The Week

The panelists, pro and con, at the Measure R forum. Novosel had a hand-lettered name
                          plate since he was a last minute stand-in for Mayor Tom Bates, a no-show at the debate.
Steven Finacom
The panelists, pro and con, at the Measure R forum. Novosel had a hand-lettered name plate since he was a last minute stand-in for Mayor Tom Bates, a no-show at the debate.
 

News

Flash: Suspect with Gun Reported at Ashby BART in Berkeley--BART Police Unable to Confirm

By Saul Sugarman (BCN) and Berkeley Daily Planet
Saturday October 16, 2010 - 06:39:00 PM

BART police responded to reports of a male suspect with a gun in a Bay Area Rapid Transit station at Ashby Avenue in Berkeley this afternoon sometime after 4 p.m.. -more-


New: Click the Next Issue Button to See Today's New Articles

Friday October 15, 2010 - 06:31:00 PM

Don't forget that from now on you can see the new articles by clicking on the "Next Issue" button at the top of this page. Among other exciting news, there's a link to Richard Brenneman's latest column about the BP/UC collusion. -more-


Changes to the Planet Schedule, No More Printed Planets

By Becky O'Malley
Tuesday October 12, 2010 - 03:58:00 PM

First: sad news. If you have friends who have been enjoying the Planets which have been printed by a public-spirited copy shop, please tell them that they won’t be able to get printed copies any more. The usual suspects, the same kind of people who harassed the advertisers in the print Planets for the last few years, are at it again. Please don’t blame the generous people at the copy company, who were just trying to be of service to Berkeley readers.

Second: Mike O’Malley and I, who are solely responsible for online production these days, have decided that the Tuesday deadline isn’t working as well as we’d hoped. For one thing, we miss the City Council when it’s in session on Tuesday nights. And right now, we’re happy to say that we have had so many election-oriented contributions that we just can’t do it all in one day.

What you have today (Tuesday afternoon) is NOT the whole issue for this week. Much more is in the works—it will probably all be online by tomorrow afternoon. But since we’ve been getting new submissions every day, there will be new pieces posted almost every day, at least until the election, so keep putting berkeleydailyplanet.com into your browser and clicking through to see what’s new. -more-


The Will of the People: Measure R is Debated (Sort of) Yet Again

By Christopher Adams
Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 05:51:00 PM

Is the air too “dramatic” in the block of Addison which houses the city’s self-described “arts district;” is there something that fuzzes minds and prevents rational discourse? In January I went to a panel discussion about downtown development in the Aurora Theatre where not one of the panelists mentioned most of the activities which draw people downtown (like retail or restaurants or libraries or gyms). This Tuesday I went to a panel discussion in the same venue about Measure R, characterized by drama, if drama means “artifice,” “fictionalizing,” and “upstaging,” but mostly not including discussion of Measure R. Maybe the Chamber of Commerce, which had organized the panel, wanted it that way, but I went wanting to learn more, and I left as flummoxed as I had been in January. -more-


Who Paid for "the Sierra Club's" Yes on R mailer? (News Analysis)

By Daniella Thompson
Tuesday October 12, 2010 - 11:11:00 AM

If you’re a Berkeley voter, you’ll have received the colorful mailer from the Yes on Measure R campaign conspicuously designed to look as if it had come from the Sierra Club.

Like Measure R itself, the mailer harps on the word “green” numerous times. Of course, there is nothing in the ballot language that guarantees any green (or even rosy) outcome for downtown Berkeley.

What we have here is a case of flagrant greenwashing, financed by developers. -more-


"Gerrymandering”: The Movie, the Proposition, the Conflict of Interest

By Gar Smith
Tuesday October 12, 2010 - 12:51:00 PM
Jeff Reichert

“You don’t pick your representatives; your representatives pick you.”— A popular definition of the “gerrymandering” process -more-


League of Women Voters Hosts Lively Measure R Forum

By Steven Finacom
Tuesday October 12, 2010 - 11:40:00 AM

A forum on Measure R, the controversial downtown high-rise development proposal on Berkeley’s November ballot, provoked a sharp exchange of views last Tuesday.

