one I interviewed had a criminal record. When asked if they did drugs or had a drinking problem, everyone denied it. Yes, they smoked cigarettes, but they would go outside to do so. 

None of this worked out the way it was supposed to. I gave up looking for people who were U.S. citizens. I stopped searching for persons with green cards, temporary visas, or paperwork that had theirs or someone else’s name on it. I didn’t bother asking about past illegal behavior. I allowed people to smoke indoors, requesting only that they open a window before lighting up. 

I interviewed people from Ethiopia and Eritrea, Ecuador and East Oakland. I hired a woman from Brazil and when she left to become a nanny, I hired a man from England. I fired him for excessive drinking and replaced him with a guy from down the street. We learned that he had a penchant for borrowing money without asking first, but he possessed a strong back, a sense of humor, and he had nowhere else to go. Later, I hired a second man sight unseen who was still residing in his country of origin. Friends helped him navigate the red tape so that he could enter the United States. After his visa ran out, he stayed with us for several more years. 

Currently a woman lives with us who was born and raised in the United States. We don’t talk much about what she did before she became a member of our workforce. Another person sleeps on our downstairs couch and helps with Ralph’s care as needed. He’s from Central America. I’ve never seen his immigration papers, but he has shown me his rap sheet. I’m not sure if an illegal alien can have a criminal record and stay in this country, but I’m not asking. Until the health care system changes, Ralph and I will always have a need for “creative” labor tactics. 

I’m proud to say that in many ways we are equal opportunity employers. Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses and we will try to work it 

out.

I’ve seen only a handful of bobcats in my life, most of them in or around Point Reyes and the Marin Headlands. My one East Bay encounter was about a decade ago, while heading out to Briones Regional Park on a spring morning. The cat was crossing Bear Creek Road near the reservoir, not being in a particular hurry about it. The first reaction in such sightings tends to be “funny-looking dog,” and then you notice the pointed ears and the abbreviated tail. 

I thought about that bobcat recently when I read a commentary in Nature about a study that appeared in the journal Molecular Ecology. It was about the impact of the Ventura Freeway on the population genetics of mid-sized predatory mammals, specifically bobcats and coyotes. 

The Ventura, with 10 to 12 lanes and a daily load of 150,000 vehicles, is a much bigger deal than Bear Creek Road. It slices between the Santa Monica Mountains to the south and additional undisturbed (for now) habitat to the north. To some creatures, it’s a barrier as absolute as an ocean or a mountain range. To others, it’s more of a filter. The study in question, led by S. P. D. Riley, tried to quantify just how such a manmade filter works. 

Riley and colleagues spent seven years trapping bobcats and coyotes on both sides of the freeway, taking samples for genetic analysis, and rigging them with radio transmitters. Telemetry showed that there was some cross-road traffic: at some point during the study period, 11.5 percent of the bobcats and 4.5 percent of the coyotes crossed the freeway. That’s not a lot, but it might be enough to help maintain connectivity between the populations on either side and reduce inbreeding. 

But the genetic picture didn’t exactly mirror the crossing statistics. Looking at seven microsatellite loci—highly variable DNA markers that provide good clues to population structure—the authors saw significant differences between populations north and south of the Ventura for both bobcats and coyotes. Estimates of migration rates from genetic data alone were three to 18 times lower than estimates based on the radiotelemetry results. It looked as if both species were crossing the freeway but not sticking around to establish territories, mate, and rear offspring. They were tourists, not colonizers. 

Six of the 10 tagged bobcats that made the crossing returned to their point of origin, and neither of two females that settled in on the other side produced litters the next spring. Only one of five coyotes remained on the other side during the mating season. Mapping coyote and bobcat territories, the biologists discovered what they called a “home-range pile-up” effect. Territories didn’t straddle the freeway, and those that bordered it overlapped with territories farther away. So a young, ambitious bobcat venturing from south of the Ventura to the north side would find the suitable habitat filled up, and would be unable to stake out turf of its own, find a mate, and produce more bobcats. 

It’s not like the Ventura Freeway is the only constraint to the movement of bobcats and coyotes, of course. These creatures are effectively island dwellers, hemmed in by roads, houses, and malls. And as E. O. Wilson and Robert MacArthur proposed back in 1963 and Robert Soulé and other biologists have confirmed, island populations have trouble maintaining themselves without an inflow of immigrants. The smaller the “island”—whether surrounded by water or concrete—the greater the risk of inbreeding, depression, losses to disease or other stochastic factors, and eventual extinction. 

That’s the whole point of the Wildlands Project, still hanging in there although its estimable magazine Wild Earth folded last year, trying to bridge the isolated fragments of wildlife habitat so genes can still flow among the pieces of a metapopulation. Soulé and his partners in the project have grandiose visions about linking wolf populations from Maine to New Mexico. More pragmatically, they—and mainstream groups like The Nature Conservancy—have helped establish local landscape corridors all over North America, from the Boundary Waters to the Rio Grande Valley.  

No one was thinking about habitat connectivity when the Interstate Highway System was built, and the freeways aren’t coming down any time soon, regardless of the price of gas. But it’s possible to tinker with the system, add overcrossings and undercrossings that will allow animals to disperse and establish new territories. The scale will vary, of course, and a toad or snake crossing won’t look much like a bobcat or mountain lion corridor. 

It’s ironic that while environmental groups have been working to mitigate the consequences of our fragmentation of the landscape, the politicians are pushing for the biggest barrier yet, the Great Wall of Separation along the U.S.-Mexican border. What would keep out illegal immigrants would also affect endangered borderlands species like the jaguar, ocelot, and Sonoran pronghorn, dooming some populations to extinction. When you reckon up the cost of xenophobia, don’t forget the collateral damage to wildlife. Some things are even worse than freeways. 

Photograph Courtesy http://philip.greenspun.com  

A bobcat keeps a wary watch from its arboreal perch.?

FRIDAY, MAY 12 

THEATER 

Aurora Theatre “Small Tragedy” Wed.-Sat at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St., through May 14. Tickets are $38. 843-4822.  

BHS Drama Dept. “Bat Boy” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m. at the Florence Schwimley Little Theater, BHS Campus. Tickets are $12 general, $7 students. Arrive early, shows sell out. 332-1931.  

Berkeley Rep “The Glass Menagerie” at 8 p.m. at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $59. Runs through june 18. 647-2949.  

Contra Costa Civic Theater “Animal Crackers” at 8 p.m. Fri and Sat., and Sun. at 2 p.m. at Contra Costa Civic Theater, 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito, through May 20. Tickets are $12-$20. 524-9132.  

Impact Theater “Money & Run Episode 4: Go Straight, No Chaser,” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave. Cost is $10-$15. Runs through May 27. 464-4468.  

Shotgun Players “King Lear” Thurs.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. to June 18. Tickets are $15-$30, reservations suggested. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Subterranean Shakespeare “Richard III” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. at Rose in Live Oak Park, through May. 20. Tickets are $12-$17. 276-3871. 

TheatreFIRST “World Music” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. at Old Oakland Theatre, 461 Ninth St. at Broadway. Tickets are $18-$22. 436-5085. www.theatrefirst.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Black Artists Expressions of Father” opens with a reception and artists talk at 6 p.m. at Richmond Main Street Intiative, 1101 Macdonald Ave., Richmond. Exhibition runs to July 28. 236-4049, 626-8703. 

“Generations: A Retrospective of the Figure” and “Rendevous” Exhibitions opens with a reception at 6 p.m. at ACCI Gallery, 1625 Shattuck Ave. 843-2527. www.accigallery.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“The Elegant Gathering: Art, Politics, and Collecting in China” A conference on the collection of Chinese art with keynote address by Jonathan Hay, New York University on “The Effects of Imperial Collecting on the Transmission of Chinese Paintings” at 4:30 p.m. at UC Berkeley Art Museum, 2621 Durant Ave. http://ieas.berkeley.edu/events/elegantgathering 

James Howard Kunstler describes “The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Telegraph. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Natya Indian Dance, the art of storytelling through classical Indian dance at 1 p.m. at the Lakeview Branch of the Oakland Public Library, 550 El Embarcadero. 238-7344. 

Women’s Antique Vocal Ensemble at 8 p.m. at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church,1330 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $5-$15. www.wavewomen.org 

Doug Arrington & his Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ.  

Fred Frith in a benefit for the Community School of the East Bay at 7 and 9 p.m. at 215 Ridgeway off Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Donation $20. Reservations suggested. 923-0505. www.cseb.org  

The Sounds We Make with The Bananas, 1918, The Cars The Doors and others at 8 p.m. at 21 Grand, 416 25th St., Oakland. Cost is $5-$10. 444-7263. 

Sin Voz, Waiting in Vain, Weapons at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886. 

The KTO Project at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

With River and Philp Rodriguez, song-writing duo, at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Bill Miller at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Peter Barshay Duo at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

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

Blue Turtle Seduction, Al Howard at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Harold Ray, Rock ‘N’ Roll Adventure Kids at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Ise Lyfe, Sol Rebelz, The Attic, hip hop, at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$8. 548-1159.  

Vagabond Opera, CD release party, at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 644-2204.  

Sistas in the Pit, Coal Pitts Wash at 9 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $8. 451-8100.  

Eleven Eyes at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Hugh Masekela at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $22-$26. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, MAY 13 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Modern Landscapes Plus” works by Barbara Bailey-Porter, Ron Mohoan, and John Crawford. Reception at 6:30 p.m. at Stone Gallery, 600 50th St., Oakland. 536-5600. 

“Gathering Time” Photographs by Heidi B. Desuyo opens at Photolab Gallery, 2236 Fifth St., and runs to June 24. 644-1400.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Power of The Spoken Word with performances, discussion and a documentary on the influence of Hip Hop at 2 p.m. at African Children’s Advanced Learning Center, 33rd St., corner of San Pablo, Oakland. Cost is $10. Nefertinaproductions@ 

yahoo.com 

“The Elegant Gathering: Art, Politics, and Collecting in China” Panel discussions from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at UC Berkeley Art Museum, 2621 Durant Ave. http://ieas.berkeley.edu/events/elegantgathering 

Youth Speaks Poets celebration and readings at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Telegraph Ave. 845-7852.  

Miriam Engelberg describes “Cancer Made Me a Shallower Person: A Memoir in Comics” at 4 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

American Bach Soloists “St. Matthew Passion” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $18-$40. 415-621-7900. www.americanbach.org 

San Francisco Early Music Society “Paris in the Spring” Songs of the 17th century French Court, at 8 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. at Garber. Tickets are $10-$25. 528-1725.  

The Sounds We Make with Up the Voltage, Abi Yoyos, Hey Girl at 3 p.m. at Rock, Paper, Scissors, 2278 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Free. 238-9171. 

Praise ‘n’ Hip Hop at 3 and 7 p.m. at Black Repertory Theater, 3200 Aldeline St. Tickets are $15-$20. 384-4566. 

The Sounds We Make with Christopher Willits, Cenk Ergun, Wobbly and others at 8 p.m. at 21 Grand, 416 25th St., Oakland. Cost is $5-$10. 444-7263. 

Rhonda Benin & her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

West African Highlife Band at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. African dance lesson at 9 p.m. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054.  

