Two of BART’s three largest unions have voted to authorize a strike, but BART spokesman Linton Johnson said today that “it’s outrageous to even talk about a strike in these economic times.” 

Speaking at a briefing with reporters at BART headquarters, Johnson said the vote to authorize a strike if a new contract agreement isn’t reached by the June 30 deadline “sends the wrong signal when a lot of our riders are out of jobs.” 

Johnson said negotiators for BART management and its five labor unions are working around the clock in hopes of reaching an agreement. 

Ninety-one percent of BART workers with Local 3993 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents about 200 middle managers, who voted on Tuesday approved authorizing a strike. 

Spokesman Jeff Gillenkirk said 99 percent of members of Local 1555 of the Amalgamated Transit Union who voted Tuesday approved authorizing a strike. 

Local 1555 represents about 900 train operators, station agents and foreworkers. Gillenkirk said he doesn’t know how many of the union’s members voted on Tuesday. 

Members of Local 1021 of the Service Employees International Union, which represents about 1,200, mechanics, custodians, safety inspects and clerical employees, are scheduled to participate in a strike authorization vote on Thursday. 

Two smaller unions also are in the midst of negotiations with BART management. 

The BART Police Managers Association represents sergeants, lieutenants and commanders and the BART Police Officers Association represents rank-and-file officers. 

More than 200 seniors and disabled citizens rallied at the San Francisco Civic Center Tuesday to protest cuts to social, elder and disability services, which they said would force them from their homes and into institutions. 

Marching from Civic Center Park with banners, posters and paper tombstones bearing the words “The budget is killing me,” the protesters congregated in front of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s office at the State Building at 455 Golden Gate Ave. 

Chanting slogans, the marchers, some of whom came from as far away as San Jose, asked the Legislature to include revenues in the budget solution instead of taking away in-home support services for disabled and frail seniors. 

The “People’s Day of Reckoning” rally coincided with the 10th anniversary of the Olmstead decision, in which the Supreme Court ruled that people with disabilities have a right to live in the community and receive support services. 

Nicholas Feldman, owner of Berkeley’s Dare to Dream Attendant Services, was one of people leading the march. Also present were Gina Sasso and Leslie Gordon, co-directors of Berkeley’s Easy Does it and Tim Lynn, a member of Berkeley’s disability community. 

The Berkeley Board of Education approved more budget reductions at a board meeting Wednesday in response to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s May revision to the state budget. 

The cuts were in addition to the $8 million made earlier this year responding to the 2009-10 state budget approved by the Legislature in February. 

Schwarzenegger’s latest budget proposal will slash nearly $2 million from the Berkeley Unified School District in the current school year and $3.7 million in 2009-10, only $2.2 million of which district officials predict will be replaced by federal stimulus dollars. 

Berkeley Unified Superintendent Bill Huyett said that while the “overall California budget is very much up in the air,” the district had been able to make “the necessary budget reductions without additional layoffs in the pre-K-12 program.” 

Huyett said Berkeley public schools were in a far better position than other Bay Area school districts, many of which were forced to increase class sizes to 30 students for kindergarten through third grade. 

Berkeley Unified, Huyett said, was fortunate to be maintaining average class sizes at 20 in fourth and fifth grades and 28 in grades seven through 12. 

The district has also been able to reduced the number of tenured teacher layoffs to one. 

Huyett also thanked the Berkeley community for supporting public education through Measure A and other ballot measures for over the last two decades.  

He acknowledged that the district had prepared a preliminary budget for 2009-10 with “significant unknowns,” including the final 2009-10 state budget and federal stimulus funds, initially promised for May, but now tentatively scheduled to be distributed later this year. 

A report prepared by district Deputy Superintendent Javetta Cleveland show that the total cuts in the district from the February budget and the May revise amount to $13.6 million, of which $7.4 million has been addressed with the help of federal stimulus funds, state flexibility funds and the first round of budget reductions approved by the board. 

Cleveland’s report recommended using a number of budget revisions and adjustments to deal with the $5.3 million shortfall. 

An analysis of Berkeley Unified’s Post-Retirement Benefit Fund and the Worker’s Compensation Fund by district staff showed that contributions to each fund could be reduced for 2009-10 and still meet existing obligations. 

Reducing the rates, according to Cleveland’s report, would not affect employee compensation, and would instead lower expenses throughout the district, including nearly $700,000 in the general fund. These funds would also return significant amounts to the general fund in 2008-09. 

The $3.7 million shortfall in 2009-10 will be alleviated by $2.2 million in stimulus funds; reductions in post-retirement benefit rate and worker’s compensation rates; a proposed reduction in health benefit costs created by raising deductibles; $400,000 from the Berkeley Adult School (through reduced services and higher fees), and a few smaller changes. 

The adult education budget itself was cut by $1.3 million in the February state budget.  

The state budget gave districts the option to eliminate adult education entirely in 2009-10 and four successive fiscal years to thwart the effect of state reductions to general fund revenues.  

But instead of putting the entire program on the chopping block, Berkeley Unified reduced its adult education program, eliminating adult summer school programs, decreasing some English language learning, high school diploma and older adult classes and charging students and agencies more for senior programs. 

The district will be able to transfer $400,000 from the adult education revenue to its general fund by making additional reductions, such as trimming classes offered for disabled students and seniors, charging fees for English language, vocational and high school diploma classes and raising fees for agencies which offer classes for its disabled adults. 

“We did talk a lot about this with students and some of them recommended a higher fee,” said Margaret Kirkpatrick, Berkeley Adult School’s outgoing principal. “We are looking at an amount achievable to students with lower incomes. Something that would save the school, and is in line with other adult schools. And of course, any student can apply for a fee waiver or scholarship.” 

Kirkpatrick said that although eliminating some programs had been “painful,” the school would continue to benefit students in many ways. 

In an attempt to close the budget gap, the district will also hold back from paying the City of Berkeley $180,000 next year for sanitary sewage service, clean storm water, pool use and maintenance and the Berkeley High School Health Clinic 

Huyett said that although Berkeley Unified was in a better position than other districts, the list of layoffs still included bus drivers, clerks, vice principals, counselors and other employees 

In a push to reduce drug and alcohol use by Berkeley’s public school students, the Berkeley Unified School District will collaborate with the City of Berkeley government to form a committee by September to address the issue. 

In March the Berkeley Board of Education received a report from district officials on the 2008 California Healthy Kids Survey which showed that Berkeley public school students used drugs and alcohol at twice the national average. 

It said that as compared with state and national figures, twice as many Berkeley ninth-graders (31 percent) and 11th-graders (54 percent) reported that they had been drunk on alcohol or high on other drugs while on school property, and twice as many students had smoked marijuana in the preceding 30 days.      

The report said that cigarette, drug and alcohol use among students increased from fifth to 11th grades, and there was higher consumption of alcohol—except at the fifth-grade level—than in the rest of the state and nation. 

The California Healthy Kids Survey focuses on substance abuse, violence and safety and meets the requirements of the federal Safe and Drug Free Schools Act and the No Child Left Behind Act. 

This was the first time survey results were presented to the school board. The report included data about drug and alcohol use by students in the Berkeley Unified School District, the county and the state, based on information provided by students in the fifth, seventh, ninth and 11th grades. 

 School board directors and district Superintendent Bill Huyett expressed concern at the March board meeting, with some attributing the spike in substance use to Berkeley’s relatively high tolerance of drug culture. 

Huyett warned that intoxicated students would lag behind in school, and directed district officials to work with the city to create a plan to address alcohol, tobacco and drug use in the city. 

A report presented at the June 17 school board meeting by Javier Mendieta, the district’s manager of student welfare and attendance, said the 2008 data “reflected a significant increase in the use of marijuana and alcohol by BUSD students from the previous survey” completed in the spring of 2006. 

Mendieta’s report said that district Director of Student Services Felton Owens was inviting representatives from the district, the City of Berkeley’s Health and Human Services staff, and Berkeley Unified parents and teachers to develop a plan for services to address alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse to meet the needs of students, staff and the community. 

Mendieta acknowledged that although the city has already done a lot of work in this area, the school district didn’t have a chance to weigh in on it. As a result, “the city plan has not been widely implemented in the schools,” Mendieta said, adding that it would provide a good foundation for the committee. 

The new plan, according to Mendieta’s report, would identify evaluation methods taking into account measures left out in the California Healthy Kids Survey. It would review district and school polices on drug and alcohol use and recommend updates if necessary. 

It would also review disciplinary action and intervention, and would develop a curriculum aligned with the Health Framework for California Public Schools, including a recommendation for an approved drug education curriculum for the secondary schools. 

Peer and support programs such as Upfront: A Reality Drug Education and Support Program for High Schools, currently running as a pilot at B-Tech, would also be considered. 

Other goals include broadening parent and community outreach, counseling and mental health services in collaboration with the city. 

Mendieta’s report includes suggestions for who should be included on the committee: district Director of Student Services Felton Owens; Berkeley’s Alcohol and Other Drugs Coordinator Barbara White; Angela Gallegos-Castillo, assistant to the city manager; Berkeley High Student Health Center Director Lisa Sterner and representatives, parents and students from B-Tech, Berkeley High and the three middle schools. 

School Board Director John Selawsky praised Mendieta’s report, calling it “comprehensive” and “well written.” 

“We’d like to have one or two board liaisons, and I would like to volunteer for it,” Selawsky said.  

Selawsky and Shirley Issel also asked Mendieta to include the Alcohol Policy Network and Students for a Safer Southside in the committee in some way. 

Board members agreed with Mendieta’s suggestion in the report that the new plan be geared toward increasing student participation in the California Healthy Kids Survey. 

Dr. Rebecca Cheung, the district’s director of evaluation and assessment, informed the school board during the March presentation that the survey was considered to be most accurate when it had a 60 percent or higher participation rate. 

Berkeley Unified only met that target in ninth grade (68 percent), followed by the 11th grade (52 percent), seventh grade (48 percent) and fifth grade (43 percent). 

Berkeley Unified spokesperson Mark Coplan said that although some people took the California Healthy Kids Survey with a grain of salt because it was self-reported, Superintendent Huyett had a lot of faith in it. 

“It’s pretty solid information,” Coplan said. “There might be a small percentage of kids who are saying one thing and meaning something else, but overall the survey is highly respected.” 

Housing, West Berkeley and signs will be on the minds and lips of planning commissioners when they meet for their final June meeting Wednesday night, June 24. 

With the City Council pushing for zoning ordinance changes in West Berkeley to ease development of high-tech and bio-tech start-up companies, commissioners are scheduled to vote on calling a July 22 public hearing on so-called fast track changes sought by the council. 

Among the changes suggested by councilmembers had been new rules to permit child care in manufacturing and light industrial zones—a probable non-starter considering concerns raised by commissioners earlier this month—as well as allowing some retail sales at manufacturing and warehouse sites, new rules to allow existing sites to be subdivided more readily into more diversity of uses, reduction of parking requirements and freedom to interchange uses of protected manufacturing, warehouse, whole and recycling operations. 

The commission will also consider a staff report on possible constraints on allowing permits for new housing as required to meet regional government goals set by the Association of Bay Area Governments. 

The final item on the agenda will be a discussion of possible changes to the city’s sign ordinance. 

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. and Martin Luther King Jr. Way. 

The agenda is available online at www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=40176.

One of two men accused of murder for the 2006 death of a man who succumbed to a gunshot wound shortly after stumbling to the door of a University of California at Berkeley sorority house has pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, a prosecutor said today. 

Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Tim Wellman said 21-year-old Brandon Crowder of Berkeley entered his plea on Monday afternoon, shortly after a jury was selected for a trial for Crowder and co-defendant Nicholas Beaudreaux, a 23-year-old Richmond man, in connection with the September 2006 death of 23-year-old Wayne Drummond Jr. of Oakland. 

Beaudreaux, who still faces murder charges, is now standing trial alone. His trial began today with opening statements and testimony by four witnesses. 

Wellman declined to comment at length on the case but said his theory is that Beaudreaux shot and killed Drummond and Crowder was an accomplice. 

According to Berkeley police, Drummond was shot after a confrontation with Beaudreaux and Crowder and was then taken by friends to the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority at 2311 Prospect House, near the UC Berkeley campus, where he collapsed and died shortly after 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 4, 2006. 

Beaudreaux and Drummond weren't arrested until February 2008 because it took authorities a long time to develop sufficient evidence in the case. 

Berkeley police said Crowder and Beaudreaux were involved in an argument with Drummond in front of Blakes on Telegraph, a restaurant and bar located at 2367 Telegraph Ave. The three men were reportedly walking east in the 2500 block of Durant Avenue when Crowder allegedly directed Beaudreaux to shoot Drummond, according to police. 

Wellman said Beaudreaux's trial will continue on Thursday but then will be in recess until June 29 because Alameda County Superior Court C. Don Clay, who is presiding over the case, has another assignment next week. 

The Berkeley Board of Education will seek input from Berkeley High School before crafting any kind of policy seeking to reform its School Governance Council. 

Complaints from parents about the council’s noncompliance with state and federal laws prompted a board policy subcommittee Wednesday to recommend aligning it with the model of the district’s K-8 schools. However, others on the board said they would first like to get the high school more involved in the process. 

Bylaws adopted by the Berkeley Unified School District for its elementary and middle schools in April 2008 mandated that a single committee be created to analyze school data, develop an annual plan, allocate supplemental funds and oversee other activities. 

But Berkeley High’s complicated makeup prevented the formation of a single committee.  

Instead, the school has two separate committees—the School Governance Council, which also acts as the School Site Council, and the Berkeley School Excellence Program (BSEP) Committee, which oversees expenditures raised under a special local assessment.  

Some parents and at least one board member have complained that the current School Governance Council lacks parity and transparency. 

The policy subcommittee—comprised of school board directors John Selawsky and Shirley Issel—recommended that instead of the current “hybrid” which exists at Berkeley High, the school form a “Leadership Team” and a “Shared Governance Committee.”  

The responsibilities of the “Leadership Team,” the policy subcommittee said, would include curriculum issues, professional development and evaluation of student performance while the “Shared Governance Committee” would monitor BSEP expenditures and the Safety Committee, among other things. 

Superintendent Bill Huyett suggested that the high school be given a chance to evaluate both the current model and the proposed model to see what suits them best. 

Huyett acknowledged that the “hybrid they have right now brings parents and staff together but doesn’t have clarity.” 

The committee also said they would like to discuss the future of the school’s BSEP Committee to consider whether it should remain as it is or become a subcommittee of the “Shared Governance Committee.”  

While announcing the policy subcommittee’s recommendation to the board, Issel said that changing the current governance at Berkeley High would help parents who had already been trained in K-8 governance. 

“Parents and staff would not have to learn a new governance model by aligning the high school with K-8,” She said. “It will be aligned with the board’s policy and state and federal law. It’s embracing a model which will distinguish the role of a governance team from the role of the leader.” 

Selawsky called the current model “disadvantageous,” explaining that it led to confusion at the high school, and “uncertainty when parents moved from other schools to Berkeley High.” 

“Merging of administration and governance is an unreality to me,” he said. “I would like to see the leadership team bifurcate.” 

Board Vice President Karen Hemphill said she would like the high school to get an opportunity to come up with a plan themselves, adding that if they failed to do so by January 2010, the board would step in. 

Board President Nancy Riddle warned that it would not be appropriate to make any kind of decision about the subcommittee’s recommendation at Wednesday’s meeting because community members had not been adequately notified about the issue. 

Riddle said that although there were some pros and cons to the current model, more information was required to figure out whether the policy subcommittee’s proposal would work better. 

“Even if we thought it was the best idea in the world, it would take a long time to craft a policy,” she said. “As much as people want a solution, I think it will take a while.” 

Huyett suggested that he was expecting the high school to look at the two models carefully once school was back in session in the fall. 

“In the end the board will make some choices, but we should hear from the school first,” he said. “I would like the high school to do it during school hours, but we could also be ambitious and get a dialogue going.” 

A Berkeley Board of Education policy subcommittee was scheduled to recommend realigning Berkeley High School’s Governance Council to make it more consistent with that of the district’s K-8 public schools at the board’s meeting, which took place yesterday, Wednesday, June 17, after the Planet went to print. A report on the meeting can be found at berkeleydailyplanet.com. 

The subcommittee was expected to ask the board to “discuss and give directions on the overall structure of governance at Berkeley High,” . The board was also scheduled to approve district Superintendent Bill Huyett’s proposed budget reductions for the district based on Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s May revision to the state budget.  

The policy subcommittee has recommended that the school form a “Leadership Team” and a “Shared Governance Commit-tee” in place of the current “hybrid structure.” 

The recommendation comes after at least two school board directors and a number of Berkeley High parents expressed concern about the school’s current Governance Council. At least one parent filed a formal complaint with the Berkeley Unified School District and the state Board of Education alleging that the council was out of compliance with federal, state and local guidelines. 

As a result, the School Board asked Christina Faulkner, the district’s director of curriculum and instruction, to report on whether Berkeley High adheres to federal, state and School District regulations for school governance and site councils. 

Faulkner’s report, delivered at the last School Board meeting on June 10, listed the various state, federal and district requirements, but did not specifically explain where the Berkeley High School Gov-ernance Council was in or out of compliance, something Berkeley High Parent, Teacher and Student Association Presi-dent Mark van Krieken pointed out in a newsletter to parents. 

“There have been concerns raised about practices not understood or not clear to the public,” Faulkner told the board. 

Berkeley High currently has two primary committees—the School Governance Council, which also acts as the School Site Council, and the Berkeley School Excellence Program (BSEP) Committee—which oversees expenditures raised under a special local assessment. 

Faulkner’s report provides an overview of the procedures of the two committees, including composition, selection process and responsibilities. 

The state has strict guidelines for how school site councils should be constituted, which state that in K–8 schools, the composition should be equally split between parents and teachers or staff. At the high schools, parents and students are each supposed to make up 25 percent, with teachers or staff constituting the remaining 50 percent. 

Berkeley Unified implemented school governance councils at all of its schools in order to combine the duties of each institution’s school site council and BSEP committees. The state does not provide any guidelines for school governance councils. 

In April 2008, Berkeley Unified approved bylaws for its elementary and middle school governance councils which incorporated state and federal legal prerequisites related to Title 1 and other categorical programs apart from local (BSEP) requirements. 

These bylaws, Faulkner’s report said, mandated that a single committee be created to review school data, develop an annual school plan, allocate supplemental funds and oversee other activities.  

However, the “complex nature of Berkeley High School” prevented a single unified committee from being formed, Faulkner said, leading to the establishment of the Governance Council and the BSEP Committee. 

The high school is currently following a different set of bylaws, which were most recently revised in Nov. 2007 and are now under review for noncompliance. 

  One of the main issues the School Board is looking at is the constitution of the Governance Council, because of concerns raised about the lack of parity between parents and students and teachers and staff at the high schools. 

Berkeley’s only public continuation high school, Berkeley Technology Academy, has two parents, two teachers and four staff members on its Governance Council. Berkeley High School shows 18 staff and teacher positions with only four parents and four students on its council. Governance councils at all other Berkeley public schools, including independent study, have equal numbers of parents and staff.  

Several of the 18 staff and teacher positions at Berkeley High include two teachers who share a vote, bringing the total number of teachers and staff to 26, compared to eight parents and students. 

Van Krieken in his newsletter says that some people in the Berkeley High community are concerned that this was “putting parents and students in such an overwhelming minority position, they have been disempowered in both the discussions and in their ability to have a meaningful vote.” 

Additionally, although Faulkner’s report lists 26 members on Berkeley High’s governance council, the final tally shows 27—a discrepancy School Board Director John Selawsky brought to everyone’s attention, and one Faulkner said the district would investigate. 

School Board Director Beatrice Levya Cutler called for more diversity on the Governance Council, recalling that she had been the “only person of color” on the council when she had served in the past. 

In response to concerns about the lack of transparency about the meetings, Berkeley High Principal Jim Slemp said that the meetings had always been open to the public. 

“We have never limited the time; sometimes we have had to expand the time,” he said.  

Although some parents said they were not too happy about Slemp chairing the Governance Council, state education department official Richard Graham as well as Faulkner confirmed that state guidelines did not prohibit this action. 

Slemp told the board at the meeting that “he had no interest in being chair,” but that it was a role often thrust upon him because nobody else wanted to stand for election. 

At the last meeting, Board Director Shirley Issel said that there was “no doubt that the Berkeley High Governance Council was out of compliance in many areas,” and she requested that a policy subcommittee look into the matter immediately 

“We just want to make it so that it’s compliant and that people see it as an equitable decision-making process,” Superintendent Bill Huyett said of the Governance Council. “The school is a much different place than it was five years ago, and so now maybe it’s time for the decision-making system to evolve as the school has.” 

Van Krieken said in his letter he was hopeful that the School Board and the district would move swiftly to address the issues and implement changes before elections for new Governance Council representatives were held in September. 

The district’s report on the school Governance Council can be found at bhs.berkeleypta.org/sgc/SGC-report-06-10-09_packet.pdf and bhs.berkeleypta.org/sgc/SGC-Matrix-6-04-09.pdf.

Facing a $177.6 million funding gap for the upcoming fiscal year, Alameda County Administrator Susan Muranishi has proposed a $2.4 billion county budget that makes severe cuts across all levels of county services. 

County officials are calling the funding gap the largest in Alameda County’s history, some $100 million more than the deficit closed by the county during the last fiscal year. 

The county’s budget woes are coming in part from reductions in revenues coming back from the state and in part from the economic downturn that has devastated the county, California, and the nation. County property assessment revenues are down 2 percent this year for the first time in 50 years, and appeals for property reassessments (presumably to have those amount of taxes lowered) have tripled in the last year. 

And unless the state Legislature moves soon to break the Democratic-Republican deadlock and produce a balanced budget, the county’s financial situation could quickly get worse. Last week, California Controller John Chiang sent a letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state legislative leaders warning that “[i]n the absence of legislative action, the State will not have sufficient cash to meet all of its payment obligations on July 28.” Alameda County depends upon a portion of the state’s “payment obligations” to operate its budget. 

“Without immediate solutions from the governor and Legislature, we are less than 50 days away from a meltdown of state government,” the controller said in a follow-up press release. “This pre-sents a terrible threat to California’s economy and to the state’s delivery of basic public services.” 

But no state budget deal is yet in sight. 

Meanwhile, in Alameda County, the hardest hit area in Administrator Muranishi’s proposed budget will be public assistance, where the administrator is recommending a $45 million reduction. County supervisors have already approved Muranishi’s plan to limit general assistance (welfare payments) to three months a year for employable recipients, as well as to reduce cash payments to many recipients. 

Alameda County has the second highest general assistance caseload in the state, next to Los Angeles County, with the program mandated by the state but paid for entirely by county funds. 

The biggest actual personnel loss will be in the area of public safety, where the administrator is proposing the elimination of close to 180 positions in the sheriff’s office, the probation department, and the public defender’s and district attorney’s offices. Among the specific results of these personnel cuts will be the reduction of visiting hours at Santa Rita Jail from five to two days per week. Close to one-half of those personnel losses will be among those actually employed by the county, the only area where personnel cuts will not be limited to unfilled positions, as they were in previous years. 

The other major area of cuts will come in county health care, where Muranishi has proposed to take a $30 million cut. 

Of the proposed budget cuts, $76 million are ongoing, permanent reductions in the county’s budget, with the other $101 million coming from one-time strategies. 

Because the state Legislature is almost certain to adopt budget-balancing measures that will cut into funds for local governments, including Alameda County, it is virtually certain that downward adjustments to the county’s budget will have to be made this fall, deepening the cuts already proposed. 

None of Muranishi’s recommended budget proposals have been finalized by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, and supervisors could make adjustments in the areas of cuts. The board has set aside the week of June 22 for weeklong deliberations on the proposed budget, with hearing dates on Monday and Tuesday of that week, final deliberations on Wednesday, and final budget adoption on Thursday.

At Wednesday’s Berkeley Board of Education meeting, about 20 Berkeley High School students protested what they called campus racism. 

The students, some of them members of the Black Students Union, told the board they were protesting racist incidents on campus, including epithets and attacks by a few white students, which had created a hostile environment in the weeks before the school’s June 12 graduation ceremony. 

Wednesday’s protest came after some 300 students marched from Berkeley High School and staged a sit-in at the Berkeley Unified District Headquarters at Old City Hall June 5, demanding that the district administration organize meetings to address the problem and to recruit more minority teachers on campus to create diverse and culturally aware classrooms. 

During last week’s anti-racism rally, the students handed out flyers which said that Berkeley High’s black teachers and students would not tolerate the “racist actions taking place” on campus. The flyers specifically mentioned incidents where some white students had created a Facebook album titled “Niggas,” portraying blacks in a “demeaning, derogatory way.” Another incident involved someone posting a digitally altered picture of a black Berkeley High teacher wearing chains and a “grill” on the social networking website a few days later. 

“We understand that these actions are complicated by the fact that black people and other races use the N-word frequently and in confusingly, yet so-called ‘affectionate’ ways,” the flyer said. “We feel that the N-word should be put to rest by all races because it holds so much negative power. Many young people in our generation fail to realize its historical connotations.” 

As finals approached, students walked Berkeley High’s hallways with signs on their chests which read “I am not a n-----.” 

Berkeley High has 3,100 students, with black students accounting for about a third of the population 

At the board meeting, Berkeley High seniors Assata Harris and Xihuanel Tutashinda read aloud a list of demands on behalf of the Black Students Union, which asked the district to make African-American or ethnic studies classes a graduation requirement, create a diverse student panel to participate in the hiring of more black teachers and train all educators to be more culturally sensitive. 