More than 50 people attended the event that was held in the Berkeley City College building on Center Street and was sponsored by the League of Women Voters. -more-


Draconian Budget Cuts to Senior and Disabled Programs

by Lydia Gans
Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 08:40:00 AM

Arnieville, the name inspired by the Hoovervilles in the depression years, was a month long camp out in Berkeley in July to protest threatened cuts in services for elderly and disabled people. Last week Arnieville went to Sacramento with their allies in a last ditch effort to prevent the legislature and the governor from making cuts in their desperately needed programs. The results – nothing. Other than a few arrests for “obstructing state business” they were not heard. The budget was passed with the cuts the legislative leaders had agreed on (in closed sessions). -more-


Chase Bank Logo To Rise Above Berkeley (News Analysis)

By Steven Finacom
Tuesday October 12, 2010 - 01:14:00 PM
A Chase Bank logo is proposed for the upper right hand corner of the
                south façade of the 13-story 2150 Shattuck office building, shown here from far
                down Shattuck Avenue.

Blue and gold may be the revered historic colors of the University of California, but if a current proposal is approved, they may also become literal colors of controversy in the University city. -more-


An Eclectic Afternoon on Telegraph - Art Cars Parade

Steven Finacom
Saturday October 09, 2010 - 11:59:00 PM
More than 20 art cars rolled up Telegraph Avenue past Amoeba Music
                mid-day on Friday, October 8, 2010.

For a few minutes midday on Friday, October 8, 2010, Telegraph Avenue experienced a burst of color, oddity, and originality out in the street as well as on the sidewalks. A group of art cars came to town. -more-


Press Release: Cultural Trust Hosts Berkeley City Council Candidates Forum on Oct. 20

From Lisa Manning, Chair, Berkeley Cultural Trust Marketing Director, Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse
Friday October 15, 2010 - 10:11:00 AM

Berkeley Cultural Trust (BCT) hosts a Berkeley City Council candidates forum, moderated by the League of Women Voters, from noon-1:30 pm October 20, 2010 at the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley CA 94704. The forum is open and free to the public. -more-


Support Education and Accountability—Yes on H…No on I

By Priscilla Myrick
Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 10:45:00 AM

Measure H is a parcel tax that will provide approximately $5 million per year for 10years (from 2013 to 2023) at a total cost of $50 million. The revenues from the parcel tax will be used to maintain school facilities.

Measure I authorizes the District to issue $210million in school construction bonds that will be used to construct classrooms and renovate district facilities over the next ten years. However, the cost to repay the bonds (principal and interest) will be $611 million over 50 years through 2060. -more-


An Open Letter to Professor Robert Reich Regarding Berkeley Measure R

By Susan Cerny
Friday October 08, 2010 - 04:18:00 PM

Dear Professor Reich,

On September 30, 2010 I wrote you regarding your endorsement of Measure R and my observation that your endorsement conflicted with statements you make on public radio and on your blog site. (The letter is included below) -more-


Berkeley Measure R: 2 Cons and a Pro

By B. Soffer
Saturday October 09, 2010 - 05:24:00 PM

[EDITOR’S NOTE:The Bay Area News Group (San Jose Mercury. Oakland Tribune, Contra Costa Times, West County Times, Berkeley Voice and more) has come out against Berkeley’s proposed Measure R.

Here’s a link to their editorial

Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates wrote an op-ed in response supporting Measure R.

Now B. Soffer of the Green Party has sent us his rebuttal, reprinted below:] -more-


Measure R: Claims and Facts

By John English
Tuesday October 12, 2010 - 11:05:00 AM

Measure R is a deceptive attempt to slip through some highly controversial specifics by linking them to a parade of nice-sounding vague generalities and an alleged “green vision for the Downtown.” Don’t be fooled by proponents’ greenwashing rhetoric. Read the fine print. -more-


Privatizing VA Medical Care: Another Tea Party attack against blacks, Latinos and poor whites

By Jean Damu
Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 09:51:00 AM

The Republican Party and the Tea Party Express are on a roll, if the pundits and pollsters are to be believed.They say the opportunity will exist after the mid-term elections for them to be in a position to undo some of the positive legislation passed by Democratically controlled congresses. At the top of their hit list- undo the healthcare reforms and privatize social security, as well as the VA hospitals. -more-