Dandara & band, Beto Guimarães, Bateria Lucha at 8 p.m. at The Beat at Eddie Brown Center for the Arts, 2560 9th St. Cost is $15-$20. 548-5348. www.the-beat.org 

Famous Last Words, Rick Didia and Nate Cooper at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

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

Damond Moodie, Kiff at 9 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $8. 451-8100.  

Finless Brown, The Get Down, Vera Clique at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886.  

Kristen Strom, saxophonist, at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373.  

Caroline Chung Duo at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Strange Angels, local blues veterans, at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7-$10. 558-0881. 

Hollow Point Syndicate, Imagika at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082.  

StevenThe Jets at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Naked Aggression, Retching Red, Mouth Sewn Shut at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, MAY 14 

CHILDREN 

Mary Miche Mother’s Day Concert at 3 p.m. at the Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Now-Time Venezuela Part 2: Revolutionary Television in Catia” with selections from the community television station, opens at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way, and runs through July 16. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Healing Waters” paintings by Judi Miller, glass sculpture by Carol Holmes, and “Katrina’s Children” art and poetry by gulf coast youth on display at the Community Art Gallery, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, 2450 Ashby Ave. through July 5. 204-1667.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Now-Time Venezuela Part 2: Revolutionary Television in Catia” Panel discussion on media activism at 2:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808.  

Poetry Flash with Deena Metzger and Jayne Lyn Stahl at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Telegraph. Donation $2. 845-7852.  

Brian Keene and J.F. Gonzalez introduce their new horror novels at 3 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

St. Mark’s Choir and Orchestra celebrates Mozart’s 250th birthday at 10 a.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way at Ellwsorth. 845-0888. 

Pacific Boychoir Mother’s Day Concert at 2 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. 

Crowden Music Center Faculty Concert at 4 p.m. at 1475 Rose St. at Sacramento. Cost is $12, free for children.  

Bella Musica “A Choral Menagerie” at 5 p.m. in the Chapel of Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Blvd. Suggested donation $10-$15. 525-5393. 

Giorgio Parolini, organist, at 6:10 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way at Ellsworth. 845-0888. 

College of Alameda Jazz Band performs a free jazz concert from 2 to 6 p.m at the Oakland Conservatory of Music, 1616 Franklin St., Oakland. Families welcome. 748-2213. 748-2312. 

Kathy Kallick Mother’s Day Concert at 1 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $7.50 children, $9.50 for adults. 548-1761. 

The Sounds We Make with Rose Melberg, Finchers, Nedelle and others at 3 p.m. at Rock, Paper, Scissors, 2278 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Free. 238-9171. 

Jennifer Lee Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ.  

Americana Unplugged with The Grizzley Peak Bluegrass Band at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 655-5715. 

Homenagem Brasileira at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15-$18. 845-5373.  

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

The Sick, Troublemaker, GunPowder at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

MONDAY, MAY 15 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

David Korten talks about the consolidation of power in “The Great Turning” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2501 Harrison St., Oakland. Tickets are $10-$13. 845-7852.  

Spuyten Duyvil Night with Tod Thilleman, Tsipi Keller and Dean Kostos at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Simon Schama reads from “Rough Crossings: Britain, The Slaves, and The American Revolution” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Telegraph. 845-7852.  

Poetry Express with Sonya Renne, 2004 slam national slam champion, at 7 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Jazz at the Chimes with Oakland School of the Arts Big Band at 2 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Donation $15. 228-3207. 

Zilberella Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

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

Blue Monday Jam, MC Little Jr Crudup, Sam One Blues Band at 7:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100. 

Northgate High School at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $10-$15. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, MAY 16 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Shaunna Oteka McCovey, Yurok tribe member, reads from her book of poetry, “Smokehouse Boys” at 6:30 p.m. at the Dimond Branch of the Oakland Public Library, 3565 Fruitvale Ave. 482-7844. 

Shelby Steele describes “White Guilt: How Blacks & Whites Together Destroyed the Promise of the Civil Rights Era” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Telegraph Ave. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

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

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

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

Howard Barken Trio, jazz, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

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

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17 

CHILDREN 

“Zink: The Myth, The Legend, The Zebra” A musical play by Park Day School, Wed. and Thurs. at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Suggested donation $10 for adults and $5 for children at the door.  

FILM 

“Caribe” Politics, passion, and environmentalism in Costa Rica at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $5-$6. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Michelle Goldberg describes “Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Telegraph Ave. 845-7852.  

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

John Curl will read from his new books “Ancient American Poets” and “Scorched Birth” at 7:30 p.m. at Black Oak Books. 486-0698.  

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  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Music for the Spirit with organ music of women composeers at 12:15 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway. 444-3555. 

Whiskey Brothers Old Time and Bluegrass at 9 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Le Jazz Hot at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100.  

Bernard Anderson & The Old School Band at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $9. 525-5054. 

Mazacote at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Calvin Keys Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ.  

Solo Bass Night with Michael Manring, Jean Baudin, Jeff Schmidt and Dave Grossman at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $17.50-$18.50. 548-1761.  

Blue Roots at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Delinquent Monastery, Lost and Found Generation, Bumbalo at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8. 848-0886.  

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

THURSDAY, MAY 18 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Wood Sculpture by Paul Hoffman” Reception at 5 p.m. at The Sculpture Court, 1111 Broadway, Oakland. Exhibit runs through July 19. 238-6836. 

“Works by William Wareham and Keith Ferris” Reception at 5 p.m. at Gallery 555, 555 12th St., Oakland. Exhibit runs through July 28. 238-6836. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Nomad Spoken Word Night at 7 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Alvin Toffler introduces his new book “Revolutionary Wealth” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Telegraph Ave. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

Word Beat Reading Series with Robert Tricaro and Cherise Wyneken at 7 p.m. at Mediterraneum Caffe, 2475 Telegraph Ave. 526-5985. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Natya Indian Dance, the art of storytelling through classical Indian dance at 1 p.m. at the Brookfield Branch of the Oakland Public Library, 9255 Edes Ave. 615-5725. 

Albany High School Jazz & Rhythm Bound R&B Bands at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$10. 525-5054.  

Darol Anger’s Republic of Strings at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $19.50-$20.50. 548-1761.  

Maya Kronfeld Group at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Wayward Monks at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

Vienna Tang, singer songwriter, at 8 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $15-$20. 548-1159.  

Showtime @ 11 Hip Hop at 10 p.m. at the Ivy Room, 585 San Pablo Ave. at Solano. 524-9220. 

Bop City at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $8. 451-8100. www.uptownnightclub.com 

Keiko Matsui at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $24-$28. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

When the American Bach Soloists take on the grandeur (and three-hour-plus extent) of The St. Matthew Passion at Saturday at the First Congregational Church, it will be with a somewhat different, more unified sense of that great work’s contemporary significance.  

“Most modern interpreters have observed several different perspectives in The St. Matthew Passion,” said Musical Director Jeffrey Thomas. “There’s the narrative of the Gospel According to St. Matthew, which stands on its own, yet is interspersed with two other movements: arias, sung by anonymous bystanders who come in on the story— comments from outside the action, like our own today, and the chorales, from the German for “hymns,” which in Bach’s day represented the congregation—but in ours, the audience.”  

Thomas explained the particular sense that sets this performance apart: “Just as when, say, Garrison Keillor tells a story, he tells us what its characters say, so Bach handpicked the poetic texts for the interspersed arias and chorales—the i ndividual and group commentaries—and placed them where the voices would clarify what he saw as St. Matthew’s narration of the Passion of Christ. So Bach is the architect of an assemblage that was not pre-existent. It’s like a play by Shakespeare. What you remember is how his words, his rhetoric brought the characters and the drama into the foreground. Not just the story, but the way it’s told.” 

Besides the play of perspectives, “which are like a dialogue, a conversation back and forth, that seems to be discussing what emerges as from a single viewpoint,” Thomas talked about the changing perspective on the master himself. “In Bach’s day, to be a church musician was nothing glamorous. In many ways, he was happily subservient to the views of his patrons in the court and the Lutheran Church. Yet his time butted right up against that of the Enlightenment, when the message of his texts became less associated with God and more with mankind. So Bach emerged as the hero, though that’s not what he intended.” 

So w hat is the message today? “Unlike the listeners in Bach’s time, many of us have no religious background, but that doesn’t diminish the power of his rhetoric. The episodes are still transcendental, no matter what background the audience is from. Take the e pisode about Peter, who catches himself lying, denying Christ, and is filled with remorse. The Gospel stories function within our own experience, represent our humanness and comment on it. That’s the core of the work. How humanity plays a role in these fa ntastic scenes of tremendous, sometimes harrowing, power with the voice of crowds ... it’s a great experience to perform, to hear it together, share it with everyone else in the concert hall, and then emerge thinking about your own life in light of the meanings in that story.”  

The production comprises two separate orchestras and two separate choruses, as well as soloists, “55 performers or so ... though when Mendelssohn staged it for its centennial in 1827—the first time it was performed since at least Bach’s death in 1750—there were literally hundreds of performers,” Thomas said. “We try to strike a balance!” 

Thomas singled out Wesley Rogers, who sings the Evangelist. 

“What he has to do is more than being the narrator, not only must he sing his own p art, but hand over the foreground to the others in such a way that they deliver their role in character according to the Evangelist’s mindset,” he said. “It’s a phenomenal performance.” 

American Bach Soloists was founded 17 years ago in the Bay Area to b ring together the best American Bach specialists. Originally based in Tiburon-Belvedere in Marin County, they’ve expanded their concertizing around the Bay and to Davis, appeared at the UC Berkeley Early Music Festival, and produced over a dozen recording s. The St. Matthew Passion is the last show of their season. The annual summer Bach festival comes up in July. 

Actor, director, composer Andy Garcia’s The Lost City is billed as a love song to Garcia’s native Cuba, to the island as it existed before Fidel Castro’s revolution. The movie attempts to evoke a paradise lost, a land of music and dance and family destroyed by corruption and violence.  

Garcia plays Fico Fellove, owner of a Havana nightclub. He brings to mind Humphrey Bogart’s Rick Blaine from Casablanca, a white-coat-clad impresario, a no-nonsense man who refuses to believe in political causes and only reluctantly takes up the fight. As the revolution comes to a boil, his family is torn apart as his father preaches moderation to Fico’s unyieldingly radical brothers and Fico himself does everything he can to hold the family together. 

In the history of the movies, there is only a handful of actor-directors who manage to do both jobs well. Usually they are adept at one job or the other but fail when they take on both at once, and unfortunately Garcia is no exception.  

The movie is rather hamfisted, beating us over the head with its messages, its themes and its symbols. “I am a sincere man,” Garcia says toward the end of the film, and that is both his virtue and his vice as a director. He is so close to this material that he is unable to distinguish the affecting from the overwrought, the drama from the melodrama, the romantic from the trite. 

Films like this are often called vanity projects, and while the term seems a bit harsh for a project as heartfelt as this, it nevertheless has a certain amount of truth to it. Garcia makes several textbook vanity project mistakes. First of all, the camera rarely leaves him; he is in virtually every scene. It is a rare director who can extract from himself a great performance; a second opinion is desperately needed. Garcia attempts to underplay the role of Fico, whether by choice or by limitation, but just doesn’t pull it off, giving off not the slightest spark of genuine emotion.  