Harris and Tutashinda stressed the importance of sponsoring workshops that would give students a platform to discuss issues on race, gender, religion and sexual orientation across all the different programs at Berkeley High. They also asked for “truth and reconciliation forums” where people who had committed hate crimes or acted disrespectfully toward students because of their race, gender, religion, disability or sexual orientation would be held accountable. 

Instead of requesting punitive measures, the students said they wanted to see “restorative justice healing circles,” which would give hate crime offenders and victims a chance to heal. 

Addressing the board, Harris said she felt that “Berkeley High did not value students of color. 

“We want teachers of color who will be allies in our classroom,” she said. “We want cultural awareness. All of our black and brown kids are at Berkeley Technology Academy [the district’s only continuation high school]—what’s up with that?” 

The students also said they were concerned that one of the students involved in the racial attacks was going to make a speech at the high school’s graduation ceremony. 

Pastor Michael McBride of Berkeley Organizing Congregations for Action stood up to speak in support of the students during public comment, but yielded his time to Rev. Allen Williams, pastor of Berkeley’s St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church. 

“We come out of deep concern,” said Rev. Williams, explaining that he had heard that some students had used hate speech on campus. He inquired about Berkeley Unified’s student code of conduct and asked the school board whether the student who had used derogatory language would be speaking at graduation. 

Williams’ question prompted district Superintendent Bill Huyett to ask Berkeley High Principal Jim Slemp, who was present at the meeting to give a presentation on the School Governance Council, whether “there were students speaking at graduation who used hate language,” to which Slemp said no. 

In an interview with the Daily Planet after the meeting, Harris said a video, made by a group of junior girls at Berkeley High, poking fun at black women had caused a lot of tension on campus about a year ago. The students later took the video down when confronted by some of their peers. 

The situation flared up again three weeks ago, Harris said, when a group of white 12th-grade boys created an album on Facebook that showed them posing with guns and alcohol. They called it the “Niggas” album. 

When other students, including Harris, asked them to delete the album because it was “promoting hate,” they refused, Harris said, instead changing the name to “Not the N-word.” Outraged students complained to On Campus Intervention officials, who told them that, because this was taking place on the Internet, they couldn’t do much about it. The matter reached Slemp’s ears, and he called a meeting to talk with parents and teachers.  

Harris said one of the boys in the group threatened her with a note on campus that said “I am going to get you.” When she reported the incident to On Campus Intervention, the student was immediately suspended. 

Tutashinda said that following the album incident, when some students discovered their teacher’s picture on Facebook digitally altered to reflect a “black stereotype,” they were angry and decided to hold a demonstration. 

“Racism should not be tolerated,” Tutashinda said. “What started as a joke made everyone more aware of people’s attitudes toward racism and race. We know that the School Board can’t make all our demands happen, so we are trying to get together as a group. We will go from class to class to get everyone involved—even our teachers.” 

Berkeley Unified spokesperson Mark Coplan said the incidents reported by the students were part of a bigger picture.  

“It’s not the case of one incident or situation,” Coplan said. ‘It’s a case of overt racism inherent not just at Berkeley High but in our community. It is like a pimple on the back of the whole situation.” 

Coplan added that Assistant Superintendent Neil Smith had praised the students for their courage to stand up against the incidents, and that Huyett had decided to meet with the students and Slemp to talk about the situation. 

“It’s a great start to a resolution,” he said, 

Berkeley Board of Education Director John Selawsky said he was concerned that a few racist incidents were giving the impression of rampant campus racism.“But if it’s more than one or two students, then it may be something more serious,” he said, adding that the district was investigating the charges. 

Board Vice President Karen Hemphill said it would be premature to comment on the investigation because it was still ongoing. “It could result in student suspension, which is confidential and cannot be made public,” she said. 

Hemphill acknowledged that both overt as well as subtle forms of racism were present on campus, which could affect students in different ways and trigger various responses. 

Hemphill praised the students on their efforts to open up a much-needed dialogue on race relations to foster mutual understanding and respect. 

“That is part of closing the achievement gap in our schools,” she said. “Berkeley still has to address racial differences, just like the rest of the country. Just because we have an African-American president doesn’t mean we don’t have race issues.” 

The Zoning Adjustments Board approved a use permit for a new facility for the Berkeley Animal Shelter Thursday, June 11.  

Named in honor of late Councilmember Dona Spring, a staunch advocate of homeless animals, who fought for the new facility, the state-of-the-art, two-story, 100-animal-capacity shelter is expected to be completed by the end of 2010 or early 2011. It will be located on the northern edge of Aquatic Park. 

Running on a $1.4 million annual budget, the Berkeley shelter rescues homeless animals from Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville and Piedmont and offers adoption services, counseling, lost and found pet reports and free or reduced-cost spaying and neutering programs for pets of Berkeley residents.  

The 90-capacity shelter currently has 39 dogs, 25 cats, three chickens and one rabbit. Last year, it took in 898 dogs, of which 300 were adopted, 359 returned to owners, 104 transferred to animal rescue groups and 75 euthanised. Of the 870 cats that arrived there over the same period, 302 were adopted, 59 went back home, 352 were taken by animal rescue groups and 105 euthanised. 

When the time comes for the shelter’s inhabitants at 2013 Second St. to move into their new home about a block away at 1 Bolivar Drive, a former drug treatment center, shelter volunteers will walk them over or carry them in their arms, said Kate O’Connor, shelter manager. 

Unlike most animal shelters around the country, the Berkeley Animal Shelter is considered a haven for uncared for, abandoned and often neglected animals, but the Second Street site has its fair share of problems, O’Connor admitted. 

The single-story 1950s building has seen better days, and decades-long wear-and-tear on its narrow cement kennels is visible, with paint peeling off the walls and new cracks forming every day. 

Drainage is a nightmare, according to Berkeley Humane Commissioner Jill Posener, who shepherded the idea of a new shelter for over a decade and led the campaign for the $7.1 million to fund it.  

Every time it rains, the gutters flow over, sending dog feces all over the kennel floors and leaving its occupants susceptible to illness. At the new shelter, every kennel will be equipped with its own drain. 

“We are thrilled to have a new place,” O’Connor said, praising the architects for doing a “tremendous job.” 

The city hired former Berkeley Public Works Director Rene Cardinaux as a consultant on the project. Primitivo Suarez-Wolfe, assistant architect for Berkeley’s Public Works Department, is representing the city. Local architects BurksToma collaborated with animal shelter consultants ARQ to design the new building. Berkeley-based Design Community and Environment was brought in to make the shelter’s landscaping consistent with that of the proposed East Touchdown Plaza abutting the I-80. 

Inspiration for the new facility came from modern shelters across the region, including Contra Costa, San Jose and Redwood City. The new building’s metal and stucco exterior will reflect the neighborhood’s industrial past. 

The new shelter, like the old one, will feature indoor-outdoor kennels, separated by guillotine doors that will remain open during the day and closed at night. This feature, O’Connor explained, helps to reduce stress in animals and plays an important role in controlling disease. 

Another highlight of the new shelter is the “cat condos,” which will have their own ventilation, to curb infection, and individual rooms separating healthy felines from sick ones or newborn kittens. 

Thanks to a brand new medical suite, dogs and cats can be spayed or neutered in-house, rather than having shelter staff drive the animals to veterinary offices. 

Other features include a meeting room for volunteers, two outdoor fenced-in play areas and a more inviting lobby, which will offer increased privacy for visitors and allow shelter dogs to enter and exit through different routes. 

“At the moment, the shelter is so small, the staff and the public are on top of each other,” said O’Connor. “The new building will have a lot more space. We want to make it as stress-free for the animals and the volunteers as possible. And, of course, welcoming for the public.” 

Posener said she hoped the new location would draw even more visitors. 

“In the modern era, shelters are supposed to be integrated into a complete civic center,” she said, citing as an example Oakland’s new animal shelter, which is right next to a housing development. “There is this myth that animal shelters are bad neighbors. People think that animal shelters will decrease a neighborhood’s desirability, when in fact they can be an anchor.” 

Posener told the zoning board that she took exception to the Planning Department’s report, which said that the new shelter would be a good fit for the area because of its proximity to freeways and industries. 

“City staff have adopted an old-fashioned attitude hoping we don’t upset anyone,” she said. “I have concerns with the way the report says the new shelter won’t make a noise, won’t disturb anyone. That’s not what animal shelters are supposed to be. We want the shelter to be a buzzing and happening place. We want to bring people there, not keep them away.” 

Posener also expressed concern about the lack of vehicle access at the back of the new property, which she said would make it difficult for animal control trucks to back out, increasing the likelihood of accidents. 

Anne Wagley, a member of the Humane Commission and the arts and calendar editor for the Daily Planet, said that the city had looked at the possibility of securing an easement from the east side of the property, which she acknowledged would be “expensive, but probably far cheaper and infinitely more preferable than a city vehicle in an accident at the entrance to the new shelter.” 

Cardinaux said that, although the city would like to get an easement, it would not be possible at this point. 

The zoning board asked the city’s traffic engineer to look into the possibility of having the trucks back into the sallyport, instead of backing out. 

Wagley added she was worried that the I-80 bike ramp ended very close to the entrance of the new shelter, making the spot dangerous for both cyclists and drivers, a concern shared by at least two other commissioners. 

The board voted to ask the city’s traffic engineers to look into safety signage for warning both cyclists and drivers, but it did not specify what kind or where it should be placed. 

For more information on the Berkeley Animal Shelter call 981-6600. The shelter is open seven days a week, except on city holidays. For hours and services see www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=3866..

The unique igloo-domed Bevatron building at UC Berkeley is coming down, the closing chapter in a political battle between city activists and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). 

The structure, formally known as Building 51, once housed the 180-foot-diameter particle accelerator known as the Bevatron. 

Because the structure had been the venue for experiments that led directly to four Nobel Prizes, the federal government had deemed it potentially eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places—an action that could have hampered demolition efforts. 

The late UC Berkeley physicist Owen Chamberlain, who won his Nobel for discovering the antiproton in experiments using the Bevatron in 1955, had fought to preserve the structure until his death in Berkeley on Feb. 28, 2006 at the age of 85. 

A group of Berkeley preservationists and citizens worried about possible radiation exposure from the transit of debris through the city had waged a losing battle to landmark the structure under city laws in an effort to block demolition. 

But after months of discussion, a sharply divided city Landmarks Preservation Commission voted on Aug. 3, 2006, to landmark the site and not the building, clearing the way for demolition. Several current UC Berkeley researchers spoke in favor of demolition during the commission’s hearings. 

Ben Feinberg, the last head of Bevatron operations, argued against declaring the building a landmark, telling commissioners the best monument to the history of the site would be construction of new labs equipped with the latest hardware to conduct more groundbreaking research. 

Crews at the site have already stripped the structure of asbestos, commonly used in insulation materials before its cancer-causing role was acknowledged, and other interior materials have been removed and metals shipped off for recycling, according to the lab’s website on the project. 

Lab spokesperson Paul Preuss said Wednesday that work continues at the site, and that a nearby traffic island had been removed to ease truck access to the parking lot at the rear of the building for eventual removal of concrete and other construction debris. 

“We are presently surveying all the concrete blocks that constituted the igloo, which are currently stacked up inside the structure,” he said. 

Preuss said that he expects 90 percent of the debris will not contain any traces of radioactivity above normal background levels, while the remaining 10 percent is expected to exhibit low levels of radioactivity resulting from work conducted at the site. 

“That 10 percent will have to be handled in a different way,” he said, including disposal in a federally approved site. 

Eventually, according to the environmental documents prepared by LBNL for the demolition, the lab expects to remove a total of 4,700 truckloads of debris, which will be hauled through city streets en route to final disposal in landfills. 

The trucks now hauling material from the lab don’t come from the Bevatron, but are instead the result of work on a second project, the construction of the Seismic Upgrade Building. 

“We expect to go from five trucks a day at the beginning of July to 20 a day by the end of the month,” Preuss said. 

Removal of the blocks from the Bevatron building is set to begin later this month and continue through fall, according to the notice posted at the lab’s project construction updates site, www.lbl.gov/ Workplace/siteconstruction. 

The Bevatron building and the attached office building total 126,500 square feet, according to the environmental impact report the university prepared as part of the demolition project. 

Completed in 1953, the Bevatron—named after the billion electron volts it produced—was in operation for the next 40 years, shutting down for the final time on Feb. 21, 1993, outmoded by far larger and more powerful particle accelerators built since its inaugural run.

As plazas go, Walter Hood’s design was a great one, Berkeley planning commissioners seemed to agree last week. 

One of the nation’s leading landscape architects, Hood had been commissioned by Ecocity Builders, with the help of some grant funds, to come up with a design for a pedestrian plaza for the one-block stretch of Center Street between Shattuck Avenue and Oxford Street. 

The notion of a Center Street plaza as a unifying public space for the heart of downtown Berkeley was first raised by the city’s UC Hotel Task Force in 2004. 

That panel was tasked by the city Planning Commission with preparing recommendations for the proposed hotel and meeting center UC Berkeley wants built at the northeast corner of the intersection of Shattuck and Center. 

While the task force voted to call for closure of the street, it recommended using the block only to relocate and “daylight” a section of Strawberry Creek, which now runs through a concrete culvert a block to the south. 

Among the members of that panel were Ecocity activists Richard Register and Kirstin Miller, who were strong advocates of daylighting the creek. 

Three years later, that same block became the focus of two different efforts. 

The Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee was charged by the City Council with coming up with recommendations for a new plan for the city center, and several of its members who had served previously on the hotel task force carried that group’s recommendations to the new panel. 

While DAPAC didn’t formally endorse daylighting the creek, members did call for street closure and creation of a “water feature” as part of the plaza. The Planning Commission later diluted DAPAC’s plaza vision by calling for a future planning process that would take into account the opinions of downtown merchants who had fought against closure. 

Just as DAPAC was beginning its own study of the issue, Ecocity hired Hood Design to develop an independent proposal for the block, and the final result was presented to the planning commissioners last week, the day after the City Council had adopted its own stance on the plaza, calling for limited vehicle access. 

Hood’s vision, which would cost an estimated $12 million, would divert a small portion of the Strawberry Creek flow through a pool and channel flowing downhill from the Oxford end of the plaza, which would then be channeled underground along Shattuck and back into the culverted creek. 

With trees and other plantings as well as a central gathering space, Hood said he had tried to design a revelatory experience that would extend the creek, the hillside environment and native trees into the heart of the city. 

“That becomes the genesis of our process,” which evolved into choosing among 28 different scenarios developed during the design process. 

Funded by local patrons and a grant form the Helen and William Mazer Foundation, Hood created a design that would allow vehicle access for deliveries and create dropoff lanes at the eastern and western ends of the block. Some of his drawings are available online at the Ecocity website, www.ecocitybuilders.org. 

The design would accommodate “upwards of a few thousand people” for public gatherings, as well as “allowing for a lot of different improvisational possibilities” for smaller gatherings. 

Patti Dacey, a planning commissioner who had also served on DAPAC, praised Hood’s design. 

“When we were on DAPAC, what we wanted was a bold vision—and this is what you’ve delivered. It’s truly exciting,” she said. 

“You’ve done a tremendous job,” said commissioner and architect James Samuels.  

“Today Center Street is basically a long bus stop,” said commissioner and planner Victoria Eisen. “What most impressed me is how you can simultaneously accommodate commercial and emergency access and a large public gathering space.” 

While hailing Hood’s design as “so dynamic, so visually persuasive,” Commission Chair David Stoloff said “the one question I have is the merchants along there.” 

While Hood said he had conducted two meetings with merchants, he acknowledged that “the hardest part of the public realm is that you have to be everything to everyone.” 

And with merchants worried and money in short supply, many questions remain to be answered before a unique vision for downtown Berkeley could ever be realized.

The state Supreme Court Wednesday rejected a challenge to Berkeley Unified School District’s student assignment plan, upholding a March appellate court decision and paving the way for other school districts to replicate it.  

Sacramento-based nonprofit Pacific Legal Foundation challenged Berkeley’s student integration plan in the Supreme Court on the grounds that it violated Prop. 209, which forbids the use of race in school admissions.  

The foundation’s attorneys represented the American Civil Rights Foundation in challenging the school district’s Elementary Student Assignment Plan for elementary schools as well as the admissions policy for specialized academic programs at Berkeley High School. The attorneys charged that both policies “use race, impermissibly, to assign or admit students.”  

The California Court of Appeal, on March 17, upheld an earlier Alameda County Superior Court ruling that the plan is fair and legal , and on Wednesday the state Supreme Court declined Pacific Legal Foundation’s request to review the decision.  

The appellate court judges concluded that Berkeley Unified’s “policy was not discriminatory because it did not show partiality, prejudice, or preference to any student on the basis of that student’s race.” The court further stated that the “California Constitution prohibits unequal treatment of particular persons and groups of persons but does not prohibit the collection and consideration of communitywide demographic factors.”  

Jon Streeter, a partner at the San Francisco-based law firm Keker and Van Nest, said the ruling will now be published and confirmed as law statewide.  

“I expected the Supreme Court to deny Pacific Legal Foundation’s request because the Court of Appeal’s decision is well reasoned,” said Streeter, who worked on the case pro bono.  

“The Court of Appeal has endorsed Berkeley Unified School District’s efforts to ensure diversity in its schools. I am proud that the school district and the board of directors had the leadership, vision and commitment to fight the case all the way to the Supreme Court for the purpose of diversity,” he stated.  

Streeter, who chairs Keker & VanNest’s Pro-Bono Committee, said he took up Berkeley Unified’s case because he wanted to help the district.  

“I am a citizen of Berkeley and committed to my community,” he said. “When I saw the filing of the case by PLF, I felt that the values we stand for were under attack, and I was happy to donate my time.”  

Streeter’s pro bono cases have included civil rights cases such as Avila v. Berkeley Unified School District, a voluntary desegregation case in which he represented the school district and won.  

Calling Berkeley’s assignment policy discriminatory, Pacific Legal Foundation’s principal attorney Sharon Browne said in a statement that she was disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision  

“Berkeley Unified is using race as a factor in assigning students to public schools, which violates Proposition 209,” Browne said. “The First District Court of Appeal said it was okay for the school district to use the race of the student’s neighbor instead of the race of the individual student. No matter how it is labeled, the district is coding people by color and treating people—students—differently based on racially based criteria.”  

Browne said that the “final word had not been uttered on this issue.”  

“In school districts that fall outside of the First District Court of Appeal’s jurisdiction, any school assignment policies of this kind would still be subject to legal challenge,” she said.  

Berkeley Unified’s student assignments are based on a geographic area and do not include an individual student’s race, district officials said.  

“We will let the ruling speak for itself,” said Francisco Martinez, the district’s director of human resources. “It shows that we meet the demands of Prop. 209 and are committed to creating diversity and integration in our schools.”  

Berkeley Board of Education Director John Selawsky said there was a very high likelihood that the district’s plan would withstand any challenge in the future.  

“Because the appeal was filed under Prop. 209—a state law—it cannot be appealed in federal court,” he said. “There’s no other recourse under the state of California. For Berkeley, that’s the end of the challenge. But we have to wait and see what happens with other districts, because any new law can be challenged by anybody.”

With changes in West Berkeley zoning rules on the Planning Commission’s slate, residents of the area say they want a seat at the stakeholders’ table.  

Several residents of the city’s only area zoned for manufacturing and light industry appeared at the June 10 commission meeting to say they wanted their own representation in discussions that could lead to a new process for building on larger parcels.  

Another 50-plus members of the Fifth & Channing Neighborhood Group signed a petition questioning some of the proposals floated for the permit process to ease development on larger parcels.  

Two trends have emerged from speakers who have addressed the commission with alternative visions of the rezoning process, which aims to make it easier to shift and rearrange uses within existing developments and to allow stage development through a master use permit (MUP) process.  

While James Bohar of the international real estate brokerage Cushman Wakefield argued that the city should not limit development to a fixed number of sites, Rick Auerbach and other activists from West Berkeley Artisans and Industrial Companies (WEBAIC) said that opening up all plots of three acres or more to the MUP process could decimate existing and future manufacturing businesses.  

Auerbach said 25 or 30 three-acre parcels would consume 40 percent of the existing land zoned for manufacturing (M, MM and MULI).  

The existing West Berkeley Plan only calls out six parcels, described by city staff as so-called “legacy sites.”  

One concern that has worried neighbors is a proposal to allow parcels developed under the MUP process to house buildings of up to 90 feet in height, which members of the Fifth & Channing group described as “excessive” and “grossly out of proportion.”  

Their other concerns included proposals to reduce the setbacks between new structures and existing residences, waivers of parking and a call to double the floor-to-area ratio of new structures, which would significantly increase building mass.  

The City Council, which is behind the push for what was originally dubbed “West Berkeley Flexibility,” has also pushed the commission to “fast-track” some aspects of zoning in advance of the longer-term project of defining the MUP and its application to West Berkeley.  

Among the possibilities presented to commissioners were opening up manufacturing and industrial zones to childcare facilities with a staff-issued administrative use permit (AUP), approval of incidental retail in MULI zones with an AUP, allowing for interchangeability of manufacturing, warehouse, wholesale and recycling uses of existing and newly constructed spaces and reducing parking requirements.  

“We’re very concerned about the scale of what you’re projecting,” said 30-year West Berkeley resident Edward Moore. “You’re going to change the whole character of what people have built.”  

Jim Morris, another Cushman Wakefield representative, said that, while “I sense a lot of fear from many people,” the system would maintain “a broad level of discretion which the city can inflict on any developer.”  

But WEBAIC activist John Curl, a woodworker, said “the process has taken a wrong-way turn when at least 25 parcels have already been identified” as possible MUP sites, “and more all the time. It would be a disaster for industry in West Berkeley.”  

Commissioner Victoria Eisen said she was concerned that “we don’t always get the sense of what the stakeholder groups have said until they come here.” The stakeholders, to date primarily property- and business-owners, have been meeting with city planning staff.  

Eisen said that, while discussion had gone “far beyond those six sites, the one Berkeley plan I have heard the most support for is the West Berkeley Plan.  

Commissioner Patti Dacey said that, while the city could not limit development to specific sites, it could limit the total number of MUPs allowed, which would be one way to preserve existing manufacturing space and the city’s growing recycling industry.  

Commissioners are scheduled to take up proposed fast-track zoning language at the June 24 meeting, and the staff and stakeholders are slated to meet again June 29 and July 2 to discuss both the fast-tracked changes and recommendations for defining the MUP.

What began as a heated confrontation ended with qualified applause for the state’s top environmental cop during last week’s meeting of the citizen panel advising the state about the cleanup of toxic sites in South Richmond. 

Last Thursday’s meeting (June 11) brought other news, both good and potentially bad.  

On the potentially negative side, the state Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) itself may cease to exist as an independent agency with its own enforcement powers if pending legislation is enacted that would merge the agency with the state Integrated Waste Management Board to create a new Department of Toxics and Waste Management. 

The new agency would be headed by a Pollution Prevention and Recycling Board.  

That proposal, pushed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, is now before the state Legislature. 

On a more positive note, DTSC enforcement chief Gale Filter promised to bring a representative of the federal Environmental Protection Agency to Richmond in August to discuss a possible U.S. takeover of cleanup oversight. 

Members of the Richmond Community Advisory Group (CAG) will give their recommendations to the DTSC about hazardous waste cleanup along the shoreline. 

Their anger had been raised by the announcement that the state had settled claims against UC Berkeley and a Swiss chemical corporation without ever consulting the CAG. 

The DTSC negotiated with UC Berkeley and Zeneca, Inc., over a lengthy list of charges of violations involving the disposal of more than 3,000 truckloads of contaminated soil, much of it originating in the university’s Richmond Field Station. 

Zeneca agreed to pay a total of $225,000 while the university will pay $285,000, with the proceeds evenly divided between the DTSC and Richmond BUILD, a city-sponsored program that trains young workers to install solar energy systems. 

Filter, DTSC’s deputy director for enforcement and emergency response, fielded CAG member questions about the settlement. 

“I’m here to address the settlement. I’m the person whose name is on it,” Filter told CAG members. 

A veteran prosecutor and former executive director of the California Deputy District Attorneys Association, Filter said the evidence in the case didn’t provide any justification to file a court case, even if the alleged acts hadn’t occurred four to seven years ago. 

The problem, he said, is that both the corporation and the university could defend themselves by declaring that their work was carried out under the supervision of a state agency, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. 

“They could say, ‘We’re just doing what the state told us to do,’” Filter said. In addition, he said, “The case was old, really old.” 

The DTSC’s takeover of cleanup supervision was ordered by the state after activists—including CAG members Sherry Padgett and Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin—waged a long political struggle, including protests at both sites. The handover was announced during a legislative hearing convened at the Richmond Field Station by two state legislators—Assemblymembers (now state Senator) Loni Hancock and Cindy Montanez. 

The fines were levied after negotiations between Filter, Zeneca and the university, he told the CAG. 

But what angered many CAG members was the DTSC’s failure to advise them of the status of violation charges that had been filed two years ago, as well as the announcement of a settlement—all without any notice to the citizen panel, which is supposed to be advising the DTSC on the cleanups, despite repeated pleas from the CAG for information. 

“We have been asking about this, but all we got was a stone wall,” Padgett told Filter. “Perhaps if you had come to us you would have gotten some more insight.” 