Marijuana Measure T is not the Solution

By Shirley Dean, Former Mayor, City of Berkeley and Sophie Hahn, Community and School Leader
Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 09:04:00 AM

This week we got our first look at the “Yes on T” flyer currently being distributed. We support the efforts of those Berkeley advocates for medical marijuana who have acted responsibly to help people find their way through the complex legal and practical problems that the chaos of State law around this issue has created. However, the assertions in the flyer urging a “yes” vote on Berkeley Measure T are so misleading that we feel compelled to reply. -more-


George Beier in His Own Words: A Cautionary Tale for Neighborhoods

By Judith Epstein
Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 06:05:00 PM

The first time I met George Beier, he was charming, friendly, and he told me exactly what I wanted to hear. It just wasn’t the truth. Beier is a self-described “neighborhood activist,” but when Elmwood residents and merchants needed a champion, he took the side of the developer who would have destroyed our neighborhood. -more-


Sierra Club Local Endorsements = Machine, NOT Green

By Merrilie Mitchell
Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 10:51:00 AM

The Sierra Club, terrific on national issues like BP, has a Berkeley based local Chapter that seems to have eclipsed our own UC - BP horror story without a peep. UC-BP plans massive Research and Development (R and D) in biofuels here, and they are planning for Berkeley to become the world capitol for this research. -more-


Press Release: Big win for SaveKPFA slate in KPFA's Local Board Election

Sent by Mal Burnstein of SaveKPFA
Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 08:30:00 AM

The SaveKPFA slate has won a big victory in elections to KPFA’s local governing board. Listeners elected SaveKPFA members to six of nine open seats. -more-


Press Release: Who Are These Crooks--Er, Suspects?

From the City of Berkeley Police Department
Tuesday October 12, 2010 - 10:19:00 AM

Here's a Berkeley Police Department press release showing suspects in a recent car burglary and credit car theft case. -more-


Press Release: Campaign Launched: Berkeley City Council Resolution to Welcome Cleared Guantánamo Detainees to Berkeley

FROM: Cynthia Papermaster, Director, National Accountability Action Network; Codepink Women for Peace,510-333-6097 cynthia_papermaster@yahoo.com; Susan Harman, Progressive Democrats of America, 510-866-6743; Nancy Talanian, No More Guantanamos (www.no
Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 08:33:00 AM

Berkeley, CA. On Tuesday, October 12, a coalition of human rights and torture accountability groups [launched] a campaign to pass a Berkeley City Council Resolution welcoming one or two cleared Guantánamo Bay Prison detainees to Berkeley once Congress lifts its current ban. The resolution’s supporters, including groups and individuals who organized “Berkeley Says No to Torture Week”, Oct. 10-16, www.wesaynototorture.net hope the Berkeley City Council will adopt the resolution promptly, making the City of Berkeley the third U.S. municipality, and the first in California, to do so. No city funds would be used to support the men. They would be sponsored by volunteers, with the help of nonprofit organizations that help asylees. -more-


Opinion

Editorials

Chicago Politics Comes to Berkeley: Sam Zell's Behind Measure R

By Becky O'Malley
Tuesday October 12, 2010 - 11:38:00 AM

This has been a busy week for the hardy little band of Berkeleyans who follow what’s going on in city government. They’re mostly downtown dwellers anxious about what’s about to land on their neighborhood, so they follow everything the City Council and the Planning Department are prepared to inflict on them with laser gaze.

For those of you who actually read the Daily Planet on a daily basis, much of what follows will be familiar, because an earlier draft was posted on Wednesday in the Editor’s Back Page category. Since then a great deal of new information has been added to the public discourse by public watchdogs. I’m revisiting the topic in this space (traditionally the best read section) to make sure no one who cares will miss a beat.