The notion of the auteur is so enticing, so romantic, that it has cemented its place in the public consciousness despite the fact that it is still hotly debated; the public generally believes that movies are solely the work of the director. And though this has sometimes been the case, more often than not, films are collaborative and benefit greatly from that fact. Garcia would have done far better had he hired a director, or at least an equal co-director, to help shape the stilted performances of Garcia and his cast and to help smooth the plot transitions that Garcia patches up with awkward expository dialogue.  

At times the film strays erratically into histrionics. As director, Garcia attempts a sort of expressionistic symbolism, especially in the film’s final moments, but these episodes come across as silly and amateurish. And throughout the film, flowery but trite poetic statements flow from the mouths of characters at the most unlikely of moments.  

Even Bill Murray can’t save the film; his superfluous sad-eyed comedic character parachutes in now and then to rescue a scene from itself, but the script is so dull that Murray’s improvisations have nothing of substance to build on. 

Garcia has so often played the ruthless, cynical tough guy that it seems he can do nothing else. Whether he simply can’t or whether we won’t let him is unclear. But for whatever reason, he’s simply not believable as the good guy. Every smile, every good deed seems disingenuous. “I’m no good at being noble,” the Bogart character says in Casablanca, and the same goes for Garcia. 

Terry Zwigoff’s Art School Confidential veers in the opposite direction. Zwigoff has an apparent predilection for misfits, as well as for cartoonists, not that the two are mutually exclusive. Zwigoff, a San Francisco resident, made Crumb, the award-winning documentary about the life and art of 1960s Bay Area underground cartoonist R. Crumb, as well as Ghost World, a movie based on the comic art of Oakland’s Daniel Clowes.  

Art School Confidential is another collaboration with Clowes and the results are similar, producing a film that falls in that murky category somewhere between drama and comedy. 

The movie features small, strong performances from a variety of indie-film creepcases like John Malkovich and Steve Buscemi. The film has fun ridiculing art school student stereotypes, but one needn’t have attended art school to recognize them; they’re familiar to anyone who did time in a college dorm or whose high school had a drama department.  

The movie is essentially a smarter, more thoughtful version of any number of teen movies: An awkward dreamer of a boy (Jerome, played by Max Minghella) moons over a girl (Sophia Myles) who opts instead for a tall, blonde jock type while the boy tries to woo her back with some kind of public demonstration of his prowess. It’s actually a great deal more complicated than this, but to say more would be to give too much away.  

The satire is entertaining but the film gets more interesting, if a bit clumsy, as it enters its final stretch. Jerome, eager to win first prize at a showing of student artwork, commits an artistic and ethical crime, yet is simultaneously being tracked as a suspect for a real-world crime. The film plays a subtle and effective trick, somehow managing to develop the suspense not from the threat that Jerome might serve time in jail but that he might be exposed as an artistic fraud. 

As with The Lost City, there are a few lame expository moments as the characters and the camera go out of their way to explain the obvious to us. But somehow these transgressions are more in keeping with the teen-drama aspects of the film: a little lame, a little light, a little trite. 

However, Art School Confidential uses this a device for something deeper, as a way to comment on art itself. The teachers are portrayed as has-beens and the students are pretentious, talentless blowhards, while the two artists who display any sort of real talent—Jerome and an alcoholic recluse played by Jim Broadbent—are vilified. The only way to gain recognition is to play the game, to incorporate sham with sincerity, showmanship with artistic integrity; to resign oneself to the cult of personality and sell oneself as a commodity for the sake of acquiring an audience. And ultimately, whether he likes it or not, the artist finds that the artifice becomes an art in itself.  

Ever get that midweek feeling of wanting to escape up the coast? Spend some time near the water in a picturesque town? Walk past quaint cottages and historic buildings? Roam the landscape allowing your eyes and mind to expand across open space? Discover a café, deli or fine restaurant and treat your taste buds to new flavors? Even without the time needed to reach Mendocino, a solution for the midweek blues is close at hand. 

Amazingly located along the border of industry, the compact town of Point Richmond seems a lifetime away. It’s one part small village and one part bayside open space, connected by a tunnel under a large hill dotted with interesting dwellings, historic and contemporary.  

Point Richmond gave Richmond its start. The deep water off Ferry Point drew the Santa Fe Railway creating a short-lived ferry service to San Francisco. Standard Oil Company purchased land and its refinery took off. Both fueled Richmond’s economic engines and drew workers by the hundreds resulting in a boomtown initially heavy on tents and soggy land and low on amenities. 

By 1902, families began arriving and settled in. A hotel, bank, merchant shops, grocery and funeral parlor occupied the flatland while residences and churches advanced up the hill. The town of Point Richmond was up and running. 

Today’s Point Richmond retains the foundations of its past with adjustments befitting the current population. Historic buildings, many lovingly restored, have new occupations, but a wander along the main streets still echoes with that small town feel.  

I felt my pace slow as I explored town central, home to a tiny town museum, the Point Richmond History Association. If you don’t know its location, you might mistake the small tan clapboard for a child’s playhouse. Built in 1903 as the Richmond Supply Company it holds the distinction of being the oldest commercial building in town. Inside artifacts, photographs and newspaper articles bring to life the past. 

Sharing Center Square is The Sentinel, a bronze statue by Kirk St. Maur, honoring the first Indian and the quest for freedom and survival. Below is a circle of dedicated bricks, purchased by supporting residents. A small park, library, community center and fire station stand side by side to complete this community oriented space.  

Bricks play a large part in Point Richmond’s architecture as does the attractive tri-color scheme of painted clapboard. On alert for architectural details I admired awnings of different shapes and colors like eyebrows over windowed eyes. The Old Firehouse’s arched brick windows, the round ventilation portholes on The Masquers Playhouse and lovely iron lamp fixtures furthered my interest. One building, The Point, is just that, constructed to fit the triangular shape of a narrow corner property. A more recent mural colorfully portrays workers in Richmond’s past. 

Putting the past to good use resonates throughout town, especially with restaurants. My meander stimulated my appetite; for a small community, Point Richmond has a high density of places to tempt the taste buds.  

The Pub at Baltic Square has had as many lives as a cat. From the town’s first tavern in 1904, it’s been reinvented as city hall, residence, funeral parlor, speakeasy, House of Prostitution and storage area. Today the back bar and mirror hark back to pre-1906 San Francisco, dark wood covers walls and floor and stained glass lampshades reflect light. This boomtown atmosphere is the perfect setting for lunchtime Pub Burger, Reuben or Shepherd’s Pie. 

The pale mustard walls hung with eye-pleasing paintings and peppers take Rosamaria’s Café a long way from the turn of the century bakery once occupying this space. Authentic Mexican food California style using healthy, fresh ingredients fills the menu. You know Mama’s tostada with citrus cilantro vinaigrette over cabbage, red onions, greens, jicama, black beans and guacamole has to be delicious and good for you. 

Little Louie’s draws quite a crowd for breakfast and lunch. More warm yellow walls, wood wainscoting and eye-catching murals of boats and beaches increase the relaxation factor. This must be everyone’s favorite deli, with choices too numerous to list. Pick from hot, deli or panini sandwiches or a three-egg scrambler, but don’t think the choice will be easy. 

Enter the historic building housing the Hotel Mac and you’ll swear you’ve walked into an established sporting club. With colors of rust, blue and forest green, paintings of waterfowl, sink-into easy chairs, club tables, fringed lampshades and a long wood bar leaving may be difficult. Try Wednesday’s “Steak & Shake” for a true club experience. 

Even the market in this town has character. Santa Fe Market reminded me of an old country store where you knew everything was fresh. Displaying produce in baskets and old woodbins; with old labels like Strength Valencia’s, Rhino and Fontana Girl Grapefruit adorning the walls; and stocked with all manner of groceries and wine, I could have been miles away on a rural lane. 

A little shopping always adds to that vacation feeling. The Art Lounge occupies the old Fire Building and its wares could raise a few temperatures. So much fun in a small space. Rhinestones, beads, jewelry, purses, feather boas, dangling candle holders and beaded lampshades—something for the diva in all of us. 

Hydrangea grabbed my attention with its floral theme in gifts, cards and plants. White wood shelves and flowered wall paintings create buy-me appeal. I eyed a French metal flower bucket brimming with yellow callas and a pot of mini daffodils, and then breathed in the fresh scent of Persian pear soap and lotion, wanting them all. 

Much of Point Richmond’s appeal comes from its setting, where bay views and salt-tinged breezes easily clear the head. A short drive took me through the tunnel to Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline. Also known as A Park For the People, these 300-acres of open space surrounded by chemical plants and oil tanks represent the hard efforts necessary for its creation. 

Once there, eyes drawn across the bay toward the Marin Hills, I felt miles away. Shore-side the open grassland is huge, dotted with eucalyptus and pine trees, saltwater lagoon, picnic facilities, multi-use trail and abundant bird-life. At the north end Keller’s Beach beckons with protected cove and swimming beach awaiting happy paddlers and hopeful fisher-people.  

Across the road, narrow trails wind up into hills thick with wild grasses, coyote bush, scotch broom, spring wildflowers and remnants of long-ago Indian villages. Topside panoramic views are icing on the cake. 

It’s amazing how just a few hours away can feel longer. Slowing down expands time. This may not make sense, science-wise, but perception is what counts. Take the time to visit Point Richmond, to partake of its amenities and relish its hard won Regional Shoreline. You don’t have to travel far; you just need to know where to look.

Dear Matt, 

I read your recent column on heating, and it motivated me to replace the ancient floor heater in my tiny 100-year-old house with central heat, which is being installed as I write. 

After they remove the old floor furnace, they will patch the floor with plywood (the intake hole is being cut elsewhere, in a less visible/central location). My floors are softwood, fir I think, and have a lovely patina of age.  

My question for you is this: Is there any way to patch it so that it'll look decent? Any way to match the old aged look? Or will this area always stick out like a sore thumb? 

Your answer might help me determine if I should get just the hole patched which would show a seam, or take out all the slats around the hole and replace a bigger area, so that there is no seam. 

If it's going to stick out like a sore thumb, then better to just patch the smaller area I think; if it can be made to look good, then I'll patch the bigger area. 

Thanks! 

Karin, Berkeley 

Dear Karin, 

What a great question. As you may recall and for the others reading, I generally favor turning the old floor furnace into a cold air return so that this problem is avoided but if the location isn’t where you want the cold air return to end up and prefer to fix the old floor it’s time for the Over-qualified Contractors of Berkeley, those multi-faceted artists who eschew the corporate culture in favor of the airy life of the general contractor. 

They can be found almost any day sipping cappuccino out in front of Fat Apples or the French Hotel discussing their role in the latest anti-war march or practicing lute with the Society for Creative Anachronism. Some have problems showing up for work on time as they struggle through the last few pages of their dissertation on early Japanese Buddhism or mop oil paint off their elbow as they apply the final brush strokes to their latest painting. 

I’ve been meeting these guys (and gals) over the last 25 years around here and it always amazes and delights me to see that this fraction of society which could have trod the road worn rutty had chosen instead to amble, not run through a series of fortuneless events. 