“We were stonewalled,” said CAG member Eric Blum. 

“Repeatedly,” added chair Dan Schwab. “We just sent you a letter a month ago demanding to know what the settlement would be.” 

Barbara Cook, the Berkeley-based DTSC executive in charge of Northern California coastal cleanup operations, said her office’s blanket response to inquiries had been that “I’m not able to discuss enforcement letters,” the documents served on the two parties to the action. 

Blum also noted that the buildings at the Zeneca site—100 structures built during a century of chemical manufacturing—had been demolished and ground into powder before any regulatory agency had asserted jurisdiction over the site. 

“They filed a little index card with the city saying they were tearing down gardening sheds,” Blum said. 

Peter Weiner, a San Francisco environmental law specialist who has been volunteering his services to the CAG, characterized previous state involvement with the sites as “a zone of indifference.” 

“Since 2007, they [CAG members] have been asking about what was happening with the enforcement action, and they were told by enforcement that there would be no discussion with the community. That happened, and there’s been a lot of anger about it ... There’s been a great deal of disappointment in the way that this has turned out.” 

Filter said he wouldn’t attempt to defend what he’d heard from CAG members. “If you and I had known each other in 2004, we would’ve become good friends,” he said. 

“But you’ve been there two years, and this is the first time you’ve come to us,” said CAG member Tarnel Abbot. 

“I didn’t know about it,” Filter responded. 

One thread of the evening’s dialogue concerned the ultimate disposition of the waste from the two sites, most of it in the form of acidic ash from the incineration of iron pyrite—fool’s gold—to produce sulfuric acid, as well as a noxious stew of organic compounds and toxic metals. 

Most of the waste, including that from the university’s site, has been buried on the Zeneca site beneath a concrete-and-paper cap, separated from the waters of San Francisco Bay by an experimental biologically active permeable barrier with an unknown but finite lifetime. 

CAG members have repeatedly argued that the 350,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil at the Zeneca site should be removed and transported to an authorized hazardous waste disposal facility, but Filter said precedents did allow for on-site disposal if the waste is safely stored. 

“This process has been very flawed,” said Richmond Mayor McLaughlin, who dated her involvement with the site to 2004, in the months before her election to the City Council. 

“I was elected in November of 2004 and sworn in in January. On Feb. 5, I introduced the resolution that put the ball in motion to put all of Zeneca and the Richmond Field station under the DTSC,” she said. 

“I was very excited when the DTSC got on board ... but having these toxins remain on this site doesn’t work with me. This situation hasn’t been settled with us,” she said. “It doesn’t set well with me either that future members of our community might suffer because of this.” 

In the end, Filter offered CAG members an apology “for certain things I believe a government agency has a responsibility for. I believe you have a right to know what the status of a case is, and I apologize that that did not occur,” he said. “There are things you have a right to know. I am concerned you didn’t get status reports about the investigation.” 

Filter also said he thought there should be some process for appealing decisions such as the one that led to the settlement.  

At the end, CAG members and the audience applauded, though Padgett—who had joined in the applause—later said she would be waiting to see if promises of good intentions turned into positive actions.

The Berkeley City Council is expected to give final approval to its 2010 and 2011 biennial budget at its meeting on Tuesday, June 23, although “final” is a relative term in the current economic times. With continued certainty that a final state budget package will include reductions in state revenue coming to Berkeley—as well as uncertainty over how much and in what areas—the council is expected to come back after the summer break to make adjustments after the full economic situation is known. 

The council meets at 7 p.m. at the Old City Hall building on Martin Luther King Jr. Way in downtown Berkeley. 

Included in Tuesday’s budget package are a recommendation for a $5 across-the-board increase in parking citation fines—the second such increase by Berkeley this year—and the second reading of proposed tax rate increases for emergency services for the severely disabled, park and tree maintenance, and emergency medical services and plus the first reading of an increase in the library services tax. 

The council has also scheduled discussion of a proposed new wireless Telecommunications Master Plan to govern the placement and regulation of cellphone tower facilities in the city limits. Berkeley already has a telecommunications ordinance in place, but is considering revamping the law in light of recent court rulings.

Members of the Port of Oakland’s Board of Commissioners put off the toughest decision on the controversial BART Oakland Airport Connector (OAC) project for another day, agreeing on Tuesday, June 16, to apply for federal funds for the project but adding a provision to study a rapid bus alternative. 

BART is proposing a long-planned, 3.5-mile, $529 million rail line connecting the Coliseum BART station with the Oakland Airport and is requesting that the Port of Oakland, which runs the airport, contribute some $44 million to complete the funding package for the project. Interest on the port portion of the funding will run the total port cost to a little over $70 million. 

The port’s contribution to the OAC is the last piece of the project’s funding. Because a key portion of the funding for the OAC is coming from federal stimulus funds, BART is under strict time constraints to have the funding package completed next month and a construction contract signed by December. 

At Tuesday evening’s regular Port Commission meeting, commissioners voted 5–1 (Victor Uno, Margaret Gordon, Anthony Batarse Jr., Pamela Calloway, James Head yes, Kenneth Katzoff no) to approve a staff recommendation to apply for Federal Passenger Facility Charge Program funds for the airport connector. The staff recommendation included a provision to study a significantly cheaper rapid bus alternative to OAC along Hegenberger Road, as well as a direction for port staff to “work with BART on the use of a Project Labor Agreement” for the OAC construction similar to the labor agreement currently in use by the port. 

Following the meeting, BART Board of Directors member Carole Ward Allen—one of the major airport connector supporters—said that she was “very pleased” by the Port Commission’s decision. 

Several organizations supporting the rapid bus alternative had requested that port commissioners include a study of rapid bus in their approval of the loan application. No details were given at Tuesday’s meeting about when or how such a rapid bus study would take place, but presumably it will happen if the application for the federal funds is approved by the federal government, and port commissioners come back to give the final go-ahead for the project. 

At Tuesday’s meeting, port commissioners were less interested in the bus alternative or the projected cost of the port’s portion of the airport connector project than they were with making sure that BART agreed to a labor agreement for the connector construction project that included provisions for using local and disadvantaged businesses, hiring locally, and paying living and prevailing wages. Representatives of BART and construction trades leaders said they were in the process of negotiating such an agreement. 

Meanwhile, Oakland mayoral politics have begun to enter into the airport connector issue. Last week, former state Sen. Don Perata—an announced candidate in next year’s Oakland mayoral race—released a letter to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) opposing the airport connector, calling it “too much money for too little transit and economic value.” MTC has already given approval for BART to receive federal stimulus money for the connector. But writing that OAC project costs have increased by over $300 million since the project was proposed in 2003, while ridership projections have fallen from a predicted 13,450 to 4,500, Perata said that it “seems prudent … to discontinue further action on the connector.” Perata said that construction of the connector is “unwarranted at all in today’s market.” The former state senate president added that “express buses through synchronized traffic lights, BART around the bay and (my personal favorite) all-bay commuter ferry service are superior uses of limited capital transit funds.” 

BART representatives have listed current Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums as a supporter of the project, and BART Director Carole Ward Allen did so again at Tuesday’s meeting, but a Dellums spokesperson said earlier this month that Dellums has not taken a position on the airport connector and wanted to meet with both connector and bus alternative supporters to see if a compromise could be reached. Dellums has not yet announced if he will run for re-election. 

Alameda County public health officials announced the county’s second swine flu death Thursday. A middle-aged man who had been hospitalized for pre-existing health conditions died two days after the first death was reported.  

The county received confirmation of the second death June 10.  

The county’s first death also involved a middle-aged man, who was also suffering from prior chronic illness.  

Both men have local family and did not have any recent travel history to Mexico, Willis said.  

The Alameda County Public Health Office did not release any other information about the patients, citing state Department of Health Guidelines.  

“The families have indicated they want privacy and the state department has been very clear about protecting their privacy,” Willis said.  

The World Health Organization raised the H1N1 alert to Phase 6—pandemic level—Thursday, the first flu pandemic in 41 years.  

The decision was based on how easily the new virus is spreading from person to person across the world.  

At this point, WHO considers the “the overall severity of the influenza pandemic to be moderate,” according to its website, explaining that “this assessment is based on scientific evidence available to WHO, as well as input from its member states on the pandemic’s impact on their health systems, and their social and economic functioning.”  

As of June 11, WHO reported that nearly 30,000 confirmed cases have been reported in 74 countries, including 144 deaths. Alameda County health officials said that to date, the county has 49 confirmed and 10 probable H1N1 cases. Berkeley has five swine flu cases so far—four confirmed and one suspected—but that number may change at any moment depending on new lab results, according to Berkeley’s acting health officer Dr. Janet Berreman.  

A statement from the Alameda County Public Health Department says that “phase 6 does not address the severity of illness, or suggest that the disease is more deadly; it does call for global implementation of strategies to reduce the spread of disease and H1N1’s potential impact on society.”  

The county is continuing to work with health care providers, laboratories, schools, daycare facilities, and employers, among others to educate the public about the virus.  

Dr. Tomás Aragón, executive director of the Center for Infectious Diseases and Emergency Readiness at UC Berkeley, said that WHO’s announcement did not come as a surprise.  

“We in public health already knew it was a pandemic, because it has spread around the world,” he said. “It’s just an official’s declaration of something everybody already sees as obvious. It doesn’t change anything we are going to be doing in the U.S. It’s been here for a while. It really will affect those countries that haven’t seen an outbreak yet more.”  

Aragón said that compared to the flu pandemic of 1918, today public health officials were better equipped to fight the virus.  

“We can now test people and monitor the course the epidemic is going, and we have more treatment options and facilities to deal with outbreaks,” he said.  

Dr. Arthur Reingold, who heads the university’s Division of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health, said that there was always concern about the possibility of influenza viruses exchanging genetic information with other viruses, “especially ones that may be resistant to the drugs available: “It remains to be seen, however, if that will happen here.”  

Dr. Lee W. Riley, professor of epidemiology and infectious diseases at the School of Public Health, said that people should continue to take the measures recommended to prevent the flu from spreading, especially the frequent washing of hands.  

“I would keep on top of what the local health departments are recommending, since they will have the best knowledge of what is happening in your immediate area,” he said.  

Dr. Margaret Chan, director-general of WHO, said in a speech Thursday morning that “no previous pandemic has been detected so early or watched so closely, in real-time, right at the very beginning.”  

“The world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic,” Chan said. “We are in the earliest days of the pandemic. The virus is spreading under a close and careful watch ... The world can now reap the benefits of investments, over the last five years, in pandemic preparedness.”  

The virus, Chan said, preferentially infected younger people, with the majority of cases occurring in people under the age of 25. Most severe and fatal cases were reported in adults between the ages of 30 and 50, she said.  

“This pattern is significantly different from that seen during epidemics of seasonal influenza, when most deaths occur in frail elderly people,” she said. “Many, though not all, severe cases have occurred in people with underlying chronic conditions. Based on limited, preliminary data, conditions most frequently seen include respiratory diseases, notably asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and obesity.”  

Chan stressed that, at the same time, about one-third to half of the severe and fatal infections were occurring in previously healthy young and middle-aged people.  

Calling the current budget crisis “the most difficult financial situation that we have ever encountered in our university careers,” University of California Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost George Breslauer said this week in a general letter addressed to the campus community that the university is facing severe program and personnel cutbacks for the 2009-10 academic year. 

With a $100 million projected shortfall for the upcoming year, the possible loss of the $47 million Cal Grants program proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and additional budget-cutting measures still being considered by the state Legislature, Birgenau and Breslauer say the university is looking at a 20 percent campus-wide average of budget cuts, considerably higher than the previously anticipated 8 percent in cuts. Some of those cuts may be spread out over a two-year period. 

Writing that “we will need to reduce our workforce significantly and this will be painful and difficult,” the two UC Berkeley officials said the campus is currently considering a package of program cuts, wage cuts to average 8 percent, and a hiring freeze. 

“These cuts will not be uniform ‘across-the-board,’” Birgenau and Breslauer wrote, adding that “units that are core to the teaching and research missions will be given somewhat lesser cuts than the others, and, within the teaching-and-research realms, units with higher capacity will be asked to take larger cuts than those with lower capacity.” 

The two officials said that campus unit leaders would work over the summer to hammer out the details of the cuts.

Fire de-ranged 

Berkeley firefighters rushed to the 1300 block of Ashby Avenue just after 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 10, after a resident of a two-story apartment building called to report a fire alarm had sounded. 

Arriving at the building, firefighters saw smoke billowing from one of the apartment’s and forced their way in to discover a blackened pot with its contents ablaze on the stove top, reports Deputy Fire Chief Gil Dong. 

While they were setting up a portable fan to air out the apartment, its occupants arrived. They were unable to recall who had left the stove on. 

Besides a heavy scent of smoke, no other damage was done to the apartment, said the deputy chief. 

Overcome by oven 

Firefighters had to breach a security gate to answer their next major call, which came in 28 minutes after midnight on Saturday, June 13. 

Arriving at an apartment building at 1430 Ashby, they found the security gate locked and nobody inside answering their calls. 

After forcing the gate, they entered the building and found a smoky haze escaping from around the door of one of the apartments. Once inside, they found the occupant collapsed on the floor and smoke pouring from an oven set on high, where two sausages and some pieces of ginger were rapidly being reduced to charcoal. 

Deputy Chief Dong said the resident was rushed to a local emergency room for treatment of possible smoke inhalation. Damaged was confined to the oven. 

Oven again 

The next structure fire report came in Wednesday, June 17, when firefighters rushed to the 1800 block of Ashby Avenue to find more smoke pouring from one of the units in an apartment building, said the deputy chief. 

Forcing their way in, they found a forgotten pizza flaming out in the oven, forgotten by the occupant, who firefighters suspect may have been in an altered state of consciousness. 

The hapless apartment resident refused treatment for possible smoke inhalation. 

Damage was limited to the oven. 

“You may see a pattern beginning to emerge here,” said Deputy Chief Dong. The only solution? “Don’t forget when you’ve got something cooking.”

CLARIFICATION 

John Gertz has informed the Daily Planet that the statement, “only religiously observant Jews should have any say about Israel,” from the June 4 story, “The Campaign against the Daily Planet,” does not accurately reflect his opinion. 

CORRECTIONS 

Mr. Gertz has informed the Planet that he did not tell a Planet reporter whether the businessman he describes as considering starting a local online newpaper is Jewish, and that he himself did not copy text from his website onto Indymedia sites as incorrectly assumed in a Daily Planet editorial. 

EDITORS NOTE: John Gertz and Jim Sinkinson have also sent letters to the Planet that contain further expressions of their opinions about the paper and the story about their campaign to shut it down. Upon reflection we have decided not to provide any more free space in our opinion pages for those whose expressed intention is to destroy the forum we provide. They may, if they wish, purchase advertising space to advance their opinions. 

A couple of sort-of-newby sort-of-techies have started a blog where others similarly situated have been pooling their enthusiasms for the many virtues of their new home in Berkeley. You can find out, for example, that there are 10 restaurants within walking distance of College and Ashby that are pretty darn good, and (there’s a connection) that houses in Elmwood (near the same corner) are pretty darn pricey. By and large, their excitement is sweetly touching, kind of like kids at Christmas. Santa’s left all this great stuff for us!  

But it’s not all sweetness and light.  

Here’s one of them, Dave Winer, on day 1 of his blog: “Now there are things not to like about Berkeley. And I suppose each of us has our own list. For me, it’s the black hole that downtown is. I don’t like going there. I don’t understand why a great city like Berkeley doesn’t have a thriving bustling downtown. With the great public transit and the world-class university, located in the middle of one of the most dynamic metropolitan areas of the world, why isn’t the downtown a place more people want to come to, not just from within Berkeley but from all around the Bay Area, and the state, the country, the world?” 

He goes on to admit that “having lived here only three years, most of what I know about Berkeley is how much I don’t know about Berkeley.” 

Well, do you want the long course or the short course about why downtown’s awful and getting worse? Just as many kids eventually figure out that all the great stuff on Christmas was actually provided by grownups shopping ’til they dropped and staying up exhausted until the wee hours of the night, people who enjoy Berkeley’s many virtues eventually learn that it takes a lot of work by a lot of grownups to keep Berkeley great. 

For the long course, a good place to start for the Internet junkie might be in the online archives of the (wait for it) Berkeley Daily Planet over the last five or six years. Google there, for example, “DAPAC” and “Brenneman,” and you’ll find a blow-by-blow account of how 19 good citizens attempted to save the village without destroying it. Not, sad to say, that they’ve succeeded. It’s still possible, but things are looking grim. 

The short course would be a quick look at the online video of last week’s City Council meeting. There you can see, in living color, one of the battle-scarred veterans of DAPAC—the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee—trying to explain basic urban economics to the obviously bored and impatient array of local pols who sit as Berkeley’s City Council.  

Steve Weissman is an attorney with credentials beyond impressive who slogged away for more than two years, completely unpaid, on DAPAC. Just to touch the highlights, he’s been an administrative law judge for the Public Utlilities Commission, where he needed to deal with complex economic presentations. He was a legal principal for the state’s Local Government Commission. He’s now working with UC’s Environmental Law and Policy Center, and he’s an unabashed advocate of more density downtown. He just doesn’t think that the developer-dominated Planning Commission’s quick and dirty rewrite of the plan DAPAC worked on for so long will accomplish the goal.  

He tried to walk a balky council through a point-by-point critique of a lightweight report produced by local consultants which addressed the economic feasibility of getting the kind of downtown Berkeley needs with a completely market-driven analysis. His message: the study, which was written before the world economy collapsed, relied for its conclusions on a continuation of the go-go housing market of the last 15 or 20 years—and there’s no guarantee now that recovery will happen any time soon. The report’s rosiest projections, he said, depend on existence of a market for million-dollar condos in downtown Berkeley, for which even recent history lacks precedent. 

His attempt to educate the council, however, was punctuated by impatient remarks from the mayor, whose never-long attention span seems to be getting shorter and shorter: “I just want you to conclude.” “You people have already had 17 minutes.” “Go ahead and finish.” Not surprising under the circumstances, the council majority didn’t seem to have learned much from the lecture. 

What’s the takeaway for someone like our blogger who sincerely wants to learn why downtown Berkeley has been and will continue to be dysfunctional? Well, market-driven land use planning, like many other market-driven enterprises in the world today, doesn’t seem to be working any more, if it ever did. It certainly doesn’t work if it’s the kind of planning (familiar to anyone who was part of the dot.com bust) which extrapolates today’s upward curve into infinity. And that describes the “feasibility study” to which the Planning Commission and the City Council genuflected before deciding to scrap the product of DAPAC’s sophisticated work.  

This is how it should be done: the people of Berkeley or their representatives should get together and evaluate the best ideas for “fixing” downtown with features that work for everyone, and only then make the plan for how we get there financially. That means not just “penciling out” projects that enrich participants in the building industry. It’s providing more than just trickle-down housing units for low income residents, more than just mall chains for shoppers and restaurant patrons. It means creating attractive street amenities, including a pleasant public space which gracefully accommodates UC students, faculty and staff, as well as skateboarders and other Berkeley High students, tourists, small kids and their parents. In other words, re-creating a downtown for the whole messy cast of characters who populate the Berkeley we know and love.  

But wait! We did that. That was DAPAC’s mission, and they succeeded admirably. And now the foolish Council wants to junk their product. 

The third re-write of the Downtown Plan (the one on goldenrod copy paper, produced first by Bates, tidied up by Maio, rumored to have been authored by Capitelli) is perhaps the worst yet. Details were still hazy at press time, but it seems to feature three unspecified skyscrapers of at least 180 feet each. The DAPAC plan also had three, but two of the three were supposed to be hotels, which would bring major revenue benefits to the city. Sadly, with the “hospitality industry” in the doldrums, no one wants to build hotels anymore.  

The Bates/Maio/Capitelli plan now seems to allow for any old kind of tall building, perhaps some of the empty office or condo towers now cluttering up downtown San Francisco. Even worse, the tight Green Building requirements for such extra-height projects in the DAPAC plan have been replaced by murky “trust me” language—there’s no green guarantee at all, just the stated intention to get around to it sometime in the zoning law.  

One of the major justifications for planning big buildings downtown was supposed to be the revenue they’d bring in, which would fund desired amenities. But what we seem to be getting instead is yet another instance of faith in market capitalism run amok in the face of contrary evidence. It’s not surprising that most councilmembers seem to cherish a touching faith in the power of markets, since only Laurie Capitelli has recently worked in the private sector and he’s a realtor.  

For a better idea, if it’s not too late, council members should acquaint themselves with Walter Hood’s revelatory plan, presented to the Planning Commission last week, for linking the UC campus with downtown with a tree-shaded plaza on Center Street, featuring a bit of uncovered Strawberry Creek. Problem: Hood’s vision might cost as much as $12 million to carry out, an amount that would never trickle down in our lifetime from commercial construction ventures downtown. Solution: as part of his presentation, Hood mentioned that he’s working on similar projects in New Orleans which are being funded by federal stimulus funds. The federal money is not allocated for beautification per se, but for rebuilding street infrastructure.  

I called Hood for more details, and it’s a simple analysis: if you’re going to do the work anyway, why shouldn’t it be beautiful as well as functional? Now there’s a concept. It might even make downtown Berkeley “a place more people want to come to.” 

The City Council is scheduled to vote on the final Downtown Plan on July 7. That doesn’t give them much time to get it right. If they get it wrong, the word on the street is that a referendum might have to set them straight. More hard work for the grownups, but they’re used to it. 

REACHING ACROSS THE AISLE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Perhaps the only way to stop abortion docs from being murdered and/or intimidated is to hire Blackwater, “the world’s most powerful mercenary army,” to protect them. Obama should step up to the bat and do it! Here’s a true way of reaching across the aisle. 

Robert Blau 

• 

JEWISHNESS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

On June 8, the Social Justice Committee of the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists (BFUU) co-sponsored an event there to raise money for the Palestinian cause. A couple of weeks before the event, the Jewish community had told committee members some interesting things about the fundraiser’s scheduled performer, Gilad Atzmon.  

What the committee learned is that Atzmon has made statements and coined terms which many people find extremely troubling. Perhaps the most offensive of these is his concept of “Jewishness.” Atzmon describes Jewishness in his online lexicon as:  

“Jewish ideology, the interpretations of the meaning of being a Jew by those who regard themselves as Jews. Jewishness is the core of Jewish identity, it is a dynamic notion. It is hard to pin down. While refraining from criticizing Jews (the people) and Judaism (the religion), elaborating on Jewishness is a must, especially considering the crimes committed by the Jewish state in the name of Jewish people. As long as the Jewish state is shelling civilians with white phosphorous, it is our ethical duty to question: Who are the Jews? What does Judaism stand for? What is Jewishness all about?” 

Say what? How can all the parts of this definition cohere? Atzmon maintains that we should refrain from criticizing Jews and Judaism, but at the same time we should “question” (a euphemism for blame) Jews and Judaism because Israel is committing its crimes against the Palestinian people “in the name of Jewish people.”  

So does he or does he not blame Jews and Judaism for Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians? Atzmon attended a meeting with some Social Justice folks prior to that evening’s performance. There, he didn’t clarify this question but he did raise a new one when he explained that Jewishness is “an ideology,” based on “we are the best; chosenness, tribalism, expansionism.”  

Are we to believe that the qualities of tribalism and expansionism are uniquely embodied in Jews? It would seem so because if Atzmon considered them to be common human problems, he surely wouldn’t gather them under the label of Jewishness.  

Asked at the fundraiser if he could find a better word than Jewishness to describe those universal flaws, Atzmon refused to budge. Apparently, no other word will do.  

And here I have to confess that I still don’t know what Jewishness is. But I have a pretty good idea of what Atzmon is.  

Judy Shelton 

• 

DOWNTOWN 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In seeking to discredit a city-sponsored study on the feasibility of high-rise development in the downtown in the June 11 Daily Planet, Dave Blake, in his reader commentary, “A Frightful Decision for Downtown,” says that “A similar such feasibility study 13 years ago established conclusively that no grocery store could stand a chance of surviving at the present Berkeley Bowl site down Shattuck.” 

This was not the conclusion of the study that Dave Blake references, the South Berkeley Retail Market Analysis performed by Economic & Planning Systems, Inc. under contract to the City of Berkeley. The study (Finding 1, Executive Summary) states that “comparison of supply to demand suggests unmet demand for about 60,000 square feet of grocery store space.” It states that the Berkeley market was “oversupplied with higher-priced format stores” but would easily support a grocery store in a lower-priced format. The success of the 43,000-square-foot Berkeley Bowl that opened at the former Safeway site three years later shows that the city consultant’s study was accurate. (The net addition of grocery store space from the Berkeley Bowl at the Safeway site was only 17,000 square feet since the Bowl closed its former 26,000-square-foot location at 2777 Shattuck Ave.) 

The fact that the Bowl’s owners, Glenn and Diane Yasuda, have gone on to open a 51,000-square-foot store at 920 Heinz in West Berkeley, close to but not in the market area considered in the study, shows that its projection of unmet demand was indeed “conservative,” as the study itself claimed. 

The consulant who performed the study, Joanne Brion, should be given credit for careful and accurate work on an important policy issue for the City of Berkeley. As a city staff person who assisted her and retains a copy of her study, I would allow anyone to examine it by calling me at 981-7534. 

David Fogarty  

• 

AMERICAN CARS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Amazingly, they’re almost gone, and uncool as it sounds I will miss the American car and its kin. I doubt I weep alone, since for over a century they’ve been our drug of first choice. More importantly, it’s been said that the corporate giants of the departing Big Three, with the U.A.W., created the middle class—another notion on its way out. 