Here’s the instant replay: last Tuesday a League of Woman Voters debate on Measure R, which will appear on the Berkeley ballot in the upcoming election, served as the arena for dramatic revelations about the out-of-town financial muscle behind the advisory ballot measure which purports to give citizens the opportunity to endorse the mayor’s “green vision” for downtown development. -more-


The Editor's Back Fence

Now Read This: A Selection of Links of Interest to Berkeley and Environs

Sunday October 10, 2010 - 09:37:00 AM

The redoutable Richard Brenneman has a new post on his blog pointing to a piece about the big money which has been made by UC Berkeley faculty members, "folks who have made large fortunes playing economics for profits." -more-


Cartoons


Public Comment

Letters to the Editor

Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 06:11:00 PM

Who Killed Willard Pool? -more-


UC Pension Proposal Boosts Executive Payouts, Targets Low-Wage Workers for Cuts

By Lakesha Harrison, President of University of California Employees AFSCME 3299
Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 11:24:00 AM

Californians are tired of University of California President Mark Yudof saying one thing but doing another. Yudof has spearheaded a drive to hike tuition on students struggling to pay their room and board while spending lavishly on his own housing. He has forced furloughs and reductions on the lowest-paid staff while he hauls down an outsized salary and bevy of perks of close to $1 million annually. -more-


U.S. Hypocritical Imposition of Sanctions On 8 Iranian Officials

By Ralph E. Stone
Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 12:03:00 PM

In an audacious display of hypocrisy, President Obama signed an executive order on September 28, 2010, imposing financial sanctions against eight Iranian officials for "serious and sustained human rights abuse" violations committed in the year since Iran's disputed presidential election. The order freezes any U.S. assets they might own and bars them from receiving a visa to travel to the United States. -more-


A Sad Lesson From Berkeley Bowl: What Not To Do

By Tirtho Mahmood
Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 12:06:00 PM

In the Indian Subcontinent you should never get caught shop-lifting--no, not for legal reasons, for your own physical safety. Most of the time, the mob takes sadistic pleasure in beating up the suspect--sometimes the suspect dies, even though it might later be proven to be a mistake. -more-


What If They Called a Riot and No One Came?

By Ted Friedman
Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 09:45:00 AM

I showed up at People's Park Saturday morning before the big homecoming game at Memorial Stadium expecting a riot. -more-


Columns

Dispatches From The Edge: Ecuador: Riot or Coup?

By Conn Hallinan
Friday October 08, 2010 - 03:31:00 PM

A police riot over an austerity bill, or a failed attempt to oust leftist Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa from office? In the aftermath of the Sept. 30 attack on Correa by police in Quito, it is looking more and more like this was an orchestrated coup. And while there is no evidence that the U.S. was directly involved, the Obama administration’s strong support for the current Honduran government may well have encouraged the plotters to expect similar treatment by Washington. -more-


The Public Eye: The Job Crisis: Hard Times and Tough Choices

By Bob Burnett
Friday October 08, 2010 - 03:46:00 PM

Here in California, I’ve been calling voters, asking them to vote no on Proposition 23 – the Texas Oil attempt to roll back our enlightened environmental law (AB32). I’ve been impressed both by voters’ determination to defeat Proposition 23 and their reports of hard times. Many voters say they are hurting financially. -more-


Senior Power :“T’ain’t Funny, McGee.”

By Helen Rippier Wheeler
Sunday October 10, 2010 - 10:19:00 AM

Candidates running for election in the November election are invited to email to Senior Power ( pen136@dslextreme.com ) a statement of your “platform” regarding senior citizens, -- e.g. housing, health, transportation. If you are running for re-election, please describe the h ighlights of your record on issues important to seniors. -more-


Swift Spectacle

By Joe Eaton
Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 09:38:00 AM

When we arrived at the industrial site in Marin County (and that’s as specific as I can get) around 6:15 pm last Monday, a few swifts were already circling the tallest of three chimneys. Berkeley birder Rusty Scalf discovered this roost of migrating Vaux’s swifts in late September. I had assumed that the birds had subsequently moved on south, but friends had reported their continuing presence the day before. Since we had other business in Marin County that day, Ron and I decided to hang around until dusk and catch the show. -more-