The Berkeley area seems to specialize in this sort and though most are general contractors or handyfolk, many have specialized as tilers, painter and even plumbers doing extraordinary things in their areas of specialty. Some of the tilers even make their own tile and more than a few painters specialize in a range of faux finishes.  

Among the general contractors I’ve met over the years one will find painters, sculptors and poets who manage to insinuate their talent into the framing of buildings and the casting of concrete. 

The trick for these, mostly underpaid and often underemployed artisans, is to find people who will pay for what they have to offer. People who are willing to incorporate something non-traditional in their “personal space.” 

Many are too fearful to do so and select, instead, for square rooms and neutral colors. Those of you bold enough to let your freak-flag fly can avail yourselves of talents not available in much of the United States and make a part of your home into a work of art. 

Returning to your problem, Karin, the secret is to find an artist, who is willing to find the right materials and take the time to match what you have. 

Here are some tips on how to go about the repair of your floor. The first thing is to match the species, if possible. Your softwood floor is probably 1x4 tongue-in-groove flat-grain fir. It has probably gotten very hard and probably worn and pitted over time. 

There are a number of suppliers of used building materials in town that just might have what you need but you’ll have to do some spelunking amidst the salvage. As you may recall from a recent column, Berkeley has a number of salvage yards. Several have salvaged wood. I’d start with Urban Ore. 

If you can’t find just what you’re looking for, you and your artistic helper can distress some new matching wood. If you can’t find exactly the right size and shape, a good carpenter should be able to mill a few pieces that are just the right size. 

If this is beyond their skill set, you can take a small piece from the edge of the opening (you’re going to need to take a few pieces out anyway before you’re done) and take it to one of our local lumber mills to make some length of matching material. I like Beronio in S.F. but we have a few places in the East Bay that can also do this. Once you have enough board feet of lumber, you can generally beat up on it. This is where the artist comes into play. 

A person with the right vision can come up with a way to abuse it just the right way and get it to come out looking much like your old floor. You want to do this prior to installation. You can then paint with stain, testing on a piece you won’t use, until you have a pretty good match 

Lastly, you want to cut the planks that meet the opening so that there are very few that terminate right at the edge of the opening. If you cut many of the boards back to other joists (the supports your flooring nails onto), you won’t end up with a box of replacement wood and it will be a much more convincing patch. This is sort of like a reweave on a tweed coat. 

The best examples of flooring repairs involve removing as much as 50 percent more wood along the lengths that make up the opening. It’s best if some run longer than others. When you get done with this phase, you’ll be happiest if you put a new finish on the entire floor. 

In fact, if you sand and refinish all of the floor after this “reweave,” you can achieve a near perfect result, but this level of repair isn’t necessary if you’ve been really good about finding or manufacturing a good copy. Your carpenter will need to work carefully with chisels and perhaps a router (a great way to cut out old board if you know the tricks) to fit the new boards in. 

This sort of thing will take time and great care in the tiny details. Try not to rush your artiste and be prepared for it to cost a lesser limb. But if you do it well, you’ll be showing it off at dinner parties for years to come. Bon Chance. 

Matt Cantor owns Cantor Inspections and lives in Berkeley His column runs weekly. 

Copyright 2006 Matt Cantor›

It’s been way too long since I’ve gone to a meeting of California Rare Fruit Growers. There’s one such meeting tomorrow (Saturday May 13) in Walnut Creek that is weirdly tempting because it will feature Dr. Robert Raabe, whose approach to plant diseases is of the gleeful sort, which can be fun but rarely works well as a bedside manner for humans.  

This is typical, in my experience, of CRFG’s approach and gatherings: useful, wonky (one thing I love about them), sociable, and fun. It figures that an organization devoted to pushing the borders of what can be grown where would be that upbeat. They get to expand the frontiers of applied science and then eat the results. 

The current issue of the house magazine, Fruit Gardener, features a close-up of the flowers of pineapple guava, Feijoa sellowiana. It grows well right here, and gets used as a boundary shrub in institutional plantings as well as in home gardens. 

It’s pest-resistant from what I know of it, drought-tolerant, and it you put it in a sunny enough spot it can bear lots of fruit, which is oddly expensive at the market and tastes best fresh with its wonderful scent to enhance it.  

And those flowers are edible: you just pick off the petals and leave the main flower organs to develop into fruit. (You might get less fruit, depending on whether the flower’s been pollinated and what gets attracted to pollinate it despite the absent petals.) The petals are frosty white on one side, deep crimson on the other, thick and succulent for a flower petal, and taste of sweetness and cinnamon. They’re the sort of thing that is best savored one at a time as you walk through the garden.  

That’s the sort of information you get from CRFG. You might get a taste, too, by way of direct teaching. Meetings tend to have somebody’s never-heard-of-it jam or wot-the-heck fruit in slices at the back of the room, for sampling and showing off. 

The atmosphere is half county-fair, half scholarly, and members apparently love questions like, “What’s that??” You learn not only what it is but how to grow your own. 

Part of the fun is growing stuff you thought was strictly airfreight—the friend who introduced me to CRFG has a pair of macadamia trees in his yard, and they bear nuts, as do other members’ trees I’ve met—and pricey to buy. 

Even if you should perchance end up with the equivalent of the $45 tomato, you’ll have priceless fringe benefits: knowledge about growing, a story to tell, and mostly that landscape value of the plant. Those macadamia trees are quite handsome, and so are the guava shrubs. Factor in what you’d pay for shadetrees or fencing that just stood around looking pretty, and the price looks better and better. 

CRFG isn’t only about tropicals. It’s the best source I know of for finding out about apples and peaches and such varieties that have a low enough required “chill” time to let them bear good fruit in Berkeley. If you remember some fruit from way back or far away, here’s the brain trust you need to grow your own. 

Non-members are welcome at meetings. Locally, they’re usually on the second Saturdays of odd-numbered months in various locations. See the website, write, or call for schedules. 

FRIDAY, MAY 12 

Resource Fair for Blind and Low Vision People Learn about the agencies and services available and the latest in vision products, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the West Berkeley Senior Center, 1900 Sixth St. Lunch served, with reservations 981-5180.  

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Daniel Strohl on “The Potomac: FDR’s Yacht” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $13.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. 526-2925.  

Early Childhood Safety: Water Safety Information about baby pools, water buckets, scalding, and bathtub safety at 11 a.m. at Habitot, 2065 Kittredge St. Cost is $5-$6. 647-1111. 

Womensong Circle, participatory singing group for women at 6:45 p.m. at First Congrega- 

tional Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way, at Dana. Lyrics provided. Suggested donation $15-$20. 525-7082. 

John Lennon Educational Tour Bus with state-of-the-art mobile recording and multimedia studios will let visitors write an original song, perform and record it, videotape it, and go home with a completed music video. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bay Street in Emeryville. www.lennonbus.org 

“Berkeley’s Movers and Shakers” a celebration of Berkeley’s past, present and future community at 6 p.m. at the Hillside Club. 

Berkeley Critical Mass Bike Ride meets at the Berkeley BART the second Friday of every month at 5:30 p.m.  

Berkeley Chess School classes for students in grades 1-8 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. A drop-in, rated scholastic tournament follows from 7 to 8 p.m. at 1581 LeRoy Ave., Room 17. 843-0150. 

Berkeley Chess Club meets Fridays 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. 548-6310, 845-1143. 

Kol Hadash Family Pot Luck Humanistic Shabbat Celebration at 6 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. RSVP with food choice to info@kolhadash.org 

SATURDAY, MAY 13 

The Garden Conservancy’s National Open Days Visit eight private gardens in Berkeley, Oakland, and Richmond, as part of The Garden Conservancy’s National Open Days Program. Berkeley locations include: 3017 Wheeler St., 2810 Webster St., and 620 Spruce St., open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to each garden is $5. 888-842-2442.  

Mini-Farmers in Tilden A farm exploration program, from 10 to 11 a.m. for ages 4-6 years, accompanied by an adult. We will explore the Little Farm, care for animals, do crafts and farm chores. Wear boots and dress to get dirty! Fee is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Walk to End Poverty at 9 a.m. around Lake Merritt in Oakland to raise awaremenss of poverty in Alameda County. 981-5427. 

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 

Emergency Preparedness Class on Basic Personal Prepar- 

edness from 10 a.m. to noon at 997 Cedar St. Also from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Free, but registration required. 981-5506. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/oes 

Vegetarian Cooking Class on Thai and Southeast Asian Cuisine from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St. Cost is $45. 531-2665. www.compassionatecooks.com 

Sign up for Summer Youth Programs from noon to 5 p.m. at the Calvin Simmons Middle School Playground, 2101 35th Ave. in East Oakland. Choices include education programs as well as Skateboarding, Breaking, Basketball and Capoeria. 625-9940. 

Early Childhood Safety: Free Child Car Seat Check from 10 a.m. until noon at the UC Garage on Addison at Oxford. 647-1111. 

Cardweaving and Kumihimo Demonstration of two “Narrow Weave” techniques at 3 p.m. at the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, 2982 Adeline St. Free. 843-7290. 

East Bay Atheists “Science and Scientists in Ancient Greece and Rome” with Richard Carrier at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 222-7580.  

“The Power of Nightmares” Part III, a new documentary by BBC journalists on the “War on Terrorism” at 3 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27st., Oakland. Cost is $10. Benefits Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club.  

“Democracy: Can We Keep It? Only if we work at it!!” with Lee Sanders, Field Organizer for Common Cause and General Counsel, Citizens for Civic Justice, at 7 p.m. at the Home of Truth Center, 1300 Grand Street, Alameda. Sponsored by the Alameda Public Affairs Forum. www.alamedaforum.org 

Power of The Spoken Word with performances, discussion and a documentary on the influence of Hip Hop at 2 p.m. at African Children’s Advanced Learning Center, 33rd St., corner of San Pablo, Oakland. Cost is $10. Nefertinaproductions@ 

yahoo.com 

Annual Gigantic Friends of the Albany Library Book Sale, 1247 Marin Ave., Sat. from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sun. from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. All proceeds benefit the programs and services of the Albany Library. 526-3720, ext. 5.  

“Women on the Move: From Vision to Action” all-day conference and interactive workshops for women at the Oakland Marriot Convention Center. Tickets are $65-$75. 654-7557. 

Blue Hydrangea Tea Party to benefit the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition at 3 p.m. at L’Amyx Tea Bar, 4179 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Cost is $75, all proceeds benefit NOCC. For reservations call 593-8896. 

“Everyday Green” at talk by author Annie Somerville, executive chef of Greens Restaurant, at 1 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

The Great War Society meets to discuss “The Military History of J. Giles Farquhar” at 10:30 a.m. at 640 Arlington Ave. 527-7118. 

“Smart Ideas for Sage Eating” at 10 a.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Romance Writers of America “Undressing Your Hero & Heroine” A workshop with Tonda Fuller at 10 a.m. at Pyramid Restaurant. Cost is $30. Reservations required. www.sfarwa.com 

Pre-School Storytime for 3-5 year olds at 11 a.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., through June 22. 526-3720. 

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

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755.  

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, MAY 14 

Mother’s Day Morning Walk along the Bay Trail at Pt. Isabel with a stop at the Rosie the Riveter National Museum, from 9 a.m. to noon. Meet at Ryden Road entrance before Costco. For information call 525-2233. 