Allow me to cite a few conspicuous offerings conferred by each. General Motors gave us the ’55 Chevy, the Corvette, the GTO, and the front-wheel-drive ’66 Toronado, a personal favorite. Oh, Louis Chevrolet was a race-car driver. (Notice a pattern?) From ever-classy Chrysler came the ’34 Airflow; the wood-clad Town and Country; whopper tailfins in the ’50s; the ’64 Gas Turbine Car, an early experiment in greening; the five-year/50,000-mile warranty; minivans; some sharp retro’s lately; and a first-rate piece of architecture, Manhattan’s beloved Chrysler Building. It also borrowed a billion from Reagan in ’81, re-grouped, and repaid the loan in a couple of years instead of crapping about why it couldn’t. Ford is the iconic marque, its founder the classic American success: thanks in large to old Henry’s $5-dollar/eight-hour workday/five-day workweek, there could be a chicken in every Model T in every old horsebarn; hello, post-war party, with the ’49 Coupe, the ’50 Mercury, and Les Paul on the radio; the Continental Mark II, Thunderbird, and Mustang; and today, every police car you see (please someone, explain to me how you can corner that market and still lose your silk shirt). 

And, let’s not forget the Rambler, whose seat made into a bed; the mighty Duesenberg, peferred chariot of earthly divinities; the sublime ’37 Cord; making out in Daddy’s car; and a rusted-out pickup, asleep in a country field. 

Hand me that wrench. 

Phil Allen 

• 

CHEESEBOARD PATRONS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I live in North Berkeley where the Cheeseboard is on Shattuck Avenue. When the weather gets nice the patrons of the Cheeseboard, mainly college kids, are sitting on the median in the middle of Shattuck, right under the signs that doing this is against the law with the Berkeley Municipal Code listed but this code is unenforceable because no one reads the signs and there was an accident a few years back which brought this code into being. People, wise up how many deaths have to occur before you take your pizza home and eat it in your own front, back or side yard. 

Anita Fiessi 

• 

DISGRACED BY CODE PINK 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Obama continues Bush’s endless wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He’s adding tens of thousands of American troops into the Afghan quagmire and increasing the use of private contractors like the reconstituted and renamed Blackwater. Bush “war on terror” domestic spying tactics—condemned as violations of constitutional rights—continue under Obama. At the same time, Code Pink has disappeared from the scene.  

See, Code Pink’s loud Berkeley protests were not really protests against unjust wars and constitutional rights violations. They were instead vehicles for Democratic Party politicians to take power from Republican Party politicians (while continuing Bush policies). And Berkeley was subjected to untold economic harm, ridicule and disgrace nationally as Code Pink used Berkeley to smear our US Marine Corps as “war criminals” solely to help the Democratic Party retake the White House. Code Pink is a disgrace. 

Nathaniel Hardin 

El Cerrito 

• 

BERKELEY BOWL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Armed with long shopping lists, friends and I visited the new Berkeley Bowl for the first time Saturday morning. We were struck by the size of this building located at Ninth and Heinz. From the outside it looked more like a government building—say, the FBI—than a grocery store. Certainly the interior was very impressive, with wide aisles (so no bumping into carts), beautifully displayed produce, tempting take-out food in the deli, several check out stands and friendly staff. All in all, this new Bowl obviously has much to offer its customers. 

Nonetheless, we all agreed that something was missing. That something was the noticeable absence of diversity in the shoppers, the very thing that makes the “old” Bowl on Shattuck Avenue so distinct, and, to my mind Berkeley’s own United Nations. There were few, if any, customers of color. No graceful Indian saris, bold African caftans, no bearded men with turbans, nor young men wearing yarmulkes. There was definitely a total lack of that richness of ethnicity and cultures I associate with the Berkeley Bowl, at least not on this particular morning. But, to be fair, the store is new. Hopefully, as more customers are drawn to this Bowl, the makeup of race and nationalities will be more evident. 

The outside of the new building also leaves much to be desired. There are no stone benches where one can sit while waiting for friends, no newspaper venders, no activists asking people to sign petitions. Not to be totally negative, the store has a great parking lot. 

Granted that the new Berkeley Bowl is a welcome addition to our community, I, for one, will continue to shop at the old Berkeley Bowl—fighting for a parking place, bumping into grocery carts in crowded aisles, and standing in line at the check out counter for what seems like an eternity, thereby making interesting new friends. 

Oh, yes, this is my store and I treasure it! 

Dorothy Snodgrass 

• 

JUSTICE KENNEDY AND  

U.S. DEATH SQUADS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In his commencement speech to Stanford grads, Justice Kennedy implored the 2009 graduating class to “protect and enable freedom and law around the world.” I wonder if the good Justice had to suppress a smirk when he delivered those words? Does he not know that the U.S. Special Forces are training and funding lethal death squads in Iraq—death squads that are free of any governmental constraints and who summarily try and execute innocent civilians at will? Is this the type of “freedom and law” that Justice Kennedy is urging our young people to emulate? I will be much more inclined to embrace the hopeful words of Justice Kennedy when he and his colleagues, and those of the executive and legislative branches of our government, demand that all U.S.-funded terrorism cease immediately. 

For a complete report on the latest US death squads, see, Shane Bauer’s revealing June 22 article in The Nation. 

Tom Kelly 

• 

CUBAN FIVE 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Some may have noticed the June 6 and 7 San Francisco Chronicle articles pertaining to the arrest of a retired U.S. State Department official and his wife—also retired—charged with mainly U.S. economic spying for Cuba. The Cuba referred to in these articles is an unrecognizable cold-war bogeyman land. But is this only about two retirees’ harassment?  

One article quotes James Cason; he, as head of the U.S. Special Interests Office in Havana, was active in destabilization efforts, bringing in during his tenure thousands of short wave radios pre-tuned to broadcasters subversive of Cuba, via the diplomatic pouch. He encouraged a variety of “dissidents,” “journalists,” “librarians”—following the path of his predecessor, Vicky Huddleston, a Clinton holdover in the first GW Bush years, and proclaimed official U.S. views— during and following the Iraq invasion in March, 2003—from a building top wrap-around kind of ticker tape that could be read from a distance in the streets below.  

In 2002 while on a Global Exchange sponsored trip to Cuba I saw these ticker tape public (diatribe) commentaries electronically shining from the edge of the top of the Special Interests building.  

Some may have noticed that the U.S. Supreme Court decision on June 15 not to hear the appeal of the unfairly tried Cuban Five was not published in the June 16 New York Times; the five have been in prison now for more than 10 years for acting to prevent terrorism against a sovereign state (Cuba), originating in the Cuban exile war zone of Miami. 

The charges against the Cuban Five were basically the same as for the retirees: “conspiring to spy.” As such, a red herring was to be expected. Hence, the bogeyman land articles were no surprise. But the victims were. Why should U.S. economic intelligence, which purportedly makes up much of the information they provided Cuba, be so frightening? Doesn’t that mostly describe everything that any country is interested in from the United States?  

While I was in Cuba (where I found Cubans to be a cheerful folk by the way) I saw how the Cuban Five are considered national heroes on billboard and in speech. I think that the U.S. Supreme Court should have taken up their appeal on old-fashioned Bill of Rights grounds.  

Fred Hayden 

• 

CRIME 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As the echoes of gunfire still ring out in the supposed quiet enclaves of our city, a woman’s plea for help can be heard as her abusers speed her away to some unknown fate, some unfathomable night. 

Grief, pain and anxiety, like a palpable spirit, decends upon those of living flesh and bone, lying wide eyed in the dark hours. Mothers in anxious fear for the well-being, safety, and future of their children, fathers tinkering at their vocations that serve as distraction from the atmosphere of dread, and lone citizens desperately clamoring to latch the locks on their doors. 

One’s thoughts cannot help but wander. Yes, each of us, in some way has, the burden of shouldering the responsibility, and the blame for the eroding fabric in our communities. 

And one cannot help but wonder: at the Misanthropes and Matriarchs of the Berkeley Drug Trade who revel in the violence and suffering they inflict upon the innocent and vulnerable in our city. 

One cannot help but wonder: about the so-called, social activists whose actual purpose seems to be the obscuring and obstruction of light and hope, and whose arrogance is itself a form of cowardice. 

One cannot help but wonder: about the journalists and commentators of the local press, incapable, either from ignorance or fear, of getting the proverbial “story” right. 

One cannot help but wonder: about those who have gained the explicit trust and privilege of holding elected leadership positions in our city... those cowards and bullies who have, what is tantamount to, a sacred duty to rise above their narrow-minded, arrogant self-interest to attend the needs of their community. 

John Herbert 

• 

FIGHTING AMONGST OURSELVES 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Don’t fall for the “Divide and Conquer” routine.  

The governor proposes to not treat poor women for breast, uterine or cervical cancer. There is no proposal to withhold treatment for prostate, penile or testicular cancer. 

We pay $40 million a year for the governor’s personal security. The CDFA (California Department of Food and Agriculture), is completely unnecessary as it duplicates the services of other departments. These are but two small pieces of the boondoggle our elected representatives are presenting. 

While simultaneously voting for a $2.4 million tax break for “Hollywood,” our legislators voted earlier this year to severely cut state medical insurance and stipends to the impecunious disabled. They now plan to cut services to almost nothing. The state legislators receive the best medical care available, and they receive some of the highest salaries of any politicians in the country. Our local legislators have not taken a pay cut themselves. Senator Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, and Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria have cut their own salaries. They are the only ones.  

Let’s try to make certain, as the guillotine blades are sharpened, that the axe falls appropriately. 

D. Jacklin 

• 

PANETTA 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

When Leon Panetta awkwardly backed away from his assertion that Dick Cheney wanted an “I told you so” terrorist attack on American soil, he made a bit of a fool of himself. By saying he was misquoted he was impugning one of the most trustworthy people in American journalism, Jane Mayer, a New Yorker reporter. The sad part of his waffling is that he was almost surely right. Cheney and his ilk, unmanned with anger about their recent political fate, must have some dark thoughts about the political reward of a terrorist attack here in America. I don’t believe that would welcome a massive blood letting but I can imagine that many, if not most might think that if only an Arab terrorist head killed George Tiller or if only an Arab terrorist had killed the security guard at the Holocaust Museum instead of the pair who turned out to be right wing Christians. Shame on you, Leon Panetta. 

Ken Bartelme 

• 

SALES TAX REVEALED 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In last week’s paper, I was pleased to see that the first letter to the editor was about the sales tax and written by an old friend, Fred Foldvary. He, a philosopher and an economist, pointed out how that ubiquitous “tax” has played a most unhelpful role in the demise of local bookstores. Here, I would like to bring to the readers’ attention (probably for the first time), to whom the almost universally misapplied “sales tax,” really applies. 

At certain enlightened Berkeley establishments (where I have been met with a modicum of civility and intelligence), I have shown them the law. Consequently, I am not harassed by them, nor by an unlawful “demand” that I pay the retailer any sales tax monies. 

About the bookstores: As one who easily “decodes” the state and federal codes, I have always found the term “independent bookstores” to be an oxymoron, as it is clear that they had exercised no independence of thought or reading skills, when they declared themselves to be a “business,” to be an “employer,” or to have “employees,” etc. None of these legal terms mean what the general public thinks; their definitions (as found in the Internal Revenue Code), are for those internal to the federal government. Result: They entered into voluntary servitude, and paid “taxes” not lawfully required. 

About the “sales tax”: Please note that it is NOT called a “purchases tax”! Who among the “independent” booksellers—or you (if a customer)—has ever perused the Revenue and Taxation Code to find whether you should make a “demand” upon your customers to pay a sales tax—or acquiesce to one? Have you ever seen Revenue and Taxation Code, Section 6051? It states:  

“For the privilege of selling tangible personal property at retail a tax is hereby imposed upon all retailers at the rate of __ percent of the gross receipts of any retailer from the sale of all tangible personal property sold at retail in this state on or after August 1, 1933; ...” 

The above Revenue and Taxation Code is written in code. Is that surprising? Section 6051 is based upon the following clearer, statutory language by the California Legislature; it stated:  

“... for both federal and state tax purposes the incidence of the California sales tax is upon the retailer for the privilege of selling tangible personal property at retail and is not upon the purchaser.” (Sales Tax Act of 1933.) 

Arthur Stopes, III 

Director, Center for Unalienable Rights Education 

• 

THANKS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I’d just like to thank the Daily Planet for two recent articles: the front-page story on the People’s Park anniversary, and the tribute to Claire Burch. These are the kind of gems that appear only in the Daily Planet (in addition to hundreds of other gems the Planet has published over the years). It gives a voice to the community that wouldn’t exist otherwise. To have a Mom-and-Pop community newspaper in these troubled economic times is a rare and fortunate thing. Long may you run. 

Ace Backwords 

• 

JOHN YOO 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

John Yoo can be sued by Jose Padilla for torture, according to the ruling by Northern District judge Jeffrey White on June 12 in the Padilla v. Bush case. Yoo is still living here in Berkeley, still has his job at UC Berkeley Law School, for which WE are paying him over $200,000 a year to teach young prospective lawyers about constitutional law. I kid you not! He’s teaching a constitutional law class this fall. And he still has not apologized to anyone who was tortured or treated inhumanely because of the legal green light he gave to Cheney, Rumsfeld and the imperial Commander in Chief, George W. Bush.  

I’m also waiting for his apology to Berkeley for his disdain for our community and its values of peace and justice. “What do you expect from the People’s Republic of Berkeley?” he smirked to an interviewer when asked about the protests that have greeted him at the law school and elsewhere. As the organizer of the “Shame on Yoo” witness against torture at John Yoo’s house on Grizzly Peak, on May 31 and coming up on Sunday, June 28, at 4 p.m., I wonder if his torture-enabling influence extends to the UC Berkeley Police Department. All of the people who came to witness against torture-enabler Yoo were visited by UCBP detectives last week. Somehow they had our names and addresses and dropped by, unannounced. I plan to go and talk to them because I want to assure them wholeheartedly that we are not terrorists.  

On the contrary, we want the terror against innocent detainees to end. I want to tell them, and Daily Planet readers as well, that we mean no harm to Professor Yoo. We want him to be held accountable for his complicity in the war crime of torture, but we leave that to the proper authorities. I received crank calls and text messages after the May 31 witness against torture, from probably well-meaning people who want to make sure I get blamed if some harm comes to Yoo. People, we’re protesting a torture-enabler—not calling for vigilante justice! We are against violence in any form whatsoever. Do not, repeat do not, come to the “Shame on Yoo” protest on June 28 at 4 p.m. unless you plan to stay peaceful and principled. 

Cynthia Papermaster 

• 

WHAT HAPPENED TO  

THE TERMINATOR? 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Remember Arnold Schwarzenegger’s campaign promises during the 2003 recall election? While campaigning, Schwarzenegger hammered Gov. Gray Davis over the budget. He promised to rein in state spending and repeatedly criticized Davis and Democratic legislators as “overspending addicts.” He further lambasted Davis for trying to balance California’s budget through the use of tricks and gimmicks. 

Yet upon taking office, Schwarzenegger released his budget plan, which hinged upon passage of Proposition 57.  

Proposition 57 authorized the state to sell $15 billion in long-term bonds to pay off accumulated deficits. Passage of Proposition 57 incurred even more state debt, while deferring any real solution to the distant future. Schwarzenegger then resorted to typical Republican budget gimmickry, by raising various state fees, so he could continue to give lip service to opposing raises in taxes. His tortured logic went something like this: Raising “fees” will help get us out of our fiscal hole, but raising “taxes” would be unfair to Californians and destructive to our economy. True to his word, one of his first acts as governor was to restore the vehicle license fee to its pre-deficit year levels by saying it was, in reality, a tax on the average Californian. This act, of course, deprived cities of an essential source of revenue.  

And each budget season since, we have been “entertained” by some of the same “tricks and gimmicks” Schwarzenegger criticized Davis and the Democratic legislators for. The latest was the recent defeat of Propositions 1A through 1E.  

The seemingly unstoppable cyborg of “Terminator” fame has become but a mere mortal Governator with no tricks or gimmicks left to balance the budget. 

Ralph E. Stone 

San Francisco 

• 

THE REDWOOD ROOM 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

You can go to the Redwood Room in new City Hall by taking the elevator on the left to the sixth floor. The elevator on the right goes only to the fifth floor, where the mayor, City Council, and city manager have offices. You can also go directly up the stairs from the fifth floor to the Redwood Room, although the sign in the hallways says merely, “Stairs to the Roof.” 

The mayor’s Agenda Committee meets in the Redwood Room at 2:30 p.m. on Mondays of the week prior to the City Council meeting. These meetings are open to the public. 

I’ve asked the committee if they would meet in a more accessible place, like the first-floor Cypress Room, or City Council Chambers. But Mayor Bates just gives the same old, “I’ll think about it.” 

The Redwood Room is not wired for public TV or radio and they don’t even tape-record meetings, as most cities do. I asked if they would provide a microphone because it is difficult to hear, especially the mayor who speaks softly. But they said,“It costs too much.” 

Secret meetings do occur in the Redwood Room. For example, a strategy session for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to apply for a multi-million-dollar DOE grant for massive biofuels research and development was held in the Redwood Room a few months before LBNL received the grant. Our city’s Economic Development Department staff, Dave Fogerty and Michael Kaplan, chaired the meeting. 

LBNL was well represented at the meeting with then Public Information Officer Theresa Powell and five or so lab planners/developers. West Berkeley Real Estate brokers were there—Mr.Yost (of Norheim and Yost), because the grant required LBNL to build or acquire large labs, generally 50,000 square feet or more. 

Also competitive for the grant was availability of affordable housing and office space for the potentially massive project. Dave Fogarty was pleased to tell the group that housing costs for rentals had been going down in Berkeley for years. I believe that is the intended consequence of over-building big box units which now have more than several thousand vacancies according to published studies. 

That’s all for now, but plenty more should be said about secret meetings, and the Redwood Room. 

Merrilie Mitchell 

• 

DOWNTOWN PROPOSALS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

As a resident in Jesse Arreguin’s District 4, I am concerned when my representative’s recommendations regarding downtown plan proposals ( Daily Planet, June 11) are not given the time and respect they deserve. According to the article about the City Council meeting, Tom Bates allowed Jesse Arreguin insufficient time, (two to five minutes) to present his recommendations, and Max Anderson said “I’m tired of having these things rushed through...!” This does not seem a respectful way in which to treat Mr. Arreguin or those residents in his district and elsewhere in Berkeley who support his recommendations. 

Joan Clair 

• 

WARM POOL 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The bond for the warm pool repairs nine years ago has shrunk in value by at least a million dollars, thanks to school board and superintendent Michelle Lawrence changing their minds and asking, no, demanding that the city move warm pool users elsewhere; this is due to soaring steel costs. 

The citizens and voters in Berkeley own six swimming pools, three indoors at BHS and three outdoors. Inflation has destroyed the value of the fixed sum voted to us, which was never realized. No bonds were ever issued, no cash was even given to the city by any bank. The 2.8 million is not earning interest in a Swiss bank account or anywhere else; it does not exist, except as a legal possibility. The cost of the campaign to pass the bond is a total loss. Thanks school board. 

There is no rational excuse for moving us to some new future nonexistent warm pool. At least one of BUSD’s indoor pools at BHS can serve both students and non-students far into the future. The two older indoor pools are steel frame, the highest quality structural system available. Steel frame can easily be brought up to code for seismic. New plans have been drawn up, free of charge to create much wanted classrooms. 

Why should voters be asked to build new indoor facilities for a warm pool when these facilities already exist? The school board should be impeached for demanding such, and for destroying valuable older buildings like the old gym, if they continue to intend to do so, with their toxic new South of Bancroft Master Plan, which promised us a warm pool site on Milvia Street, yet another offer withdrawn. 

What shameful misbehavior. 

Terry Cochrell 

• 

REPEAL PROP. 13 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

In response to Becky O’Malley’s editorial: I think in the long run, we must organize and repeal Proposition 13. The only way to pay for public services, social programs and education is to raise revenues. 

I’m 58 years old. I was an occupational therapist. My job was to help other people and I loved my work. 

I’ve worked ever since I was 12 years old—first as a baby-sitter. In highschool I worked as a sales clerk to pay for my school clothes and spending money. I put myself through college doing odd jobs. 

Over ten years ago I came down with a devastating immune system illness. Much of the time I’m bedridden and am unable to speak. I have only limited use of my arms. I desperately wish that I could do the work that I so love. Without a great deal of help form home health aides that are paid for by the state, I would not be alive. 

The Governor is now proposing to slash the health care and help I am getting. He has stated that thousands of people who are in my position should instead go and live in nursing homes. Yet it would cost the state five times more to live in a nursing home that it costs to maintain me in my own home. 

Will his next proposal be to turn people out of nursing homes into the streets to die? 

Anyone can become ill or injured. Many people are only one paycheck away from being on the street. Is it only the wealthiest people who should be allowed to have adequate health care? 

If we don’t want to revert to a dog-eat-dog social system, we must not abandon those of us who are incapacitated and can’t care for themselves. To do this, we must generate the revenues to pay for it. We must overhaul our current system and create a system of taxation so that the wealthiest individuals and corporations pay more taxes. 

Please contact Budget Committee Chairwoman Noreen Davis (916) 319-2007 and your local legislators. Strongly urge them not to balance the budget by cutting critical services to health, education, and other public services, but instead raise taxes to pay for them. This is the only way we can all have a safety net that will be there if we truly need it. 

Angela Cunningham 

GUTSY INVESTIGATION 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Bravo for your gutsy investigation of those who have, for the past several years, attempted to put the Daily Planet out of business by smearing it and intimidating its advertisers simply because it permits a wider discussion of the Israel-Palestinian conflict than most Americans ever see. European newspapers and broadcast media, as well as Israel’s Haaretz, provide a similar spectrum virtually unavailable here because of campaigns such as that which targeted the director and board of the Berkeley Art Center several years ago when it mounted an exhibition of artists interpreting that perpetual ulcer, or that which censored the play “My Name Is Rachel Corrie” in the United States. 

American ignorance of what we are paying for is understandable: People inside both print and broadcast media have told me privately that they cannot or will not run items dealing with this issue because of the rain of brimstone sure to follow. I have been educated about what is happening in the occupied territories largely by Jews and organizations such as Jews for Justice who, I believe, represent the best of the Jewish tradition. I have not noticed that they are anti-Semitic or self-loathing. 

I had to go to a Norwegian public library to see an exhibition featuring maps showing the incremental expropriation of West Bank land for Jewish-only colonies and roads. Any librarian here who mounted that exhibition would quickly suffer the consequences. The maps demonstrated at a glance the absurdity of any two-state solution that did not remove those colonies and the occupying force necessary to maintain and expand them, yet removal is apparently entirely off the table. It literally goes without saying that the “natural growth” of those colonies requires the concomitant brutalization, expulsion, or extermination of the indigenous Palestinians who get in its way. 

Some of your readers complain that the Planet should not spend time covering this issue since it is not local. Unfortunately it is, because the forceful presence of 300,000 (and counting) Jews on occupied Palestinian land enrages millions around the world and thereby greatly endangers the national security of the United States and the planet itself. Silencing those few individuals and outlets brave or foolish enough to tell what is happening will only increase our collective peril, and that of Israel itself. 

Gray Brechin 

• 

THE FASCISM OF THE  

BLACKLIST 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The blacklist is fascist because it says to its victims, if you don’t think the way we say you should, then we will punish you. The blacklist is the first order of tactics of any thought-police. It is anti-democratic, and in that sense, an act of oppression or domination. Like all acts of a fascist system, it is fraught with injustice.  

The attempt by a few zealots (named and described in the June 4 Berkeley Daily Planet) to punish the Planet for being open to wide varieties of opinion on Israel is not a blacklist. But it is close. The call by these zealots to ordinary citizens to boycott businesses that advertise in the Planet (implied in the threat to those businesses, reported in the Planet, that their Jewish clientele will abandon them) is not a blacklist. But it is a desire for one. Why these zealots, supportive of Israel, who make reference to the Shoah as one ineluctable foundation for the existence of Israel, would desire the power to enact such nefarious tactics, becomes more than a question; it becomes a source of dismay, as well as a source of avoidable debate in the present. 

I am gratified by the democratic spirit of my community here in the Bay Area, and its grasp of the principles of justice, that only a few have succumbed to the zealots, as indicated by the Planet’s editor when she says that the Planet is “not suffering too much from the campaign against our advertisers.” I applaud the Planet for standing fast on the principles of free speech, and thus of democracy, against this campaign. And I would council all those in this community who in thought or action entertain the idea of not patronizing establishments because they advertise in the Planet, who are thinking of engaging in such a boycott, to go back and reread the first sentence of this letter.  

Steve Martinot 

• 

THE COASTAL POST 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

The recent attacks against The Daily Planet by the supporters of Israel closely mimic those that were committed against Marin County’s Coastal Post several months ago. The attacks began after the Coastal Post published an article by Israeli peace activist Israel Shamir.  

The publication of this article resulted in threats against the Coastal Post’s advertisers. Many advertisers succumbed to this pressure and ceased advertising with the Coastal Post. But it didn’t end there. The Coastal Post, a free monthly newspaper, lost many of its distribution points because of these constant threats. Whole Foods was one of the first to meekly buckle under to such pressure and forbade the distribution of the Coastal Post in its stores. Then, like is occurring now with the Daily Planet, copies of the newspaper started being stolen in large from the remaining newsstands. 

