News

Dear reader: There are two types of people in Berkeley: rubes like you and me, and there are the elite. The normal rules that rubes live, bleed, and die by don’t apply to the elite. The elite needn’t follow the well-established required procedures nor abide by municipal regulations. They’re special and they know what’s best for us, and what’s best for them.

One of Berkeley’s most onerous departments of rules and regulations is its Building Department. If the average citizen rube wants to replace a water heater, stove or even a light switch, the law says he has to pull a building permit. If the rube wants to repair his front porch, he has to turn in working drawings and a lot map, and pay hundreds of dollars to get said building permit. I know from personal experience.

Heaven forbid after buying your 1,145 square-foot house for $435,000 less than a year ago, as Ryan Lau did, you should want to tear down your miniscule old and decrepit garage built in the 1920s and replace it with a lovely residential structure twice as large and located far less than the required four feet from the property line. If a rube wanted to build too close to his neighbor’s property he would have to get a ‘Use Permit,’ which would likely require a public hearing and cost the rube thousands and thousands of dollars. He might even end up in front of the Zoning Adjustment Board!

Of course if the person who wants to do such a thing is named Ryan Lau, Councilman Darryl Moore’s long-time aide and appointed Commissioner to the Zoning Adjustments Board, rules mean nothing. -more-

An Oakland woman was struck and killed by a truck Wednesday night near a South Berkeley intersection. -more-

Records from the state Office of Traffic Safety show that Berkeley has consistently been one of the least safe—and in some cases the most unsafe—places in California for bicyclists and pedestrians for the last several years. -more-

Berkeley High School Principal Jim Slemp, whose tenure was sometimes marked by controversy and contentious relationships with parents and teachers, announced Wednesday morning he was going to retire in June. -more-

A special City Council workshop on cuts to Berkeley’s Public Health funds revealed some hard truths Tuesday, including the possible threat of losing the city’s independent health department. The 5:30 p.m. meeting began with Berkeley’s Budget Manager Tracy Vesely briefing the council on the $14.6 million deficit the city faces in 2010-2011, including a $3 million shortfall in the Public Health Department. -more-

The Berkeley City Council went through a flurry of motions Tuesday night, approving over-the-counter alcohol permits for quick service restaurants downtown, columbaria within city limits and a $130,000 package for a new rent board deputy director. -more-

Berkeley’s Downtown Streetscape and Open Space Improvement Plan (SOSIP) subcommittee, which is charged with advising the City Council on changes to Berkeley’s downtown, got off to an initially bumpy start Monday, then settled into a series of relatively quick decisions about preferred directions. There was little discussion of how all this would be paid for, however. -more-

Review of the expansion of one historic branch public library building, likely demolition of another, and affirmation of the landmark designation of the old Mobilized Women of Berkeley building at 1007 University Avenue were major issues before the Berkeley Landmarks Preservation Commission at its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, March 4, 2010. The Commission also considered several shorter items including building remodels and historic plaques. -more-

The Berkeley City Council Tuesday bade farewell to the city’s Deputy Director Lisa Caronna who will be retiring this week. -more-

Berkeley-based Earth Island Institute is behind the making of The Cove, which won an Oscar for best documentary Sunday night. -more-

On March 17th, the Irish, the more than 70 million world-wide who claim Irish heritage, and the Irish-for-a-day, will be lifting a pint of Guinness, or something stronger, to toast Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. I bet corn beef and cabbage will be on many a menu. And many will be wearin' the green. Why is it celebrated on March 17th? One theory is that is the day St. Patrick died; it is now celebrated as his feast day. -more-

Last week the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, a (privately-funded) program for what used to be called old folks (people my age) which operates on and around the UC Berkeley campus, staged an afternoon event in the glamorous new (privately funded) Freight and Salvage auditorium. -more-

Berkeley's refuse-recycling budget deficit has been on the minds of a growing number of people, including me. Stories have appeared in the Planet and other newspapers about the topic. Based on what I've read, it appears public decision-makers are economically clueless in Berkeley. -more-

I decided to join the student march from UC Berkeley down to Oakland's Frank Ogawa Plaza. From there I joined the contingent that went by the UC administration building in downtown Oakland on Franklin and continued to follow when they headed to what turned out to be highway entrance to 880 on 11th St., not knowing the intention was to march on the highway and to block traffic during rush hour at 5pm. -more-

For the past several weeks we've been inundated with newspaper stories and TV coverage of the Toyota acceleration problem -- hapless drivers doing over 100 miles per hour on freeways, unable to stop. Let me tell you about my own personal experience -- one that's left me shaken after three weeks. -more-

The Governor's wish to legalize pot has some problems that people ought to think about. While the illegality of marijuana resembles an unnecessary restriction like that of Prohibition, making it legal could cause unforeseen problems. -more-

An open letter to Mayor Bates and City Council Members: We note with interest that UC Berkeley’s Vice-Chancellor wrote you on December 14, 2009, addressing what we believe to be an unconstitutional exemption that UC has recently obtained from California’s premier earthquake protection statute. He stated: ‘The exemption is also consistent with and supportive of Alquist-Priolo's primary purpose: "to provide the citizens of California with increased safety and to minimize the loss of life during and immediately following earthquakes …"’. This is a clear contradiction in terms. An exemption from a safety-related statute cannot be consistent with ensuring public safety. -more-

A February 11 Letter to the Editor regarding MV Transportation and the transit service we provide for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory wholly mischaracterized our company and safety performance. In fact, the letter completely misrepresented the facts. -more-

This past week I was reminded of a Winston Churchill speech where he lamented, "these are the years that the locust hath eaten." Speaking before the House of Commons, Churchill chronicled Hitler's rise to power, Germany's rearmament, and England's failure to respond. He used the locust metaphor to refer to the multiple opportunities England had to prevent war. -more-

At first glance, the recent assassination of a mid-level Hamas operative in Dubai by the Israeli intelligence organization, Mossad, was a comedy of errors, as if the Three Stooges has suddenly been put in charge of one of the fabled agency’s hit squads: Easily traced passports and credit cards were used; team members put on fake mustaches and beards, sometimes so clumsily they could clearly be identified; and a female agent slipped on a disguising wig, only to walk back and forth in front of a surveillance camera for half an hour. -more-

“In youth we learn; In age we understand.” -more-

Berkeley prides itself on being at the forefront of national trends. This was already the case a hundred years ago, when newfangled inventions like the automobile and the movies found receptive local entrepreneurs ready to help them along. -more-

A few days ago, Ron and I were walking down San Pablo Avenue near Hearst when we heard a familiar screeching noise. We located the source in a leafless tree: a midsized green parrot with a long tail and a red face. It appeared to be a mitred conure, also known as mitred parakeet, the species that’s frequented West Berkeley for at least a couple of decades. And there was only one. -more-

Look here for an ongoing guide to selected arts events in Berkeley compiled by the producer of the Berkeley Arts Festival. -more-

Earlier this year I took a trip to see what Modern Hath Wrought. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) turns 75 this year, and is celebrating with both special and retrospective exhibitions and programs. -more-