Mother’s Day Breakast on board The Red Oak Victory ship, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., includes a tour of the ship. Cost is $6, children under 5 free. Located at Berth #6, 1337 Canal Blvd., Richmond, off Hwy 580. 237-2933. 

Mothers Say “No” to War A walk, picnic and short program with Alameda Peace Network. Meet at 1 p.m. at Alameda City Hall, Santa Clara and Oak, to walk to Jackson Park. 

Spring Rhododendron Tour from 10 a.m. to noon at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $8-$12. Registration required. 643-2755. 

Green Sunday; Venezuela’s New Democracy with Laura Wells, Green Party candidate for State Controller who has done political research in Venezuela, at 5 p.m. at the Niebyl-Proctor Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave. at 65th in Oakland.  

People Radio Public Meeting to discuss the upcoming KPFA elections at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Unitarian Universalist Hall at Cedar and Bonita.  

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

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 

Tibetan Buddhism with Santosh Philip on “Tibetan Yoga for Stress Reduction” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812.  

MONDAY, MAY 15 

Rally Against Military Recruiting at 4 p.m. at Oakland City Center, 12th and Broadway. March to the recruiting center at 5 p.m. www.objector.org 

“The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community” with author David Korten, with Joanna Macy, Maryam Roberts, Alli Chagi-Starr, and Xiomara Castro, poetry by Shailja Patel, at 7:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison, at 27th St., Oakland. Cost is $10-$12. Benefits Global Exchange. 415-255-7296, ext. 200.  

Story Tells, a story telling swap with guest teller Mary J. Kelly at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble Events Loft at Jack London Square. 238-8585. 

Swing Into Spring benefit for Central Works Theater with music and food at 6:30 p.m. at Downtown Restaurant. Tickets are $85 and up. For reservations call 558-1381.  

Lead-Safe Painting & Remodeling Free introductory class to learn about lead safe renovations for your older home, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the West Oakland Branch Library 1801 Adeline St. Offered by Alameda County Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. 567-8280. www.ACLPPP.org 

“How to Expand Your Mind- Body Connection” by creating soothing living spaces, at 5:30 p.m. in the Rose Room at Mercy Retirement Center, 3431 Foothill Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $30 or $120 for the entire series. 534-8547, ext. 666. 

Breathexperience?Classes “Oh, My Aching Back!” 12-1 p.m., $10; “Restoring Viitality” 5:30-6:45 p.m., $10; “The Experience of Breath” 7-8:15 p.m., $12, at MIBE, 830 Bancroft Way, #104. 981-1710. 

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group for people 60+ years old meets at 10:15 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. Cost is $2.50. 524-9122. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

TUESDAY, MAY 16 

Public Hearing on the David Brower Center at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. 981-6900. 

Wilderness First Aid Basics with certified wilderness EMT David Yacubian at 7 p.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. 527-4140. 

Strawberry Tasting at 2 p.m. at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, Derby St. at MLK Jr. Way. Samples and book signing with Jessica Prentice, author of “Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger Connection.” 548-3333. www.ecologycenter.org 

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. 

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

“Pain-free Naturally” with Lorenzo Puertas, licensed acupuncturist at noon at the Maffly Auditorium, Herrick Campus, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, 2001 Dwight Way. Please refrain from wearing fragrances. Free. 644-3273. 

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.  

Discussion Salon on “Predictions for the Future” at 7 p.m. at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. at Rose. Please bring snacks to share, no peanuts please. 

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, MAY 17  

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. 

“All About Reverse Mortgages” with Cherisse Baptiste of ECHO Housing at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Gray Panthers Office, 1403 Addison St., behind the Univ. Ave. Andronico’s. 548-9696. 

“The Making of a Revolutionary” a new film about Israel’s conscientious objectors at 7:30 p.m at Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave., Oakland. Cost is $10-$13. Benefits Jewish Voice for Peace. 465-1777.  

League of Women Voters Annual Meeting with guest speaker Daniel Purnell, Oakland Public Ethics Commission on “Let the Sun Shine on City Government” at 5 p.m. at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Cost is $15. 843-8824. http://lwvbae.org 

“Invisible Ballots” and “Help America Vote ... On Paper” two documentaries on the problems with electronic voting at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St. Donation of $5 accepted.  

Safe Medicine Disposal Day Don’t flush or trash medicine! Bring old medicines to Oakland City Hall between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. for safe disposal. www.baywise.org  

Classes in English and Citizenship offered by the Oakland Adult Education program Mon.-Fri. from 6 to 9 p.m. Free. Register at Lincoln Elementary School, 225 11th St., room 205. 879-8131. 

American Red Cross Blood Ser Volunteer Orientation from 6 to 8 p.m. at its headquarters in Oakland. We need your help to support the more than 40 blood drives held each month all over the East Bay, evenings and weekends included. For more information, phone Anne at 594-5165.  

Lupus Research Update with Dr. Franc Barrat, Senior Scientist Dynavax Technologies, Inc. at 6:30 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel, Berkeley Marina. Hosted the Alliance for Lupus Research. Please RSVP to 800-867-1743. 

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 and a warm hat. Heavy rain cancels. 548-9840. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

Fresh Produce Stand at San Pablo Park from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the Frances Albrier Community Center. Sponsored by the Ecology Center’s Farm Fresh Choice. 848-1704. www.ecologycenter.org 

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.  

THURSDAY, MAY 18 

Bike to Work Day Ride your bike to work and see how fast, healthy, and fun it can be. Energizer Stations throughout Alameda County. 415-246-8078. www.511.org 

“Insects of Lake Merritt and Greater Oakland” with Eddie Dunbar at 12:30 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200. 

“Shopping with the Chef” with Jessica Prentice on how she makes shopping decisions at 3:30 p.m. at the North Shattuck Farmer’s Market. 548-3333. www.ecologycenter.org 

Women’s Cancer Resource Center Benefit with a performance of “Jonna’s Body, Please Hold” at 8 p.m. at Montclair Women’s Cultural Arts Club, located at 1650 Mountain Blvd., Oakland. Tickets are $125. www.wcrc.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 

Historical & Current Times Book Group meets on Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1249 Marin Ave. 548-4517. 

ONGOING 

Poll Workers Needed in Alameda County for June 6 Primary Election. Poll workers must be eligible to register to vote in California, have basic clerical skills. Training classes begin in May. 272-6971. 

Berkeley Youth Alternatives Youth Sports Classes NFL Flag Football for boys and girls ages 9 to 12 begins May 9, 4:30 to 6 p.m. Cost is $10-$15 for 5 weeks, and Pee Wee Basketball for boys and girls ages 6 to 8 begins May 13, 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $25-$35 for 6 weeks. For more information contact BYA Sports & Fitness Department 845-9066.  

CITY MEETINGS 

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon. May 15, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. 

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil/agenda-committee 

Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board meets Mon. May 15, at 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers, Pam Wyche, 644-6128 ext. 113. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/rent 

City Council meets Tues., May 16, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Citizens Humane Commission meets Wed., May 17, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Katherine O’Connor, 981-6601. www.ci.berkeley.ca. us/commissions/humane 

Commission on Aging meets Wed., May 17, at 1:30 p.m., at the South Berkeley Senior Center. William Rogers, 981-5344. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/aging 

Downtown Area Plan Advisory Commission meets Wed. May 17, at 7 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7487. 

Library Board of Trustees meets Wed. May 17, at 7 p.m. at South Berkeley Senior Center., Jackie Y. Griffin, 981-6195. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/library  

School Board meets Wed. May 17 at 7:30 p.m., in the City Council Chambers. Queen Graham 644-6147 or Mark Coplan 644-6320. 

Design Review Committee meets Thurs., May 18, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Anne Burns, 981-7415. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/designreview  

Fair Campaign Practices Commission meets Thurs., May 18, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Prasanna Rasaih, 981-6950. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/commissions/faircampaign 

™

TUESDAY, MAY 9 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Shelby Steele discusses “White Guilt: How Blacks & Whites Together Destroyed the Promise of the Civil Rights Era” at 6:30 p.m. at The Independent Institute, 100 Swan Way, Oakland. Cost is $10-$15. 632-1366. 

“The New Argonauts: Regional Advantage in a Global Economy” A conversation with author AnnaLee Saxenian at 5 p.m. at University Press Books, 2430 Bancroft Way. 548-0585. 

“Make Your Book Sell” a panel discussion with Peter Handel, independent publicist, Kevin Smokler, publishing consultant, Ruth Gendler, author, and Ingrid Nystrom, of Stacey's bookstore, at 7 p.m. at the Journalism School Library, Northgate Hall, UC Campus, corner of Euclid and Hearst. Cost is $5. For reservations email rkanigel@gmail.com 

Peter Hessler decribes “Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China’s Past and Present” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Telegraph. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com 

Poets for Peace featuring Cynthia Hogue, Joyce Jenkins, Ilya Kaminsky, and Peter Streckfus at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

Freight and Salvage Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $4.50-$5.50. 548-1761.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Chamber Performances “Avenue Winds” at 8 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave. Tickets are $20. 525-5211.  

Cyprian Consglio, sacred chant traditions from the East and West at 7 p.m. at the Chapel of Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave. Free. 849-8239. www.clgs.org 

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

Singer’s Open Mic with Ellen Hoffman at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ.  

Debbie Poryes & Friends, jazz, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

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

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10 

FILM 

“Latino Stories of World War II” at 7 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $5-$7. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

THEATER 

“Aphrodesia” at 7:30 p.m., also on Thurs., at The Marsh, 2120 Allston Way. Tickets are $10-$25. 800-838-3006.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Shirin Ebadi describes “Iran Awakening: A Memoir of Revolution and Hope” at noon at 155 Dwinelle Hall, UC Campus. 845-7852.  

Daniel Handler introduces his new work of fiction for adults “Adverbs” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Telegraph. 845-7852.  

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

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.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Music for the Spirit with organ music from Mexico, Columbia and Spain for Cinco de Mayo at 12:15 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway. 444-3555. 

Voci Women’s Vocal Ensemble “Aphrodesia” at 7:30 p.m. at The Marsh, 2118 Allston Way. Tickets are $10-$25. 800-838-3006. 

Berkeley High Jazz Ensembles at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. 841-JAZZ.  

Irina Rivkin, Andrea Prichett, Green & Root and Shelly Doty in a celebration for Mother’s Day at 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$15. 525-5054.  

La Verdad at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Evan Raymond, guitar, at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Drunken Public, Ninth of Never, Bento, Narc at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886.  

Dani Thompson at 8:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100.  

THURSDAY, MAY 11 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Connection” works by artists from NIAD, Bonita House’s Creative Living Center, and Berkeley Mental Health. Reception at 5:30 p.m. at the NIAD Art Center, 551 23rd St., Richmond. Exhibition runs to June 9. 620-0290. www.niadart.org 

Paintings and Drawings by Laura Siegel Reception at 5 p.m. at the Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. 848-1228.  

