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AC Transit holiday service doesn’t get it done for poor and disabled 

Editor: 

At a time when traffic in the East Bay is congested and people are offered incentives from their employers to get out of their cars, I find it hard to imagine why AC Transit makes it so hard for people to attend holiday events by public transportation. Is it because the poor and disabled people who can't afford to or are'nt physically able to drive don't matter? Isn't it possible that some commuter might be “testing the system” to try out a new route? 

Because it took more than an hour to leave the fireworks last year, I suggested that my friend drive to my house and park, and then we could take the 72/73 bus to Jack London Square. I have a monthly pass. If he paid $1.60, he could get a transfer good for the return trip two and a half hours later. What could go wrong? 

The fireworks were awesome. They were synchronised to several pop tunes, and the Star Spangled Banner at the end. The crowd was huge, but curteous and friendly. It was worth the trip, or so I thought.... 

We shuffled with the crowd down to 12th and Broadway, the first place with a bus sign where the traffic flowed through in our direction. We stood and waited....and waited...and waited. 

It was over 50 minutes before a 73 came. This bus we had to run a block to, and the bus filled quickly. Fortunately, the driver accepted the long expired transfer. It was almost midnight when we got home So much for watching the TV news. 

When there are holiday events, BART runs extra trains. 

When heading to the Marina for Fireworks, one used to be able to walk down there, unless one wanted to stay for two and a half hours after the 7 p.m. bus. Somehow I remember walking back from the Fireworks in the past, and remember worrying about finding a seat on a rock. 

The 72/73 bus would have worked well if there had been shuttles to the Square to and from the nearest bus stop. This could work for the Marina, too, as it works for the Stroll and is done in Emeryville malls. Local businesses could sponsor them. 

Want to get people out of their cars? Treat them with kindness and courtesy and they'll follow you anywhere. 

Edith Monk Hallberg 

Berkeley 

Walking pit bulls off-leash is like carrying around a loaded gun 

Editor:  

Your headline last week, “Friendly Pit Bull,” gave me another addition to my collection of self-canceling phrases, like: Religious terrorist, Rap artist, and Islamic democracy.  

Walking a pit bull off-leash in public is like carrying a load gun in a neighborhood.That's why most insurance companies will not insure homeowners with a liability policy if they own a pit bull. On a related matter, I am skeptical of people who feel they need a pit bull for protection. I suspect it's more of a macho thing to intimidate the neighbors or to bolster a fragile sense of self-esteem. This history of this canine breed confirms its menancing reputation.  

President Teddy Roosevelt owned a pit bull named “Pete.” His claim to fame was tearing off the trousers of the French Ambassador in the White House during an official reception.  

We haven't changed our state laws dealing with vicious dogs since 1872 and we are long overdue. Our Assemblywoman, Dion Aroner, is working on a bill which will be sent to our legislature which will bring us into the 21st century. Let's encourage our Governor to sign it into law as a tribute to ten-year old Shawn Jones as he struggles to survive the brutal mauling which cries out for restitution.  

Dennis Kuby  

Berkeley 

Beth El construction will conserve a landmark and provide space for more services  

Editor: 

I support Temple Beth El's proposed new construction at the Cordonices Creek site, bounded between Spruce and Oxford, and Eunice and Rose Streets.  

I have been an active member of Temple Beth El since 1995, and my family and I have resided in the 700 Block of Spruce Street since 1997. In addition, over the past twenty years while employed as a liscensed Plumbing Contractor, I have participated in the rennovation and construction of countless homes and businesses in Berkeley. I am well known in the Berkeley community as the President of The Lunt Marymor Company, and formerly, as the President of Leigh Marymor Plumbing. 

I am a great advocate of the preservation of historic and cultural spaces. As Co-Founder of the Bay Area Rock Art Research Association, and as Chairman of the Conservation and Protection Network Sub-committe of the American Rock Art Research Association, I have advocated for the protection of Native American cultural resources in the Bay Area and Northern California for a period spanning nearly 20 years. I have been a strong voice for the protection of the Ring Mountain petroglyphs in Tiburon, the petroglyph sites in Berkeley, El Cerrito and Richmond, the petroglyphs and cultural resources at Chitactac Adams Heritage Park in Gilroy, the Vasco painted caves at the Altamont Pass, and many other conservation efforts. I am comfortable, proud and pleased with the sensitivity that the Beth El design has shown to the historic significance of the Codornices site, and I look forward to the honoring of the early African American presence in Berkeley and of our early ranching history. 

I see the construction of the Beth El project as an act of cultural and religious life preservation. The Reform Jewish Community at Beth El is a cultural and religious asset to the City of Berkeley, as well as, a good neighbor, and an active participant in the social welfare of our community.  

After many years, the congregation has outgrown its home at Rose and Vine Streets. There are many reasons why a new home is required, but crowding and lack of space for our variety of religious and educational activities is foremost among them. 

I believe the Cordonices Creek project will be an asset to my Spruce Street neighborhood, as well. The scale of the construction is appropriate to the site, the project has been designed by world class architects, and the existing park like setting has been respected. Certainly the scale of this project does not begin to approach the scale of the recently completed Cragmont School, which sits just a block and a half from my house. Cragmont School dominates the intersection of Spruce and Marin, sees hundreds of children come and go everyday, with attendant car and bus traffic. Kids, dare I say it, actually play outside, and are heard at times to laugh out loud and have been seen, at times, to scuffle about in the neighborhood. I like having the school in the neighborhood. I like the kids. I like the parents who come into my neighborhood for the sake of their kids. And, I like the look of the school buidling itself, it's beautifully designed. A real neighborhood asset. In all, it's not at all unlike the proposed Beth El project, except Beth El is, ofcourse, much smaller. 

Leigh Marymor 

Berkeley