Interestingly, while this was being done there was not a peep out of the supposedly “progressive” media in the Bay Area. Nothing from the Bay Guardian and nothing from the Daily Planet. No cries of protest from KPFA or from the ACLU. The Coastal Post had to soldier on alone as those who should have supported its First Amendment rights looked the other way, terrified that what was happening to the Coastal Post might happen to then if they protested too much. The Daily Planet is now suffering from those very same people who were emboldened by the damage caused to the Coastal Post. I hope the editors of the Daily Planet now realize that ignoring attacks against the rights of free speech of others might have its own payback.  

John Dudley 

Sausalito 

• 

SPEAK OUT 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

I continue to be surprised, not at the activities of Gertz and friends, which are typical of our zionist “left” activists, but at the silence from organizations claiming to be opposed to Zionism, such as MECA, which is itself mostly a Berkeley organization. 

Surely they know all the details of this campaign by Gertz, even before they were aired in the Daily Planet. 

If they have spoken out, I certainly haven’t seen it in the Daily Planet! Or elsewhere, for that matter. 

Mark Richie 

• 

SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

Recently I have been trying to comprehend the deeper meaning of the phrase “special relationship” used by our Democratic Representatives applied to the US and Israel. I also think there is also a special relationship between Iran and the USA. 

The first example is in part founded on a similar event in the origins of both immigrant nation states. 

The Americans drove the Indians (Native Americans) asunder so too the Israelis are trying to do the same with the Palestinians. 

Although this is not uncommon in the establishment of other nation states the particularity of it is one of the signifiers of that idea/sign called ‘special relationship.’ 

The second ‘special relationship’ example occurred this week. Both Iran and the USA have had elections wherein the people in power managed (manipulated, controlled the count, discouraged voters, stole, etc.) and won the now precious and special thing called a democratic election. 

The Iranians, deserve the same type of respect the USA received from the first 2001 election of Bush. 

We should send Al Gore to Iran as a special relation. He understands democratically controlled elections. 

Ron Davis 

San Francisco 

• 

LAKE MERRITT NEIGHBORS 

Editors, Daily Planet: 

We of the Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace are appalled that a few individuals are attempting to shut down the Berkeley Daily Planet because it has insisted on its right to publish opinions on both sides of the Israel-Palestine issue. 

The right of free speech is the very foundation of our democracy. Open and honest discussion is absolutely necessary to ensure its health and vitality. These few individuals are attempting to squelch the Planet’s position as a forum for this type of discussion through outright intimidation, threats and personal insults. They are attempting to cut off money from the paper’s sponsors. This is completely unacceptable. 

We at LMNOP are offering this token ($90) to help the Daily Planet fight this challenge and ensure its right to continue to be an instrument of free speech, publishing all open and honest discussion on any issue, no matter how controversial. 

Daniel Borgström, on behalf of  

Lake Merritt Neighbors  

Organized for Peace 

EDITORS NOTE: John Gertz and Jim Sinkinson have also sent letters to the Planet that contain further expressions of their opinions about the paper and the story about their campaign to shut it down. Upon reflection we have decided not to provide any more free space in our opinion pages for those whose expressed intention is to destroy the forum we provide. They may, if they wish, purchase advertising space to advance their opinions. 

Terry Kalahar’s job title as a City of Berkeley employee—Assistant Men-tal Health Clinician—tells you little about his job. You are likely to see him arrive at work in jeans, flannel shirt, heavy shoes, helmeted on his bicycle, which he parks inside a shared windowless office at one of the city’s senior centers.  

A sturdy upbeat bear of a man, decades younger than most of the Berkeley residents who frequent the three Centers, he works with individuals most in need of, and generally most difficult, to help among adults 55 years and older.  

His clients are homeless, often suffering longstanding mental illness, abuse of alcohol and/or drugs. Terry’s job is to identify needed health and social services, with an ultimate goal of helping them find and stick with a decent place to live. Among the variety of concerns that come before the Commission on Aging, none is more troubling than the fact of people in our community spending their older years living on sidewalks, sleeping in doorways and parks, or particularly in winter, standing in line each day to secure an indoor shelter cot. And nothing is more satisfying than hearing Terry report a good result—an individual successfully housed, perhaps even turning his life around. 

Although the face of Berkeley’s homeless has long appeared predominantly young—the hippies and flower children, the runaways, neglected teens—we now increasingly see older homeless at the senior centers, public libraries, city parks. If previously less numerous or visible, once you begin to notice wrinkled skin and gray thinning hair, you can see that the city’s homeless are indeed growing older. Individuals who arrived as street kids may have aged beyond their 50s as the chronically homeless. (Ironically, they are “aging-in-place,” a desired geriatric goal unless your place is a park bench or homeless shelter). More generally, an aging population—the latest mark of baby boom demographics—swells the homeless count as well. Add on the current economic crisis, and older adults who were teetering on the edge or not even so close—those who lost a job, a pension, their mortgaged house or rented apartment—suddenly face the rudest of awakenings, tossed into the homeless mix.  

Terry’s job did not exist until 2007, when Judy Izzo, the Berkeley Division on Aging’s lead social worker, carved the position from a small reserve of funds. Nor did the Division have any housing vouchers—for rentals subsidized by the federal government through grants to cities and counties—as do, for instance, the Departments of Public Health and Mental Health and certain nonprofit organizations. By 2008, Terry’s caseload reached, and at times stretched beyond, the limit of 30 he feels able to handle. And, for the first time the Division gained seven vouchers of its own. The task then became to assign each voucher to a person—to help him (so far all are men) complete an application, find an available apartment and willing landlord (willing, that is, to consider someone with minimal if any regular income, no rent history if not prior evictions, no current address), begin and then continue to pay rent, move in and remain housed. 

Terry knows the task inside and out, and gladly explains the requirements, obstacles, successes and failures. Unlike a standard rent subsidy, the Division’s vouchers—known as Shelter Plus Care—target homeless individuals who suffer serious mental illness, alcohol or drug abuse and/or HIV infection/AIDS. A voucher recipient must be willing to work with Terry on an individual plan to establish and progress toward set goals regarding mental and physical health, substance abuse, money management, housing, employment and other personal goals. Terry’s clients include the quiet loners, largely unseen by the public, as well highly visible homeless who may have, for instance, repeated ER visits and hospitalizations, numerous police encounters, time spent in jail. To fill the Shelter Plus Care niche, Terry tries to balance two differing factors: a client’s need and his readiness to successfully use a housing voucher. That is, how desperate is the individual’s current situation (his health, age, ability to manage as is)? Will the client accept the care required? Does he have a reasonable chance to do what a tenant must do—pay rent regularly, behave in an acceptable manner? The Division cannot risk the few vouchers and affordable, available dwellings, or the months of efforts needed to find housing, if an individual is unlikely to benefit in the longer term—to remain in town, in touch and in the apartment—compared to those whose situation may not appear quite so dire (on a scale where “better off” is still dire). 

As we talk, Terry waits for a phone call from St. Mary’s, an Oakland shelter that serves only older adults. Despite its blighted, poverty-ridden neighborhood, St. Mary’s remains an especially valuable contact in that many homeless seniors avoid Berkeley shelters, as well as shelter waiting lines, where they will be surrounded by people younger, stronger, louder, perhaps strung out on drugs. Terry had called earlier seeking a bed for the man he found in the morning sitting in the Senior Center’s TV room, a new face, a person about whom Terry knows little, though apparently this man spends much of his time riding the bus. A typical phone call on a typical day—along with calls to link clients with various social service agencies, treatment programs and self-help groups, calls to building managers who may have a vacancy, to PG&E for a client’s subsidy, to Highland Hospital or the Over 60 Health Center for a client who is ill. He may have two or three client appointments to work on housing applications or the required Self-Sufficiency Plan or Social Security paperwork. Assuming the client shows up, that is, not so easy to encourage when there is no phone, no address. 

With older age, let’s face it, we feel more aches, less energy. Our sight and hearing fade, our wounds take longer to heal. We are just not as strong as during our younger years. Now imagine all that with nowhere to live, not enough to eat, dilapidated shoes and clothing, no doctor to see nor family that cares, let alone that helps us face a terminal illness and decisions about end-of-life care. It is Terry who, at times, must deal with such late life realities in working with this segment of Berkeley’s homeless population. Currently, to cite one example: A man in his mid-70s, a writer homeless on and off for 20 years, past drug use, several serious health problems and frequent hospital stays. This client is hoping to live independently with an attendant, a friend who also lives on the verge of becoming homeless. Terry sounds excited that they are poised to rent a 2-bedroom apartment. Medicare will pay for a visiting nurse and, at some point, perhaps, hospice care. 

Based on years of seeing clients battle alcohol or drug abuse, Terry emphasizes a harm-reduction approach, not necessarily total abstinence, at least as a short-term goal. He thinks most improvement during recovery, and mental health more generally, come after people are settled in a home. Then, perhaps, abstinence becomes a more plausible ideal. Thinking about clients who have done well, Terry says he has no “magic set of words” to help someone battle whatever their demons. But from his early volunteering at the Berkeley Free Clinic and homeless shelters through his current City of Berkeley job, Terry appears to have found his niche. He appreciates well his happy childhood—his single, working mom’s love and attention (she graduated high school after he did), a good education. He also values what contents him now—his bike, a library card, and work that helps people who are in very great need. 

As a mental health clinician, Terry focuses person-by-person to address a major community problem. So, too, do other Division on Aging staff, who not only provide social services for the larger population of Berkeley’s older adults, but who also keep the senior centers running. Terry has the luxury of a total focus on homeless clients. This problem of homelessness, showing up daily at our senior centers, raises immediate yet broader questions of how best to respond: How maintain the inviting environment and activities for all center participants yet help those men and women, barely hanging on, who arrive seeking a meal, a shower, a place to sit or sleep indoors out of a chilly rain or heat wave. And how reach out to provide essential services for the greater number of homeless seniors who stay away? Clearly, the problem is larger than the Division on Aging, or City of Berkeley, though it requires attention from them every day. It requires increased resources to hire and support case-management staff; discretionary funds for an emergency motel stay or food or transportation; ongoing funds for the city’s eviction-prevention efforts providing time-limited assistance to cover, for instance, a month’s rent, so that particularly during these times of economic decline, lost jobs and pensions and savings, Terry’s caseload does not continue to climb. And just as Terry’s clients are required to work toward future goals, Berkeley needs to look ahead, focusing city and nonprofit services that can help avert homelessness within our aging population and respond effectively-including, for instance, supportive senior housing-for those who slip through. 

P.S. The man needing shelter the day I talked with Terry eventually found space at the Berkeley Food and Housing Project’s Men’s Shelter. Terry learned that he did have a nearly expired housing voucher from a different department—just nowhere to live. They were able to find permanent housing, and sign a lease, before it was too late. 

The 74-year-old client passed away, suddenly, before he and his attendant could move into the apartment. 

Judy Turiel is chair of the Commission on Aging. 

I found the Daily Planet’s in-depth coverage (June 4th edition) of the organized campaign to “reform” your newspaper or drive it out of business thought-provoking, disturbing, and a reflection of the conservative and fearful times we live in. 

It got me musing about the reactions I receive when asking people what they think of the Daily Planet. The uphill battle any newspaper faces whose intention is to provide a forum reflecting the views of their community, especially when their readership is outspoken and broadminded. 

The initial responses to my query indicate that the public isn’t used to newspapers with diverse viewpoints. Their gut reaction is embarrassment, confusion, as well as stimulation. It confronts their need to become more knowledgeable so they can ferret out their own truths.  

People are accustomed to mainstream newspapers dominated by commercial interests which fund their advertising. So what you end up with is a news media marinated and more influenced by the commonly accepted ideas of the day than a press which investigates and questions the status quo. 

In part it’s from the “polite” culture we inherited from the British. Most people would rather mingle with those we agree with than get into rip-roaring controversial debates. This contrasts with other cultures such as the French, who constantly check others’ body language to make sure they are artfully engaged and stimulated. 

This timidity in our public discourse confronts our public education system with its rigid curriculums and unrelenting testing, which often emphasizes “right answers” over creative and critical thinking. 

Decline in U.S. news 

The quality of news coverage in the United States has been in decline for several decades. In the 1970s the TV networks realized the news division could bring in a tidy profit, especially if it was watered-down and diluted with “entertainment values.” 

Ted Turner’s 24-hour CNN cable news revolution was initially refreshing before it became swallowed by the conglomerates. Later its format was imitated and simplified to espouse conservative viewpoints by Fox News. Fox’s rating success helped further trivialize the other TV news outlets. The 1987 FCC ruling abolishing the ‘Fairness Doctrine’ helped pave the way for airing one-sided news shows. 

Now we live in a cynical age of punditry, spin, attitude, government and PR hype, rather than of in-depth investigative reporting, thoughtful analysis, or meaningful commentary. 

The internet provides diversity for those who take the time to cobble together their own unique array of news sources. But how many take the time?  

Campaign to coerce and intimidate the Daily Planet 

In this dumbed-down-news-dissemination-climate arrives “The Campaign against the Daily Planet.” It’s inevitable that groups or individuals who ardently advocate a particular point of view would find the Planet threatening. It’s a sign of our apprehensive and acquiescent times that such groups would become buoyed enough to intimidate and suppress an open-minded news outlet in the infamous land of Free Speech. 

This attack on the Planet tests the mettle of those who realize allowing diversity of opinions empowers us to further refine our outlook. It also points out that a news outlet which does not have strings attached ultimately needs to have both the financial and moral support from its readership or it becomes beholden to its advertisers, politicians, institutional powers, as well as groups or individuals with an ax to grind. 

Once you let one faction leverage your content, it emboldens others to follow suit. Before you know it, you have a newspaper so watered down it appeals to no one. 

Israeli politics is not the issue, but rather the public’s right to access an unfettered forum to express and be exposed to a wide array of viewpoints.  

While I can appreciate John Gertz’s passion and initiative for what he advocates to be his truth, as well as his willingness to be openly interviewed by the Planet, his crusade is ultimately one of censoring views he deems politically incorrect. 

The reality is that democracy in all its openness and variety is a messy affair. Our First Amendment guarantees are likewise messy. When you immerse yourself in all the varied opinions human beings have, issues get complex, controversial, stimulating, and threatening.  

In a world whose leaders and experts are all too eager to tell us which solutions are off the table, arming yourself with as much information—including many viewpoints—is no small feat and a healthy antidote to our increasingly numbed-out, frenetic existence. 

In Gertz’s dpwatchdog.com site, his high-minded guise states that the Planet “often does not adhere to the highest standards of journalism.” Which “standards” is he referring to? The commonly accepted “safe” parameters of earning the seal of approval from the local Chamber of Commerce?  

A challenge to an in-person, open, and public discussion 

I challenge John Gertz, PR whiz Jim Sinkinson, Dan Spitzer and other “activists” to take a moment away from their daily routines, websites, and well-honed PR campaigns to participate in person in an open public forum/discussion with the editorial staff of the Berkeley Daily Planet. This would provide an opportunity to air their various concerns and to field questions and comments from the public they so adamantly want to influence. 

Whether or not the primary “activists” choose to participate, I also encourage and welcome spokespersons from local religious and secular Jewish institutions. They could express whether they condone or distance themselves (or both) from those activists’ goals, tactics, and attitudes. These spokespersons could articulate how they reconcile their culture’s hallowed traditions of respecting and encouraging a rich diversity of opinions with their organization’s current political and/or religious beliefs.  

To participate would be educational for all, demonstrate a willingness to openly engage in an unrehearsed give and take, and start to heal a growing schism in our community. 

Richard Fabry, a Berkeley native, currently lives in Point Richmond. He is a former magazine publisher. 

There are some shocking and disturbing misconceptions among some humans in Berkeley that desperately need to be debunked, among them: that any type of development is progress, no matter how inappropriate and ill-conceived; that Berkeley residents get special favors to protect them from said development; that Berkeley residents mysteriously do not have a right to participate in the process, that it is our responsibility to “get out of the way.”  

The delusion that NIMBY residents are holding up “progress” is a fantasy concocted and assiduously circulated by developers. Considering the fact that in the end residents are consistently shut out of having any real effect on the development approval process, no matter how long and diligently we try to participate, this is a laughable and patently absurd notion. Where to begin? 

If you need proof of these assertions, I have no better example than the now almost seven-year process that has finally resulted in the overwhelming, behemoth development now rising at the northwest corner of University and Martin Luther King, the so-called “Trader Joe’s building.”  

First of all, a successful urban landscape is not about piling as many bodies as possible into the smallest, densest spaces. Maximum market-rate residential density does not translate into diversity or community. To insist on forcing five-plus-story buildings on existing one- to two-story residential neighborhoods is to completely dismiss the legitimacy of the existing neighborhood. This is not Manhattan, or even San Francisco.  

Second, it is not private Berkeley residents who are getting special favors to protect them from the current spate of mega-projects in progress. It is rather the developers who are being granted the special variances that leave us no choice but to protect our community with the existing neighborhood safeguards clearly written into our city code and laws. If you have any doubt about who is pulling the strings here, I refer you to Dave Blake’s excellent commentary from the June 11 edition of the Planet, “A Frightful Decision for Downtown.”  

Third, it is one thing to be allowed to “participate,” which essentially boils down to a brief two or three minutes of comment at a public meeting. It is quite another to be allowed to have an actual impact on the development approval process. Real and legitimate participation requires having a truly substantive effect on the outcome. 

To truly appreciate the process, here’s a short project history: The local residents have been proactive in this project from the beginning. In October of 2002, prior to the start of the entire approval process, one of our neighbors bravely suggested that we approach then-developer Panoramic Interests to initiate a “constructive” dialogue. We were not opposed to the concept of a new development at the former Kragen site, as long as it honored the stated principles and standards of the Berkeley General Plan and the UASP, both of which strongly specify that all new development must ultimately respect the character of existing neighborhoods.  

We believed that by directly engaging the developer, we could finally rewrite the historically contentious, developer-vs.-neighbors operating procedure for future development in all of Berkeley, not just on our block, so other neighbors would never have to suffer the same fate. We in essence gave the developer our playbook, a minimal list of neighborhood requirements all backed by city policy and law, that would allow us to support the project and to help streamline the labyrinthine approval process. The developer could design a building in keeping with the existing neighborhood, and there would be no need to declare war. A productive template for the future would be forged. Blatantly optimistic, bordering on nauseatingly naïve? Apparently. 

So seven years later, what did we get from putting our blood, sweat, and tears into this process? Did we succeed in rescuing Berkeley from mega-project oblivion? If you have seen the monolith rising at University and MLK, obviously not. It quickly became clear that the multiple developers involved felt no onus whatsoever to honor our reasonable, policy-backed requests, and that they were quite confident they could circumvent or manipulate existing policies and zoning laws, as they had done before with great success, to their full advantage.  

Regarding special favors granted to developers, the most shocking precedent of the Trader Joe’s project is that it challenges the requirements of the state density bonus law, which awards “bonus” market-rate rental units to any developer providing a specified quota of “affordable” units. However, in this particular case the developer has been awarded a larger-than-mandated density bonus not for providing sufficient affordable housing, but by promising a seductive retail tenant, a tenant they have promised free parking. The developer has actually been allowed to reduce the number of required affordable units to be able to subsidize free parking for their commercial tenant! This paves the way for all future deemed-by-the developer “economically unfeasible” projects to reap these same benefits. 

But here we are in June 2009, still trying to be a part of the solution in any way we are allowed. We are clearly not the ones asking for special favors. Had the developers made a sincere attempt at the start to make this building neighborhood-appropriate they could have had it built by now. We were not the ones standing in their way. From the beginning, in the spirit of conciliation and compromise, we asked for so very little to make this a livable project for the neighborhood. I will address the specifics of the Berkeley Way barrier and its policy precedents in a future submission. 

For those of you who have engaged in this same process and been left out, if you dare to imagine that we don’t understand your frustration at being summarily denied, dismissed, and disenfranchised by the powers that be, please think again. Why do you think we are still here after seven long and grueling years of rejection? Just like you, we too are still fighting the good fight. Not only for ourselves, but for the quality of life of all our Berkeley neighbors. It is the developers’ time-honored tactic to divide and conquer, neighborhood by neighborhood, block by bloody block. We reissue our 2002 call to arms to all Berkeley neighborhoods to work together. United we stand. 

Regan Richardson is a Berkeley Way resident. 

Five months after his inauguration, Barack Obama has finished his honeymoon period. Republicans attacked the president from day one, now there’s indication of pushback from Democrats, too. 

Obama’s approval ratings continue to be in the low 60s, better than either Bill Clinton or George W. Bush at this stage in their presidencies. But personal popularity doesn’t always translate into effectiveness and there are huge challenges ahead for this administration. 

The economy 

The economy continues to be the primary concern. Most financial experts believe the recession is at or near the bottom, but are pessimistic about the prospects for a speedy recovery. 

Discounting the stale Republican response—the solution is to cut taxes and let the free market do its “magic”—there are three criticism of Obamanomics. The first is that the $800 billion stimulus package wasn’t big enough and, therefore, hasn’t created jobs at the pace required to offset declining payrolls. The second is that Obama hasn’t actually helped homeowners who are in danger of foreclosure. And the third is that the White House hasn’t fixed the fundamental problem: the financial industry should run by a new set of rules. 

Obama recently defended his stimulus package, promising to pick up the pace of job creation and add 600,000 jobs in the second 100 days of his administration. That’s nowhere near enough to offset the 6 million jobs lost since the recession began in December of 2007. There needs to be an additional stimulus package that bolsters job creation. 

Despite the administration’s promise to help responsible homeowners, foreclosure rates are high, as are the total number of mortgage delinquencies. On May 20, Obama signed the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act that will benefit 400,000 families. However, 5.4 million homes are in danger of foreclosure. Clearly, additional measures will be required over the next few months. 

Finally, the administration has to goad Congress into passing rules that guaranteed the financial industry has the strict supervision required to ensure that the 2008 meltdown never recurs. In a recent New York Times article, Sandy Lewis and William Cohan write, “We’re concerned that nothing has really been fixed.” The president has to get the financial industry to make public the conditions that caused the crisis and goad Congress into passing tough and sweeping regulations that guarantee this crisis won’t recur. 

Healthcare 

Healthcare continues to be American’s biggest domestic concern after the economy. There’s increasing call for universal coverage and the Obama administration promises to push meaningful legislation through Congress by the end of the summer. While the bill is under construction, the good news is that its current form includes the option of letting individuals buy insurance from the federal government. The administration needs to ensure that Congress passes this legislation by the end of the summer. 

Energy 

To lower costs and protect the environment, President Obama has proposed that, by 2025, one-quarter of America’s electricity be produced from renewable sources. Unfortunately, Congress is resisting this change. 

If there is going to be a sustainable recovery with real growth in GDP, then the economy has to add high-skill, high-wage jobs. A massive shift to clean energy is the leading candidate to spur real economic growth. First, Americans have to become more energy efficient by weatherizing their homes and installing technology to use energy more wisely. Second, we have to drastically reduce our gasoline consumption by using public transportation and trading our gas-guzzlers for electric cars. Third, our homes and businesses have to be fueled by renewable energy: solar, wind, and bio-fuel systems. 

President Obama must fight for aggressive clean-energy legislation. 

Writing in The Nation, Robert Borosage and Katrina vanden Heuvel bemoaned Barack Obama’s propensity to compromise: “The White House mantra is, Never let the perfect be the enemy of the good ... The danger is that this process may make the weak the enemy of the good.” 

There are many components of effective presidential leadership. One of them is vision. Another is listening to the American people and making tough decisions in the public interest. Still another is the ability to steer needed legislation through a risk-averse Congress. That’s what’s needed now. 

Barack Obama needs to leverage his public popularity and his considerable communication skills to get Congress to act aggressively. Washington has to do more than patch the nation’s economic wounds. Obama has to move America onto the path to a sustainable recovery. 

Bob Burnett is a Berkeley writer. He can be reached at bobburnett@comcast.net.

Expressions of relief and joy from supporters of Don Perata were both understandable, expected, and proper in the wake of the decision by the United States Attorney’s office to drop their years-long corruption investigation of the former California State Senate President. Had an indictment gone forward, Mr. Perata faced, at the worst, possible jail time and heavy fines if convicted and, at the least, the end of any plans to run for mayor of Oakland in 2010. This is not a “full vindication” or “a complete affirmation … that I’ve acted appropriately in both my professional life and my career in public service,” as Mr. Perata asserted in a statement released immediately after the announcement, since U.S. attorneys—or federal juries, for that matter—cannot prove innocence of charges, they can only prove and decide guilt. Until then, by U.S. law, innocence is presumed, and needs no proof. Still, this is an enormous victory for Mr. Perata, and he and his supporters have earned the right to gloat. 

That being said, we have to point out that the, um, giddiness with which the Chronicle’s East Bay columnist Chip Johnson approached the matter went a ways over the top, since Mr. Johnson moved immediately from a discussion of the dropped indictment to an interesting assumption on the state of the upcoming Oakland mayoral race. 