THEATER 

Shotgun Players “King Lear” opens at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. and runs Thurs.-Sun at 8 p.m. to June 18. Tickets are $15-$30, reservations suggested. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

War Photography with James Nachtwey in conversation with Dean Orville Schell and Adjunct Professor Ken Light at 7:30 p.m. at Sibley Auditorium, Graduate School of Journalism, UC Campus. Workshop on May 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. www.fotovision.org 

Cornelia Read introduces her debut novel “A Field of Darkness” at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

Seth Lloyd describes “Programming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Telegraph. 845-7852. www.codysbooks.com  

Nomad Spoken Word Night at 7 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

UCSB Dance Company performs classic modern dance at 8 p.m. at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $12-$15. 925-798-1300. 

Voci Women’s Vocal Ensemble “Aphrodesia” at 7:30 p.m. at The Marsh, 2118 Allston Way. Tickets are $10-$25. 800-838-3006. 

Whit Smith’s Hot Jazz Caravan at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. 

Steve Gannon’s Monday Blues at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ.  

Taarka, Crystal and the Wolves, Whoreigner at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. 

Earthquake Weather, Tokyo Decadence at 8 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100.  

Showtime @ 11 Hip Hop at 10 p.m. at the Ivy Room, 585 San Pablo Ave. at Solano. 524-9220. www.ivyroom.com 

FRIDAY, MAY 12 

THEATER 

Aurora Theatre “Small Tragedy” Wed.-Sat at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St., through May 14. Tickets are $38. 843-4822.  

Berkeley Rep “The Glass Menagerie” at 8 p.m. at the Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $59. Runs through june 18. 647-2949.  

Contra Costa Civic Theater “Animal Crackers” at 8 p.m. Fri and Sat., and Sun. at 2 p.m. at Contra Costa Civic Theater, 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito, through May 20. Tickets are $12-$20. 524-9132.  

Impact Theater “Money & Run Episode 4: Go Straight, No Chaser,” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave. Cost is $10-$15. Runs through May 27. 464-4468.  

Shotgun Players “King Lear” Thurs.-Sun. at 8 p.m. at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. to June 18. Tickets are $15-$30, reservations suggested. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

Subterranean Shakespeare “Richard III” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. at Rose in Live Oak Park, through May. 20. Tickets are $12-$17. 276-3871. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Black Artists Expressions of Father” opens with a reception and artists talk at 6 p.m. at Richmond Main Street Intiative, 1101 Macdonald Ave., Richmond. Exhibition runs to July 28. 236-4049, 626-8703. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“The Elegant Gathering: Art, Politics, and Collecting in China” A conference on the collection of Chinese art with keynote address by Jonathan Hay, New York University on “The Effects of Imperial Collecting on the Transmission of Chinese Paintings” at 4:30 p.m. at UC Berkeley Art Museum, 2621 Durant Ave. http://ieas.berkeley.edu/events/elegantgathering 

James Howard Kunstler describes “The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Telegraph. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Natya Indian Dance, the art of storytelling through classical Indian dance at 1 p.m. at the Lakeview Branch of the Oakland Public Library, 550 El Embarcadero. 238-7344. 

Women’s Antique Vocal Ensemble at 8 p.m. at Lake Merritt United Methodist Church,1330 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $5-$15. www.wavewomen.org 

Fred Frith in a benefit for the Community School of the East Bay at 7 and 9 p.m. at 215 Ridgeway off Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Donation $20. Reservations suggested. 923-0505. www.cseb.org  

The Sounds We Make with The Bananas, 1918, The Cars The Doors and others at 8 p.m. at 21 Grand, 416 25th St., Oakland. Cost is $5-$10. 444-7263. 

Sin Voz, Waiting in Vain, Weapons at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886. 

Doug Arrington & his Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ.  

The KTO Project at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

With River and Philp Rodriguez, song-writing duo, at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave. 548-5198.  

Bill Miller at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Peter Barshay Duo at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810.  

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

Blue Turtle Seduction, Al Howard at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Harold Ray, Rock ‘N’ Roll Adventure Kids at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

Ise Lyfe, Sol Rebelz, The Attic, hip hop, at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$8. 548-1159.  

Vagabond Opera, CD release party, at 8:30 p.m. at Epic Arts, 1923 Ashby Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 644-2204.  

Sistas in the Pit, Coal Pitts Wash at 9 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $8. 451-8100.  

Eleven Eyes at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

SATURDAY, MAY 13 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Modern Landscapes Plus” works by Barbara Bailey-Porter, Ron Mohoan, and John Crawford. Reception at 6:30 p.m. at Stone Gallery, 600 50th St., Oakland. 536-5600. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Power of The Spoken Word with performances, discussion and a documentary on the influence of Hip Hop at 2 p.m. at African Children’s Advanced Learning Center, 33rd St., corner of San Pablo, Oakland. Cost is $10. Nefertinaproductions@ 

yahoo.com 

“The Elegant Gathering: Art, Politics, and Collecting in China” Panel discussions from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at UC Berkeley Art Museum, 2621 Durant Ave. http://ieas.berkeley.edu/events/elegantgathering 

Youth Speaks Poets celebration and readings at 7 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Telegraph Ave. 845-7852.  

Miriam Engelberg describes “Cancer Made Me a Shallower Person: A Memoir in Comics” at 4 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Fourth St. 559-9500. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

American Bach Soloists “St. Matthew Passion” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $18-$40. 415-621-7900. www.americanbach.org 

San Francisco Early Music Society “Paris in the Spring” Songs of the 17th century French Court, at 8 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. at Garber. Tickets are $10-$25. 528-1725.  

The Sounds We Make with Up the Voltage, Abi Yoyos, Hey Girl at 3 p.m. at Rock, Paper, Scissors, 2278 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Free. 238-9171. 

Praise ‘n’ Hip Hop at 3 and 7 p.m. at Black Repertory Theater, 3200 Aldeline St. Tickets are $15-$20. 384-4566. 

The Sounds We Make with Christopher Willits, Cenk Ergun, Wobbly and others at 8 p.m. at 21 Grand, 416 25th St., Oakland. Cost is $5-$10. 444-7263. 

Rhonda Benin & her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

West African Highlife Band at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. African dance lesson at 9 p.m. Cost is $11-$13. 525-5054.  

Dandara & band, Beto Guimarães, Bateria Lucha at 8 p.m. at The Beat at Eddie Brown Center for the Arts, 2560 9th St. Cost is $15-$20. 548-5348. www.the-beat.org 

Famous Last Words, Rick Didia and Nate Cooper at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344.  

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

Damond Moodie, Kiff at 9 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $8. 451-8100.  

Finless Brown, The Get Down, Vera Clique at 9 p.m. at Blakes on Telegraph. Cost is $8-$10. 848-0886.  

Kristen Strom, saxophonist, at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $12-$18. 845-5373.  

Caroline Chung Duo at 9 p.m. at Downtown. 649-3810. 

Strange Angels, local blues veterans, at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7-$10. 558-0881. 

Hollow Point Syndicate, Imagika at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5. 841-2082.  

StevenThe Jets at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 848-8277. 

Naked Aggression, Retching Red, Mouth Sewn Shut at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $6. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, MAY 14 

CHILDREN 

Mary Miche Mother’s Day Concert at 3 p.m. at the Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. 525-2233. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Now-Time Venezuela Part 2: Revolutionary Television in Catia” with selections from the community television station, opens at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way, and runs through July 16. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

“Healing Waters” paintings by Judi Miller, glass sculpture by Carol Holmes, and “Katrina’s Children” art and poetry by gulf coast youth on display at the Community Art Gallery, Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, 2450 Ashby Ave. through July 5. 204-1667.  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Now-Time Venezuela Part 2: Revolutionary Television in Catia” Panel discussion on media activism at 2:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Art Museum, 2626 Bancroft Way. 642-0808.  

Poetry Flash with Deena Metzger and Jayne Lyn Stahl at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Telegraph. Donation $2. 845-7852.  

Brian Keene and J.F. Gonzalez introduce their new horror novels at 3 p.m. at Cody’s Books. 845-7852.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

St. Mark’s Choir and Orchestra celebrates Mozart’s 250th birthday at 10 a.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way at Ellwsorth. 845-0888. 

Pacific Boychoir Mother’s Day Concert at 2 p.m. at the Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. 238-2200. 

Crowden Music Center Faculty Concert at 4 p.m. at 1475 Rose St. at Sacramento. Cost is $12, free for children.  

Bella Musica “A Choral Menagerie” at 5 p.m. in the Chapel of Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Blvd., Suggested donation $10-$15. 525-5393. 

Giorgio Parolini, organist, at 6:10 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 2300 Bancroft Way at Ellsworth. 845-0888. 

College of Alameda Jazz Band performs a free jazz concert from 2 to 6 p.m at the Oakland Conservatory of Music, 1616 Franklin St., Oakland. Families welcome. 748-2213. 748-2312. 

Kathy Kallick Mother’s Day Concert at 1 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $7.50 children, $9.50 for adults. 548-1761. 

The Sounds We Make with Rose Melberg, Finchers, Nedelle and others at 3 p.m. at Rock, Paper, Scissors, 2278 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. Free. 238-9171. 

Jennifer Lee Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $7. 841-JAZZ.  

Americana Unplugged with The Grizzley Peak Bluegrass Band at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 655-5715. 

Homenagem Brasileira at 4:30 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15-$18. 845-5373.  

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

The Sick, Troublemaker, GunPowder at 5 p.m. at 924 Gilman St. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

MONDAY, MAY 15 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

David Korten talks about the consolidation of power in “The Great Turning” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 2501 Harrison St., Oakland. Tickets are $10-$13. 845-7852.  

Spuyten Duyvil Night with Tod Thilleman, Tsipi Keller and Dean Kostos at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Simon Schama reads from “Rough Crossings: Britain, The Slaves, and The American Revolution” at 7:30 p.m. at Cody’s Books on Telegraph. 845-7852.  

Poetry Express with Sonya Renne, 2004 slam national slam champion, at 7 p.m., at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Jazz at the Chimes with Oakland School of the Arts Big Band at 2 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Donation $15. 228-3207. 

Zilberella Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

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

Blue Monday Jam, MC Little Jr Crudup, Sam One Blues Band at 7:30 p.m. at the Uptown Nightclub, 1928 Telegraph, Oakland. Cost is $5. 451-8100.?

“Now is the Winter of our Discontent,” rings out offstage, as silent Lady Anne (Tiffany Harrison) has laid at the audience’s feet the first of many forlorn coats that signify their absent—and murdered—wearers, and Subterranean Shakespeare’s production of The Bard’s Richard III gets underway at the Berkeley Art Center. 

These memorials are placed, and the famous speech barely undertaken, when Edward IV (Mark Jordan) and his consort Elizabeth (Kerry Gudjohnsen) process through, with petite motorcade waves t o their subjects, wearing coronets that are more like garlands of gold filament . . . to be followed by Edward’s brother in the House of York, Richard of Gloucester (Charlie Goldenhawk Reaves), in black leather jacket, shades and earrings, trailing one foot behind in a soft shoe while the other leads in motorcycle boot, one hand in pocket as the other gesticulates, bemoaning “my own deformity” and that since he can’t be a lover, he “must prove a villain.” 

