Opinion

Editorials

Editorial: The Berkeley-ization of Manhattan

By Becky O’Malley
Friday January 05, 2007

New Yorkers, bless their hearts, love to believe that what happens in their city is unique—that they’re somehow exempt from the inexorable laws that govern the universe. The truth is that often bad things happen elsewhere first, but eventually even New York is vulnerable. The elegant writer Adam Gopnik has a piece in this week’s New Yorker magazine’s Talk of the Town section which highlights the grim homogenization which other parts of the country have already undergone, but is just now taking over in Gotham City. He spent several past years in Paris, so he’s now looking at New York with a fresh eye, and he doesn’t like much of what he sees. -more-


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Friday January 05, 2007

PARKING ISSUES -more-


2006: The Year in Editorial Cartoons

By Justin DeFreitas
Friday January 05, 2007

For the year in Editorial Cartoons see the pdf's of pages 14 and 15, available on our web site. -more-


Commentary: Clarifying ABAG’s Role in the Housing Needs Process

By Kathleen Cha
Friday January 05, 2007

The articles and letters printed recently on housing in the Berkeley Daily Planet reflect misunderstanding and confusion about the need to plan for housing locally and region-wide, the state-driven Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process, and the state mandated role of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) in this planning process. -more-


Commentary: Trader Joe’s — For Whom?

By Dean Metzger
Friday January 05, 2007

As the Planet has reported, the project at 1885 University Ave. was tentatively approved by the Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) at its Dec. 14 meeting and is scheduled for a final vote on Jan. 11 (note there will be no further public hearing). Had I stayed on ZAB, the project would not have been approved as currently proposed, but my council member dismissed me and saw fit to appoint a pro-development person to the board, who found the project more to his liking than I ever had. -more-