“With the dark cloud of a lingering federal probe behind him,” Mr. Johnson wrote, “there is nothing standing between former state Sen. Don Perata and the Oakland mayor’s office but time, opportunity and blue skies.” (“With Probe Over, Perata Primed To Lead Oakland” May 29, 2009) 

Not to equate Mr. Perata with either of the dark lords, Sauron or Voldemort, but this does have a sort of Tolkienish or Potteresque ring to it, with the boldness and rashness of the followers increasing as the time of their master’s promised return grew closer. But even Mr. Johnson—if you could have poked a hole in his cloud of euphoria on the day he wrote his “blue sky” column—might have admitted that well, yes, there is actually something else besides blue skies which comes between Mr. Perata and the Oakland mayor’s office and that is, of course, the necessity of actually being elected by the voters to serve in that office. But such little details sometimes get overlooked in the swirl of celebration. 

There are many who believe that Mr. Johnson has long been the carrier of Mr. Perata’s message on Oakland city politics and, if that is so, we can expect a pumping of the volume and an increase in the Chip’n’Don show as Mr. Johnson uses his Chronicle column in many different ways to promote his favorite candidate for Oakland mayor. 

A little over a week after the “blue skies” column, for example Mr. Johnson dropped a bombshell when he wrote that Oakland officials were considering declaring bankruptcy in the wake of the city’s budget problems. 

“Even though city officials would prefer to avoid a public conversation,” Mr. Johnson wrote, “behind closed doors the Oakland City Council has discussed filing for bankruptcy protection in the midst of a $100 million budget deficit.” (“Budget Woes Have Oakland Mulling Bankruptcy” June 9, 2009) Mr. Johnson then quoted District 5 Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente that “We have asked the (bankruptcy) question because we wanted to know the impact. In closed session, the question has been asked, and an answer was given.” Mr. Johnson quoted Mr. De La Fuente as saying that City of Oakland bankruptcy is “a possibility. Things are that bad.” 

How does this help Mr. Perata’s mayoral candidacy? Mr. Perata’s electoral narrative will be that Oakland is broken, and he has the credentials to fix it and, obviously, the broker the city is—and literally broke, as in the case of Mr. Johnson’s bankruptcy allegation—the easier it will be for Mr. Perata to argue that his special brand of fixing is needed.  

Being printed in the Chronicle, of course, the column had immediate impact, none of them favorable to Oakland. I was covering the Berkeley City Council meeting on the Tuesday night the Johnson bankruptcy column appeared, and several Berkeley City Councilmembers referred to Oakland as the example of the kinds of problems Berkeley didn’t want to slip into. That doesn’t help Oakland’s reputation around the region. And there were serious financial implications as well. This week, Oakland City Manager Dan Lindheim said that a representative of one of the organizations that set Oakland’s bond ratings was “freaked out” by the story that Oakland was considering bankruptcy, and Lindheim and his staff spent the following week trying to convince the bond-rating organizations that bankruptcy wasn’t on the table. If those organizations decide that Oakland’s fiscal house is in imminent danger of collapse, they will lower Oakland’s bond rating, which would mean millions of dollars in extra costs to the city to service its bonds. Mr. Lindheim said that he will find out “next week” whether he was successful in staving off the ratings panic. 

Mr. Johnson can’t be faulted for the bad consequences of reporting bad news about Oakland. But that raises two questions. First, is Oakland really seriously considering declaring bankruptcy, as the Johnson column implied? And second, was it proper for Mr. Johnson to make that disclosure? 

That answer to the first question, is Oakland seriously considering bankruptcy, appeared to come in the latest newsletter sent out by Oakland City Councilmember Jean Quan, the chair of the Council’s Finance Committee. 

“[T]he Chronicle column by Chip Johnson with the misleading headline suggesting that we are considering bankruptcy set off an unfortunate media wave that shook our bond raters and investors,” Ms. Quan wrote. “I have spent much of the week talking to reporters and investors, but fear our upcoming bond ratings may be affected and that will cost us in higher interest rates. I want to make it clear that the only consideration of the issue was a question asked by a Council Member about when a city would consider bankruptcy. The Council is not considering bankruptcy…” 

One line from Ms. Quan’s newsletter entry is crucial to understanding what may have happened in Council’s closed session, that “the only consideration of the issue was a question asked by a Council Member about when a city would consider bankruptcy.” That seemed to indicate that the Council was not looking at an imminent financial collapse and the defaulting on employee paychecks and payments to creditors and wholesale abandonment of city-funded projects, but was, perhaps, prudently looking at possible contingencies to solve Oakland’s serious—but not fatal—budget problems. One reason that a city might declare bankruptcy, for example, is to throw out and force a renegotiation existing union contracts on terms more favorable to the city. (There is currently no indication, by the way, that City Council is making plans to take that step.) 

And that brings us to the second question, was it proper for Mr. Johnson to make the bankruptcy disclosure in his column? For my part, I believe it wasn’t. And according to Oakland City Council rules, it was improper for Councilmember De La Fuente to reveal details of the closed door discussion with Mr. Johnson. 

In my opinion, there is only one reason why a media outlet should report on the details of a closed session Council discussion—if the Council uses the cover of closed session to improperly discuss a matter which should properly be discussed in front of the public. In the case of the Council’s brief bankruptcy discussion, there is no indication that this is what happened, and that there was any improper hiding of the public business from the public. 

While I am a strong supporter of public disclosure, I believe that there are specific times and circumstances when public bodies should be able to get together and discuss certain matters without public scrutiny. One of those times, in my opinion, is when contingency plans—like a plan in the event bankruptcy became necessary—are being put together. This is very different from when a public body is taking the first steps to implement such a plan, at which point public disclosure is in order. But from time to time, Councils need to brainstorm behind closed doors, and if Councilmembers are afraid that there is danger of those discussions being reprinted in the local paper or broadcast on television, it will immediately dry up consideration of some of the most innovative—but currently unpopular—ideas. 

Finally, there is the interesting backstory of the Johnson bankruptcy column, that Oakland’s finances are broken, and Mr. Perata is the best person to step in and fix them. Really? 

One remembers that Mr. Perata served as president of the California State Senate from 2004 until 2008. During those four years, deliberations over the California state budget were directed by three individuals: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the speaker of the California State Assembly, and Mr. Perata. During those years, the state budget was balanced by siphoning off money from local governments like the City of Oakland and Alameda County, as well as putting off hard choices and problem solutions until the future. The result left both the state and local governments in complete disarray when the economic downturn hit. In addition, over the years, some of Mr. Perata’s advocacies and activities have had specific devastating effects on the budgets and taxpayers of the county and the city. The Raiders deal and the Oakland school takeover—both of which were authored, engineered, and led by Mr. Perata—currently cost local taxpayers millions of dollars a year, with little to show for the cost. 

That’s hardly an argument for Mr. Perata to come in as Oakland’s fiscal savior. In fact, one wonders if Oakland’s finances could survive a direct Perata involvement. But in all that bump-dancing and singing by Perata supporters over the dropping of the federal charges, that little consideration has been somewhat, and conveniently, overlooked. 

Some books change the way you see the world. Parasite Rex, by Carl Zimmer, was one of those for me—an account of life and evolution from a parasite’s perspective. (Marlene Zuk’s more recent Riddled with Life is also recommended.) One of the things I took away from it was how finely tuned host-parasite relationships can be. Many parasites, like the brown pelican pouch louse, are found only on a specific body part of a single host species. 

Because of that, the evolutionary history of parasites tends to mirror that of their hosts. A few years ago, in the process of researching an article for the Academy of Science’s magazine California Wild (just before it went extinct), I learned that pocket gophers and their lice were considered a model system for host-parasite coevolution. When a lineage of gophers split, so did that of its lice. You wind up with each species of gopher having its unique species of louse, with mouthparts finely calibrated to the thickness of the rodent’s hairs. 

That was supposed to be how it worked in most host-parasite systems, with the occasional lateral jump (for example, when predators acquired parasites from their prey). But beaver mites don’t seem to play by those rules. 

Beavers, like the rest of us, are ambulatory ecosystems. They’re inhabited by mites–tiny arachnids, related to ticks—of the genus Schizocarpus, which are beaver specialists. The mites live in the beaver’s thick fur, feeding on skin and hair secretions, and are preyed upon by a unique species of beetle. 

With one possible exception, Eurasian and North American beavers harbor different species of Schizocarpus mites. Unlike the pocket gophers and their lice, there’s not just one mite species for each of the two beaver species. Seventeen different mite species have been identified from North American beavers, and another 25 from Eurasian beavers. A single beaver may host multiple species of mite.  

Different mite species seem to have laid claim to different parts of the host. Four species inhabit the beaver’s head, shoulders, and front legs. Another six are found only on the back and the outside of the hind legs; six more only on the belly and inside of the hind legs. There’s also a species that can turn up anywhere on the animal but is relatively rare. No single beaver would have the full set of, say, head mites, but some have more than one. 

You might think these clusters of specialized parasite species had adapted to some physical feature of the host’s head, or back, or belly, as the gopher lice adapted to the thickness of their hosts’ hair. That microhabitat notion was the first hypothesis of the scientists who described the mites.  

That would jibe with the idea that most new species evolve in isolation from their nearest relatives–classically, on separate islands in an archipelago, like the Galapagos or Hawai’i. While natural barriers keep them apart, each population goes its own way, developing its unique suite of physical traits and its own genetic signature, diverging so far that the two populations couldn’t interbreed if the barriers were removed. 

But that’s apparently not how it happened. There are no obvious barriers between microhabitats. And the only thing that distinguishes one mite species from another is the size and position of the sucker plates of the adult males, which play a role in courtship. The mites don’t differ in how they make their living. (As far as I know, no one has tried to work out their genetics. It’s anyone’s guess as to whether all the head-and-shoulder mites, for instance, are closely related.) 

In a 1988 paper, two acarologists—mite researchers—named Alex Fain and John O. Whitaker, Jr. proposed that the physical environments on the different parts of the beaver couldn’t have functioned as isolation mechanisms. They continued: “About the only way we could see speciation of the mites occurring within beaver populations is if a genetic change occurred (macromutation, if you will) in which the changes were large enough to immediately serve as secondary as well as primary isolation mechanisms.” From then on, sexual selection would drive divergences in the sucker plates to ensure that the mites found genetically compatible mates. 

Natura non facit saltum, Darwin famously observed: Nature does not make leaps. But if Fain and Whitaker were right, beaver mite evolution involved multiple leaps. Although beaver mites are probably a low priority for research funding, I’d like to see someone try to sort this thing out—if it’s not too late for that.  

At various times wildlife agencies have gone in for stocking vacant beaver habitat with animals from different geographic areas—transplanting Michigan beavers to trapped-out Massachusetts, or Oregon and Idaho beavers to the beaverless Sierra. Both beaver and mite stocks may have become hopelessly entangled by now.

I’m not sure how Led Zeppelin is going to sound to me when I’m 80 but I’m determined to find out. I really don’t mind the idea of getting older. Well, maybe I do mind some of the changes in my body, like my gradual waning of flexibility, the loss of my close-up vision and having to get up too often at night. Aging is annoying but I have no desire to be 14 again. I was miserable. I didn’t like myself. I had few friends and the world seemed terrifying. Age has opened my life more and more and the price of the trip is more than worth it. I understand that I will lose more and more of the capabilities that I used to take for granted but oh well. Better prepare for the road ahead. 

There are a lot of things we can do to make our lives safer and more pleasant as we age and many related to our homes and how we live in them. The most important may be the avoidance of falls. According to the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, falls are the leading cause of death among older Americans, so preventing falls should be a high priority. But how do we do that? 

First we must look at what we’re walking upon. What are our floors and passageways like? What are the surfaces? Can we see them sufficiently? What can we hold onto? 

Loose materials like rugs are treacherous. If you have loose rugs, particularly on stairways, consider removing them in favor of another material or leave them bare. If they can be secured in place, this will improve your safety and that of your partner (there’s a good excuse you can use: “I don’t really need these changes, but my wife is such a klutz.” Whatever works). Removing clutter to open up walking paths is also advised. Handrails on stairs are extremely important and, while we may not notice their absence when we are younger, they become essential as we age and our balance decreases.  

Handrails are required on all stairways having four or more steps but you may find that a shorter run of stairs that you use frequently would benefit from one as well. These are easy additions that don’t cost much. Similarly, grab bars in bathrooms, particularly in the shower or tub can prevent falls. A friend of mine had all but ceased taking showers in his later years (though he managed in his creative way to find alternative methods) and missed it. Not wanting to admit his limitation, he avoided bringing it up for some time but clearly needed a little help. When the bars went in, it changed his life. He began dressing up again and I think there was even some resurgence in his social life. This may sound dramatic but it’s true what they say; It is the little things in life. 

Small changes in floor level can be very hard to negotiate when we’re older. A small bump that might have gone unnoticed in our youth can be sufficient to make us trip and fall and a fall can send us to hospital. Take a look at thresholds and other small changes in level (or big changes in level). There are often simple ways to reduce or eliminate bumps and level changes at low cost. A handyman or contractor can help.  

Since our hearing decreases as we age there are things we can do to augment this limitation as well. A wide array of devices exists to help us hear things we need to hear. Now, smoke detectors are really, really loud so if you have any hearing at all, they’re just fine (though louder ones can be found), but did you know that there are smoke detectors for the deaf that flash a bright light or strobe? This same technology is also available for carbon monoxide testers and doorbells. Life gets safer (and more fun) when you can hear again (or don’t have to hear to get to the door). 

Devices exist that will shake the bed if smoke is detected or simply as an alarm to wake you in the morning. One carrier of such devices can be found at www.azhearing.com but several others are out there on the Internet as well. 

As we age, our eyes become less light sensitive and, while we may adapt, an increase in wattage can be a real boon, increasing our safety while making cooking, reading or whatever we like to do, easier and more fun. One great way to do this is to replace conventional light bulbs with compact fluorescents. These are now available in very high wattages and are extremely easy to find and install. If you replace a typical 60-watt bulb with 23-watt fluorescent, you’ll actually have more light and less heat, making your home safer from fire and cheaper to light (for many of us, lighting is the largest part of our electrical bill).  

I’ve recently seen compact fluorescent bulbs with ratings as high as 200 watts (which is like 600-700 watts of light) and while I wouldn’t recommend them for a typical fixture due to the heat, I would suggest the 100-watt version for someone who has a one bulb fixture on their kitchen ceiling and has ceased production of their world-famous Abgousht (say it isn’t so!). More lighting makes you less likely to fall and more likely to do the things you like to do. Compact fluorescents decrease the heat in fixtures, cords and the wiring of the house itself and, thereby, increase safety. 

If you’re finding yourself imbalanced or needing to use a step ladder to get things that you use on a regular basis, consider moving those things so that they’re easier for you to reach. This can include cabinetry on the kitchen wall (yes, it may be possible to lower the cabinets themselves), a thermostat for heat, cooking items on high shelves or the cuckoo clock. Whatever you’ve been reaching or climbing high for can represent a health hazard and would be best moved down to where you can get it easily. 

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission puts out a nice free booklet called Safety for Older Consumers that covers some of these items and quite a few more. Call them in Oakland at 637-4050 if you’d like a copy (you can also teletype them at 800-638-8270). 

The Center for Independent Living in Berkeley, while specializing in the needs of the disabled, and not necessarily the elderly, are a wonderful resource for solutions to issues of decreased mobility, sight or hearing. Years ago, I heard from an expert on the disabled that, if we live long enough, all of us will become disabled. That really stuck for me. 

I met a delightful fellow yesterday, an art historian of some repute (isn’t Berkeley grand?). He was 90 and could barely take time away from working on his umpteenth book to talk about his house. I liked that. As we age, we don’t need to decrease. We can flame and roil to the last but, if we take a little time to make sure our environment is safe, we might get to enjoy more years of activity, mobility and zest in the best possible health. 

THURSDAY, JUNE 18 

THEATER 

“2012: The Beginning of the End of the Beginning ... Again!” with Marc David Pinate Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $8-$10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Freshly Cut” Conversation with the artists Sandy Drobny and Daphne Ruff at 5 p.m. at Craft and Cultural Arts Gallery, State of California Office Bldg., 1515 Clay St., Oakland. 622-8190. 

“Landscapes of Our Souls” Conversation with the sculptors Susan Almazol and Lorraine Bonner at 6 p.m. at Joyce Gordon Gallery, Lower Gallery, 406 14th St., Oakland. 465-8928. www.joycegordongallery.com 

FILM 

Berkeley Filmmakers Screening Series “Archaeology of Memory: Villa Grimaldi” at 7 p.m. at Zaentz Media Center, 2600 Tenth St. Free but reservations required. reservations@ 

berkeleyfilmscreening.com  

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Ayelet Waldman reads from “Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Poetry Flash with Cynthia Kraman at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

Novella Carpenter in Conversation with Michael Pollan at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley. Cost is $6-$12. berkelyarts.org 

FOUND Magazine celebrates the release of its latest collection “Requiem for a Paper Bag: Celebrities and Civilians Tell Stories of the Best Lost, Tossed, and Found Items from Around the World” at 8 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 649-1320. 

Summer Brenner on “Richmond Tales: Lost Secrets of the Iron Triangle at 3:30 p.m. at Richmond Public Library Terrace, 325 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond. community_works@yahoo.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

San Francisco Cabaret Opera “Inferno: The Second Circle of Hell: The Lustful” at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $15-$20. 415-289-6877. www.goathall.org 

Kaweh, flamenco, rumba, salsa at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $13-$15. 525-5054.  

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

Aquiles Baez & V-Note Venezuelan Jazz at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ.  

An Evening with Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082.  

Whiskey Hill at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

FRIDAY, JUNE 19 

THEATER 

“2012: The Beginning of the End of the Beginning ... Again!” with Marc David Pinate Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $8-$10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Aurora Theatre “Jack Goes Boating” through July 19. Tickets are $28-$50. 843-4822. auroratheatre.org.  

Berkeley Rep “You, Nero” at 2025 Addison St., through June 28. Tickets are $13.50-$71. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Central Works “Misanthrope” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Ave., through June 21. Tickets are $14-$25. 558-1381. centralworks.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theatre “Thoroughly Modern Millie” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito, through July 19. Tickets are $15-$24. 524-9132. www.ccct.org  

Joe Orrach’s “In My Corner” solo show, Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 7 p.m. at Oakland School of the Arts’ New Black Box Theatre, in the Fox Theatre Complex, 531 19th St. Oakland, through June 28. Tickets are $18-$28. joeorrach.com 

Masquers Playhouse “Lady Windermere’s Fan” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2:30 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond, and runs through July 4. Tickets are $18. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

Pinole Community Players “Pump Boys & the Dinettes” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Community Playhouse, 601 Tennet Ave., Pinole, through July 11. Tickets are $17-$20. www.pinoleplayers.org 

Shotgun Players “Faust, Part 1” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. through June 28. Tickets are $18-$25. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Prartho Sereno and Karen Benke, poets, at 7 p.m. at Expressions Gallery, 2035 Ashby Ave. 644-4930. www.expressionsgallery.org 

Amy Stewart reads from “Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Lorna Dee Cervantes and Al Young read their poetry as part of Berkeley City College’s Summer Creative Writing Intensive at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley City College Auditorium, 2050 Center St. Cost is $3, free for students in the intensive. scoleman-at-peralta.edu 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Tom Rigney, zydeco, at noon at the Kaiser Center Roof Garden, on top of the parking garage, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland. Free. www.KaiserCenterRoofGarden.com 

Grupo Falso Baiano at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ.  

Steve Lucky & The Rhumba Bums at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$13. 525-5054.  

Golden Bough at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $20.50-$21.50. 548-1761.  

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Antiquia at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $15. 841-2082.  

2ME at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790.  

Nino Maschella, Armen Nalabandian, Raashan Ahmad at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $10. 548-1159.  

Bob Crawford Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

SATURDAY, JUNE 20 

CHILDREN  

Colibri at Utunes Coffe House at 10:30 a.m. at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, 685 14th St., Oakland. Tickets are $10for families, $5 for adults, $3 for children. www.brownpapertickets.com 

Tales from Beatrix Potter Sat. and Sun. at 12:30 and 3 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. Cost is $7. 452-2259.  

EXHIBITIONS 

Ang Tsherin Sherpa: Deity Thangka Paintings Reception 1 p.m. at Alta Galleria, 2980 College Ave Suite 4. Exhibition runs to July 15. 414-4485. www.altagalleria.com  

Michael Dashow Prints of his science fiction and fantasy digital paintings. Reception at 2 p.m. at the LightRoom Gallery, 2263 Fifth St. 649-8111. www.lightroom.com 

“Machinations” Machines by Kurt Wold and “Robots and Watercolors” works by Clayton and Betty Bailey. Artist reception at 3 p.m. at Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Ave., Richmond. Exhibitions run to July 18. 620-677. www.therac.org 

“All Gurls” A group show by women artists. Closing reception at 7 p.m. at Eclectix Gallery, 10082 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. www.eclectix.com 

Lowell Darling’s “Secret” at 1 p.m. at Garage Gallery, 3110 Wheeler St. www.berkeleyoutlet.com, lowelldarling.com. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Alon Shalev reads from his new novel “Oilspill dotcom” at 7:30 p.m. at The Bread Workshpop, 1398 University Ave. www.alonshalev.com 

Shawn Yang Ryan and Jerry Ratch read their work as part of Berkeley City College’s Summer Creative Writing Intensive at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley City College Auditorium, 2050 Center St. Cost is $3, free for students in the intensive. scoleman-at-peralta.edu 

Todd Shimodo reads from his novel “Oh! A Mystery of Mono no Aware (The beautiful sadness in things)” at 3:30 p.m. at Eastwind Books of Berkeley, 2066 University Ave. 548-2350. www.asiabookcenter.com 

Ed Monroe reads from “Terra” at 7 p.m. at 4th Street Studio, 1717d 4th St. www.fourthstreetstudio.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Summer Solstice Music Festival, with over 50 diverse groups of performers from 1 to 7 p.m. along MacArthur Blvd in the Laurel District of Oakland. www.laurelsummersolsticemusicfestival.org 

SalmonAid Festival with music by Albino, Mitch Woods, Zydeco Flames and others, food, and information about sustainable seafood, Sat. and Sun. from noon to 8 p.m. at Jack London Square, Oakland. www.salmonaid.org 

The Oakland-East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus and Swing Fever of San Francisco “Cabaret-Zoot Suit!” at 7:30 p.m. at First Christian Church of Oakland, 111 Fairmount Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $30 and up. oebgmc.org 

Open Opera Concert in the Park at 3 p.m. at Franklin Park, 1432 San Antonio Ave., Alameda. Free. www.alamedainfo.com 

Lady Mem’fis & Her Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Andrew Carrier and the Zydeco/ Cajun Allstars at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Fiddlekids Faculty Concert at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

The ZaZous at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Powerage, Destroyer, Beauty and the Beat at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $10. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Mel Flannery Trucking Co. at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

SUNDAY, JUNE 21 

CHILDREN 

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

EXHIBITIONS 

Squeak Carnwath: Painting is no Ordinary Object Docent tour at 2 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 10th and Oak Sts. Admission is $5-$8. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Joan Gelfand and Jenny Overman, poets, as part of the monthly New Moon Illuminations series, on Tammuz, brokenness, at 3:30 p.m. at Afikomen, 3042 Claremont Ave. 655-1977.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

ChamberMix “New and Unusual Music” at 3 p.m. at Christian Science Organization at the University, 2601 Durant Ave. Free. 

San Francisco Cabaret Opera “Inferno: The Second Circle of Hell: The Lustful” at 5 p.m. at Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $15-$20. 415-289-6877. www.goathall.org 

The Oakland-East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus and Swing Fever of San Francisco “Cabaret-Zoot Suit!” at 5 p.m. at First Christian Church of Oakland, 111 Fairmount Ave., Oakland. Tickets are $30 and up. oebgmc.org 

All Bach Program including Trio Sonata from The Musical Offering with Garrett McLean, violin, Marvin Sanders, flute, Paul Rhodes, 'cello, Marion Rubinstein, harpsichord, at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. Tickets are $12-$15. 644-6893. berkeleyartcenter.org 

San Francisco Renaissance Voices “The Darkness and the Dawn” the Requiem of Giovanni Matteo Asola and motets by Chiara Margarita Cozzolani, at 4 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian, 2727 College Ave. Tickets are $15-$20. 415-664-2543, ext. 3. www.SFRV.org 

ChamberMix “New and Unusual Music” with guest artists Christa Pfeiffer, soprano, Michael Jones, violin and Stephen Moore, viola at 3 p.m. at Christian Science Organization at the University, 2601 Durant Ave. Free. 

Nancy Wright Quartet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Americana Unplugged: The Bass Anglers at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Solstice Celebration with Caroline Casey and the Flux, Isabellsa, Intersection, Soul Burners. Program at 6 p.m., live music at 8 p.m. Cost is $20-$25. Free after 8 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $8. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

The High Heat at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

MONDAY, JUNE 22 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Beth Taylor reads from “The Plain Language of Love and Loss: A Quaker Memoir” at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

“War and Peace/Visions and Text” with Judith Goldman, Leslie Scalpino, Mei-mei Berssenbrugge and others at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

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

MUSIC AND DANCE 

The Pulsators at 5:30 p.m. at Palm Tree Plaza, Jack London Square. 645-9292. www.jacklondonsquare.com 

The Junius Courtney Big Band with Denise Perrier “The Arrangers’ Showcase” at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $14. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, JUNE 23 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Global Diversity in Watercolor” Works by Rita Sklar, on display through August 11 at Post Meridian Restaurant, 1568 Oak View at Colusa Circle, Kensington. www.ritasklar.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Martinez Downtown Deco: A Dialogue” with Kristin Henderson on the architecture and New Deal history in a small East Bay town at 7 p.m. at Martinez City Library, 740 Court St., Martinez. 925-646-2898. 

