The Editor's Back Fence

Editor's Note. It seems that some in Berkeley who are out of the loop didn't recognize that Larry Bensky was pulling our leg when he suggested that Tom Bates would exact public benefits from a big corporation like CVS. That's a joke, of course. We received this letter from a PR firm working for CVS: 

You ran a letter in your May 16 edition titled “Reopen Willard Pool” which claimed that CVS had made an agreement with Mayor Bates and planned to reopen the Willard Pool in exchange for approval to open the new CVS at Telegraph and Derby. Best we can tell this letter is a spoof and is a reprint from a letter in the East Bay Express. No such agreement has ever been discussed or contemplated. We are not asking for a correction at this time but would ask that you refrain from running any further pieces of this nature. If future claims arise or you have any questions about CVS in Berkeley please don’t hesitate to contact me.