Arts & Events

Stage-San Francisco Through October 24

Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 11:09:00 AM

AMERICAN CONSERVATORY THEATER -more-


Stage-East Bay Through October 24

Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 11:08:00 AM

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE -more-


Professional Dance- Through October 24

Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 11:07:00 AM

LESHER CENTER FOR THE ARTS -more-


Readings-East Bay Through October 24

Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 11:07:00 AM

A GREAT GOOD PLACE FOR BOOKS -more-


Popmusic-East Bay Through October 24

Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 11:06:00 AM

924 GILMAN ST. All ages welcome. -more-


Classical Music-San Francisco Through October 24

Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 10:51:00 AM

HERBST THEATRE -more-


Classical Music-East Bay Through October 24

Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 10:03:00 AM

ARLINGTON COMMUNITY CHURCH -more-


The First Films of Akira Kurosawa

By Justin DeFreitas
Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 08:05:00 AM

It's fitting that the great Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa began his career with a traveling shot. Sanshiro Sugata (1943) opens with a camera pushing forward through a village street, probing into the life and secrets of the hamlet and its denizens. -more-


Around and About ... Performing Arts

By Ken Bullock
Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 08:07:00 AM

Upcoming Events

—Mark Jackson's adaptation of Mary Stuart for Shotgun Players

Dancing on Glass, a social comedy from India

—Backyard Theater Revolution -more-


Swift Spectacle

By Joe Eaton
Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 09:38:00 AM

When we arrived at the industrial site in Marin County (and that’s as specific as I can get) around 6:15 pm last Monday, a few swifts were already circling the tallest of three chimneys. Berkeley birder Rusty Scalf discovered this roost of migrating Vaux’s swifts in late September. I had assumed that the birds had subsequently moved on south, but friends had reported their continuing presence the day before. Since we had other business in Marin County that day, Ron and I decided to hang around until dusk and catch the show. -more-


Outdoors-East Bay Through October 24

Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 11:05:00 AM

ARDENWOOD HISTORIC FARM Ardenwood farm is a working farm that dates back to the time of the Patterson Ranch, a 19th-century estate with a mansion and Victorian Gardens. Today, the farm still practices farming techniques from the 1870s. Unless otherwise noted, programs are free with regular admission. -more-


Museums-East Bay Through October 24

Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 11:03:00 AM

AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM AND LIBRARY AT OAKLAND ongoing. The Oakland Public Library's museum is designed to discover, preserve, interpret and share the cultural and historical experiences of African Americans in California and the West. In addition, a three-panel mural is on permanent display. -more-


Museums-San Francisco Through October 24

Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 11:03:00 AM

ASIAN ART MUSEUM OF SAN FRANCISCO The Asian Art Museum-Chon-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture recently unveiled its new building in San Francisco's Civic Center. The building, the former San Francisco Public Library, has been completely retrofitted and rebuilt to house San Francisco's significant collection of Asian treasures. The museum offers complimentary audio tours of the museum's collection galleries. "In a New Light," ongoing. There are some 2,500 works displayed in the museum's new galleries. They cover all the major cultures of Asia and include Indian stone sculptures, intricately carved Chinese jades, Korean paintings, Tibetan thanksgas, Cambodian Buddhas, Islamic manuscripts and Japanese basketry and kimonos. -more-


Highlights-East Bay Through October 24

Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 11:02:00 AM

924 GILMAN ST. All ages welcome. -more-


Kids-East Bay Through October 24

Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 11:02:00 AM

ARDENWOOD HISTORIC FARM Ardenwood farm is a working farm that dates back to the time of the Patterson Ranch, a 19th-century estate with a mansion and Victorian Gardens. Today, the farm still practices farming techniques from the 1870s. Unless otherwise noted, programs are free with regular admission. -more-


General-East Bay Through October 24

Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 11:01:00 AM

ASHKENAZ -more-


Exhibits-San Francisco Through October 24

Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 11:00:00 AM

"35TH ANNUAL SF OPEN STUDIOS," -- through Oct. 31. More than 800 artists will open their studio doors to the public during this month-long event taking place throughout the city, with different areas participating on different weekends. See website for complete details. -more-


Exhibits-East Bay Through October 24

Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 10:59:00 AM

CARMEN FLORES RECREATION CENTER -more-


Dance-East Bay Through October 24

Wednesday October 13, 2010 - 10:58:00 AM

ELKS LODGE, ALAMEDA -more-