Marta Acosta, author of the Casa Dracula Series, will discuss her vampire novels at 7 p.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Avenue, El Cerrito. 526-7512. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Jesse Lege & The Lariats at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Singers’ Open Mic with Kelly Park at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Jordan Essoe and Favianna Rodriguez, artists’ talks at 6 p.m. at Kala Art Gellery, 2990 San Pablo Ave. www.kala.org 

Kaya Oakes, author of “Slanted and Enchanted: The Evolution of Indie Culture” reads at 7:30 p.m. at Pegasus Books Downtown. 2349 Shattuck Ave. 649-1320. 

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

MUSIC AND DANCE 

KCBS Eyewitness Blues Band at noon at Oakland City Center, 12th and Broadway. 

Music on the Main with Top Shlef at 5 p.m. at the corner of Macdonald Ave. and Marina Way, next to the Richmond BART station. www.richmondmainstreet.org 

Ken Husbands Group with Susanna Smith at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Montuno Swing, salsa, at 8 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Giant Cloud at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Celu and Friends at 7 p.m. at Chester's Bayview Cafe, 1508 B Walnut Square. 849-9995. 

THURSDAY, JUNE 25 

CHILDREN 

“Cowboy Songs and Ballads” with Adam Miller at 3 p.m. at the Richmond Public Library, Main Children’s Room, 325 Civic Center Plaza, Richmond. 620-6557. 

FILM 

Free Outdoor Movies at Jack London Square “Hook” Come at 7:30 p.m., movies begin at sundown. Bring blankets and stadium seat. 645-9292. www.jacklondonsquare.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Philip Dreyfus reads from “Our Better Nature: Environment and the Making of San Francisco” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Opera Highlights from the upcoming production of “The Ballad of Baby Doe” at 12:15 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 5th Floor, 2090 Kittredge St. 981-6241. www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org 

Kickin’ the Mule with Freddie Hughes at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $13-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Stonehoney at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Matt Eakle Band at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Everything Gone Green, The Actors, Goodbye Nautilus at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Speak the Music, beatboxing, at 8:30 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $8. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

The Sacred Profanities at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

FRIDAY, JUNE 26 

THEATER 

Aurora Theatre “Jack Goes Boating” through July 19. Tickets are $28-$50. 843-4822. auroratheatre.org.  

Berkeley Rep “You, Nero” at 2025 Addison St., through June 28. Tickets are $13.50-$71. www.berkeleyrep.org 

Contra Costa Civic Theatre “Thoroughly Modern Millie” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito, through July 19. Tickets are $15-$24. 524-9132. www.ccct.org  

Joe Orrach’s “In My Corner” solo show, Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 7 p.m. at Oakland School of the Arts’ New Black Box Theatre, in the Fox Theatre Complex, 531 19th St. Oakland, through June 28. Tickets are $18-$28. joeorrach.com 

Masquers Playhouse “Lady Windermere’s Fan” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2:30 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond, and runs through July 4. Tickets are $18. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

Pinole Community Players “Pump Boys & the Dinettes” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at Community Playhouse, 601 Tennet Ave., Pinole, through July 11. Tickets are $17-$20. www.pinoleplayers.org 

Shotgun Players “Faust, Part 1” Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. through June 28. Tickets are $18-$25. 841-6500. www.shotgunplayers.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“What Goes Around, Comes Around” Street art on vinyl, a group show by Everybody Get Up! Reception at 6 p.m. at Float Art Gallery, 1091 Calcott Place, Unit 116, Oakland. www.thefloatcenter.com 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Dianne Hale reads from “La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World’s Most Enchanting Language” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Ritmojito, Latin, at noon at the Kaiser Center Roof Garden, on top of the parking garage, 300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland. Free. www.KaiserCenterRoofGarden.com 

Hanif & The Sound Voyagers at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $6. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Suni Paz & Rafael Manriquez at 8 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $14-$16. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Caribbean Allstars and Native Elements at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

The Refugees at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

The Moore Brothers, Casual Fog at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

The P-PL at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Reality Playthings improvisation with Frank Moore at 8 p.m. at Temescal Arts Center, 511 48th St., Oakland. fmoore@eroplay.com 

Santero, Carne Cruda at 9 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Cost is $7. 548-1159.  

Dana Salzman Quartet at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Tara Tinsley’s Birthday Show with Ryan Toth and Jeremy Ferrick at 8 p.m. at Art House Gallery and Cultural Center, 2905 Shattuck Ave. Tickets are $10.  

SATURDAY, JUNE 27 

CHILDREN  

Los Amiguitos de La Peña with Colibri & Suni Paz at 10:30 a.m. at La Peña. Cost is $5 for adults, $4 for children. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Rabbit on the Moon with songs, puppetry and acrobatics, Sat. and Sun. at 12:30 and 3 p.m. at Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. Cost is $7. 452-2259. www.fairyland.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Stan Goldberg reads from “Lessons for the Living: Stories of Forgiveness, Gratitude and Courage at the End of Life” at 4 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Rhythm & Muse with poets Lucille Lang Day and Marc Elihu Hofstadter at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center,1275 Walnut St., between Eunice and Rose. 644-6893.  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Passamezzo Moderno 17th century music of Merula, Schmelzer, Frescobaldi and others performed on dulcian, violin, organ and harpsichord, at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel, 2320 Dana St. Tickets are $8-$12. 549-3864. www.trinitychamberconcerts.com 

Bluegrass Kid’s Jam from 1 to 4 p.m. at at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $12.50-$13.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Star Spangeld Summer Gael Alcock, cello, with Skye Atman, piano, John Pearson, guitar, Adam David Miller, poetry, at 7 p.m. at 2424 Warring St. Donation $10, no one turned away. Benefits Cha house. 548-9050. 

Miss Faye Carol & Her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $15. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Gil Chun’s 15th Annual Bay Area Follies at 7 p.m. at the Roda Theatre, Berkeley Repertory, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $12-$15. Dancegil@sbcglobal.net  

La Mixta Criolla at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10-$12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Baba Ken & The Afro Groove Connexion at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$13. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Marcus Shelby Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Houston Jones at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Mark Levine & the Latin Tinge at 8 p.m. at the Jazzschool. Cost is $15-$18. 845-5373. www.jazzschool.com 

Larry Stefl Jazz Quartet at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

20 Minute Loop, The Hollyhocks, Ultralash at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Jacques Ibula at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Marcus Shelby Trio at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

SUNDAY, JUNE 28 

CHILDREN 

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

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Mystery Made Manifest” New work by Susan Dunhan Felix. Artist talk and poetry reading at 2:30 p.m. at the Bade Museum, Pacific School of Religion, 1798 Scenic Ave. 848-0528. www.susandunhanfelix.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Bluegrass for the Greenbelt Festival with The Waybacks, The Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band, Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands, and many others from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Dunsmuir House, 2960 Peralta Oaks Dr., Oakland. Tickets are $40, free for children 12 and under. For tickets see www.slimstickets.com 

Jazz Vespers with the Jazz Connection Quintet at 4 p.m. at Downs Memorial United Methodist Church, 6026 Idaho St., Oakland. Tickets are $20, $10 for children. 420-0104. www.downsmethodist.org 

London Players Music for strings, winds, and piano at 7 p.m. at Crowden School, 1475 Rose St. Tickets are $10. 409-2416. 

Gil Chun’s 15th Annual Bay Area Follies at 2 p.m. at the Roda Theatre, Berkeley Repertory, 2025 Addison St. Tickets are $12-$15. Dancegil@sbcglobal.net  

Hip Hop Awareness Fundraiser at 8 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $5-$20. All ages. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Dave Le Febvre Group at 3 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Carlos Oliveira & Brazilian Origins, featuring Harvey Wainapel, at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $12. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Soul Jazz Sundays with the Howard Wiley Organ Trio at 5 p.m. at The Aqua Lounge, 311 Broadway, Oakland. Donation $5. 625-9601. 

Wild Buds in a benefit for the Ecology Center at 7 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

McLaren’s Voices Eclectica at 5 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Lighthearted banter, a little bit of good-humored (if unwanted) advice and a few awkward moments open Jericho Road Improvement Association, seemingly the most unlikely of buddy comedies. 

Paul, a middle-aged white barkeep (Fred Sharkey) and his 20-something black poolshark regular Cash (Abel Haptegeorgis) trade insults and stories, jockeying for verbal position in a little neighborhood joint at Martin Luther King Jr. Way and 50-something Street in West Oakland. 

And the offbeat sense is sweetened by the appearance of Jesse (Sam Leicher), aka Round Boy, a white BART security guard trying to moonlight, badly, as “underground” rap artist, pool hustler, hail-fellow—whatever—only for the scene to be unsettled by Paul’s troubled teenage kid Mike (James Miles) showing up from Pleasanton, searching for his absent dad to ask for something. 

But midway through, another, more ominous, buddy act arrives—Arthur and Bob (Mark Shepard and Kevin Copps), greasing the menacing drift of their jibes to Paul and customers with the slick of off-duty cop humor, summoning up shadows that stretch from the Oakland Riders way back to the police shooting of Black Panther Bobby Hutton. 

Hella Fresh Theatre went into its second weekend playing Jericho Road, directed by author John Rosenberg, in the intimate Phoenix Theatre off Union Square in San Francisco, while newspapers mulled over the preliminary hearing of the BART police officer accused of murder in the shooting of Oscar Grant; the investigation of Oakland police in the death of Jerry Amaro; and the wire service obit of former Illinois State Attorney Edward Hanrahan, defender of the Chicago police he later stood trial with in the shooting of Black Panthers Fred Hampton and Mark Clark four decades ago. 

Jericho Road—and its protagonist—come out of the darkness of these nightmares, in hope of lighting up a little corner, reaching out a little. The title comes from Martin Luther King’s final speech, addressed to striking Memphis garbage collectors, the day before he was assassinated, citing the gospel parable of the Good Samaritan, when the priest and the Levite hurry by a prostrate victim of thieves, late to “a meeting of the Jericho Road Improvement Association.” 

Rosenberg’s second produced play shows a talent for dialogue and for shifting mood and momentum, going from very funny, even touching moments to chilling, over-the-top reversals as it delves into the motives and consequences of Paul’s own version of “giving back” to somebody else’s community, eliciting at first Cash’s kidding remarks that the joint should be called Reparations, so the whole neighborhood can drink for free, to the disgusted “All you people know how to do is apologize.” Later, trying to clean up the mess, Paul in a brief moment wonders who the real Good Samaritan in this tangled situation was, after all. 

The cast works together as an ensemble, all acting well, with nonetheless standout performances by Sharkey and Haptegeorgis. Jericho Road engagingly captures something of the overtones in the confusion of intentions and loyalties characterizing what’s euphemistically referred to as “race relations.”

For the longest day of the year, the Laurel Village Association in Oakland presents their fourth annual La Fête de la Musique, amateur and professional musicians playing in “unconventional public spaces” outdoors and in—the website features a photo of a barechested bassist in shades playing his upright, arco, in what looks like a parking lot—from 1 to 7 p. m. along MacArthur Boulevard in the Laurel neighborhood—and all for free. 

The ten stages are on MacArthur, from Launderland (3711 MacArthur) with a lineup running from Funky Tim through House Arrest to Trattoria Laurellinos (4171), which will kick off at 1 p.m. with Al Lazard & the New World Street Players playing New Orleans “Second Line Jazz,” later the Cavepainters play their acoustic folkrock originals. Other venues include the Laurel Bookstore (4100), opening with the Del Mars’ Surf instrumental, later presenting Celtic hip-hop fusion with Beltane’s Fire; the parking lot at the Lucky supermarket (4055) with the Golden Gate Jazz Ensemble at 1 p.m.; Laurel Ace Hardware (4024) with Gemini Soul and Planet Jazz early on and Mike Glendinning’s “grunge jazz” at 6; Citibank (4017) with Ambassador of Trouts at 1 p.m., hip-hop by Nacwon the Beast and Billy Da Kid later on; The Space at Laurel Jujitsu (4148) with Eveli & Nahal’s ethno-fusion tribal through Lisa Cohen’s blues & gospel; Phnom Penh Restaurant (3912), opening at 1 p.m. with Renaissance music by the New Queen’s Ha’Penny Consort; outside at Laurel Lounge (38th Ave.) with Lariats of Fire outlaw country at 1 p.m. and inside at the Laurel Lounge (3932) with folk, neo-soul and new age, and an open mic at 6. For schedules, links to musician websites and more information, visit www.laurelsummersolsticemusicfestival.org.  

Laurel’s festival was inspired by—and is connected with—a string of solstice fests around the globe, from London, Geneva, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels and Berlin to Tel Aviv, Nairobi, Kuala Lumpur, Phnom Penh, Hong Kong, Sydney, Manila—across the Pacific to Oakland, New York, Miami—and down to Rio de Janeiro. (Other nations where Fêtes appear include: China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Germany, Greece, India, Iraqi Kurdistan, Jordan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Pakistan, Romania, Sri Lanka and Venezuela.)  

First suggested by Joel Cohen, an American musician working for the French national radio station, FranceMusique, in 1976, La Fête de la Musique (also called World Music Day) was first celebrated in France in 1982. Musicians are encouraged to perform in the streets, and the shows must be free; Faites de la musique (Make music!), a homophone of Fête de la Musique, is the festival’s promotional slogan. 

How far would rampant capitalism go to exploit the worker? The Honeymooners’ Ralph Kramden had the answer: “To the moon, Alice! To the moon!” 

With Moon, his indie debut, first-time feature director Duncan Jones (aka Zowie Bowie, son of David Bowie) delivers a film that is a mind-bending, heart-breaking homage to Silent Running and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Sam Rockwell carries the weight of the story on his shoulders as Sam Bell, a weary corporate moon-cog winding up the last weeks of a three-year contract mining Helium 3 from the lunar surface. Sam’s duty is to rocket canisters of Helium 3 back to Earth where Lunar Industries sells the elusive moon-gas to provide the “clean, green energy” that allows industrial society to thrive in the post-carbon era. 

Denied direct contact with his wife and daughter because of a strangely lingering “communications blackout,” Sam’s only outside contacts come in the form of pre-recorded messages from home relayed via “JupiterMail,” brusque commands from the suits that run his station, and the computerized companionship of Gertie, the base’s all-purpose robot. (In one of many echoes of Space Odyssey, Kevin Spacey provides the voice of Gertie—and he does a Hal of a job.) 

A tense situation goes increasingly haywire as Sam’s mental moorings begin to slip. A hallucination results in a scalded hand. (That bandaged hand will prove helpful when trying to decipher the weirdness that follows.) Sam crashes his moon-cruiser into a lunar rock-crusher and awakens back in the base infirmary. “You’ve had an accident, Sam. You need to rest,” Gertie explains. 

On an unauthorized excursion back to the crash scene, Sam discovers a body in a spacesuit and hauls it back to Gertie’s sick-bay. Sam is beside himself—literally—when he discovers the body belongs to a man who looks exactly like himself and who also insists that he is the Sam Bell entrusted to run the base. The two Bells circle warily, clash violently and finally join forces to uncover an appalling secret as an ominous “rescue crew” draws closer to the station with each passing hour. 

Despite the intricate pas-de-deux involving one actor playing two polar versions of the same character in a series of ping-pong-playing stand-offs, heated arguments and bloody wrestling matches, the film notes claim the movie was shot in only 33 days. The production values, however, reflect a film that must have required months of careful preparation including massive sets and complex modeling. Moon raises the bar for indie films into a high orbit. 

Viewer will spend hours trying to “reverse engineer” this film, untangling its puzzles and looking for plot holes. Thanks to a clever screenplay many scenes that initially appear illogical do survive scrutiny. But how do you explain a Hal-like robot that fails to pay attention whenever Sam starts playing detective? And how is it that Gertie becomes a willing accomplice, even to the point of sacrificing itself to save a human? Where Hal famously monotoned: “I’m sorry, Dave. I can’t do that.” Gertie, the Anti-Hal, ultimately offers, “Yes, Sam. I can do that.” 

When a friend asked the question: “Does Sam live or does he die?” I had to answer, “Yes.” It’s that kind of a movie. Watch Moon with a friend and go out for a beer. You’ll have a lot to talk about. 

Moon opens June 19 at Shattuck Cinemas in downtown Berkeley. 

Gar Smith is a Berkeley-based editor and writer.

“Put on your zoot suit and feathered hat!” The Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus, with Swing Fever and Denise Perrier, is celebrating with its third annual cabaret, Cabaret Zoot Suit, this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, 5 p.m., in the Fellowship Hall of the First Christian Church of Oakland, 111 Fairmont Avenue. 

There will be both cabaret table seating and theater seating in the hall, where the band “will be swingin’” as the audience arrives. A fundraiser intermission will feature a silent auction and cash bar. There’ll be a prize for best period costume. 

Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus, with musical director Michael Robert Patch, will perform both as full chorus and as Otto Voci, a small ensemble featuring solo vocalists.  

Celebrating their 10th anniversay, OEBGMC was founded by the late Dick Kramer. In April, Mayor Dellums declared June 4 and 5 OEBGMC Days, in honor of their artistry, community and philanthropic work.  

Collaborators Swing Fever have been on the Bay Area bandstand since 1978. Led by San Francisco–native Bryan Gould on trombone, the quintet’s sound is based on tenor sax and trombone harmonies, with guitar instead of piano. “It’s a lovely blend, and less cluttered,” says Gould. “Pianos take up a lot of space, musically.” The group has played both Monterey and San Francisco Jazz Festivals and have recorded four CDs, two featuring famed trumpeter Clark Terry. Their fourth CD features live recording from Freight & Salvage in Berkeley and from Kimball’s East in Emeryville and features Clark Terry, with two other great jazz players, Buddy DeFranco on clarinet and Terry Gibbs on vibes. 

Denise Perrier has been a familiar voice in the Bay Area for 30 years. Her contralto renditions of jazz, ballads, blues and Latin have been heard on a number of CDs, four of her own (including “Live At Yoshi’s: Blue Monday Party”), featuring artists like saxophonist Houston Person and cellist Cash Killion. She’s recorded with organist Jack McDuff and guitarists George Benson and Philip Upchurch. On Monday, June 22, she’ll be performing with the Junius Courtney Big Band at Yoshi’s. 

CABARET ZOOT SUIT 

Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus with Swing Fever and Denise Perrier, 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday at First Christian Church of Oakland, 111 Fairmount Ave., Oakland. $20-30 and up. oebgmc.org. 

Villa Grimaldi: Archaeology of Memory in Three Cantos, a documentary film by Berkeley producer and director Marilyn Mulford, follows Bay Area Chilean exile musician and writer Quique Cruz, traveling to Chile and back as he creates the multimedia masterwork of the title. The film—a healing task for Cruz and the other contributing artists, some of whom were victims of torture under the Pinochet regime—will be screened tonight, Thursday, June 18, at 7 p.m., and followed by a question-and-answer period with the filmmaker. The program is the latest in the Berkeley Filmmakers Screening Series, which is shown on the third Thursday of every month at the Saul Zaentz Media Center, in the third-floor screening room at the old Fantasy Films and Records Building, 2600 Tenth Street, where Fantasy Studios remains part of the community.  

Admission is free, but reservations are required; the screening room has limited capacity, and programs sell out, although names are taken for a waiting list. 

“Our intention for the series—our inaugural year started in March [with Justine Shapiro, B. Z. Goldberg and Carlos Bolado’s Promises, viewing the Middle Eastern conflict through the eyes of seven Israeli and Palestinian children]—is to bring new people to the Center and its wonderful, intimate screening room,” said Judith Wetter of Wareham Development in San Rafael, which bought the building two years ago, “and to attract a new generation of filmmakers.” 

Presently, all films shown are by tenants of the building, Wetter said, “though we intend to reach out to others as well.” So far, the free screenings have all sold out, reservations (and waiting list) booked from the first of each month. But Wetter said a second screening in the 60- to 65-seat room is being contemplated, “maybe one at 6, and the other at 8 o’clock.” 

Wetter also spoke with enthusiasm about the $100,000 grant fund for local filmmakers, established this year by the City of Berkeley with the Zaentz Company and Wareham Development, “all to keep the Media Center the thriving Bay Area treasure it is.” Grant applications are now closed; a review committee is going over the current submissions. 

Marilyn Mulford of Archaeology of Memory has received an award from Sundance and been nominated for an Oscar for her latest film, Freedom on My Mind. 

On July 16, the series will show Steven Okazaki’s film The Conscience of Nhem En, concerning a young Cambodian soldier who took ID photos of thousands of Khmer Rouge victims. Okazaki has been Oscar-nominated multiple times. 

On the program August 20 is Niall McKay’s The Bass Player, about the filmmaker’s relationship with his father, an Irish jazz musician who was a single parent. On September 17, the film will be Have You Heard from Johannesberg?, Connie Field’s fourth of six stories tracing the Anti-Apartheid Movement in America. 

VILLA GRIMALDI: ARCHAEOLOGY OF MEMORY 

The documentary film, Villa Grimaldi: Archaeology of Memory, about exiled Chilean artist Quique Cruz, plays Thursday, June 18, 7 p.m., at the Berkeley Filmmakers Screening Series. New and innovative films play each third Thursday monthly, 7 p.m., at Zaentz Media Center, 2600 Tenth Street. Free, with reservation (limited seating; waiting list for sold out showings). reservations@berkeleyfilmscreening.com. 

The late Junius Courtney, trumpeter and vocalist, came west to Berkeley from New Orleans in 1945, founding a number of East Bay combos that broke the color bar. He played society and country club functions before establishing his Big Band in 1966, which long remained a staple at the Shattuck Hotel. Courtney Big Band veteran trumpeter and arranger George “Jazzbeaux” Spencer (also formerly with John Handy and Johnny Otis) now directs the band with the founder’s son, Nat Courtney, on drums and occasional vocals. SF Jazz Heritage Hall of Fame inductee trumpeter Frank Fisher, Cal Tjader alumnus Terry Hilliard on bass, and longtime Courtney pianist Roberta Mandel count for just a few of the 18-member veteran orchestra that makes its long overdue Yoshi’s debut. Bay Area favorite Denise Perrier sings. Monday evening, June 22, at 8 p.m. for The Arrangers’ Showcase. $14. 238-9200; www.yoshis. com.

I’m not sure how Led Zeppelin is going to sound to me when I’m 80 but I’m determined to find out. I really don’t mind the idea of getting older. Well, maybe I do mind some of the changes in my body, like my gradual waning of flexibility, the loss of my close-up vision and having to get up too often at night. Aging is annoying but I have no desire to be 14 again. I was miserable. I didn’t like myself. I had few friends and the world seemed terrifying. Age has opened my life more and more and the price of the trip is more than worth it. I understand that I will lose more and more of the capabilities that I used to take for granted but oh well. Better prepare for the road ahead. 

There are a lot of things we can do to make our lives safer and more pleasant as we age and many related to our homes and how we live in them. The most important may be the avoidance of falls. According to the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, falls are the leading cause of death among older Americans, so preventing falls should be a high priority. But how do we do that? 

First we must look at what we’re walking upon. What are our floors and passageways like? What are the surfaces? Can we see them sufficiently? What can we hold onto? 

Loose materials like rugs are treacherous. If you have loose rugs, particularly on stairways, consider removing them in favor of another material or leave them bare. If they can be secured in place, this will improve your safety and that of your partner (there’s a good excuse you can use: “I don’t really need these changes, but my wife is such a klutz.” Whatever works). Removing clutter to open up walking paths is also advised. Handrails on stairs are extremely important and, while we may not notice their absence when we are younger, they become essential as we age and our balance decreases.  

Handrails are required on all stairways having four or more steps but you may find that a shorter run of stairs that you use frequently would benefit from one as well. These are easy additions that don’t cost much. Similarly, grab bars in bathrooms, particularly in the shower or tub can prevent falls. A friend of mine had all but ceased taking showers in his later years (though he managed in his creative way to find alternative methods) and missed it. Not wanting to admit his limitation, he avoided bringing it up for some time but clearly needed a little help. When the bars went in, it changed his life. He began dressing up again and I think there was even some resurgence in his social life. This may sound dramatic but it’s true what they say; It is the little things in life. 

Small changes in floor level can be very hard to negotiate when we’re older. A small bump that might have gone unnoticed in our youth can be sufficient to make us trip and fall and a fall can send us to hospital. Take a look at thresholds and other small changes in level (or big changes in level). There are often simple ways to reduce or eliminate bumps and level changes at low cost. A handyman or contractor can help.  

Since our hearing decreases as we age there are things we can do to augment this limitation as well. A wide array of devices exists to help us hear things we need to hear. Now, smoke detectors are really, really loud so if you have any hearing at all, they’re just fine (though louder ones can be found), but did you know that there are smoke detectors for the deaf that flash a bright light or strobe? This same technology is also available for carbon monoxide testers and doorbells. Life gets safer (and more fun) when you can hear again (or don’t have to hear to get to the door). 

Devices exist that will shake the bed if smoke is detected or simply as an alarm to wake you in the morning. One carrier of such devices can be found at www.azhearing.com but several others are out there on the Internet as well. 

As we age, our eyes become less light sensitive and, while we may adapt, an increase in wattage can be a real boon, increasing our safety while making cooking, reading or whatever we like to do, easier and more fun. One great way to do this is to replace conventional light bulbs with compact fluorescents. These are now available in very high wattages and are extremely easy to find and install. If you replace a typical 60-watt bulb with 23-watt fluorescent, you’ll actually have more light and less heat, making your home safer from fire and cheaper to light (for many of us, lighting is the largest part of our electrical bill).  