Moving in relentlessly jerky forward motion like some reptile, his bad foot dragging against his dogged forward progress, Richard in short order reveals his “subtle, false and treacherous” plans to slide into power on a slick of blood; eases his gentle and lucid brother the Duke of Clarence (Maureen-The resa Williams) into prison; negotiates with two thugs (Brian Levy and Edward Norton) to make sure Clarence will never re-emerge; buttonholes Hastings (Gary Dailey) as he’s sprung from slam and tossed his wallet; and seduces the contemptuous Lady Anne (“W onderful when devils tell the truth!” . . . “More wonderful when angels are angry!”) in a hot and twisted tête-à-tête that tests director Jeremy Cole’s mettle at blocking a nasty yet amorous duel for mastery of the other, with torrid results. 

When the so dden late winter of discontent is just over, it’s hard to imagine sitting still for the trap-door spider antics of Shakespeare’s great villain. But just a scene or two of this active, lucid show dispels any hesitation, and fascination with this Machiavell ian dastard’s steamroller approach to climbing to the top takes over. The audience visibly hangs on every sublime—if barbed—word. 

Entrance comes hard on exit as the scenes turn over quickly, yet the usual rush of insouciant “Shakespeare Festivalese” does n’t play a part in the salutary speed of the staging. There’s dynamics aplenty, especially in the quiet, agonizing moments when Clarence tells his portentious dream to his sympathetic jailer, Brakenbury (Mark Jordan again), and in his care falls asleep—on ly to wake to his brother’s hired assassins, who’ve barged in with forged warrant to disabuse him of his optimism, his reasonableness and his life. 

The cast of a dozen—also including Jean Forsman, Ryan Kasimir, Stuart Hall and Jack Halton—work together v ery well as a tight ensemble, most pulling double or triple duty in fleshing out multiple roles, major and minor. At the center, Charlie Goldenhawk Reaves plays Richard with a glint in his eye and explosions of wild laughter at his own bloody thoughts, as he pretends pious indifference to the proffered crown (flanked by two skittish churchmen) yet scoops it up after destroying the succession, trading leather jacket for white tie and black tails (though keeping shades and sheath knife for the coronation). Friend and foe alike are relieved of their jackets and hustled to their fates when they prove inconvenient, leaving the bereaved women—the former queens as well as Richard’s own mother—to curse the tyrant. Costumer Paula Gruber’s scheme of basic black, re lieved only by Queen Margaret (Jean Forsman) in a bloody red gown worthy of a Cassandra and Edward IV’s paisley dressing gown, as he hacks and coughs to death in a wheelchair before his stonyfaced yet fractious court, proves worthy to convey the somber ai r and monochrome life of courtly intrigue and suspicion. There’s no scenery; the cast is deployed skillfully up and down a narrow corridor between an audience on two sides, playing toe-to-toe with great aplomb. 

Towards the conclusion, when a kind of claustrophobic hysteria grips the plot in a melodramatic vise, the poor acoustics of the Art Center scatter the loud voices hurrying toward disaster. Sub Shakes is trying to raise funds to make a stage at the Unitarian Fellowship. It’s a worthy effort, as is shown by this solid show, featuring the Bay Area debut of an estimable director, excellent string shadings of tableaux and dialogue by violinist Hal Hughes. It offers a vision of civic disaster that asks, “Why should calamity be full of words?” It’s answered implicitly by that strange, crippled visionary of unlimited evil, when he replies to Elizabeth’s acid, “What can thou pray to swear by now?” with: “The time to come!” 

RICHARD III 

8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday through May 20 at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. (at Rose) in Live Oak Park. $12-$17.  

276-3871.  

EDITOR’S NOTE: 

After the Daily Planet went to press with last Friday’s review of Carol Reed’s classic film The Fallen Idol, we learned that Landmark Theaters had canceled its East Bay engagement. Though the film is not yet available on DVD, it is available on VHS. 

I’ve seen only a handful of bobcats in my life, most of them in or around Point Reyes and the Marin Headlands. My one East Bay encounter was about a decade ago, while heading out to Briones Regional Park on a spring morning. The cat was crossing Bear Creek Road near the reservoir, not being in a particular hurry about it. The first reaction in such sightings tends to be “funny-looking dog,” and then you notice the pointed ears and the abbreviated tail. 

I thought about that bobcat recently when I read a commentary in Nature about a study that appeared in the journal Molecular Ecology. It was about the impact of the Ventura Freeway on the population genetics of mid-sized predatory mammals, specifically bobcats and coyotes. 

The Ventura, with 10 to 12 lanes and a daily load of 150,000 vehicles, is a much bigger deal than Bear Creek Road. It slices between the Santa Monica Mountains to the south and additional undisturbed (for now) habitat to the north. To some creatures, it’s a barrier as absolute as an ocean or a mountain range. To others, it’s more of a filter. The study in question, led by S. P. D. Riley, tried to quantify just how such a manmade filter works. 

Riley and colleagues spent seven years trapping bobcats and coyotes on both sides of the freeway, taking samples for genetic analysis, and rigging them with radio transmitters. Telemetry showed that there was some cross-road traffic: at some point during the study period, 11.5 percent of the bobcats and 4.5 percent of the coyotes crossed the freeway. That’s not a lot, but it might be enough to help maintain connectivity between the populations on either side and reduce inbreeding. 

But the genetic picture didn’t exactly mirror the crossing statistics. Looking at seven microsatellite loci—highly variable DNA markers that provide good clues to population structure—the authors saw significant differences between populations north and south of the Ventura for both bobcats and coyotes. Estimates of migration rates from genetic data alone were three to 18 times lower than estimates based on the radiotelemetry results. It looked as if both species were crossing the freeway but not sticking around to establish territories, mate, and rear offspring. They were tourists, not colonizers. 

Six of the 10 tagged bobcats that made the crossing returned to their point of origin, and neither of two females that settled in on the other side produced litters the next spring. Only one of five coyotes remained on the other side during the mating season. Mapping coyote and bobcat territories, the biologists discovered what they called a “home-range pile-up” effect. Territories didn’t straddle the freeway, and those that bordered it overlapped with territories farther away. So a young, ambitious bobcat venturing from south of the Ventura to the north side would find the suitable habitat filled up, and would be unable to stake out turf of its own, find a mate, and produce more bobcats. 

It’s not like the Ventura Freeway is the only constraint to the movement of bobcats and coyotes, of course. These creatures are effectively island dwellers, hemmed in by roads, houses, and malls. And as E. O. Wilson and Robert MacArthur proposed back in 1963 and Robert Soulé and other biologists have confirmed, island populations have trouble maintaining themselves without an inflow of immigrants. The smaller the “island”—whether surrounded by water or concrete—the greater the risk of inbreeding, depression, losses to disease or other stochastic factors, and eventual extinction. 

That’s the whole point of the Wildlands Project, still hanging in there although its estimable magazine Wild Earth folded last year, trying to bridge the isolated fragments of wildlife habitat so genes can still flow among the pieces of a metapopulation. Soulé and his partners in the project have grandiose visions about linking wolf populations from Maine to New Mexico. More pragmatically, they—and mainstream groups like The Nature Conservancy—have helped establish local landscape corridors all over North America, from the Boundary Waters to the Rio Grande Valley.  

No one was thinking about habitat connectivity when the Interstate Highway System was built, and the freeways aren’t coming down any time soon, regardless of the price of gas. But it’s possible to tinker with the system, add overcrossings and undercrossings that will allow animals to disperse and establish new territories. The scale will vary, of course, and a toad or snake crossing won’t look much like a bobcat or mountain lion corridor. 

It’s ironic that while environmental groups have been working to mitigate the consequences of our fragmentation of the landscape, the politicians are pushing for the biggest barrier yet, the Great Wall of Separation along the U.S.-Mexican border. What would keep out illegal immigrants would also affect endangered borderlands species like the jaguar, ocelot, and Sonoran pronghorn, dooming some populations to extinction. When you reckon up the cost of xenophobia, don’t forget the collateral damage to wildlife. Some things are even worse than freeways. 

Photograph Courtesy http://philip.greenspun.com  

A bobcat keeps a wary watch from its arboreal perch.?

TUESDAY, MAY 9 

“Recycled Water: Conveying the Message to Non-Water Experts” with Roy Herndon, Chief Hydrogeologist, Orange County Water District, at 5:30 p.m. at the Goldman School of Public Policy, Room 250, corner of Hearst and LeRoy. 642-2666. 

Climate Change class meets Tues. from 1 to 3 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Topics include science, projected impacts, individual behavior, and policy. 981-5190. 

“The Bush Agenda: Invading the World, One Economy at a Time” with Antonia Juhasz, Medea Benjamin, Warren Langley, Rayan Elamine, Raed Jarrar, and Father Louis Vitale at 7:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison, at 27th St, Oakland. Admission $10 advance, $12 door. Benefits Global Exchange. 415-255-7296, ext. 200. 

Civil Liberties Film Series with “Beyond the Patriot Act” and speaker Jeff Mittman at 7 p.m. in the Madeline Whittlesey Community Room, Richmond Public Library, 325 Civic Center Plaza. 620-6555. 

Raging Grannies of the East Bay invites new folks to come join us the 2nd and 4th Tues. of each month, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. to sing and have fun at Berkeley Gray Panthers office, 1403 Addison St., in Andronico’s mall. 548-9696. 

Britt Marie’s First Annual Regulars Alumni Nite at 6 p.m. at 1369 Solano Ave. 527-1314. 

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

Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention A panel discussion at 7 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

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

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

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10 

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. 

“Connecting Youth with the Outdoors” a presentation by the Pacific Forest and Watershed Lands Stewardship Council at 1:30 p.m. at Preservation Park, Nile Hall, 668 13th St. Oakland. 650-286-5150. www.stewardshipcouncil.org 

Native Plant Nursery Wetlands Restoration Help to prepare native seedlings for future plantings along The Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline from 1 to 3 p.m. No experience necessary. RSVP required. 452-9261 ext. 109. www.savesfbay.org  

“Defending Democracy in America” A documentary on election fraud at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St. Donation of $5 accepted. www.FreePress.org 

East Bay Genealogical Society with Chuck Knuthson, President of the Sacramento German Genealogical Society on “United States Naturalization Records” at 10 a.m. in the Library Conference Room of the Family History Center at 4766 Lincoln Ave., Oakland. 635-6692.  

“The Squid and the Whale” film showing with facilitated discussion at 7 p.m. at the BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. Light refreshments. Suggested donation $3-5$. 848-0237. 

”Our Health-Care Un-System: What’s Wrong With It? And How to Fix It” with Dr. Ron Adler, M.D. at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Beth El, 1301 Oxford St. 848-3988. 

Lonely Planet Travel Series with Andrew Nystrom on Mexico at 6 p.m. at Oakland Public Library, 124 14th St. 238-3136. 

Poetry Writing Workshop led by Alison Seevak from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton 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 and a warm hat. 548-9840. 

Fresh Produce Stand at San Pablo Park from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the Frances Albrier Community Center. Sponsored by the Ecology Center’s Farm Fresh Choice. 848-1704. www.ecologycenter.org 

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

THURSDAY, MAY 11 

Berkeley Adult School Career Fair from 9 a.m. to noon at 1702 San Pablo Ave. Companies from many sectors will be participating. Open to all Bay Area residents. 644-8968. 

