News

LPO Referendum, Probe Deadline Nears

By Richard Brenneman
Friday January 05, 2007

Backers of a failed initiative to save Berkeley’s Landmarks Preservation Ordinance (LPO) will learn next week if they can block a rival ordinance—at least until voters have their say. -more-


Battles Over UC Expansion Carry into the New Year

By Richard Brenneman
Friday January 05, 2007

Four die-hard protesters, shaken but not stirred, ended 2006 encamped among the branches of a grove of grand old trees threatened by the city’s biggest developer. -more-


Top Berkeley Developments in ’06

By Richard Brenneman
Friday January 05, 2007

Berkeley developers clocked up big wins in 2006, defeating a ballot measure designed to save Berkeley’s Landmark Preser-vation Ordinance and winning approval of projects destined to change the city’s face. -more-


City Council Lauds ’06 Accomplishments

By Judith Scherr
Friday January 05, 2007

Enhanced fire and police protection, housing development, safeguards for creeks and an advisory measure to impeach President George Walker Bush are among the accomplishments City Councilmembers cite for 2006. -more-


Mixed Results for Local Labor Struggles in 2006

By Judith Scherr
Friday January 05, 2007

While several local long-term labor disputes ended happily for workers in 2006—Berkeley Honda, Alta Bates/Summit and Claremont Resort & Spa employees signed contracts after protracted struggles—workers at the Shattuck Cinema, Doubletree Hotel, UC Berkeley and the Woodfin Suite Hotel will continue to fight for better pay, benefits and working conditions in 2007. -more-


‘Clean Money’ Lost in 2006 Despite Support in Berkeley

By Judith Scherr
Friday January 05, 2007

2006 was not the year that California or Berkeley checked the power the purse has to skew elections. -more-


Past Year Dealt Setback for Citizen Oversight of Police

By Judith Scherr
Friday January 05, 2007

2006 was not a good year for Berkeley cops or for those who monitor them. -more-


UC Stadium Tree-Sitter Arrested for Trespassing

By Richard Brenneman
Friday January 05, 2007

One of the four tree-sitters protesting the planned demolition of a grove of Coastal Live Oaks at the UC Berkeley Campus landed in new accommodations Wednesday—City Jail. -more-


Environmentalists Take Lead in East Bay Land Disputes

By Richard Brenneman
Friday January 05, 2007

For some East Bay developers, 2006 was the year of the environmentalist. -more-


McLaughlin Takes Office Tuesday

By Richard Brenneman
Friday January 05, 2007

Richmond Mayor-elect Gayle McLaughlin, the upset winner in a three-way race, becomes the nation’s first Green Party mayor in a city with a population greater than 100,000 in ceremonies Tuesday night. -more-


Property Sale Plans Dominated Oakland School District News

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday January 05, 2007

One of the biggest East Bay political stories of 2006—the proposed sale of the Oakland Unified School District downtown properties—was reported first in the Berkeley Daily Planet. -more-


Building and Controversy at Peralta College District in ‘06

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday January 05, 2007

The four-college Peralta Community College District began the year in the last stages of construction of the newly-named Berkeley City College, with controversy over its last series of construction bonds, and with plans to present a new set of facilities bonds. The year ended with Berkeley City College built, occupied, and with controversy swirling over district bond measures. -more-


Curvy Derby Plan Gains Supporters in Field Debate

By Rio Bauce, Special to the Planet
Friday January 05, 2007

A month ago, proponents and opponents of a nearly eight-year dispute over playing field construction at East Campus met and came to an agreement on a single plan: the Curvy Derby plan. -more-


Police Blotter

By Richard Brenneman
Friday January 05, 2007

Grounds for arrest -more-


Fire Log

By Richard Brenneman
Friday January 05, 2007

Apartment fires—one caused by a forgotten pan, the other by a forgotten cigarette—ruined the holiday plans of several Berkeley residents, reports Berkeley Fire Marshal Gil Dong. -more-


First Person: Words, Words, Words

By Harry Weininger
Friday January 05, 2007

It was a crushingly hot summer day in Chicago. The kind of day that Chicagoans believe only they are privy to. The kind of day where the sidewalks exhale hot air, steps are uncertain, thinking woozy. -more-