I’ve recently seen compact fluorescent bulbs with ratings as high as 200 watts (which is like 600-700 watts of light) and while I wouldn’t recommend them for a typical fixture due to the heat, I would suggest the 100-watt version for someone who has a one bulb fixture on their kitchen ceiling and has ceased production of their world-famous Abgousht (say it isn’t so!). More lighting makes you less likely to fall and more likely to do the things you like to do. Compact fluorescents decrease the heat in fixtures, cords and the wiring of the house itself and, thereby, increase safety. 

If you’re finding yourself imbalanced or needing to use a step ladder to get things that you use on a regular basis, consider moving those things so that they’re easier for you to reach. This can include cabinetry on the kitchen wall (yes, it may be possible to lower the cabinets themselves), a thermostat for heat, cooking items on high shelves or the cuckoo clock. Whatever you’ve been reaching or climbing high for can represent a health hazard and would be best moved down to where you can get it easily. 

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission puts out a nice free booklet called Safety for Older Consumers that covers some of these items and quite a few more. Call them in Oakland at 637-4050 if you’d like a copy (you can also teletype them at 800-638-8270). 

The Center for Independent Living in Berkeley, while specializing in the needs of the disabled, and not necessarily the elderly, are a wonderful resource for solutions to issues of decreased mobility, sight or hearing. Years ago, I heard from an expert on the disabled that, if we live long enough, all of us will become disabled. That really stuck for me. 

I met a delightful fellow yesterday, an art historian of some repute (isn’t Berkeley grand?). He was 90 and could barely take time away from working on his umpteenth book to talk about his house. I liked that. As we age, we don’t need to decrease. We can flame and roil to the last but, if we take a little time to make sure our environment is safe, we might get to enjoy more years of activity, mobility and zest in the best possible health. 

THURSDAY, JUNE 18 

Uptown Unveiled! live music, arts and walking tours from 5 to 10 p.m. around 19th St. and Telegraph Ave., Oakland. www.oaklandnet.com 

“Surfing a Sea of Troubles: Strategies for Protecting California’s Coast and Ocean” a panel discussion at 7 p.m. in the Kinzie Room, David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way. Donation $10-$20. 859-9137. 

Rising Kneads: A Sourdough Primer Learn how to make your own starter culture using different grains and how to make a variety of breads from scratch, from 7 to 10 p.m. on the East Bay. Location given upon registration. Cost is $30-$50. Sponsored by Institute of Urban Homesteading. 927-3252. 

Conscientious Projector Film Series “Garbage Warrior” about homes built from garbage off-the-grid, at 7:30 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Hall, 1924 Cedar at Bonita. Donation $5-10 appreciated. No one turned away for lack of funds. 841-4824. 

LeConte Neighborhood Association meets at 7:30 p.m. in the LeConte School cafeteria, 2241 Russell St. on the 24 hour convenience store at Telegraph & Ashby and better use and protection of city and BUSD open space. KarlReeh@aol.com 

Report Back from the Agent Orange Tribunal in Paris and IADL Convention in Hanoi with NLG President Marjorie Cohn at 5:30 p.m. at 300 Lakeside Drive, Suite 1000, Oakland, near 19th St. BART station. Co-sponsored by Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute. 848-6008. www.mcli.org 

Babies & Toddlers Storytime at 10:15 and 11:15 a.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

Summer Dance Party EveryThurs. at 7:30 p.m. at Live Oak Park. Teachers will lead a variety of dances from around the world. All ages at 7:30, teens and adults at 8:30. Cost is $2 children, $5 adults. 

Fitness Class for 55+ at 9:15 a.m. at Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

FRIDAY, JUNE 19 

6th Annual Spring/Summer Black & White Yard Sale A benefit fundraiser for Friends of Kenney Cottage Garden, for start-up expenses for West Berkeley’s new community garden and community space, Fri.-Mon. at 1629 5th St. 526-7828.  

Tribute to the Courage of the Homeless and Celebration of boona’s 30 years at BOSS, with an Indian Tamasha and dinner, music and more at 6 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. Tickets are $40, $75 for two. 649-1930. sonja@self-sufficiency.org 

World Refugee Day: East Bay Refugee Forum from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at San Antonio Park, 16th Ave & Foothill Blvd, Oakland. Sponsored by Survivors International, a non-profit dedicated to providing mental health and social services to survivors of torture. www.survivorsintl.org 

Memories of Berkeley Public School Desegregation Application deadline for people interested in sharing their experiences. For information call 981-6142. www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org 

“Gross Animals” with Sylvia Branzei at 6 and 7 p.m. at Lawrence Hall of Science, Centennial Drive below Grizzly Peak. Cost is $5. 642-5132. www.lawrencehallofscience.org. 

Shimmy Shimmy Kid’s Dance with clowns, dance music and more for the whole family at 6 p.m. at Rhythmix Cultural Works, 2513 Blanding Ave., Alameda. Cost is $5-$10. www.rhythmix.org 

Berkeley School Volunteers New volunteer orientation from 10 to 11 a.m. at 1835 Allston Way. Volunteer opportunities in the summer or during the regular school year. 644-8833. bsv@berkeley.k12.ca.us 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Debra Saunders, columnist, SF Chrionicle on “Read Your newspaper!” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $15, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 527-2173. www.citycommonsclub.org 

Demonstrate for Peace! Bring your signs and determination from 2 to 4 p.m. at Acton and University aves. Sponsored by Berkeley-East Bay Gray Panthers, and Strawberry Creek Lodge Tenants Association. 

Berkeley Women in Black weekly vigil from noon to 1 p.m. at Bancroft and Telegraph. Our focus is human rights in Palestine. 548-6310. 

Three Beats for Nothing Mostly ancient part music for fun and practice meets every Fri. at 10 a.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center, Hearst at MLK. 655-8863. asiecker@sbcglobal 

Berkeley Chess Club meets every Fri. at 7 p.m. at the Hillside School, 1581 Le Roy Ave. 843-0150. 

SATURDAY, JUNE 20 

7th Annual Berkeley Family Festival & Bike Rodeo! Activities include an obstacle course, mock city, bicycle tours, face painting, performers, bike maintenance and fix-a-flat stations, blood pressure screenings, raffle prizes and lots of other activities and health resources, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at San Pablo Park and Frances Albrier Community Center, 2800 Park St. at Oregon St. 981-7676. 

Summer Solstice Music Festival, with over 50 diverse groups of performers from 1 to 7 p.m. along MacArthur Blvd in the Laurel District of Oakland. www.laurelsummersolsticemusicfestival.org 

Summer Solstice Gathering with a mini-workshop on Astronomy and the Seasons, led by Tory Brady, at 7:45 p.m. at the Interim Solar Calendar, César Chávez Park, Berkeley Marina. Dress warmly. www.solarcalendar.org 

SalmonAid Festival with music by Albino, Mitch Woods, Zydeco Flames and others, food, and information about sustainable seafood, Sat. and Sun. from noon to 8 p.m. at Jack London Square, Oakland. www.salmonaid.org 

Walking Tour of Old Oakland “New Era/New Politics” highlights African-American leaders who have made their mark on Oakland. Meet at 10 a.m. at the African American Museum and Library at 659 14th St. 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

Return of the Terns Celebrate the return of the endangered California Least Terns, nesting at the Alameda Wildlife Refuge after their 2,000-mile migration from Latin America. Reserve a one-hour viewing trip to the Alameda Wildlife Refuge with a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist. Registration required; please visit www.ebparks.org.  

Economic Empowerment Fair Increase your awareness of the financial and social services resources and information in the Berkeley community with workshops, vendors, free credit reports, follow up counseling, and youth activities, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Paul AME Church, 2024 Ashby Ave. Free. 848-2050. 

World Refugee Day: Art & Awareness from 2 to 6 p.m. at College Avenue Presbyterian Church, 5951 College Ave., Oakland. Sponsored by Survivors International, a non-profit dedicated to providing mental health and social services to survivors of torture. www.survivorsintl.org 

Family Pride Day at Habitot Children’s Museum with activities from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 2065 Kittredge St. Cost is $7-$8. For details see www.habitot.org 

Insect Discovery Lab A hands-on interactive event emphasizing the conservation of unusual bugs, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Eclectix Gallery, 10082 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. www.eclectix.com 

California Writers Club on “The Tools of Writing Clarity” with Dr. Ransom W. Stephens, physicist, essayist at 10 a.m. at Barnes & Nobel Event Loft, Jack London Square, 98 Broadway, Oakland. 272-0120. www.berkeleywritersclub.org 

Father’s Day Weekend at Playland Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 10979 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. Cost is $10-$15. Dads get in for free when accompanied by one of their children. 232-4264 ext. 25. 

Master Gardeners at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market Get advice on watering, plant selection and pest management from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Center St., between MLK and Milvia. 639-1275.  

Small Animal Adoption Day and RabbitEars 5th Birthday from 1 to 5 p.m. at Rabbit Ears, 377 Colusa Ave., Kensington. 525-6155. 

Homebuyers Education from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The HomeOwnership Center, 3301 East 12th St., Suite 201, Oakland. To register call 535-6943. homeownership@unitycouncil.org 

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.  

Lawn Bowling on the green at the corner of Acton St. and Bancroft Way every Wed. and Sat. at 10 a.m. for ages 12 and up. Wear flat soled shoes, no heels. Free lessons. 841-2174.  

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. 

Open Shop at Berkeley Boathouse from 1 to 5 p.m. at at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. Take part in constructing a wooden boat or help out with other maritime projects. No experience necessary. First time is free, cost is $10 per day. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

SUNDAY, JUNE 21 

Father’s Day/Summer Solstice Labyrinth Walk, East Lawn, Berkeley Marina from 2 to 4 p.m. with music from world musician Alan Tower, invocation by poet/artist Rafael Jesús González and labyrinth peace walk facilitated by singer/songwriter Margie Adam. 526-7377. eastbaylabyrinthproject@gmail.com  

6th Annual Spring/Summer Black & White Yard Sale A benefit fundraiser for Friends of Kenney Cottage Garden, for start-up expenses for West Berkeley’s new community garden and community space at 1629 5th St. 526-7828.  

Berkeley Path Wanderers: Daley’s Scenic Park and Beyond A moderately paced excursion through the original stomping grounds of the Hillside Club. While this first ever weekend evening walk will not have a formal program, we’ll stop and enjoy the architectural and panoramic treasures on our way up to La Verada Rd and back. Some steep climbs will be included. Meet at 6 p.m. at Hillside School, 1581 Le Roy Ave. 528-3246. www.berkeleypaths.org 

Bike Tour of Oakland for ages 12 and up with bikes, helmets and repair kits. Meet at 10th St. entrance of Oakland Museum of California. Free, but reservations required. 238-3514. www.museumca.org 

Free Sailboat Rides from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Cal Sailing Club, Berkeley Marina. Wear warm, waterproof clothing and bring a change of clothes in case you get wet. Children 5 and over welcome with parent or guardian. www.cal-sailing.org 

Kids Are Us Fun Day with poetry, art and music jam session, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Expressions Gallery, 2035 Ashby Ave. 644-4930. www.expressionsgallery.org 

Father’s Day at the Oakland Aviation Museum from noon to 4 p.m. with open cockpits and car show, at 8252 Earhart Rd., Bldg. 621, Historic North Field, Oakland Airport. 638-7100. www.aoklandaviationmuseum.org 

Social Action Forum on volunteering in the local community at 10 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

Jewish Songs & Stories at 10:30 a.m. at Jewish Gateways, 409 Liberty Street El Cerrito. RSVP required. 559-8140. http://www.jewishgateways.org 

East Bay Atheists with a video of Andy Thomson’s talk “Why We Believe in Gods” at 1:30 p.m. at Berkeley Main Library, 3rd Floor Meeting Room, 2090 Kittredge St. 222-7580. www.eastbayatheists.org/meetings.html 

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

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 Rosalyn White on “Saving a Culture, Book by Book” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 809-1000.  

Sew Your Own Open Studio Come learn to use our industrial and domestic machines, or work on your own projects, from 2 to 6 p.m. at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. Also on Thurs. from 2 to 6 p.m. Cost is $5 per hour. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

MONDAY, JUNE 22 

“Urban Gardens Under Attack” with the film “Fridays at the Farm,” speakers and music at 7 p.m. at BFUU, 1924 Cedar St., at Bonita. 

CodePink “By Remote Control” A teach-in on drones at 6 p.m. at Mudrakers, 2801 Telegraph Ave. RSVP to 540-7007. 

Kensington Book Club meets to discuss “People of the Book” by Geraldine Brooks at 7 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

Community Yoga Class Mon. and Thurs. at 10 a.m. at James Kenney Parks and Rec. Center at Virginia and 8th. Seniors and beginners welcome. Cost is $6. 207-4501. 

Three Beats for Nothing South Mostly ancient part music for fun and practice meets every Mon. at 3 p.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, Ellis at Ashby. 655-8863. asiecker@sbcglobal 

East Bay Track Club for girls and boys ages 3-15 meets Mon. and Wed. at 6 p.m. at Berkeley High School track field. Free. 776-7451. 

Morning Meditation Every Mon., Wed., and Fri. at 7:45 a.m. at Rudramandir, 830 Bancroft Way at 6th. 486-8700. 

Small-Business Counseling Free one-hour one-on-one counseling to help you start and run your small business with a volunteer from Service Core of Retired Executives, Mon. evenings by appointment at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. For appointment call 981-6148. www.eastbayscore.org 

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group, for people 60 years and over, meets at 9:45 a.m. at Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave, Albany. Cost is $3.  

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. 

Dragonboating Year round classes at the Berkeley Marina, Dock M. Meets Mon, Wed., Thurs. at 6 p.m. Sat. at 10:30 a.m. For details see www.dragonmax.org 

TUESDAY, JUNE 23 

Family Storytime for preschoolers and up at 7 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

Berkeley PC Users meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at 1145 Walnut St near Eunice. MelDancing@aol.com 

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. 

End the Occupation Vigil every Tues. at noon at Oakland Federal Bldg., 1301 Clay St. www.epicalc.org 

Street Level Cycles Community Bike Program Come use our tools as well as receive help with performing repairs free of charge. Youth classes available. Tues., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. from 2 to 6 p.m. at at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your digital images, slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

Bridge for beginners from 12:30 to 2:15 p.m., all others 12:30 to 4 p.m. Sing-A-Long at 2:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5190. 

Free Meditation Classes, Tues. and Thurs. at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarians, 2nd flr., 1606 Bonita. 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24 

Golden Gate Audubon Society Bird Walk at Lake Merritt and Lakeside Park. Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the large spherical cage near Nature Center at Perkins and Bellevue. www.goldengateaudubon.org 

Walking Tour of Historic Oakland Churches and Temples Meet at 10 a.m. at the front of the First Presbyterian Church at 2619 Broadway. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

“Fund Schools not Jails!” with Jennifer Kim from Books not Bars, Ella Baker Center at 1:30 p.m. at North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst. Sponsored by Berkeley-East Bay Gray Panthers. 548-9696. 

“Women Activists and the Middle East” Roundtable discussion with Palestinian-American activist Nadeen El-Shorafa, Arab Resource and Organizing Center, and Afghani-American activist Shamsia Razaqi VP of Omeid International, at 12:30 p.m. at Women of Color Resource Center, 1611 Telegraph Ave. #303, Oakland. Please RSVP to info@coloredgirls.org 

“The World According to Monsanto” A documentary by Marie-Monique Robin, at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation $5. www.Humanist Hall.org 

Free Screening of “Over the Edge“ as part of the Radical Film Nite with free popcorn and post-film discussion, at 8 p.m. at the Long Haul Infoshop, 3124 Shattuck Ave. 540-0751. www.thelonghaul.org 

“Thrive with Cancer” Susan Kay Gilbert uses storytelling, singing, dancing, listening, and silence to help people living with cancer at 6:30 p.m. at Oakland Public Library, Main Library, 125 14th St., Oakland. 238-3134. 

Red Cross Blood Drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at State Building, Training Room 1, 1515 Clay St., Oakland. To schedule an appointment call 800-448-3543. www.beadonor.com  

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. 

Theraputic Recreation at the Berkeley Warm Pool, Wed. at 3:30 p.m. and Sat. at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley Warm Pool, 2245 Milvia St. Cost is $4-$5. Bring a towel. 632-9369. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www. 

geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

Teen Chess Club from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the North Branch Library, 1170 The Alameda at Hopkins. 981-6133. 

Berkeley CopWatch Drop-in office hours from 6 to 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. 548-0425. 

THURSDAY, JUNE 25 

Climate Change Action Group Facilitator Training from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2350 San Pablo Ave. Free. Workbook is $10. Registration required. 548-2220, ext. 240. 

“Oakland: Politics and Policing” Panel discussion sponsored by the Wellstone Democratic Club at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Pot-luck at 6 p.m. www.wellstoneclub.org 

Red Cross Blood Drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the American Red Cross Bus, 2021 Challenger Dr., Alameda. To schedule an appointment call 800-448-3543. www.beadonor.com 

Summer Dance Party EveryThurs. at 7:30 p.m. at Live Oak Park. Teachers will lead a variety of dances from around the world. All ages at 7:30, teens and adults at 8:30. Cost is $2 children, $5 adults. 

Circle of Concern Vigil meets on West Lawn of UC campus across from Addison and Oxford, Thurs. at noon and Sun. at 1 p.m. to oppose UC weapons labs contracts. 848-8055. 

Three Beats for Nothing South Mostly ancient part music for fun and practice meets every Thurs. at 10 a.m. at the South Berkeley Senior Center, Ellis at Ashby. 655-8863. asiecker@sbcglobal 

Fitness Class for 55+ at 9:15 a.m. at Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

FRIDAY, JUNE 26 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Sally Pipes, Pacific Research Institute, on “The Top Myths of American Health Care” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $15, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 527-2173. www.citycommonsclub.org 

Red Cross Blood Drive from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Alameda Hospital, Conference Room A, 2070 Clinton Ave., Alameda. To scehdulae an appointment call 800-448-3543. www.beadonor.com 

Humanistic Judaism Shabbat at 7:30 p.m. at the Albany Community Center, 1249 Marin Ave., Albany. Please bring finger dessert or snack to share for the Oneg and non-perishable food for the needy. 428-1492. Programs@kolhadash.org  

“What is Jewish Spirituality?” at 6:15 p.m. in a private home in Oakland’s Lake Merritt area. Location given on RSVP. Potluck contribution or $7. 559-8140. www.jewishgateways.org 

Berkeley Women in Black weekly vigil from noon to 1 p.m. at Bancroft and Telegraph. Our focus is human rights in Palestine. 548-6310. 

Berkeley Chess Club meets every Fri. at 7 p.m. at the Hillside School, 1581 Le Roy Ave. 843-0150. 

SATURDAY, JUNE 27 

45th Birthday UNA/UNICEF Center from 10 a.m. ato 5 p.m. with a celebration of the 64th anniversary of the UN Charter at 1 p.m. at 1403B Addison St. 849-1752. www.unausaeastbay.org 

G.I. Suicide Awareness March and Rally Meet at 11 a.m. in Civic Center Park across from Veteran’s Bldg and march to People’s Park for speakers, music and food.  

Dr. Helen Caldicott on “The Relevance of Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Power to international relations and the Green Revolution” at 7:30 p.m. at Redwood Gardens Community Room, 2951 Derby St. Ticekts are $12-$15. Benefit for SuperBOLD (Berkeleyans Organizing for Library Defense). 843-2152. 

Backyard Chickens Learn how to get started with your own low-effort backyard flock. We’ll discuss life cycles, coop designs, breed selection, care and feeding for health and egg production, protection from predators and ways of integrating your chickens into your garden From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the East Bay. Location given upon registration. Cost is $30-50. Sponsored by Institute of Urban Homesteading East Bay. 927-3252. 

Friends of Five Creeks Volunteers remove invasives and improve habitat at restored Baxter Creek at the north end of the Ohlone Greenway, El Cerrito. Meet at 10 a.m. where the Ohlone Greenway breaks Conlon, west of Key and east of San Pablo. Snacks, water, tools, and gloves provided. 848-9358. www.fivecreeks.org 

Master Gardeners at the Berkeley Farmers’ Market Get advice on watering, plant selection and pest management from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Center St., between MLK and Milvia. 639-1275. http://amcg.ucdavis.edu 

Walking Tour of Old Oakland Explore the 9th and Washington St. district. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of Ratto’s, 821 Washington St. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

“Fuchias” How to grow and care for these plants at 10 a.m. at Magic Gardens, 729 Heinz Ave. Free. 644-2351. 

Teen Drumming Circle at 3 p.m. at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredge St. To reserve a drum please call 981-6147. 

Introduction to Improv Theater and Acting with Pan Theater in downtown Oakland, from 10:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. For ages 18 and up. Free. Advance registration requested pantheater@comcast.net 

Cork Boat Regatta A family extravaganza day at the museum of Children’s Art. Build your own yacht and set sail in the mini-pool, from 1 to 4 p.m. at 538 9th St., Oakland. Cost is $7. 465-8770. www.mocha.org 

Ham Radio Demonstration for Field Day at from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Crown Memorial Beach, close to Shoreline Drive, Alameda. 523-1397. www.arcaham.org 

Beach Party Weekend at Playland Sat. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 10979 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. Cost is $10-$15. 232-4264 ext. 25. www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org 

Red Cross Blood Drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the American Red Cross Bus, at YMCA, 2001 Allston Way. To schedule an appointmetn call 800-448-3543. www.beadonor.com 

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 

Lawn Bowling on the green at the corner of Acton St. and Bancroft Way every Wed. and Sat. at 10 a.m. for ages 12 and up. Wear flat soled shoes, no heels. Free lessons. 841-2174.  

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. 

Open Shop at Berkeley Boathouse from 1 to 5 p.m. at at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. Take part in constructing a wooden boat or help out with other maritime projects. No experience necessary. First time is free, cost is $10 per day. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

SUNDAY, JUNE 28 

Berkeley International Food Festival with cooking demonstrations, food samples, and live entertainment, from noon to 5 p.m. several blocks in either direction of the San Pablo and Univertisy aves intersection. Free. 845-4106. www.berkeleyinternationalfoodfestival.com 

“Thank You Bill and Judy” A community celebration to thank Bill and Judy Fujimoto for their 31 years at Monterey Market at 2 p.m. at King School Park, Hopkins St. near Colusa. Please bring a sweet or savory finger food to share. 

Dr. Helen Caldicott on “Can and should there be a world ban on nuclear weapons now?” at 2:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, at the intersection of Dana and Durant. Vigil at 1 p.m. at on the west lawn across from the intersection of Addison and Oxford. 

Haiti Action Committee Memorial for Fr. Jean Juste at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Church, 1640 Addison St. 

Home Expo An opportunity to learn about home repair and home improvement projects, from 1 to 5 p.m. at El Cerrito Community Center, 7007 Moeser Lane, El Cerrito. www.el-cerrito.org 

“And Still I Rise: A Day of Advocacy and Tribute to Congolese Women” with Kambale Musavuli, from the D.C. based organization, Friends of the Congo, along with Bay Area activists from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. bayarea@friendsofthecongo.org 

Tour of the Berkeley City Club, designed by Julia Morgan, from 1 to 4 p.m. at 2315 Durant Ave. Sponsored by the Landmark Heritage Foundation. 848-7800. 

Family Printmaking Workshop in conjunction with “Reverberations” Japanese Prints of the 1923 Kanto Earthquake from 3 to 5 p.m. at Mills College Art Museum, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland. 430-2164. www.mills.edu/museum/ 

Sad Voter Pink Tea Party with Code Pink at 6 p.m. at Redwood Gardens, 2951 Derby St. bayareacp@yahoo.com 

Free Hands-on Bicycle Clinic Learn how to do a safety inspection, from 10 to 11 a.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Bring your bike and tools. 527-4140. 

Social Action Forum with Cheryl Meyers, Nevin Community Center on “Working as a Community Organizer” at 10 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensington. 525-0302, ext. 306. 

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

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 Bob Byrne on ”Mantra and Healing” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 809-1000. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

Sew Your Own Open Studio Come learn to use our industrial and domestic machines, or work on your own projects, from 2 to 6 p.m. at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. Also on Thurs. from 2 to 6 p.m. Cost is $5 per hour. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

CITY MEETINGS 

Design Review Committee meets Thurs., June 18, at 7:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7415.  

Medical Cannabis Commission meets Thurs., June 18, at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall, Cypress Room, 2180 Milvia. 981-7402. 

Transportation Commission meets Thurs., June 18, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7061.  

Zero Waste Commission meets Mon., June 22, at 7 p.m., at North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6357. 

City Council meets Tues., June 23, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci. 

berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Disaster and Fire Safety Commission meets Wed., June 24, at 7 p.m., at the Emergency Operations Center, 997 Cedar St. 981-5502.  

Energy Commission meets Wed., June 24, at 6:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7439.  

Planning Commission meets Wed., June 24, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7416. 

Police Review Commission meets Wed.,June 24, at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-4950.  

Mental Health Commission meets Thurs., June 25, at 5 p.m. at 2640 MLK Jr. Way, at Derby. 981-5217.  

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., June 25, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. 981-7430.  

Council Agenda Committee meets Mon., June 29, at 2:30 p.m., at 2180 Milvia St. 981-6900. 

www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil/agenda-committee