War Photography with James Nachtwey in conversation with Dean Orville Schell and Adjunct Professor Ken Light at 7:30 p.m. at Sibley Auditorium, Graduate School of Journalism, UC Campus. Workshop on May 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. www.fotovision.org 

Neighborhood Forum on Bus Rapid Transit Plans at 7 p.m. at the Willard Middle School Cafeteria, enter on Stuart St. Sponsored by the Willard Neighborhood Association. 

Richmond Southeast Shoreline Area Community Advisory Group on the cleanup of the Zeneca site meets at 6:30 p.m. at the Richmond Convention Center, Bermuda Room, 403 Civic Center Plaza at Nevin and 25th Sts. 540-3923. 

“Cost of War: The Humanitarian Crisis in Iraq” with Dr. Jeff Ritterman at 7:30 p.m. at BRJCC, 1414 Walnut St. Donation $5. 848-0237, ext. 110. 

“Peace and Reconciliation: A Christian Science Approach” with Ryder Stevens, retired Army Chaplain, at 7:30 p.m. at First Church of Christ, Scientist, 2619 Dwight Way. 848-5096.  

East Bay Mac Users Group Chuck Rodgers presents MacSpeech at 6 p.m. at Expression College for Digital Arts, 6601 Shellmound St., Emeryville. http://ebmug.org 

Teen Book Group meets to discuss “Cheaters” by Eric Jerome Dickey at 4 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, South Branch, 1901 Russell St. 981-6147. 

“Metabolic Tune Up: Keys to Weight Balance and Vitality” at 5:30 p.m. at Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy, 1744 Solano Ave. 527-8929. 

FRIDAY, MAY 12 

Resource Fair for Blind and Low Vision People Learn about the agencies and services available and the latest in vision products, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the West Berkeley Senior Center, 1900 Sixth St. Lunch served, with reservations 981-5180.  

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Daniel Strohl on “The Potomac: FDR’s Yacht” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $13.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 526-2925 or 665-9020.  

Early Childhood Safety: Water Safety Information about baby pools, water buckets, scalding, and bathtub safety at 11 a.m. at Habitot, 2065 Kittredge St. Cost is $5-$6. 647-1111. 

Womensong Circle, participatory singing group for women at 6:45 p.m. at First Congrega- 

tional Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way, at Dana. Lyrics provided. Suggested donation $15-$20. 525-7082. 

John Lennon Educational Tour Bus with state-of-the-art mobile recording and multimedia studios will let visitors write an original song, perform and record it, videotape it, and go home with a completed music video. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Bay Street in Emeryville. www.lennonbus.org 

“Berkeley’s Movers and Shakers” a celebration of Berkeley’s past, present and future community at 6 p.m. at the Hillside Club. 

Berkeley Critical Mass Bike Ride meets at the Berkeley BART the second Friday of every month at 5:30 p.m.  

Berkeley Chess School classes for students in grades 1-8 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. A drop-in, rated scholastic tournament follows from 7 to 8 p.m. at 1581 LeRoy Ave., Room 17. 843-0150. 

Berkeley Chess Club meets Fridays 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. 548-6310, 845-1143. 

Kol Hadash Family Pot Luck Humanistic Shabbat Celebration at 6 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. RSVP with food choice to info@kolhadash.org 

SATURDAY, MAY 13 

The Garden Conservancy’s National Open Days Visit eight private gardens in Berkeley, Oakland, and Richmond, as part of The Garden Conservancy’s National Open Days Program. Berkeley locations include: 3017 Wheeler St., 2810 Webster St., and 620 Spruce St., open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to each garden is $5. 888-842-2442. www.gardenconservancy.org 

Mini-Farmers in Tilden A farm exploration program, from 10 to 11 a.m. for ages 4-6 years, accompanied by an adult. We will explore the Little Farm, care for animals, do crafts and farm chores. Wear boots and dress to get dirty! Fee is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

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 

Emergency Preparedness Class on Basic Personal Prepar- 

edness from 10 a.m. to noon at 997 Cedar St. Also from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Free, but registration required. 981-5506. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/oes 

Vegetarian Cooking Class on Thai and Southeast Asian Cuisine from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St. Cost is $45. 531-2665. www.compassionatecooks.com 

Sign up for Summer Youth Programs from noon to 5 p.m. at the Calvin Simmons Middle School Playground, 2101 35th Ave. in East Oakland. Choices include education programs as well as Skateboarding, Breaking, Basketball and Capoeria. 625-9940. 

Early Childhood Safety: Free Child Car Seat Check from 10 a.m. until noon at the UC Garage on Addison at Oxford. 647-1111. 

Cardweaving and Kumihimo Demonstration of two “Narrow Weave” techniques at 3 p.m. at the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, 2982 Adeline St. Free. 843-7290. 

East Bay Atheists “Science and Scientists in Ancient Greece and Rome” with Richard Carrier at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. 222-7580.  

“The Power of Nightmares” Part III, a new documentary by BBC journalists on the “War on Terrorism” at 3 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27st., Oakland. Cost is $10. Benefits Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club.  

“Democracy: Can We Keep It? Only if we work at it!!” with Lee Sanders, Field Organizer for Common Cause and General Counsel, Citizens for Civic Justice, at 7 p.m. at the Home of Truth Center, 1300 Grand Street, Alameda. Sponsored by the Alameda Public Affairs Forum. www.alamedaforum.org 

Power of The Spoken Word with performances, discussion and a documentary on the influence of Hip Hop at 2 p.m. at African Children’s Advanced Learning Center, 33rd St., corner of San Pablo, Oakland. Cost is $10. Nefertinaproductions@ 

yahoo.com 

Annual Gigantic Friends of the Albany Library Book Sale, 1247 Marin Ave., Sat. from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sun. from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. All proceeds benefit the programs and services of the Albany Library. 526-3720, ext. 5.  

“Women on the Move: From Vision to Action” all-day conference and interactive workshops for women at the Oakland Marriot Convention Center. Tickets are $65-$75. 654-7557. 

Blue Hydrangea Tea Party to benefit the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition at 3 p.m. at L’Amyx Tea Bar, 4179 Piedmont Ave., Oakland. Cost is $75, all proceeds benefit NOCC. For reservations call 593-8896. 

“Everyday Green” at talk by author Annie Somerville, executive chef of Greens Restaurant, at 1 p.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

The Great War Society meets to discuss “The Military History of J. Giles Farquhar” at 10:30 a.m. at 640 Arlington Ave. 527-7118. 

“Smart Ideas for Sage Eating” at 10 a.m. at Elephant Pharmacy, 1607 Shattuck Ave. 549-9200. 

Romance Writers of America “Undressing Your Hero & Heroine” A workshop with Tonda Fuller at 10 a.m. at Pyramid Restaurant. Cost is $30. Reservations required. www.sfarwa.com 

Pre-School Storytime for 3-5 year olds at 11 a.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave., through June 22. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

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

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

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, MAY 14 

Mother’s Day Morning Walk along the Bay Trail at Pt. Isabel with a stop at the Rosie the Riveter National Museum, from 9 a.m. to noon. Meet at Ryden Road entrance before Costco. For information call 525-2233. 

Mother’s Day Breakast on board The Red Oak Victory ship, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., includes a tour of the ship. Cost is $6, children under 5 free. Located at Berth #6, 1337 Canal Blvd., Richmond, off Hwy 580. 237-2933. 

Mothers Say “No” to War A walk, picnic and short program with Alameda Peace Network. Meet at 1 p.m. at Alameda City Hall, Santa Clara and Oak, to walk to Jackson Park. 

Spring Rhododendron Tour from 10 a.m. to noon at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $8-$12. Registration required. 643-2755. 

Green Sunday; Venezuela’s New Democracy with Laura Wells, Green Party candidate for State Controller who has done political research in Venezuela, at 5 p.m. at the Niebyl-Proctor Library, 6501 Telegraph Ave. at 65th in Oakland.  

People Radio Public Meeting to discuss the upcoming KPFA elections at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Unitarian Universalist Hall at Cedar and Bonita.  

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

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 

Tibetan Buddhism with Santosh Philip on “Tibetan Yoga for Stress Reduction” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 843-6812. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

MONDAY, MAY 15 

Rally Against Military Recruiting at 4 p.m. at Oakland City Center, 12th and Broadway. March to the recruiting center at 5 p.m. For information see www.objector.org 

“The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community” with author David Korten, with Joanna Macy, Maryam Roberts, Alli Chagi-Starr, and Xiomara Castro, poetry by Shailja Patel, at 7:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison, at 27th St., Oakland. Cost is $10-$12. Benefits Global Exchange. Tickets at independent bookstores or by calling 415-255-7296, ext. 200.  

Story Tells, a story telling swap with guest teller Mary J. Kelly at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble Events Loft at Jack London Square. 238-8585. 

Swing Into Spring benefit for Central Works Theater with music and food at 6:30 p.m. at Downtown Restaurant. Tickets are $85 and up. For reservations call 558-1381.  

Lead-Safe Painting & Remodeling Free introductory class to learn about lead safe renovations for your older home, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the West Oakland Branch Library 1801 Adeline St. Offered by Alameda County Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. 567-8280. www.ACLPPP.org 

“How to Expand Your Mind- Body Connection” by creating soothing living spaces, at 5:30 p.m. in the Rose Room at Mercy Retirement Center, 3431 Foothill Blvd., Oakland. Cost is $30 or $120 for the entire series. 534-8547, ext. 666. 

Breathexperience?Classes “Oh, My Aching Back!” 12-1 p.m., $10; “Restoring Viitality” 5:30-6:45 p.m., $10; “The Experience of Breath” 7-8:15 p.m., $12, at MIBE, 830 Bancroft Way, #104. 981-1710. 

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group for people 60+ years old meets at 10:15 a.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave. Cost is $2.50. 524-9122. 

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

ONGOING 

Poll Workers Needed in Alameda County for June 6 Primary Election. Poll workers must be eligible to register to vote in California, have basic clerical skills. Training classes begin in May. 272-6971. 

Berkeley Youth Alternatives Youth Sports Classes NFL Flag Football for boys and girls ages 9 to 12 begins May 9, 4:30 to 6 p.m. Cost is $10-$15 for 5 weeks, and Pee Wee Basketball for boys and girls ages 6 to 8 begins May 13, 10 a.m. to noon. Cost is $25-$35 for 6 weeks. For more information contact BYA Sports & Fitness Department 845-9066.  

CITY MEETINGS 

Commission on Disability meets Wed., May 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Don Brown, 981-6346. TDD: 981-6345.  

Homeless Commission meets Wed., May 10, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Jane Micallef, 981-5426.  

Planning Commission meets Wed., May 10, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Janet Homrighausen, 981-7484. 

Police Review Commission meets Wed., May 10, at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-4950.  

Waterfront Commission meets Wed., May 10, at 7 p.m., at 201 University Ave. Cliff Marchetti, 981-6740.  

Commission on Early Childhood Education meets Tues. May 11, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Angellique De Cloud, 981-5428.  

Community Health Commission meets Thurs., May 11, at 6:45 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. Kristin Tehrani, 981-5356.  

West Berkeley Project Area Commission meets Thurs., May 11, at 7 p.m., at the West Berkeley Senior Center. Iris Starr, 981-7520.  

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., May 11, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. Mark Rhoades, 981-7410.