News

If money talked, it could turn into a noisy campaign season this year. Preliminary campaign finance statements for the 2006 races that were released Monday show most candidates in the City Council and mayoral races, despite lofty Berkeley idealism, are in hot pursuit of the gritty greenback dollar. -more-

Former Mayor Shirley Dean says she’ll be on the campaign trail. -more-

On two 6–3 votes, the city council Tuesday endorsed ballot language and a legal analysis that backers of a landmarks ordinance initiative said misrepresents their proposal. -more-

On Tuesday, many Berkeley residents came together to bring public safety awareness into their communities by celebrating National Night Out Day 2006. There were block parties throughout the city, which promised food, fun, and socializing. -more-

I dreaded the day when my mother would need to move into a nursing home. That day came, and a year and a half later, I enjoy her nursing home life on my visits—joining in Tai Chi or a round of mindgames, right alongside her. Her nursing home is so homey and hospitable that I wonder why more nursing homes aren’t like it. -more-

Supporters of neighborhood watchdog group Cleanaircoalition.net will be coming together with environmental and community groups this month to demand that Pacific Steel Casting make the results of their already delayed emission inventory report and health risk assessment available to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the City of Berkeley immediately. -more-

Economic Development Manager Thomas Myers went from helping site 7-Elevens in South Central Los Angeles to working four-and-one-half years to get Berkeley Bowl situated on Oregon Street. -more-

With the deadline for their eviction from their home of the last 31 years fast approaching, the artists of the Nexus Institute are looking for a new home. -more-

The Berkeley city attorney’s office has good reason to gloat over this week’s California Supreme Court ruling that the state’s universities aren’t exempt from paying for impacts of developments on surrounding communities. -more-

An Oakland judge Tuesday barred a November vote on an initiative that would have stopped waterfront development pending the creation of a new plan. -more-

“Since its heyday during World War II, when workers from Richmond’s Kaiser shipyards filled the streets and sidewalks,” we learn from Richmond Councilmember Tom Butt’s e-mail forum, “Macdonald Avenue has reflected the common patterns of American downtowns. Many businesses have struggled to maintain economic viability in a climate of shifting commercial development and shopping patterns.” -more-

These days Nadine Ghammache thinks of little else than Lebanon, the tiny country by the sea where she was born. -more-

While the controversy continues over the all-but-total destruction of the massive, historic Ninth Avenue Terminal as part of Oakland’s Oak To Ninth Development Project, the City of Richmond is quietly moving forward with the development of one of its waterfront areas that preserves the similarly historic Ford Assembly Building. -more-

City Planning Director Dan Marks has issued a stinging rebuke of UC Berkeley’s key environmental document covering its massive expansion plans for Memorial Stadium and its surroundings. -more-

The City Council will hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. today (Tuesday) to hash out the wording describing the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance that voters will see when they vote in November. -more-

A poster to promote Berkeley’s libraries shows Michele Lawrence smiling in a white turtleneck and red blazer, pearls in her ears and an open novel in her hands. She looks kind and composed, every bit the spokesperson for a wholesome public service announcement—but for the novel. -more-

As Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) officials gear up for the second parcel tax campaign in two years, some citizens question whether district administrators have done enough to ensure that school resources stay with Berkeley students. -more-

The Alameda City Council approved construction bids for the development of a controversial theater project in downtown Alameda Wednesday, dealing a blow to opponents who insist the project is out of scale with the area. -more-

Faced with threats of a lawsuit, the City Council has begun to explore ways to increase both the number of people allowed to speak directly to the council at its meetings and the variety of topics the public can address. -more-

Federal government “anti-terror” activities have penetrated a number of Northern and Central California cities including Berkeley, according to an ACLU report released last week: “The State of Surveillance: Government Monitoring of Political Activity in Northern and Central California.” -more-

The California Supreme Court ruled today that the trustees of California State University must prepare a new environmental impact report on a planned expansion of a campus in Monterey County. -more-

Will the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Bevatron building and Iceland become the city’s newest landmarks? And will the Drayage fall to the wrecking ball? -more-

Californians knew global warming was real even before temperatures soared past 110 degrees in many regions for days and killed at least 75 people statewide, according to a survey released by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). -more-

1. Where were you born and where did you grow up, and how does that affect how you regard the issues in Berkeley and in your district? -more-

Paintballs redux -more-

Arab Culture’s Genius To Communicate Beyond Itself -more-